BYDC Management Team

Kirsten Ahern is an E-RYT 200/RYT-500 Prana Vinyasa Instructor, Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, Marma Therapist and Corporate Wellbeing Consultant. She teaches dynamic, fluid, and strong vinyasa flow classes with a focus on energetic alignment, creative sequencing, breathwork, and meditation.

Kirsten joined Bhakti Yoga DC as an instructor soon after it opened its doors in 2016 and loves sharing space with the community and good friends who join her on the mat every week. Kirsten serves as Bhakti Yoga DC’s in-house Ayurvedic practitioner and the founder of Path Wellbeing (www.path-wellbeing.com), a holistic healing and wellbeing solutions company. When not teaching yoga or practicing Ayurveda, you’ll find Kirsten hiking or running trails, swimming laps, traveling with her husband, and snuggling with her Tibetan Terrier “Karma”.

Alex Duchscher, ERYT 200, has been practicing yoga since 1999, and teaching yoga since 2002, when she got her initial 200 hour teacher training certificate from Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Since then she has incorporated more Vinyasa flow to complement Kripalu's Hatha style of yoga, attending trainings with Vinyasa teachers and mentors Shiva Rea, Shannon Paige, Laura Wade Jaster and Jess Lazar. Also, studying and practicing Buddhist philosophy and meditation has added a joyful peace and freedom to her approach to yoga practice. Her practices are fluid with elements of strength and grace.

Alex also enjoys the depth, commitment and connection that come from teaching prenatal yoga.

Alex lived and taught yoga and practiced massage in Vail, Colorado for the better part of 10 years and has recently relocated to the Northern VA/D.C. Metro area. She is transitioning into new massage and yoga experiences and will update schedule with any new classes and massage information as it becomes available on her website: www.renewaltide.com.

With Jen’s classes, your breath will weave together the wisdom of your body, the compassion of your heart and the focus of your mind. This will help you release trapped patterns and come into greater joy through your own creative expression. Jen incorporates kriyas, pranayama, deep core work, holding of poses and meditation into a creative and playful Vinyasa Flow asana practice. Music is an essential part of Jen’s classes, especially inspirational, devotional and healing music.

Ingrid is a certified 200 hour YTT dynamic vinyasa flow yoga teacher with continued training and a concentration in yoga for depression and anxiety as well as providing restorative yoga. She offers a deep and powerful heart-warming practice for beginners and intermediates.  She maintains a loving yoga practice that will open and engage the hearts of her students while pushing them beyond their perceived limitations in order to bring them in alignment with themselves.

She incorporates meditation and kriya breath work in her classes. She also volunteers and shares her yoga practice with people in need residing in shelters and survivors of substance abuse.  Ingrid is passionate about helping others and spreading love, kindness, and compassion.

Teaching since 2012 and practicing longer, Jeff found yoga and meditation as a means to connect with his body, confront anxiety and depression, and overcome issues around body dysmorphia.

His classes are highly inclusive and well-loved for their physical and mental inquiry, dreamy playlists, cultivation of curiosity, courage, strength, and sense of humor. Expect a vibrant, creative class with considerate variations of movements for various body types.

Jeff completed his 200hr training in 2012 with Sondra Loring and Raghunath, three subsequent 500hr trainings, including one with Ame Wren and Daniel Max of the Boston Yoga School, and earned his Masters Degree in Social Work from Tulane University in 2022. He currently serves on the teacher training faculty at both Yogamaya New York and Boston Yoga School. He is also a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice specializing in somatics, body based regulation, grief, loss, addiction and relationships.

Jill's greatest joy as a yoga teacher is helping you access shapes you haven't found before on the mat.  In her vinyasa classes, Jill draws upon her expertise of biomechanics and anatomy to gently, quickly, and safely help students blossom into one or more challenging peak poses, while at the same time providing options so her classes remain inclusive and fulfilling to all levels of yogi. Teaching group fitness since 2017, Jill is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor by the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), a Registered Yoga Teacher and graduate of Bhakti Yoga's Teacher Training, and one of the first yoga teachers in the world who has been certified by the Yogi Flight School to teach arm balances and inversions using the Yogi Flight Method.  Outside of the yoga studio, she specializes in high-intensity interval training (HIIT), bootcamp, and kickboxing fitness modalities, all while practicing law full time.

Miryam began her yoga journey during her pregnancy in 2003, seeking a gentle approach to complement her active lifestyle as a competitive swimmer and triathlete. Starting with Bikram yoga, she later discovered her passion for Baron Baptiste's Power Vinyasa Yoga.

In 2009, while competing in Ironman triathlons, Miryam completed her 200-hour Teacher Training at Downdog Yoga in Washington, DC, deepening her yoga understanding and allowing her to share her knowledge. A significant turning point came in 2015 when she encountered her mentor, Jessica Lazar, and embraced the Prana Vinyasa flow developed by Shiva Rea, transforming her practice and teaching approach.

Now teaching at Bhakti Yoga in Washington, DC, Miryam draws inspiration from renowned teachers like Gopi Kinnicutt and Tara Brach. Her classes focus on reconnecting with one’s purpose in life. For Miryam, Prana Vinyasa represents a journey toward embodiment, vitality, and enjoyment, guiding individuals to embrace life’s flow and discover their inherent purpose.

Hama is an RYT-200 who started her yoga journey in 2006 and completed her 200-hour teacher training with Gopi Kinnicutt at Bhakti Yoga DC. Her classes powerfully connect you with your breath, body, and mind through fluid motion and movement, bringing awareness to how these elements affect your moods and state of being. In Hama’s warm and straightforward style, she will accompany you to restore balance and authentically nurture yourself and your self-expression. When Hama isn't on the mat, she works on bettering the lives of women and girls and their communities in developing markets by providing access to finance and, thus, greater opportunities for a dignified life for all. She is an avid cook, baker, and eater and loves spending time with her cats and husband, practicing the art of doing nothing.

Rachel began her yoga journey in 2021 as a way to alleviate stress and cultivate a sense of community, which she found lacking in her corporate remote job. Quickly recognizing the positive impact yoga had on her mental and physical health, she felt inspired to share its transformative journey with others. Rachel went on to become an RYT-200 under Gopi Kinnicutt at Bhakti Yoga DC.

Rachel’s grounding energy provides a gentle environment focused on mindfulness and balance. Driven by a deep understanding of the mind-body connection, Rachel guides students through dynamic and flowing Vinyasa sequences, emphasizing breath awareness and proper alignment. In her classes, you can expect a diverse range of pose variations, emphasizing the importance of listening to one’s body, thereby fostering an environment where students feel at ease and empowered to explore their practice with confidence.

Yoga Instructor and Reiki Master, received her 200 hour training in 2001 after practicing yoga for a decade.  Karen is an open, warm and welcoming person who is devoted to the life-long study of yoga and it is her greatest pleasure to share her love of yoga with her students.  Karen is certified in Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Energy Medicine Yoga, and Meditation.

Karen offers Yoga Nidra with South Baths regularly at Bhakti Yoga DC.