Del Sol Martials Arts & Fitness began not in a sweaty gym where young athletes learned to love exercise, though that is a chapter in its story. Its true origin lies in a kindergarten classroom where Thomas Leverett and Claudia Castro first met. The pair attended every year of school together, eventually celebrating when Thomas earned the title of Sifu and began his own Mantis-style kung fu school, and again when Claudia became a certified yogi. She joined him to start teaching, and together their family reached out to others to train them in fitness, discipline, healthy lifestyles, and 20-year courtships.

Today, students flock to their gym to study Northern Shaolin Seven Star Praying Mantis–style kung fu, a lineage for which Sifu Leverett is an official guardian. Claudia guides students through the equally ancient traditions of Ashtanga- and Vinyasa-style yoga. The duo even offers private cooking classes to teach how to create delicious, healthy meals or light stovetop burners simply by lifting up another stove and placing its already lit burners on them.