What a Year!

Incredible things happen when you share your passion. Check out what our community accomplished this year.

• We officially changed our name to The Foundry in February!!!!!

• We added new and exciting classes; Hot Pilates, Hot HIIT, Hot Barre.

• We added a third studio to The Foundry Family; the Tempe-Rio Salado studio.

• We hosted our 4th OHM Yoga Teacher Training, graduating 10 new yoga teachers.

• We hosted our 1st OHM Pilates & Hot HIIT Teacher Training, graduating 8 teachers.

• We hosted 14 workshops at our studios, ranging from posture clinics to self development.

• We hosted 4 community events with over 500 people in attendance. 

• We hosted 4 challenges and had over 400 people complete these challenges. 

• We donated over 150 pounds of food to a local shelter, along with clothing & toys. 

• We donated over $1,000 to local charities. 

• We announced our first-ever Yoga & Pilates Healing Retreat in Bali! (happening July 2018)

• We were absolutely and completely INSPIRED by the 5,339 students who came to our studios, taking a total of 79,548 classes this year!!!!!!!

We can't wait to see you and sweat with you in the new year! Join us for the New Year, New You Challenge starting on Monday, January 1st. The goal is to complete 50 classes in 60 days. #NewYearNewYou #WeGotThis #50in60

4 Ways to Maximize Your Yoga Practice

By: Nicole Deacon

Yoga helps us gain strength and flexibility, but more than that it helps us to improve our health, connect to our bodies, to breathe more, to stay calm in stressful situations, to be more patient, to be more kind. Mostly we do yoga for who we get to BE after class. There are many ways that we can improve our yoga practice to get the most out of it. Here are four simple things that you can do:

• Breathe – The postures in Sanskrit are called Asana. My teachers have defined the word asana as “posture holding still, breathing always normal”. The moment we hold the breath we are no longer practicing yoga. The breath connects us to our body, allows the body to relax, and to safely go deeper in the postures. Conscious breathing connects us to our parasympathetic nervous system so instead of going into fight or flight response we can stay calm and relaxed even in a stressful situation. If we do nothing but learn to breathe it would be time well spent.

• Take a Private Lesson. Group lessons are extremely beneficial. We are able to meditate more deeply and be supported by the amazing group energy. However, private lessons allow you to fine-tune your alignment maximizing benefit and preventing injury of each of the postures. How often do you want to do yoga? “Everyday. Just like brushing your teeth.” How often do you want to take a private lesson? At least twice a year, just like going to the dentist.

• Strengthen Your Core. The core is a collection of muscles that stabilize and move the spine.   Strong core muscles make it easier to do many physical activities including yoga poses. You can absolutely strengthen your core during yoga class, but a pilates or a strength class can target these muscles increasing your mind-body connection to the area making it easier to engage these muscles during yoga poses. To quote Niki Fillmore, “every time I do a pilates class, I feel stronger in my yoga class the next day.”

• Stay 5 Extra Minutes in Savasana. We live in a fast-paced world and if you can consciously create space to slow down and be still you will maximize the healing benefits of your yoga practice. When the body is stressed out, in fight or flight response, it is pumping the body full of adrenaline and cortisol to survive whatever threat it is dealing with. When the body is in a resting state the body’s natural healing abilities take place. We spend class calming the body and getting into a state of rest and relaxation. If you give your body just a few extra minutes in this state you will leave feeling more peaceful, calm, and focused for your day.

We have recently increased our offerings at BYAZ to support students get the most out of their yoga practice. In addition to yoga our members now enjoy strength, pilates, and high-intensity interval training classes. We also offer add-ons for kids under 17 for all classes and kids club, four private coaching sessions for nutrition, yoga, or goal coaching, and mat and towel service. Start maximizing your practice. Click Here to sign up today.

March Student of the Month: Malar Sathasivam

Malar has been practicing Bikram Yoga for 3 years now and was first told about Bikram Yoga from a friend but was actually motivated to stick with it by her mom! She says, “a friend of mine mentioned the name and I looked it up online and came in for a trial class. My Mom motivated me to stick through the trial period.” Malar eventually enjoyed the yoga and studio so much that she even moved in order to be closer to the studio and her work!

Before Bikram Yoga Malar says she used to be sluggish, achy, and lazy all the time. She says, “my energy levels were low and working out at the gym left me achy and sore.” One of the biggest benefits that Malar finds to doing this yoga is that it helps with her achiness and soreness, stating “the health benefits are innumerable and very subtle I believe. The one thing I did discover that is not touted is the ability to bounce back quicker and better after a bout of illness or injury. Every time I have an injury or ache and I take a couple of yoga classes and they go away. I haven't taken any pain reliever in a long time. Anytime I feel achy and sore I just head to yoga.”

Malar also contributes this yoga to making her a better dancer saying, “I want to keep dancing even after all my friends are done!” On a more serious note, she says it is a personality trait, “I have never in the past stuck to any activity this long. I have learned endurance for life. I will carry the lesson of not giving up everywhere with me.”

When asked what her favorite posture is, Malar says Standing Bow Pose! Over time she has been able to see her leg come up higher and higher above her head in the mirror. “Only yogis know this feeling,” she says.

As for her advice for new students, Malar says, “Keep coming in. When I first started and was about to give up after my trial period, Steve made me sign up for 3 months. He said commit to it for 4 months and if you still want to quit after that it should be okay. Well, here I am 3 years later.”

Top 5 things I love about our studio

1) The community - such a wonderful people you practice with and awesome teachers

2) Evolution - I love the way the studio has evolved with new classes and still holding onto the roots

3) Fun parties - love meeting and talking with everyone outside the studio

4) Schedule - I'm so grateful for the number of classes you have in a day or during holidays no excuse for missing any

5) Challenge/training - I love the challenge series and training the studio provides for competition, enabling us to reach the next level

The History of Pilates

What is Pilates?

If you were like me the first time you heard about this Pilates thing (pronounced like “pirates”), the first thing you realized was that you needed to say it correctly!

Pilates (pi-LAH-teez) is a form of body conditioning developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. The method encompasses more than 500 exercises performed on various pieces of equipment that simultaneously stretch and strengthen muscles. Pilates focuses primarily on the ‘Powerhouse,’ or deepest abdominal muscles, and works the rest of the body from this core connection. In essence, Pilates is more than just the core; it’s a total body workout!

Joseph Pilates, born in Germany, developed his system while rehabilitating German nationalists during WWI. Pilates was a sickly child himself who physically conditioned himself to become a skilled boxer, gymnast, circus performer, skier and diver; he also practiced yoga and Zen meditation. While at the camp, he was instructed to exercise his patients, but only if they remained in their beds. Within these guidelines, he was able to construct a series of exercises using pulleys, straps, and springs. Pilates patients rehabilitated faster than other soldiers and he continued to develop his system of original exercises that he later called ‘Contrology.’

In 1925 he left for New York City and opened a gym side by side with several dance studios and rehearsal spaces. ‘Contrology’ – today known simply as Pilates – soon became a staple for dancers, used to strengthen, balance and rehabilitate them.

Joe had several protégé students who after his death at the age of 87 began teaching the works of Pilates. Pilates is quoted as saying “I’m fifty years ahead of my time.” Perhaps he was true as 50 years after his death, Pilates now is more than just a dancer’s supplemental program. Pilates has now entered mainstream fitness and athletics and is used as therapeutic modalities for physical therapists and chiropractors.

The Foundry is so excited to be offering Hot Pilates classes to students!  Check out our schedule for our Hot Pilates classes available and experience firsthand the amazing benefits of Pilates!

December Student of the Month: Katie VanderVelde

Katie has just celebrated her 10-year anniversary of practicing Bikram yoga! She started her practice at a small studio in Lawrence, KS (the only studio in the whole state!) and it has traveled with her to all of the cities she has lived in since - San Francisco, Aspen, Kansas City, and now Phoenix for the past two years. Katie found Bikram Yoga when she was looking for an exercise where she could sweat and get a good workout in. She has since stuck with the practice because “I found something that taught me how to breathe, to cultivate peace of mind, and to let go just enough to unveil my own physical, mental, and spiritual potential,” she says.

Although she does enjoy other types of yoga and exercise classes, she has not found one that has made her feel quite like Bikram Yoga does. “The ‘feeling’ is hard to describe,” she says. She goes on to say, “I enjoy the sweat and the challenge, but I also love the hour and a half of silence. It's my meditation, exercise, detoxification, and therapy session all rolled into one - and there is no other way to get that all in 90 minutes!”

Katie has just recently given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Anna, on September 26th and practiced Bikram Yoga regularly (at least three times a week) throughout her entire pregnancy! She says, “Yoga helped me through all the aches and pains (both musculoskeletal and mental) from hormonal changes and a growing baby.”

Katie recently returned to Bikram yoga after taking two months off following the birth of her daughter. She says that her first class back after her birth was more challenging than her first ever Bikram yoga class stating, “my legs shook in every posture and my mind was racing the entire time... but as always, I left feeling better then I did before I got there!”

When asked what advice she would give to a new student, Katie says, “Follow the words. The words are designed for everyone. If you ever fall out of a posture or your mind falls off track, just listen and try to follow the words! You never know what your body is capable of.”

5 Benefits of Bikram Yoga:

5) You learn to love water - you will have a moment when you think "this water is the best tasting water I have ever had in my life!"

4) You don't get bothered by a little sweat (great benefit when you live in the desert)

3) Your muscles and joints are more mobile... and you can do more of the other things you love like hiking, running, biking, etc.

2) You learn to love yourself... when you spend 90 minutes staring at yourself in a mirror.

1) People want to be around you (after class). You always leave the room a better person, calmer with a clearer mind.