Welcome to Lighthouse Yoga Center!

We are Washington DC’s premiere Yoga studio for Kundalini, Hatha, Pre/Postnatal, Restorative, Yin and Flow Yoga.

Lighthouse Yoga Center is located in the Northwest Washington DC residential neighborhood of Brightwood Park, on the Kennedy Street commercial strip.

Lighthouse Yoga Center is one of Washington DC’s few studios that offer multiple weekly Kundalini Yoga classes and is a flagship studio for somatic and alignment oriented Hatha Yoga. Our wonderful teachers and students have created a beautiful space for peace and healing in the heart of Northwest DC, and we are grateful to all of those who have been part of our growth.

Lighthouse prioritizes inclusion, diversity and community. We are a “come as you are” studio, and offer classes for all ages, shapes and sizes. At Lighthouse, we believe that yoga is a way to help us feel better. When we feel better in and connect with our bodies, we’re able to start to calm our mind. When we’re able to calm our minds, we can connect with our spirit. When we put all these aspects together, we empower ourselves to make changes in our lives and the world.

As we continue to grow and fortify our commitment to our community, Lighthouse Yoga Center will continue to be a beacon for inner peace in Petworth, Brightwood and beyond. Our mission is to serve our students and neighbors by providing a space that is open and welcoming to all.

Our Classes & Workshops

We offer a variety of classes and workshops in-person, live online and on video replay!

In-person

Join us for in-person classes in our bright and airy studio!  Just bring yourself, a willingness to try and a smile. Lighthouse Yoga Center supplies all the props (mats, blankets, belts, blocks, etc.) you’ll need. Wear comfortable, preferably stretchy and/or loose clothing, such as shorts or leggings. Changing areas/bathrooms are available at LYC, and personal belongings can be stored in our cubbies. Doors open 15 minutes before the class starts, and we ask that you register online for the class prior to arriving to ensure space in the class, and because our desk is not always staffed to register you. Please note that the doors at LYC are generally unlocked 15 mins prior to class start time and then locked 15 minutes after the scheduled class start time, so please try to arrive on time.

Online Yoga Classes

We offer livestream online classes via Zoom.  These classes are live and interactive. You can ask questions, and engage with the teacher and other students before and after class. These classes are held at specific times and can be found on our schedule. Some of these classes are held in the studio (called hybrid classes), so that students can choose either in-person or online, and some are taught only online, often from the teachers’ personal studio.  Most classes that are offered online only are recorded for later use as on-demand video classes.  Classes taught in our studio with live people in-person are not typically recorded for on-demand replay.

Video-on-Demand Classes

Our video-on-demand classes are recorded replays of our livestream classes. You’re getting the same great content but can practice whenever you want! Video-on-demand classes are included in the Lighthouse membership at no extra cost.

Workshops

Weekly classes are wonderful, but sometimes our teachers and guests want to offer our students a taste of their Yoga specialties! Check our workshops and events page here for upcoming workshops (usually on the weekend, 2-4hrs) and workshop series (usually a 1-2hr weeknight class offered 4-8 weeks in a row).  These are purchased separately from weekly classes, but members get a discount on all workshops and series! All workshops that are offered hybrid or online are recorded for later use by workshop participants (not shared publicly).

What is Shakti Kundalini Yoga?

While Hatha yoga is the most widespread form of yoga in the west, our very own variation of Kundalini Yoga, Shakti Kundalini, traces its lineage from the Tantra, Nath and Siddha Shakti and Kali Kaula traditions of Himalayan northern India.

The process of distancing ourselves from the Kundalini Yoga of Harbhajan Singh Puri (Yogi Bhajan in the west) and KRI has led us to start to modify the practices as laid out per his intruction and move our Kundalini classes towards what we are calling Shakti Kundalini.

Shakti Kundalini embraces the tantric ideology of focus on the physical body, sound, vision, emotion, thought, touch, taste, relationships – all material reality – to cultivate greater spiritual connection and compassion. This differs from the brahmanical elite traditions of modern postural yoga which were adapted from ascetic traditions denying or depriving the body of emotion.

Shakti is energy, life force. Shakti Kundalini Yoga is focussed on awakening our innate spiritual energy using movement, mantra, and meditation. This divine feminine energy, called the Kundalini shakti runs through our nadis and chakras – the internal flow of energy through our nadi channels and energy centers chakras as studied by the ancients.  As we are deeply averse to spiritual bypassing, Shakti Kundalini centers the power that comes from within, the spark of divine femininity coiled in the heart of every cell and nerve of every living thing. Shakti Kundalini is aimed at awakening our power from within through loving curiosity, the power that rises from our bodies, our blood, our nerves, our lives. Shakti Kundalini eschews the idea of power-over, shunning violence, systems of control , and domination.

What to expect in a Shakti Kundalini class:

Similar to a traditional KRI style Kundalini class, Shakti Kundalini relies on small repetitive movements, and flowing into postures and asanas. Shakti Kundalini yoga focuses on pranayama (yogic breath work), mantras, and meditation. Shakti Kundalini Yoga can be understood as a tri-fold approach of devotion, strength, and mental focus. Shakti yoga relies on ideas from Bhakti yoga and Raja yoga. Your Shakti Kundalini guide may ask you to tune in with a mantra and/or pranayama (breathing exercises) to center your focus at the start of a Kundalini sequence, then lead you through physical movement. Shakti Kundalini classes usually conclude with a savasana (final relaxation) and mantra or naad meditation. Meditation is a key aspect of Shakti Kundalini practice. Meditation in Kundalini Yoga uses breath, mantra, naad (sound), mudra (hand positions), dhayana (focus) and dhrishti (eye gaze).

Shakti Kundalini yoga can be practiced by everyone, regardless of age, flexibility, body shape or size, or other factors. A Shakti Kundalini practice is not meant to be rigid or dogmatic, and students are guided with an eye to the time of day, seasons, phases of the moon etc and invited to center their own internal shakti and self knowledge. Modifications and props are offered for many poses, however Shakti Kundalini deeply respects the bodily autonomy of our students. Guides refrains from physically adjusting students.