Community Highlights: Meet Elle Everett of Down Dog Sedona

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elle Everett.

Hi Elle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When we first created Down Dog Sedona, it was with the intention of making yoga accessible to everybody through in-studio classes, training programs, and workshops. However, it quickly evolved into a wellness business where we now focus on creating personalized experiences based on our clients’ collective needs. While we still offer our Immersion 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program and our 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program, the business has transitioned into providing alternative wellness experiences, which include yoga hikes and vortex tours in Red Rock Country, sound healing experiences in the studio and in Red Rock Country, private yoga or sound experiences at our client’s Airbnb, and personalized yoga-wellness retreats. Most of our business is now based on appointments by request, and we are fortunate to be able to help create these extraordinary experiences one at a time.

Although we first started as a brick-and-mortar yoga studio, we to evolved into a much more dynamic business model where even now, we are preparing to expand our service offerings into Wine Tours and Grand Canyon Tours.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been a few challenges for sure. One of the main challenges was recognizing that offering traditional studio yoga classes was no longer our core business offering. This meant we had to have the mental agility, capacity and capability to pivot from traditional, in-studio classes to a far more dynamic business model. Fortunately, it was somewhat of a fluid transition, which helped us grow and learn a lot about ourselves and our community in the process.

Another challenge was learning about the U.S. Forest Service land-use requirements and restrictions in the Coconino National Forest. It is incredibly important for us to honor these requirements and restrictions, which led us to obtaining a special, land-use permit from the U.S. Forest Service so we could legally provide guided experiences in the Coconino National Forest. That took some time to get sorted, but we appreciate the U.S. Forest Service having these requirements and restrictions so we can help preserve and protect the forest for generations to come as we fully endorse the U.S. Forest Service’s philosophy of Leaving No Trace when hiking into the Coconino National Forest. As a result of having this permit, we are now able to offer incredible experiences and journeys onto the land for our clients.

Last, as our business has expanded, finding and maintaining staff to help with all of our requests has been difficult, which was not something we had anticipated. Finding the right people to add to our team is near the top on our list of priorities and we are constantly looking for professional and dependable people who can help us provide these extraordinary experiences for our clients..

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Down Dog Sedona?
We are a yoga and wellness business specializing in creating experiences for visitors and locals alike. There are a few things that sets us apart. The first being our customer service. I respond to every text, email and phone call as soon as possible with as much personal attention as I would if it were one of my close friends. It is very important to me to get back to someone with our pricing, availability, and to offer recommendations for things to do in the area to help create a memorable experience for them during their time in Sedona. Our recommendations to our clients are personalized and quite extensive at times. Oftentimes they are coming to Sedona for a bachelorette weekend, an anniversary celebration, or an annual girl’s trip and I like to offer restaurant recommendations, hiking trails based upon the group’s mobility or interest, and of course spas and spiritual readings.

Currently we offer sound healing in our studio several times a week, both on mats and suspended in aerial hammocks. We also have yoga hikes, vortex tours, retreats, immersion yoga teacher training, Reiki sessions, Ayurveda consultations, yoga in our studio as well as at rental homes, and more. We are constantly evolving and growing adding more events all the time. For example, we are adding private tours to the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, and wine tours.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
We moved a lot growing up. I wasn’t athletic or into music, but I always managed to find one person that I connected deeply with and was fortunate enough to have at least one close friend wherever I lived.

The things that I always enjoyed most were the arts and exploring. I loved painting, drawing, anything artistic. I always imagined writing a book or being in a movie when I was older. Although I was shy and introverted I enjoyed helping others.

Just this year I did finish my first book. It is a children’s book about Sedona, “Magical Adventures in Sedona,” my favorite place.

Pricing:

• Regularly Scheduled Sound healing Sessions $40
• Aerial Suspended Sound Healing Sessions $75
• Regularly Scheduled Yoga Hikes $100 for a single, reduced rates for multiple participants
• Vortex Tours start at $200 per person with $50 per additional person
• Yoga Sessions at your location or on the Land start at $100

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.downdogsedona.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downdogsedona/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downdogsedona/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elleeverett
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DownDogSedona

Image Credits
Lisa Garrett Photography (for the portrait and photoshoot photos)