CLEVELAND, Ohio - The bold starburst lantern lights hanging from the ceiling of Abide Yoga look whimsically playful to the untrained eye. A true cinephile, however, might recognize them as casting a similar glow to the neon stars lining the Hollywood Lanes bowling alley in the 1998 cult classic, "The Big Lebowski."

Yes, "abide" is a deep-rooted part of the yoga vocabulary. But at Hope Hood's studio at 12732 Larchmere Blvd., it conjures up another association: The Dude Abides.

In the airy one-room space, the guiding philosophy here is, of course, "take it easy." And the classes have names like "They Left the Tape Deck Though, and the Creedence..." and "Tying the Whole Room Together."

This March 6 is the 20th anniversary of the movie, which features Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a West Coast slacker who winds up ensnared in drama thanks to a millionaire who happens to share his name. Its level of fandom has even spun off its own "religion" based on Zen Buddhism and Taoism, Dudeism, and Hood is a follower - a Dudeist Priest.

Abide will host their annual Day of the Dude Celebration Monday, March 5, with all-level vinyasa 6:30-7:30 p.m. and yin 7:45-8:45 p.m.

"I've gotten really lucky," Hood says. "People who are into The Dude and love 'The Big Lebowski' are like 'this is awesome.' And people who aren't, don't seem to be weirded out."

So, what makes someone open a "Big Lebowski"-themed ... yoga studio? Growing up in New York, Hood and a friend always talked about the connection between the word "abide" and the movie during their yoga teacher training.

Plus, there's The Dude's perpetual zen-like nature.

"It just makes a lot of sense to me," Hood says. "The character, The Dude, is just this guy going through a really intense life situation and he has the ability to always be able to chill out. His methods of chilling out are obviously a lot different than practicing yoga, but he has this ability to come back to center and not get ruffled by things. That's what the practice of yoga offers to me. For the most part, it's been a way to find some ease in my day-to-day life."

Six months after Hood moved to Cleveland for family, she was strolling down Larchmere when she saw the vacant space. Opening in 2014 was an impulsive decision. "Looking back, I can't believe I did that," Hood laughs.

But she saw a space to fill. When she moved to Northeast Ohio, a lot of yoga studios were overwhelmingly high-energy and strength-based. She wanted to open something that was more laidback.

More Dude-like.

"There were lots of more intense variations of a practice that's so vast," Hood recalls. "It's just about finding the right practice for you. For those who want the benefit of being able to relax their bodies and minds, that's what this it for."

It wasn't always simple. The first year, it often meant Hood was teaching to one or two students a night. She began adding classes, including Vinyasa for all levels, a slow flow, rock and roll flow, Yin, restorative, pre-natal and meditation. Abide also recently began hosting instructor training.

Now, her classes regularly fill up to capacity, which is about 12 to 18 people. Part of that, she says, is just figuring out what the area wanted and needed. But the recent additions to the eclectic district - like cozy Brazilian hotspot Batuqui, Colombian eatery Barroco, bakeries Poison Berry and 3 Aprons and Larchmere Fire Arts - have only helped boost interest.

"I really love this neighborhood," Hood says. "It's got this low-key energy, which I like, and it's sort of quiet. I'm just so happy to be here."

Abide also offers a sliding-scale payment model to make the practice available to more people, which she says is widely used.

"The idea is just to make it as accessible as possible to as many people as we can, making it more of a community," Hood says.

Abide will break out of their studio this spring and summer with a new collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland as part of their current exhibit, "INDUCTION: Tauba Auerbach and Eliane Radigue." Hope and instructor Gwendolyn Hashimoto with host a series of classes, including Yin yoga (Feb. 24, April 14, June 9), restorative yoga (March 10, May 26), Vinyasa (March 24 and May 12) and slow and low (April 28).

So would Jeff Bridges approve of Abide? Hood thinks so. And he wouldn't have to walk far for a White Russian.

"If you want to show up in your robe, that's cool," Hood says. "But it's not required."