Voted "Best Yoga Studio" in New Orleans, 22 Years in a Row

History

Our Story

In 2002, Seán Johnson, a native of New Orleans, opened the first Wild Lotus Yoga studio in Mid-City and then in 2003 moved into the building Uptown on Perrier street that we currently occupy. It was the first yoga studio to reopen after Hurricane Katrina and became a haven for returning residents as well as volunteers and emergency relief workers. In 2008, Seán began leading a one-of-a-kind 200-hour teacher training program called Soul School, of which many current teachers are graduates, including current owner Anne-Compton Lambeth.

Following Hurricane Katrina, a group of concerned citizens, including Seán, came together to form what would become The New Orleans Healing Center, a community center designed to help heal and empower individuals and surrounding neighborhoods. During the renovation of the building that would house The Healing Center on St Claude and St Roch, a group of new graduates from the first Soul School, including Anne-Compton Lambeth and now senior teachers Lauren Best and Andra Aitken committed to teaching weekly donation-based classes in the space and then down the street in the Holy Angels chapel.

When Wild Lotus Yoga Downtown opened in 2011, there was already a strong connection with the neighborhood that only strengthened and grew over the next decade. Wild Lotus Downtown was where Soul School, Sean’s week-long intensive Bhaktimmersion, and many other trainings, courses, and events were held. It was a beloved space not only to the neighborhood but to many across the city and the country. Sadly, Wild Lotus Yoga had to close this location during the 2020 pandemic.

Current owner Anne-Compton Lambeth and founder of Wild Lotus Yoga, Seán Johnson
Wild Lotus Yoga – original location in Mid City 2002
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Class at the uptown studio 2006
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Wild Lotus Yoga Downtown at The New Orleans Healing Center – 2008-2020
Soul School Teacher Training Program – class of 2020
Living Yoga Teacher Training 2024

When the city shuttered all non-essential businesses in March 2020, there was only one day that Wild Lotus Yoga was unable to offer yoga classes. After that, thanks to Nicole Rezza, Julia Pretus, and a handful of devoted staff, Wild Lotus Yoga Online was launched. The teachers filmed classes every day and posted them to a private You-Tube channel our members could access. In addition to the online offerings, Anne-Compton arranged for three weekly outdoor yoga classes at Port Orleans Brewing Company, and Sean put together weekly outdoor classes at the Broadside, so that our community could practice yoga together until it was safe to return indoors.

Finally, in June of 2021, Wild Lotus Yoga Uptown opened its doors again, beginning with a limited schedule and limited spaces. Slowly, we rebuilt our offerings, and we now maintain a robust weekly schedule of in-person classes and access to our online library, as well as courses, workshops, trainings, and events.

When Sean was offered a position with Ayurprana in Asheville, NC, in 2023, he asked Anne-Compton to develop a new teacher training program. After a life-altering trip to study yoga in India, Anne-Compton returned to New Orleans and realized that it was her dharma not only to develop the new teacher training program but to also lead the studio into its next chapter. She purchased the studio from Sean in January of 2025 and runs Living Yoga Teacher Training, an intensive 7-month-long 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified teacher training program, emphasizing integrative yoga, creative teaching from the heart, dedicated meditation and adherence to the principles of yoga, as well as interactive study of anatomy, mantra, energy systems, and Bhakti yoga.

In 2025, the first Wild Lotus Budding Teachers program began to support graduates from LYTT transitioning to teach public classes. Over several months following graduation, this free program allows participants to observe Wild Lotus Yoga teachers in action, teach practice classes to friends and family at Wild Lotus Yoga with opportunities for feedback, and then begin teaching our public Community classes with the option to then audition to join the sub team.

Since the program began, five LYTT graduates have successfully moved through the program and now teach for the sub team and/or teach a regular weekly class at the studio, and a new group of Buds is finding their footing now.

With an amazing team of teachers, a thriving community, and a deep commitment to  our city, Wild Lotus Yoga continues to grow and serve New Orleans as a sanctuary of soulful connection and grounded spirituality.

Here's to the next 20 years