We were lucky to catch up with Eli Walker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eli, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

In September of 2017, I walked into a bar…(where so many great ideas begin).

The owner of the bar, my former boss, said, “Eli, you’re a yoga teacher? You should teach me yoga. I can’t even touch my toes.” To prove it, he bent over, but surprisingly…he did, and remarked, “Huh. I guess I can do it when I’m drunk.”

(Cue lightbulb)

I exclaimed, “Let’s do Drunk Yoga!”

He laughed.

I interrupted, excitedly, “No, I’m serious! I have an idea. Can I teach yoga classes here at the bar?”

He said, “sure,” and thus the Drunk Yoga revolution began.

(Cue slide to press/videos/photos?)

I thought, “What better way to make yoga fun, accessible and communal than by artfully infusing it with the social ritual of a happy hour in environments where people already gather in celebration…like bars, hotels and offices for corporate team building parties?”

While I admittedly wasn’t entirely sober in the exact moment that I thought of my idea for Drunk Yoga, which would quickly turn into a global phenomenon and internationally-acclaimed event company, the name is not literal, of course. It’s suggestive, not descriptive, as my trademark lawyer will have you know. We intoxicate the convention of yoga by making it social rather than exclusively introspective.

My mission for Drunk Yoga became to lift the spirit(s) of my students (pun absolutely intended) so they could leave my classes feeling empowered to uplift others. To re-ignite an appreciation for the power of kindness through inter-connectivity and make #communitycare the new #selfcare…and it worked. Through essentially turning a yoga class into a fun, interactive party, I was able to break through the seriousness of the 4th wall that usually sits between teacher and student, and also student and student, so that each participant could experience joy through shared belonging.

As my classes grew in popularity through widespread press coverage, I knew I was on to something. Still, I was pioneering a new genre of social wellness entertainment, and my fear was that folks would come to my classes expecting to do yoga in a conventional, reserved way, safe in their own bubble…just…now with a glass of wine in-hand. If my goal was instead to inspire my attendees to get over themselves so they could enjoy cheers-ing with those around them, I had to figure out how to make people feel that they’re a part of a community bigger than themselves…And then of course, codify it into a repeatable recipe to train my newly hired Drunk Yoga teachers, too.
My Drunk Yoga recipe included cheeky icebreaker questions, nostalgic “throwback” music that made everyone smile, playful dancing and lighthearted “drinking games” (Ex: If you mix up your left and right, you must cheers your neighbor, if you lose your balance, take a sip, if you’re the last person to put your cup on your head, you have to make up a dance move.)

And, after leading hundreds of Drunk Yoga events for corporations worldwide, I discovered how to use these very same performance devices that turn yoga into a party to help leaders, teams and individuals break through their own 4th walls that prevent them from truly connecting with their people.

Eli, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always loved helping people from different backgrounds get on the same page. Bonus points if I can achieve this while inspiring them to live joyfully, empower them with new perspectives, and make them laugh at the same time.

Some of the ways I do this are:

– Speaking to leaders about the power of breaking down the “4th wall” that keeps us isolated so we can better connect with our people.

– Writing and performing one-woman shows in theaters worldwide.

– Facilitating community-building workshops and curated wellness experiences that spark radical belonging.

After earning a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art and nearly a decade of experience training and teaching yoga across the globe, I developed a knack for fostering community engagement by making wellness interactive and fun. So, it was no surprise (to some more than others) that in 2017 I married my lifelong passions of storytelling and mindful movement to establish my first claim to fame: Drunk Yoga®—“intoxicating” yogic convention by infusing it with the social ritual of a happy hour.

As Drunk Yoga® grew to international acclaim, I discovered how to translate the very same theatrical devices I leverage in my one-woman shows & experiential wellness events that make yoga feel like a party into a methodology for creating authentic communities, cultivating deeper connections, and inspiring belonging.

CHECK OUT MY PERSONAL WEBSITE: www.eliwalkerstories.com

More about Drunk Yoga®: www.dodrunkyoga.com

Have you ever had to pivot?

Before Covid, Drunk Yoga® business model was primarily through strategic hotel partnerships. Hotel’s would contract us for 6-12 months to create themed community yoga experiences on a weekly bases. However, when Covid hit and we lost nearly all of our revenue, I pivoted Drunk Yoga® quickly to offer virtual experiences for companies seeking fun corporate team-building activities for employees working from home, as well as private birthday parties and fun wine + yoga date nights via Zoom. 

Additionally, as the event-based market changed drastically as a result of the pandemic, I created an affordable online monthly membership program called the UPLIFT to bring members interactive virtual wellness experience to cultivate belonging.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth! Never underestimate the power of creating a reliable experience built on quality, integrity and kindness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eliwalkerstories.com
• Instagram: @eliwalkerstories
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eliwalkerstories
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliwalker/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/eliwalkersays
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD4BexON8SywZRfeB1Q5hmw

Image Credits
Profile photo by Nadine Tlili