5th Element yoga is located in a quiet, convenient, and residential neighborhood just off of Carefree Highway & I-17. Our smaller and semi-private classes are warm and inviting, offering students a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, as well as a friendly sense of community. We offer classes and donation-based classes for authentic practice, fitness, family practice, weight loss, and yoga therapy, as well as workshops and yoga teacher training. Our instructors are well educated, good-hearted individuals with a joyful appreciation for life and for teaching.

Rachel Hanks, RYT 500, E-RYT, Y.T.

Founder and owner, Rachel Hanks (Savitri), began building foundations for 5th Element Yoga and the Lift a Spirit Foundation in 2005 when a life changing experience inspired her to the service of others through yoga. Rachel is a Certified Yoga Therapist and specializes in teaching Hatha and vinyasa classes, educating instructors, and one-on-one yoga therapy for individuals experiencing persistent pain, chronic and acute medical conditions, and emotional disorders. She is also classically trained in the tradition of the Bihar School of Yoga in India, and makes every effort to maintain the integrity of ancient yogic teachings while incorporating modern and anatomical techniques. This primary focus has provided her students with the necessary tools to explore and enhance their own understanding of yoga practice. Her philosophy is that we are all teachers and students, learning from each other in each moment. Her qualifications include:

• RYT 500 & E-RYT (Experienced & Registered Yoga Teacher)
• Certified Yoga Therapist
• Certified Children’s Yoga Teacher
• Certified Thai Yoga Massage Therapist
• Certified Advanced Herbalist for 10+ yrs
• Yoga Teacher Training Director

In addition to teaching, Rachel hoped to create new ways to help others and give back on a larger scale. As a result, the Lift a Spirit Foundation was born. Offering a way for others to practice donation-based yoga, purchase products, volunteer, and give back to their global community while practicing compassion.

Rachel continues to teach while studying classical and modern styles, ancient Indian arts, and yoga therapy, is a member of IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), and has had the privilege of studying with:

• Mukunda Stiles – Structural Yoga Therapist and author of Structural Yoga Therapy and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
• Judith Hanson Lasater – Co-founder of the California Yoga Teachers’ Association, Yoga Journal magazine, and the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco.
• Julie Gudmestad – Physical Therapist, Certified Iyengar Teacher, and author of ‘Anatomy of a Yogi’ columns for the Yoga Journal.
• Desiree Rumbaugh – Certified Anusara Teacher.
• Rishi Dion – Certified Advanced Integral Yoga Teacher and Lotus Palm Teacher of Thai Yoga Massage and Therapy.
• Dr. Sarasvati Buhrman – Certified Cardiac Yoga Instructor and senior teacher/co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda.
• Dr. Sarita Shrestha – Ayurvedic and Western Medical Physician with many years of practice in Kathmandu, Nepal. Core faculty member of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda, and recently received royal commendation for her work with rural village women in Nepal. Her biographical story can be found in David Crow’s book “In Search of the Medicine Buddha.”
• Avadhutiika Ananda Deviika’ Ma’ A’cha’rya’ – Spiritual teacher, Sannyasini (yogic nun) of the Northern Indian Tantric tradition, and teacher of Sahaj yoga.
• Jnani Chapman – R.N., Certified Yoga Teacher, and the former executive director of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
• Shar Lee – Structural Yoga Therapist and former Structural Yoga Teacher Trainer, Tibetan Cranial-Sacral Practitioner, massage therapist, and a practitioner of Ayurvedic Marma Point Therapy.
• Shradhasagar Hartung – Director and co-founder of 7 Centers Yoga Arts, founder of Mystis, a nonprofit organization, comprising The Children’s Project and Yoga Teacher Training Program. Certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher through Yogi Bhajan and the 3HO Foundation with additional studies in Tantra from Sunyata Saraswati (author of The Jewel and the Lotus). President of The International Yoga College and Training Programs Director for the Center for International Dialogue, a conflict resolution and peace strategies organization.
• Avani Sukhadia – Avani has been studying and practicing Ayurveda for the past eight years. She is a graduate of New York University, The School of Healing Arts and the American School of Ayurveda.
• Leila Breitler & Natalie Hajdu – Founders of the Herb Stop and its affiliated herbalist training programs and apprenticeship programs.

Kay Spofford, N.P.

Active yogini Kay Spofford has been a Nurse Practitioner for over 30 years. Kay began practicing yoga in 1987 after witnessing the effects that stress, disease, and general poor health have on the human body and psyche. She currently holds a Master’s Degree in Biological Studies from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts, a Master’s Degree in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner Degree from the University of Massachusetts, and a post-graduate degree in Psychiatric/Mental Health care from Boston College. She then went on to become a clinical instructor for nursing students at St. Joseph’s College in Connecticut and Mt. Wachusett Community College in Massachusetts, as well as an instructor for certified caregivers and managers of assisted living at Phoenix College. Throughout her many years of hospital nursing, treating nursing home residents, caring for assisted living patients, and teaching, Kay has always believed that medications are not the sole answer for treatment of patients and has counseled patients about yoga, its positive effects, and relaxation techniques as part of a healthy lifestyle. She currently serves as Director and Manager for two Banner Health assisted living facilities, instructs occasional and educational memory, dementia, and health seminars, and also teaches clinical anatomy for 5th Element Yoga Teacher Trainings.

Josette Pinter, M.H., L.M.T.

Practicing Herbalist and Licensed Massage Therapist, Josette Pinter, began her journey into the natural health field at age 17 while studying plant biology at Northern Arizona University. After leaving NAU, she lived and worked in Ludenscheid, Germany for 10+ years. Josette was constantly inspired by the strong emphasis of natural health in the medical industries and surrounding communities that she encountered overseas, and decided to finally pursue her interests in herbalism. After discovering the difficulties of studying abroad without citizenship, she moved back to the U.S. in 2002 and completed her Master Herbalist Certification in 2005 through the Australasian College of Health Sciences, the first accredited college in Alternative Herbal Therapy in the United States. She then furthered her education in 2006, with a Licensed Massage Therapy Certification from the Arizona School of Massage Therapy, and founded Harmony & Balance, her own successful and private practice. Once settled, Josette began to feel drawn to yoga and is currently completing her YTT 200. As a result of her outstanding and licensed education, Josette has hundreds of hours of study and experience in the anatomical and biomechanics of the body and teaches part of the anatomy intensives for our yoga teacher trainings. Her specialties also include therapeutic deep tissue and myofascial release of physical stress and trauma, as well as Western Herbalism for psychological and emotional disorders. Josette feels that the gifts of natural healing are all around us and is inspired by yogic philosophy, practice, and the restorative power of natural health. Her teachers include:

• Dr. Arianna Staruch, N.D. – Naturopathic Physician, teacher, and national lecturer in women’s health issues.
• Kay Spofford, N.P. – Nurse Practitioner and clinical anatomy instructor.
• Keith Kuratko, L.M.T. – Sports, Russian, and Trigger Point massage instructor and Licensed Massage Therapist.
• Lacey Fuller, L.M.T. – Accupressure, Shiatsu, Injury and Hydrotherapy instructor and Licensed Massage Therapist.
• James Coyne, L.M.T. – Shiatsu instructor and Licensed Massage Therapist.
• Rachel Hanks, Y.T. – Owner of 5th Element Yoga, RYT 500, E-RYT, and certified Yoga Therapist.

Divya Madhavan, Celebrated Indian Dance Instructor

A recent transplant from Mumbai, India, Divya Madhavan made the long trek to Phoenix in 2008. Divya is a renowned performing dance artist and teaches classical and ancient Indian dance including Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Bhangra, as well as the more modern styles of bollywood. Divya began dancing at the age of three and went on to study at the Upaasana Academy of Fine Arts in Mumbai. There she studied Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and folk dance. Over the last two decades, Divya has performed in over 200 festivals and dance celebrations, and was awarded Best Dancer from the Shiamak Davar’s Institute of Performing Arts, Best Dancer in the All Indian National Cultural Competition, became an artist in the Mumbai Doordarshan, has been featured in several television shows, and has also been a leading dancer in the ballets of Dashavatharam, Ramayanam, Navavidha Bhakti, and Panchali Spatham. Her teachers include:

• Guru Smt. Jayashree Nair – Founder of Upaasana Academy of Fine Arts in Mumbai, India.
• Guru Gopinathan Nair – Kathakali dance instructor.
• Smt. Shobana Bhalachandra – Famous Danseuse and teacher in Chennai, India.

Divya also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Mumbai University. She teaches our dance workshops, classes at the Hindu Temple in Scottsdale, and delights in sharing her joy of dance. For more information regarding Divya’s Scottsdale classes, please contact divya.madhavan@gmail.com.