Wild Lotus Yoga classes stand out because of our commitment to sharing yoga in an integrative way that awakens physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual awareness. In a warm and welcoming atmosphere, our teachers share their love of yoga and offer unique perspectives on our monthly theme designed to broaden your connection to yourself, to yoga, and to the world. You are invited to experience yoga practice as a conscious expression of the life you are living and creating

We love the physicality of yoga and also celebrate the universal spirituality of yoga practice in positive, life-affirming, accessible ways - avoiding dogma and self-righteousness. Wild Lotus Yoga classes emphasize setting an intention for yoga practice, creating space for you to link the practice to what is meaningful in your life. The tools shared in class include some combination of yoga postures (asanas), breathing practices (pranayama), meditation, music, mantras, readings, poems, stories, guided visualizations, self-inquiry practices, and more-all linked consciously together. We seek to offer creative instruction throughout the class that puts generous attention on physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic, and breath awareness, with a strong emphasis placed on savasana, the deeply rejuvenating period of rest at the end of each class.

We offer a wide variety of over 70 classes a week for all levels of experience. Classes are guided by a friendly staff of skilled teachers sharing inspiration through diverse styles of yoga. Offerings include numerous ongoing yoga classes, 6 and 10 week courses, meditation, kids yoga, pre and postnatal yoga, private lessons, workshops & lectures with renowned visiting teachers, teacher training, concerts, films, community service, a selection of discounted and donation-based community classes, and more!

Class Guidelines

As a guideline to help you choose the best class for you at any given moment, our classes are labeled “Gentle, Medium, and Spicy”. Gentle signifies a softer class, with emphasis on relaxation- all levels of experience are welcome. Medium signifies a moderate, more physical class - all levels of experience welcome. And Spicy signifies a challenging class with emphasis on strength & deeper flexibility for more experienced students. Combinations indicate a range of intensity in class.

Beginners

Our 6 and 10 week courses are a great place for beginners to build their practice. Beginners can also enjoy the relaxing benefits of the practice in our Floating Lotus classes and focus on alignment and foundation in our Roots classes. Beginners are also welcome in our flow classes, knowing these classes incorporate more movement and breath. We recommend that beginners build a foundation in the above classes before trying out the Shakti Flow classes, as this practice is more challenging and often fast-paced.

Yoga and New Orleans

Wild Lotus was founded by Sean Johnson, a proud native of New Orleans. We love New Orleans and the way that the spirit of yoga blends so sweetly with the soul of our beloved city. We experience yoga as one of many ways to celebrate life here.

History

Sean moved back to New Orleans in 1999 and began teaching at The New Orleans Yoga Center, The University of New Orleans, Loyola University, Delgado Community College, L.S.U. Medical School, and other regional yoga studios. Wild Lotus Yoga was born by serendipitous events in July 2002 when Sean Johnson joined three friends Beverly Morris, Kellie Panus, and Tricia Lea to teach together. There were only a few yoga studios in New Orleans at the time. The original location was in a historic former corner grocery in Mid-City. The classroom was a cozy space and Sean moved into the rear grocer's apartment. The studio offered seven classes a week. Though the location was tucked away in a residential neighborhood, word spread, and soon classes were packed.

A year later the studio renovated and moved to its current location on Perrier Street which years ago was a neighborhood soul food stand. Wild Lotus was the first yoga studio in New Orleans to reopen after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and became a haven for returning residents as well as volunteers and emergency relief workers. We are proud to have helped introduce yoga to thousands of New Orleanians over the years and blaze the trail for the current yoga boom that is happening in New Orleans. We have also hosted countless workshops and events, bringing in teachers and artists from all over the country to share their wisdom and art. Today the studio offers over seventy diverse classes a week and has a team of twenty-plus skilled teachers and office staff. We still like to think of ourselves as a kind of grocery and neighborhood soul food stand, offering food for the spirit through yoga.

Wild Lotus Yoga Downtown

Following Hurricane Katrina, a group of concerned citizens, academics, engineers, writers, artists, community activists, developers, physicians, and architects came together to form a salon think tank. The members met to explore creative solutions to New Orleans' vast recovery challenges. Out of that salon developed a multi-media cultural project, proposed energy policy for the city, and a plan for The New Orleans Healing Center, an urban healing center like no other. Sean was invited to join the Salon and commit to opening Wild Lotus Yoga Downtown as an integral part of the New Orleans Healing Center. In the years prior to The New Orleans Healing Center's official opening our teachers volunteered to guide 5 donation-based yoga classes a week held at Holy Angels Chapel in the neighborhood.

After years of dreaming and planning, Wild Lotus Yoga - Downtown is now open. In addition to Wild Lotus Yoga, the 55,000 square foot building on the corner of Saint Claude and Saint Roch Avenues also houses The New Orleans Food Co-Op; Fatoush a Mediterranean restaurant/coffeeshop/juicebar; Crossroads Arts Bazaar; Cafe Istanbul performance hall; AHA affordable healing arts center; The Street University; Maple Street Bookstore; women's center; interfaith space; The Movement Room Dance Studio; The Building Block, an incubator project for businesses specializing in sustainability and green projects; NOPD sub-station; and more. The New Orleans Healing Center is one of the most ambitious and progressive recovery projects in the city, and we are thrilled to be a part of it.

Wild Lotus Community Classes

We are committed to making yoga accessible to our community. In addition to offering a wide variety of ongoing classes, we also offer many half-price community classes; by donation meditation sessions; and donation-based community classes uptown and downtown every Wednesday night. We also have a monthly time slot called Sunday Morning Community Soul Time, offering an intentional space to savor a different spiritual topic or practice each month, followed by meditation. All donations from Sunday Morning Community Soul Time go to a rotating charity.

Wild Lotus Yoga "Spirit Music" Concert Series

Throughout the year we offer candlelight concerts and kirtans where musicians can share their expression of sacred music in the sanctuary of the studio. The audience relaxes comfortably on cushions, sits in chairs, or dances to the global grooves.

Sean Johnson And The Wild Lotus Band

After years of steady touring, Wild Lotus founder Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band (Alvin Young and Gwendolyn Colman) are regarded as one of the leading voices in Western kirtan music. Their innovative approach to chant music transcends genres-shades of rock, jazz, funk, and folk styles merge evocatively with the magic of the mantras. Their latest album Devaloka is the band's debut release on Nettwerk/Nutone Records, Canada's largest independent record label, and home of such eclectic artists as Sarah McLauchlan, Barenaked Ladies, and Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance) as well as renowned chant artists Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Bhagavan Das and David Newman. Sean also worked closely, co-curating and writing the liner notes for Putumayo World Music's album Yoga, that features the band's music along with many other inspiring world music artists.

The band tours the U.S. and abroad playing music festivals, yoga studios, retreat centers, concert halls, and celebrations. They are among a small group of kirtan artists such as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and Deva Premal to be regularly invited to headline the Yoga Journal Conference, Telluride Yoga Festival, Midwest Yoga Conference, Kripalu, Bhakti Fest, The German Yoga Conference as well as many regional conferences. The band is also the first kirtan group to ever be invited to play The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Jackie Dobrinska is the band's tour manager. For bookings, she can be reached at SeanJohnsonAndTheWildLotusBand@gmail.com.
Visit their website at www.SeanJohnsonAndTheWildLotusBand.com

Welcome the inspiration of yoga into your life!  We invite you to come and experience our many offerings. Check out our extensive events and class schedule.