The Yoga Loft marks two decades of yoga, community, teacher training, and connection with a special anniversary class, celebration, and video premiere
BETHLEHEM, PA | JUNE 2026 – The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem invites the community to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Saturday, June 6 from 4 to 8 p.m., with Coming Home: A 20-Year Anniversary Celebration, a special anniversary event honoring two decades of yoga, learning, friendship, and community in South Bethlehem.
The event will begin at The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem, located at 521 E. 4th St., Floor 3, with a 90-minute yoga class from 4 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a walk to Country Club Brewing at 323 Pierce St., Bethlehem, for dinner and a community celebration from 6 to 8 p.m.
More information and registration can be found at https://theyogaloftofbethlehem.com/special-events/
The gathering will also feature the premiere of a new anniversary documentary, filmed and edited by Lehigh Valley with Love Media, sharing the story of The Yoga Loft through the voices of its owner, founder, longtime teachers, students, and members of the community.
Founded in 2006, The Yoga Loft has grown from a light-filled third-floor studio above South Bethlehem into a long-standing community home for yoga, Pilates, teacher training, and wellness practices. The studio was originally founded by Jessie Thompson after she returned to Bethlehem and found the third floor of the former Cantelmi’s Hardware Building, a space that had previously been home to the Bethlehem Book Loft.
“This year we’re celebrating 20 years of being in business and flowing here in South Bethlehem,” said Rachel Abott, owner of The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem. “We have an awesome community. Sometimes people may not realize how much we appreciate and care about every person that comes here. Our students are what make the space what it is. They bring in the vibrancy and the energy.”
Abott first came to The Yoga Loft as a student, later completed teacher training, began teaching, and eventually stepped into ownership after the original owner invited her to take over the studio. In the anniversary documentary, Abott shares that the thought of The Yoga Loft potentially closing was “devastating,” because the space had come to feel like home.
Over the years, The Yoga Loft has remained a steady presence through growth, change, and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Abott recalled building an online platform from home shortly after the birth of her second child so the studio could quickly transition to virtual classes, while also finding ways to continue supporting staff.
Jessie Thompson, founder of The Yoga Loft, said she is grateful to see the studio continue under Abott’s leadership.
“It is so meaningful to me, and so heartwarming, to know that The Yoga Loft is still going strong under Rachel’s leadership,” Thompson said. “I’m grateful and honored that it’s still a place that folks can go for wellness, for community, for learning, and for inspiration.”
The anniversary celebration will also highlight the teachers and students who have shaped the studio since its earliest days. Carrie Morgan, a longtime teacher at The Yoga Loft, described the studio as more than a place to take classes.
“When Jessie first started The Yoga Loft, it was very much a school. It was a yoga school with yoga classes,” Morgan said. “Because a lot of us have been here a very long time, it still maintains more of that feeling, where people are coming to learn and grow. When you grow within a community, that branches out into friendships and trust.”
The anniversary documentary also includes reflections from students who have been part of The Yoga Loft community for nearly the full 20 years. Longtime student Sharon Zondag recalled discovering the studio in 2006 after seeing a flyer at the library and finding the kind of spacious, light-filled yoga space she had been imagining.
The June 6 event is part celebration, part reunion, and part look ahead as The Yoga Loft continues to evolve while staying rooted in the relationships that have defined it for 20 years.
“We’re grateful that everyone has stuck with us through the changes and evolutions of the space,” Abott said. “I feel very excited, very proud, and very grateful. Jessie did an amazing job laying the foundation and building the community in those first 12 years, and we’re honored to keep that going.”
Event Details
- What: Coming Home: A 20-Year Anniversary Celebration
- When: Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 4 to 8 p.m.
- Where: Begins at The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem, 521 E. 4th St., Floor 3, Bethlehem, PA, followed by a walk to Country Club Brewing at 323 Pierce St., Bethlehem, PA.
- Event includes: 90-minute anniversary yoga class, dinner, community celebration, and premiere of a new anniversary documentary
- Anniversary Yoga Class Registration: https://theyogaloftofbethlehem.com/special-events/
- Anniversary Video: VIDEO LINK COMING
About The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem
The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem is a welcoming yoga studio located at 521 E. 4th St., Floor 3, in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2006, The Yoga Loft offers yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, teacher training, and community-centered wellness practices in a warm and accepting environment. For 20 years, the studio has served as a place where students and teachers can learn, grow, connect, and feel at home in their practice.
Information provided to TVL by:
George Wacker
