Ready, set, pose
Posted: November 14, 2014
The Centers for Disease Control reports nearly one out of every two adults has at least one preventable chronic illness. The public’s need to take charge of their health is more apparent than ever. For David Fife, DO, ’06, preventive medicine served as inspiration for his new entrepreneurial venture to encourage others to invest in their health.
After sustaining a sports-related back injury, the 6-foot, 4-inch Dr. Fife tried just about every available treatment to find relief. Finally, in a last-ditch effort to ease his pain, he underwent surgery. Though the procedure provided some comfort, he still experienced chronic pain.
“I tried a lot of different methods, but couldn’t get any long-lasting relief for my pain until I tried hot yoga,” says Dr. Fife.
“We wanted to create a true physician-endorsed yoga studio.”
Like traditional yoga, hot yoga focuses on a series of poses and breathing exercises. However, hot yoga is performed in a studio with increased humidity and heat reaching up to 105 degrees. The elevation in temperature can create a more intense yoga experience, increasing joint lubrication and muscle flexibility.
Dr. Fife’s relief was enough to convince him and his wife that others could benefit from weekly yoga to improve physical health, increase flexibility after surgeries, decrease pain associated with injuries, and reduce stress through mindful breathing. The husband-wife team visited several yoga studios in Arizona’s East Valley, and while each had an important focus, they were still missing an important component.
“We wanted to incorporate osteopathic medical principles into a yoga studio to make sure we addressed mental and behavioral health and to create a place to encourage preventive health,” he says. “We wanted to create a true physician-endorsed yoga studio.”
Dr. Fife and his wife, Alicia, opened Hot Pepper Yoga in Mesa, Ariz., in January with partners Drs. Dan and Jarilynne Merrill. The space includes two separate studios: the Hot Pepper Room (HPR) for hot yoga, and the Green Room, which is unheated for slower-paced practices. The HPR includes state-of-the-art hospital-grade ventilation systems—outside air is pulled in and then pushed through ultraviolet lighting to purify it.
While he and his partners do not instruct classes, Dr. Fife does work with Hot Pepper Yoga’s registered instructors every quarter to review sequences and introduce new poses and ensure osteopathic methods such as lymphatic pump and indirect breathing techniques are always included.
Preventive medicine can help Americans stay healthy to avoid onset of disease or prevent disease from becoming worse. By combining his osteopathic education with the benefits experienced from hot yoga, Dr. Fife strives to be a warrior of preventive health.
Says Dr. Fife, “Life can get better if we nurture our mind, body, and spirit—yoga can be a huge part of that.”