How The Uplift Center Builds Community Through Social Yoga

Founded as Drunk Yoga and since rebranded, The Uplift Center has found particular success in the burgeoning corporate wellness space

Eli Walker founded Drunk Yoga in 2017 to create fun, immersive yoga experiences that help connect and empower communities. The classes consisted of drinking games and icebreakers woven into traditional yoga classes, designed to create a more accessible form of the modality for many beginners.

The company has since rebranded to The Uplift Center, with a new philosophy centered around the idea that building a sense of belonging is a practice, one that can be cultivated through playful engagement.

“My mission for Drunk Yoga has always been to create fun, immersive (albeit subversive) yoga experiences that uplifted our students such that they’d leave our classes feeling empowered to uplift others. Joy through communal play was the name of the game,” Walker told Athletech News. “As a result of the pandemic, my mission evolved as I navigated how to pivot our highly interactive events to virtual without losing the integrity of the experience.”

“Belonging is a practice, not a destination,” she added.

The Uplift Center has found particular success in the corporate wellness space; Walker’s classes have resonated with companies eager to foster a sense of connection among their teams.

“The feedback I hear from our clients is along the lines of, ‘The Uplift Experience is exactly the fun change of pace we’ve been looking for. Not just yoga, but also not just a happy hour,’” Walker shares. “Our sessions are playful, but also meaningful. Collective, yet personal. In essence, we make wellness and community-building a one-stop solution.”

Recognizing that corporate spaces don’t always provide optimal spaces for yoga classes, Walker created a new form of interactive play called Facilitated Icebreakers.

“These are generally 30 minutes in length and include fun, out-of-the-box networking sessions designed to foster connections, build camaraderie, and enhance a sense of belonging at any live event,” she explained. “Basically, everything clients love about Drunk Yoga…sans the need for yoga mats and wine. They’ve been a hit.”

Although Walker has moved away from the “Drunk Yoga” branding due to the sober-curious movement and the company’s mission expansion, she wanted the trademark to live on (The Uplift Center still includes alcohol in some of its experiences, although many classes are now beverage-free).

“While I decided to change the name of the event itself to The Uplift Experience—as it’s more reflective of what we aim to do—I wanted to keep my trademarked DY brand in the mix,” Walker said.

Drunk Yoga has evolved into an online course for yoga teachers, guiding them in creating their own unique, immersive experiences that integrate fun with wellness.

This year, Walker will launch UplifTV, a virtual hub for individuals interested in learning techniques to embody personal belonging through digital yoga, meditation and mindfulness workshops.

The Uplift Academy will also offer online courses aimed at facilitators and community-builders, making Walker’s insights on belonging more accessible to a broader audience.

Walker sees the company’s rebrand as an opportunity to grow while staying true to her original vision.

“I chose the name ‘The Uplift Center’ in part as a nod to Drunk Yoga’s famous tagline, ‘Lift Your Spirit(s),’ but also because I believe that the most fundamental ingredient in belonging is one’s ability to leverage our circumstances within any environment to uplift ourselves,” she said.