Video By Jon Johnson
By Brooke Curley
brooke@gilavalleycentral.net
SAFFORD – Like the spirit of the Gila Valley itself, Creative Flow Studios on Main Street fought through the storm to come back strong.
When last year’s hail storm hit, the facility at 518 W. Main St. in Downtown Safford was severely damaged. However, through thick and thin, the massage therapy and yoga studio is now open and even better. The studio focuses on massage therapy and yoga classes, as well as several other classes including nutrition counseling and life coaching.
Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Valley Central: The Creative Flow Studios Instructor Team smiles for the camera. They are, from left, Jessica Wayman, Misty Thompson, Brianna DeRusha Morris, Debi McCormick, Sarah Garcia, and Miranda Goyer. Not pictured are Leiah Layton and Earl E. Duskey.
Brianna DeRusha Morris is the owner of the studio and has been a licensed massage therapist for roughly 11 years. Morris said that because of the storm she was forced to close for rebuilding.
“I’ve been offering yoga here in Safford since 2011,” Morris said. “I just opened this studio in December of 2015, but because of the flood in October, we had to close down and do some remodeling. We’re reopened and we have amazing renovations.”
Morris told Gila Valley Central that she designed her studio to be the perfect location for mindful yoga practice and meditation. With smooth wooden floors and calming color schemes, Creative Flow Studios is a quiet, controlled environment that is designed for the betterment of its visitors. Morris told Gila Valley Central that she had environment foremost in mind when it came to her studio design.
Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Valley Central: Yoga instructor and owner of Creative Flow Studios, Brianna DeRusha Morris, demonstrates of a yoga pose.
“With those outside distractions, it makes it just that harder for the beginning yogi,” she said. “You should be able to get to a point where you can meditate and have a fly land on your face and its no big deal. That’s what I want to offer to the community, a space to come and let the outside world go for however long you’re here. I’m happy to do combination services between where you can walk in, take a yoga class, get a massage, do some breath work, and then you go on your way. Or, you can come in and do yoga, or just come in and get a massage.”
Creative Flow Studios is one of the only yoga studios in the Gila Valley to offer hot yoga. Hot yoga is a type of yoga practice where the studio is heated up to at least 100 degrees, relaxing the muscles of its participants and creating an intense workout. Hot yoga is one of the studio’s most popular classes.
“It’s the best workout that I’ve found, for me personally,” Morris said. “I love going to a hot yoga class. The hot yoga creates an environment that has the room at least 100 degrees. I turn the heaters on and the heat on. It softens your muscles, and our bodies are so filled with water (that) you steam. The water comes out of your body and it fills the room.”
Brooke Curley Photo/Gila Valley Central: The Creative Flow Studio massage area is a private office, that is clean and relaxing for clientele.
After a workout, what else could be best to relieve whatever aching muscles a client may have but through a massage? Morris told Gila Valley Central that she has created the two main elements of her studio to be massage and yoga because the two practices have influenced her life so greatly.
“I saw massage as a way to not just alleviate pain in the body, which is great, you can absolutely release a frozen shoulder or a pain in the hip or something going on in the back but you can also help somebody release something emotional and help your clients have a better life; a better flow of life,” Morris said. “Every time I experience bodywork, breath work, yoga, it propels me forward to more creativity, which is why I use creativity in my title and business name.”
Although many individuals have never had a massage before, Morris stressed that it should be done. As benefitting to the mind as it is to the body, when an individual comes to Creative Flow Studios, they will be entering a non-judgment safe place.
“I invite them to expand their horizons and experience the healing power of human connections. We can roll on balls and use tools to do massage and all that, but there is something to be said for the energy exchanged between two people,” Morris said. “It’s a safe space. It’s a safe space to laugh, cry, grieve and heal. I really look forward to reaching more people in the community and helping people get outside themselves.”
The massage modalities available at the studios include:
Swedish Massage Deep Tissue Massage
Thai Massage (90 min minimum)
Shiatsu – Japanese style “finger pressure”
Reflexology Treatments
Pre- and Post-Natal Therapy
Sports Injury Treatment
Decongestive Therapy
From hoop dance classes to voice lessons, Creative Flow Studios has something for everyone. For more information regarding classes and massage therapies visit creativeflowstudios.org. Creative Flow Studios is located at 518 W. Main St. in Downtown Safford and can be contacted either by email at creativeflowstudios30@gmail.com or phone at (928) 651-1648.
Jon Johnson contributed to this article
Sponsored Article
