Bethlehem's Yoga Loft marks 20 years with community celebration

The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem marked 20 years with a Saturday celebration that moved from its third-floor studio on East Fourth Street to dinner and conversation at Country Club Brewing. The anniversary event, Coming Home: A 20-Year Anniversary Celebration, included a 90-minute yoga class from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at 521 E. Fourth St., followed by a community gathering from 6 to 8 p.m. at 323 Pierce St.

The class was co-taught by founder Jessie Thompson and owner Rachel Abbott, putting the studio’s past and present in the same room. The celebration also premiered a new anniversary documentary produced by Lehigh Valley with Love Media, with interviews from Thompson, Abbott, teachers and longtime students.

Thompson founded The Yoga Loft in 2006 in the former Cantelmi’s Hardware Building, after returning to Bethlehem in 2004. She had started practicing yoga in 1991 while living in New York City and later studied in Los Angeles before bringing the work back to South Bethlehem. From that third-floor space, the studio expanded into yoga, Pilates, teacher training and broader wellness programming.

The Yoga Loft’s 200-hour program has been graduating yoga teachers since 2007 and includes 10 weekends of training, 10 Tuesday evening Zoom sessions, attendance at 20 public classes, class observations, 1:1 mentoring and practice-teaching opportunities. The studio’s mission focuses on wellness and inclusivity for people of all backgrounds and abilities, and it currently advertises a 21-day unlimited intro offer for $59, along with discounts for seniors, veterans, first responders and full-time students.

In a 2022 student-life interview, Abbott said she wanted to see the business “grow and thrive.” A second location called Oasis is now on offer for new students.