Meet Chelsea Gifford | Yoga Studio Co-owner, mother, coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Gifford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Bryant – For me, I had been in a car accident and had gotten a brain injury. I got reintroduced to yoga during my recovery process. It took me participating in various modalities to regain my health and so, when the opportunity came to become the owners of the Yoga Center, it felt like the most direct dharmic path to curate a space to support others. I knew that I had experience as a builder and my skillsets could be used to make a space for others who may be in a similar position and want to feel better in their body..

Chelsea – I have dabbled in my own businesses for about a decade from starting a Faerie Collective to selling skincare, sharing superfoods, and coaching. I was a wilderness therapist prior to this and always seemed to live an alternative lifestyle. After my path led me to become a certified sacred passage death doula, I decided to forgo my space at Smith to become a social worker and enrolled in Naropa for a three year Masters of Divinity program. I graduated during the start of the pandemic and decided to not work in the hospital setting as a chaplain during that time. I continued to pivot with my offerings and then my mom was offered the studio. I am the daughter and granddaughter of yoga teachers and my mom was complete with having studio spaces after many years of doing so in Nashville, TN. We looked into the space and it felt like a dharmic decision to create something innovative in the yoga and wellness space. Three years, a two year old, and a lot of work later, here we are.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Yoga Center of Denver was the Iyengar Yoga Center of Denver for 20 years before we took over the company, It only offered Iyengar Yoga and I wanted to make sure Iyengar yoga had an opportunity to get exposed to a younger audience who could experience the benefits of this modality. Iyengar yoga is a rigorous process to become certified and I felt that it could be lost without the transmission of sharing it to a new demographic. We introduced vinyasa yoga, sound baths, prenatal class, workshops, a massage and acupuncture spa, aerial classes for kids and adults, summer camp, and the space serves as a commercial rental space as well. It is a multifaceted wellness center. I am proud that we can serve the family from womb to tomb and we advocate for health and free choice. Growing this business out of the pandemic, offering multiple modalities to many age groups, doing full renovations, and raising a newborn baby has not been easy. It is something we believe in and have put everything into creating. I have learned forming a team takes time and works when it is functioning and can break down in many ways when it is not. I learned it is always important to keep learning and be willing to try and fail over and over and get back up and try again. I want the world to know that we take a stand for the Sacred. We want mothers to have a positive birth experience and create healthy babies who are around a wellness community to experience their body and spirit wholeheartedly. We care about having a space to practice freedom to unlock your body, heart, and mind in this world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would show them our yoga studio, take them to Wash Park, have a coffee at Bardo or Corvus, grab breakfast at Snooze, go for a hike near Red Rocks, have lunch at Somebody people, take a walk down South Broadway, get tacos at Adelitas and then maybe see if there is some live music. We would find classes at our studio to take together and take walks around the neighborhood, get coffee at Wash Perk, go the the mountains for a couple nights near Breckinridge, enjoy the sights and towns.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to recognize The Sophia Code, a sacred text written for these extraordinary times, which has encouraged various design elements of the studio. Chelsea is a Sophia Code Circle facilitator conducting 13-week circle journeys. I want to recognize my late grandmother June LaSalvia who taught yoga before it was cool along with my mother, K-Lea Gifford, who continues to teach Iyengar yoga and created this path for us to step into this position. I want to recognize all of Bryant’s teams of contractors who helped do the many hours of labor to create the space. I want to recognize Alec Vishal Rouben who reintroduced Bryant back into yoga during his injury and create a positive experience. I want to recognize the team for showing up through all of the shifts and changes and continuing to offer the gift of yoga.

Website: https://www.yogacenterdenver.com

Instagram: @yogacenterdenver

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogacenterdenver

Image Credits
Avory, Bryant