We encourage you to find out. Although yoga offers the same health benefits received from weight training and cardiovascular workouts, yoga practice provides us with the opportunity to expand our awareness and travel the path of real contentment, while actively participating in changing our world. Authentic practice can sometimes be difficult to practice in a gym environment, due to noise and other distractions.

True teachers are true students. Our intention is to provide students with high quality instruction, a supportive environment, and affordable pricing comparable to most studios and fitness facilities. Private classes provide detailed and tailored instruction, while meeting the needs of individual practice.

No. Although consistent and frequent practice will provide the most benefits and quickest results, discounted sessions are available for a wide variety of needs. Your commitment to your practice is completely up to you.

• Avoid eating 2 hours before class.
• Punctuality is appreciated. Please arrive five minutes before your appointment in order to fill out a health questionnaire.
• Please wear clothes that allow freedom of movement, such as yoga or exercise clothing. T-shirts and cotton sweatpants are also acceptable. Shorts and shirts with hoods are not recommended.
• Turn off cell phones and pagers.
• It is important to let your instructor or therapist know if you experience any discomfort, have any health issues, current or past injuries, or movement restrictions to be respected.

• Relax, focus on your breath and allow any stress to dissolve.
• To get the best benefit and the most enjoyment from your experience, pay attention to the specific area that the therapist is working on.
• Let your therapist know if you experience any discomfort.

Please note that upon booking a private appointment, a credit card number is required in order to ensure your reservation.

To reschedule a booked appointment, please call (480) 784-7944 at least 24 hours prior to your appointment. Monday and weekend appointments should be rescheduled by 4pm the preceding Friday. No-shows and foreshortened cancellation notices (within 24 hours prior to your appointment) are non-refundable. No-shows and cancellations for online packages are nonrefundable.

Yoga therapy is the adaptation of yoga and ayurvedic practices for people with physical, health, and spiritual challenges. It is a wonderful tool for learning how to manage and accept real life challenges, organize healthy physical and emotional practices through coaching, and improve quality of life. By taking medical conditions into account, tailoring yoga therapy and ayurvedic practices, coaching and evaluating lifestyle, rehabilitating injuries, etc., 5th Element can design a specific regimen to suit individual needs. Medical research has shown that yoga therapy is among the most effective complementary therapies for several common ailments, illnesses, and injuries and is more effective than general yoga practice as a safe means of rehabilitating medical conditions.

Yoga therapy applications offer a tremendous amount of support to a variety of conditions including weight loss, anxiety, low back pain, knee and shoulder injuries, sports injuries, arthritis, hypertension, heart conditions, hyperventilation, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, multiple scelorosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, cancer, depression, high blood pressure, HIV and AIDS, mental illness, women’s health problems, reproductive health in men and women, pregnancy, childbirth, and building strength in the elderly all while promoting positive health and restoring proper functioning of the various bodily systems.

Yoga therapy can be practiced with any medical treatments or other complementary therapies you are already receiving and does not require prior experience with yoga. Whether for a particular ailment, illness, rehabilitation of an injury, weight loss, or private yoga session, an initial assessment is required in order to ascertain your state of health and lifestyle while providing you with the best recommendations and course of action. Working holistically, yoga therapy offers us an opportunity to address and care for our health at all levels of the mind, body, and spirit. Some beautiful definitions of Yoga Therapy are listed below.

“Yoga therapy is a self-empowering process, where the care-seeker, with the help of the Yoga Therapist, implements a personalized and evolving Yoga practice, that not only addresses the illness in a multi-dimensional manner, but also aims to alleviate his/her suffering in a progressive, non-invasive and complementary manner. Depending upon the nature of the illness, Yoga therapy can not only be preventative or curative, but also serve as a means to manage the illness, or facilitate healing in the person at all levels.” -TKV Desikachar & Kausthub Desikachar

“Yoga therapy, derived from the Yoga tradition of Patanjali and the Ayurvedic system of health care refers to the adaptation and application of Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals facing health challenges at any level manage their condition, reduce symptoms, restore balance, increase vitality, and improve attitude.” -Gary Kraftsow, American Viniyoga Institute

The word ayurveda derives from two Sanskrit words: ayur, meaning “life” and veda, meaning “knowledge”. Thus, this science of living functions as a guide to the proper maintenance of life. Ayurveda is the complimentary medical system of ancient India and is a sister science of yoga. “It is particularly effective in the management of digestive disorders, chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases, allergies, sinus infections, asthma, gynecological issues, depression, and anxiety. Its intention is the maintenance of high-level wellness of body, mind, and spirit.” – Dr. Sarasvati Buhrman

The therapeutic basis of Thai Yoga Massage is rooted in the Indian healing tradition of Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, each individual is composed of one or a combination of any of the three doshas (body types) of vata (air-ether), pitta (fire-water) and/or kapha (earth-water). Tapping into the ancient knowledge of the tridoshas enables practitioners to accommodate each person according to their unique constitution. A recipient’s energy can be balanced by applying postures of the opposite nature that will strengthen his/her weaker dosha(s).

In the unique healing system of Thai Yoga Massage, the practitioner guides the recipient through a series of yoga postures while palming and thumbing along the body’s energy (“Sen”) lines and pressures points. Together these actions result in a comprehensive full body treatment that relieves muscular tension, improves circulation, boosts the immune system and balances the body energetically.

Thai Yoga Massage is performed on a mat on the floor, with the client dressed in comfortable clothing allowing ease of movement and flexibility. No oils or creams are used.