Vera Lester

I started praticing yoga with my acting teacher while still in college -- but I didn't even know what yoga was.  I always thought "real yoga" was someone sitting in full lotus and chanting themselves into a transcendental state.  My teacher made us do downdog - a whole lot of them.  After graduating from college, and returning home to my hometown of New Orleans, I did a few yoga videos and then started taking a weekly class with a coworker.  She was our marketing director, but taught yoga "on the side" and traded reduced fees for staff with my employer (a museum).  After about a year with her, Kellie introduced me to my first real teacher -- Sean Johnson of Wild Lotus Yoga in New Orleans.  I started out as a work-study student, but always dedicated to my regular weekly practice with Sean.

After almost eight years with Sean, I enrolled and completed Soul School, the yoga teacher training he offers every year with Mitchel Bleier.  I now teach a variety of classes at Wild Lotus, all in a vinyasa flow style.  I incorporate chanting into the practice, and encourage my students to explore the wisdom of their bodies in addition to their minds.  Most importantly, I try to keep yoga fun -- and a balance between life, work, and practice.