Meet Donna Chasan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Chasan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began my yoga teacher journey teaching hot yoga at a local studio in Gilbert. I wanted to meet people and teach a class so I could get free yoga. I never saw myself doing anything specific with my teaching. As I started to teach yoga, I became incredibly passionate about it and went back to get my advanced certification. Now I am a master level yoga instructor that specializes in two areas. I am the owner of Yoga Party Live which brings fun, party-style yoga to parties and venues. Yoga Party Live was started in 2016 when I was asked to teach a bachelorette group from Seattle. There were 17 ladies in the group all with the purposed of having a great time.

We had an absolute blast celebrating and doing yoga. The only issue we had was that all of the girls did not have yoga mats so we ended up doing yoga poolside on beach towels. It was fun but definitely not comfortable. After that event, I was on a mission to find a way to get more events/private hires like this. It honestly was the most fun I had in a long time! I knew that I could bring a lot of value if I could bring equipment (mats!) since my groups are all from out of town. I networked with a vacation property manager that ended up putting me on her website and then the leads started to flow in. She sent a few of her friends who manage other vacation rental properties to me as well.

The focus, in the beginning, was on private bachelorette groups. Then in 2017, I pursued bringing party-style yoga to local venues in Gilbert because I wanted to spread this concept to the community…thinking they would love it as much as the bachelorette groups did. Postino in Gilbert gave us our first opportunity July 2017. We had 40 attendees who yoga partied outside at Postino and then proceeded to eat brunch afterwards. We created a marketing video and took pictures of the class… the rest is history!

The other dimension of my yoga teaching is yoga for elite athletes. I am a yoga coach for elite athletes (professional, college, high school and club sport athletics.) I started practicing yoga, initially, as a means of working out while caring for a sports injury requiring non-impact activities. I have an athletic background having lettered in basketball and golf in high school followed by earning a full-ride golf scholarship to The University of Arizona.

My first opportunity to serve athletes was at Potential Realized Training (PRT) in Gilbert. I loved working with the athletes at this gym on Sunday afternoons. Shortly after I started at PRT, I was referred to Casteel High School Football to work with the team. One team soon became four as McClintock HS, Higley HS and Red Mountain HS football programs also added me as their yoga coach. I was on sports talk radio, in multiple newspapers, and also on TV. It was crazy how quickly all of this happened.

Yoga is my passion and I love the variety of serving these two markets!

My yoga training and certifications consist of 200 hours through Sumit’s Yoga and 300 hours through Authentic Yoga Teacher Training at Dave’s Astanga Yoga. I am is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance: E-RYT500.

I have my MBA in marketing and work in corporate sales by day. I live in Gilbert with my husband, 2 children and 2 rescue dogs!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been very smooth actually!!! Both of the markets I serve are niche markets and are pretty unpaved. The reception I have had is remarkable and each year both groups I serve are growing rapidly. The only struggle I have is finding enough time in my schedule to fit everything in! It is challenging to find the people to help with the demand that align with my style and can deliver yoga that fits my brand. I really love the variety of new venues requesting yoga, customers requesting new activities (like paddleboard yoga, yoga/pool parties) and sports teams changing with the season coming and going. Each month is different and I serve over 250 people a week!

Tell us more about your work.
I now have over 400 vacation rental properties that refer Yoga Party Live for private instruction with 10+ teachers on staff. We bring all the equipment (with over 100 mats!), music, and a custom upbeat class. We are at many venues around the valley including Postino East, Whiskey Row Gilbert, Topgolf Gilbert, Four Peaks Tempe, Hotel Adeline Scottsdale, and Saguaro Lake Ranch Mesa. Yoga parties focus on fun and celebration. Birthdays are acknowledged and a photographer is taking pictures to document the event.

The music is loud, the class is upbeat, and we usually throw in partner poses to keep with the connection theme. We also have themed events such as disco yoga, 80/90s, Beach, Football, Witches (Halloween). I want those who have never practiced yoga to see it can be fun and not only for the flexible body types. My yoga parties focus on having a great time with friends and community while practicing yoga in a positive, high energy environment.

My yoga for athletes has also completely exploded. My coaches tell me that they love that I teach from an athletic standpoint and can relate to the athletes. My classes are themed with a word or concept to build mental strength. We focus and being present and positive mindset. Physically we work injury prevention poses that isolate the areas of the body prone to injury. I began just working with football teams but now work with all sports teams (basketball, baseball, volleyball, wrestling, cross country, cheerleaders/pom teams, swimmers, dancers, gymnasts, and golfers) I have worked with over 30 high school sports teams. Currently, I am the yoga coach for Higley Football, Skyline Football, McClintock Football, Higley Volleyball, Higley Cross Country, and Higley Pom Team, I am also apart of the elite staff at VYDL Performance in Chandler.

It is an honor to work alongside of the owner at VYDL Performance who is a retired NFL player and specializes in offensive line training. I bring yoga to his facility and serve the elite athletes in the area that want to increase their performance. I believe yoga gives athletes a competitive advantage and am determined to help do my part to help them achieve their goals and reach their dreams. My role as Yoga Coach is to help athletes achieve their highest potential through increased flexibility, range of motion, strength (mind and body) and visualization/being present. Teaching Yoga to athletes is my greatest joy as they continually tell me how much yoga helps them. It’s incredible to watch them moving on to play in college.

After working in yoga studios for years teaching a variety of styles of yoga; my background in sports and my positive mindset/energy has created opportunities that lead to me now teaching exclusively to private clients/events and athletes. I also teach aspiring yoga teachers how to teach yoga and market themselves.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I am one of the luckiest people I know… and it runs in my family. I have been in the right place at the right time but I am also not afraid to after something and ask for an opportunity. So, is it luck or determination?

Pricing:

• My yoga for elite athletes class is $20 per class at VYDL Performance in Chandler. Reach out if you want the info: donnachasan@gmail.com

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yogapartylive.com
• Phone: 480-213-2909
• Email: yogapartylive@gmail.com or donnachasan@gmail.com
• Instagram: @yogapartylive and @donnachasanyoga
• Facebook: Yoga Party Live and Donna Chasan Yoga
• Twitter: @donnachasanyoga

Image Credit:
Emma DeCoto

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