I was a member of Lighthouse Yoga (LH) for over 9 years. In that time, I found healing in classes…read moretaught by Nandi, Leshone, Patrick (Kundalini Yoga-KY), Machelle (Yin), and Tara (Hatha). Unfortunately, I made the difficult decision to leave after experiencing sustained harm at the hands of three individuals: Rebecca (studio owner since Summer 2021), Manju (KY teacher since Winter 2020), and Andy (member since Sept 2023).
On September 1, 2024, I clearly set boundaries with Andy after a pattern of unwanted and uncomfortable behavior. Despite this, he continued to harass and intimidate me--hovering near me, speaking to me after months of no contact, and creating a space of psychological intimidation. When I addressed this in a January 6, 2025 email to him, he deflected accountability and triangulated the message to Rebecca and Manju. Shockingly, both women protected him and invalidated my experience. It was only on Feb 6, I found out Manju's true feelings towards me.
On January 8, Rebecca told me my boundaries were "unreasonable," blamed me for her involvement in this matter, and excused Andy's behavior by suggesting that "a new year" might have confused him. Her response gaslit and minimized my safety concerns while prioritizing studio politics. She spiritual-bypassed the situation, asking me to give him grace rather than acknowledging the trauma of being repeatedly violated in a supposed sanctuary.
On February 2, at the end of a sound bath facilitated by Manju, the lights were low with only a few candles flickering on the floor. As I was speaking directly to Manju, I suddenly felt a subtle surge of energy along the back of my right ribs. When I turned, I saw Andy standing just 3 feet behind me, near my right arm. His silent presence felt intrusive and deeply unsettling. I immediately moved away. On Feb 5, I shared my concerns with Manju in a respectful voice message, requesting only that she look out for me if she noticed something inappropriate. She responded with openness... until 3 a.m. on February 6, when I received cruel & abusive texts from her echoing defamatory statements that Andy had weaponized against me. This confirmed a chilling truth: Manju had never been neutral. She had harbored resentment & bitterness for a long time under the mask of neutrality and turned on me when I needed support. To her, I was creating drama.
I was devastated. Manju, who teaches trauma-informed classes, weaponized her proximity and influence while dehumanizing me as a paying student and person. After trusting her for four years, the betrayal cut deeply. I wondered how long she was infecting my practice.
On March 1, during a KY immersion, Rebecca misrepresented a falsehood--claiming "as the studio owner, in my opinion, Hatha yoga is Kundalini yoga." An opinion doesn't need power-laden titles to be valid. That same day, I witnessed Manju speak about teacher-student ethics without once acknowledging the inherent power imbalance or the teacher's responsibility to hold and protect boundaries. Instead, she blamed students for feeling entitled or invasive--distorting the dynamic entirely.
Lighthouse Yoga became unrecognizable--a toxic, unsafe space. A place where boundaries are erased, victims are dismissed, and the leadership enables harm. When I needed Rebecca and Manju most--two women, mothers of daughters, and elders--they failed me. What they demonstrated was not spiritual leadership but control, gaslighting, and transactional values. I gave this studio my loyalty, energy, presence, warmth, and money. In return, I was discarded like trash. To them, I was not a person--just a resource.
This place now feels cult-like: you conform or you're cast out. Safety and protection are not rights--they're selectively granted by those in power. I chose to leave on my own terms when I remembered I am worthy of both.
To future victims: I am not the first, and I won't be the last. I've left evidence with trusted community members. If a civil action is ever filed against Rebecca for negligence, know this: she chose to keep and protect a known predator at her studio. That is on record.
The studio's decline speaks for itself. Karma circles back in time.