Corporate America takes a back seat to serenity

Sunlight shines through the window, brightening the room for the six women sitting cross-legged on mats.They come from all walks of life, but as the instructor guides them through the postures, practicing the art of yoga brings them together.

Yoga is a practice that Ieshia Ali and Faith Hunter have studied and taught in DC for many years.

Together, the two formed Shakti Mind Body Yoga Studio that opened in April of 2007.

"It has been a quiet rise," co-owner Ali said. "A lot of our clients are word of mouth. They enjoy what we're offering and resonate with our instructors. Or they were in the neighborhood as the neighborhood begins to increase with residents. It's been good. There's lots of room for growth; I'm happy."

Once an operations manager for French Telecom, Ali traveled everywhere from Australia to Asia and Europe. It was in Asia that she began to find herself drawn to the art of yoga and began to study it.

"I would do yoga on the airplane," she said. "People would look at me a little funny, but I felt fine and I felt better when I got off the airplane. It was a more healthy and productive way to endure those mammoth flights."

With the start and growth of her family, Ali realized she was no longer interested in traveling in the corporate world for a living.

"When I left corporate America, I decided I wanted to do something with my life where I could share positive information with people that helps keep people happy and at ease," she said.

"Naturally there's a lot of stress going on in the metropolitan area."

Eventually her passion for yoga led to the start of the business partnership with Hunter, a former grant writer for the Whitman-Walker Clinic and a dancer.

"We didn't really want to compete with each other," Ali said. "We liked each other's style, liked taking class from each other."

Not only is Ali a professional yoga instructor, she is also a certified Pilates instructor. Hunter is a certified consultant of the ancient Indian health care practice Ayurveda.

Shakti offers various services from massages to Pilates, to workshops. They also give private sessions. There are also special corporate yoga classes that teach clients how to do yoga at work in a chair.

With 10 instructors in addition to the owners, classes and services take place every day of the week.

The most attended class is Shakti Happy Hour, taught by Hunter. The class takes place every Friday from 5:30-6:30pm.

"At the end we offer you a shot- you can have some vodka or rum. That's a great way to kick off your weekend. You've done something for your body and mind and you get a treat," Ali said.

Childcare is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Ali, a mother of two, often takes her two month old with her to class.

"We speak to spirit. A lot of our work deals with energetic anatomy," Ali said.

"People don't understand that yoga is a spiritual practice developed and maintained for a very, very long time. It's a system and it's a tool for living and that's how we teach it. We want you to understand yourself much better when you leave than when you came in."

address:1015 1/2 7th St. NW Washington DC
phone: (202)783-MIND(6463)