Allison Groves
Allison is a dedicated yoga teacher who creates classes that are grounding, empowering, and accessible for all bodies. Her teaching emphasizes self-trust, intentional movement, and igniting a conscious relationship with the breath as the foundation of practice.
With a belief that the most basic expression of a posture is the posture, Allison encourages less doing and more allowing—inviting students to listen inward, move with honesty, and honor where they are in each moment. Her classes blend mindful sequencing, breath awareness, and alignment to support both strength and ease.
Allison offers a supportive space where students can slow down, reconnect, and cultivate presence—leaving class feeling steady, clear, and more at home in themselves.
Amy Kirkland
After moving to Louisiana in 2016, Amy tried out the big designer gyms but got bored easily with the same workout routines and never felt quite at home at these gyms. After meeting fellow instructor Kaitey, Amy signed up for the 21 Day Challenge at Bayou Yoga and from there she was hooked. Amy quickly feel in love with Yoga Sculpt, a combination of yoga movements with weight incorporated and small burst of cardio. In July of 2019 Bayou Yoga became in need of Yoga Sculpt instructor. Amy took that as a sign to begin her next yogi adventure. In November of 2019, Amy completed 200 hour Registered Yoga Training. In January 2020, Amy began leading Yoga Sculpt with energizing music and plenty of jokes and laughter. Amy loves sharing Tuesday and Thursday night with her Sculpt Squad but when she’s not with her Bayou Yoga family you can find her as a dental hygienist by day, honing in her grill skills, whipping up tasty treats in the kitchen, snuggling with her dogs, and laughing with friends.
Elizabeth Sconzert
Co-founder/Owner & Instructor
With a yogi for a father, Elizabeth grew up in a house where “downward dog” was not reserved for canine discipline but rather spoken in everyday life. So, naturally, as any daughter would do, she did everything to fight it, including graduating from Loyola’s College of Law. Elizabeth quickly discovered that a life of lawyering could be hectic and stressful, depleting the body's energy. Yoga offered nourishment where dedicated workouts and a marathon or two failed. She is certified in power vinyasa yoga, but like many students of this discipline, Elizabeth's practice uses a hybrid of techniques to respond to the individual needs of each class. Elizabeth’s approach to yoga focuses on the whole, pulling us back to center with asanas integrating strength, movement, and of course, balance—all of which carry over into everyday life. Understanding life beyond the yoga mat brings enough seriousness of its own, Elizabeth believes yoga can bring physical and spiritual harmony to our daily lives.
Kaitey Kinchen
While attending college and working as a photographer in Washington DC, Kaitey tried her first power yoga class. Although a regular practice wasn’t a part of her life at that point in time, the seed was planted.
Eleven years later, yoga found its way back into Kaitey’s life after a very sudden loss. On a trip out West, a friend reacquainted her with yoga, and that is where her journey into yoga and healing began. Once she arrived home, Kaitey established a daily practice and found sanctuary. “My mat became my life raft— a safe space where I could show up as I was, to move and breathe, and just be… without expectation or judgment.”
Kaitey believes in the transformative power of yoga to nourish and heal the mind, body, and spirit. Through regular practice, the lessons of presence, connection, equanimity, and balance that we cultivate on the mat, begin to extend into daily life.
Kaitey obtained her 200-hour RYT certification in 2017. She has completed continuing education trainings in trauma sensitive yoga (with Connected Warriors, and The Center for Trauma and Embodiment), adaptive yoga, yin yoga, and yoga nidra. In addition, Kaitey is a Level 3 Reiki Master and has been practicing energetic healing since 2019.
Leslie Jones
Leslie became a student of yoga in 2020, initially coming to the mat looking for a new way to move her body. What began as a physical practice quickly became something much deeper as she discovered how yoga could reconnect her not only to her body, but to her mind and spiritual self as well.
For years, Leslie had been curious about yoga but didn't always see herself or her body type represented in the yoga community. Today, that experience shapes much of what she believes as a teacher. There is no mold for what a yogi looks like and no one-size-fits-all practice. She believes yoga truly is for every body and encourages students to get curious about what their own body needs each time they step onto the mat.
Leslie completed her 200-hour teacher training through Hot Asana Yoga University in 2023 and has been teaching ever since. She has continued her education in Advanced Sequencing, Long Slow Deep, and Yin Yoga. Her classes blend intentional movement, opportunities to slow down and turn inward, and music that may not always sound like a traditional yoga playlist. She believes slowing down doesn't necessarily mean taking it easy, and often some of the greatest physical and mental challenges come when we give ourselves the time to stay, breathe, and notice.
Outside the studio, Leslie resides in Mandeville with her husband and two sons. She loves a coffee date with friends, concerts and live music, the beach, the mountains, and really any excuse to get outside.
Maria Sferrazza
Maria has been practicing yoga since 2007. She fell in love with the way yoga increases strength and flexibility and helps quiet the mind. To deepen her practice, she completed yoga teacher training with a concentration in the Anusara style and taught for over six years in NC. Three kids and a couple of moves later, she settled in Mandeville in 2021. Through many phases of life, she has learned that yoga will always meet you where you are, all you have to do is step on your mat. With a spirit of gratitude and exploration, each class is a celebration of one’s own body and practice.
Marybeth Wise
Mary Beth is a Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. Her career in health and wellness spans 25+ years within physical therapy, athletic club, small studio and private in-home settings. With a lighthearted teaching style, she aims to educate students and clients, encouraging them to tune in deeply and move with intention. A native of Shreveport, she grew up barrel racing Quarter horses and running up and down basketball courts, ending her high school career with a State Championship. Now into her sixth decade on the earth, she is keenly attuned to the changes and challenges that come with age and remaining active and aspires to help others keep honing their practices and honoring their individual needs.
Nichol Rockwell
Nichol was first introduced to yoga in the Bay Area, and quickly fell in love with the practice. With a
background in massage therapy, alignment became a foundation of her teaching practice, as well as the
breath. Whether she is teaching an intro to yoga course or a power flow class, you will see a strong
emphasis on these two aspects. She LOVES the use of props, not only to support the practice, but also as
a way to deepen it. She specializes in Hot Stone Restorative Yoga and is one of the first yoga teachers to
bring this offering to New Orleans and the Northshore community.
Nichol is an E-RYT 500-hour certified yoga teacher. In 2012 she dived into her first 200-hour teacher
training program, Soul School, led by Sean Johnson and Mitchel Bleier at Wild Lotus Yoga of New
Orleans. In 2018 she joined Swan School, Swan River Yoga of New Orleans’ 450-hour teacher training led
by Swan Michelle Baker, Kelly Haas, Keith Porteous, and Bridgette Martin. Both training courses were
rooted in the Bhakti and Vinyasa traditions. Nichol has also trained in Restorative, Prenatal, and Ashtanga
Yoga. She has received the First-Degree Attunement and Training in the Usui Method of Reiki Healing by
Reiki Master Render (Kim Wayman), a Level 1: Thai Massage Fundamentals Certification with Jill Duncan
and became a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) through the National Holistic Institute in San Francisco.
Nichol has been teaching in the Greater New Orleans community since the summer of 2013. She taught
at Wild Lotus Yoga of New Orleans (2013-2020), Bayou Yoga of Mandeville (2016-present), and Pelican
Athletic Club (2017-2018). She has been honored to manage Bayou Yoga (2017-2023) and seen the love
and dedication it takes to make a yoga studio survive and thrive. She has been humbled to offer yoga at
the Eden House of New Orleans, to women who are overcoming the trauma of human trafficking and
addiction. She has also enjoyed working privately with individuals, whether they are young athletes,
seniors, those with injuries, or special health conditions. Nichol has been truly amazed by the healing
power of yoga and believes it is for All Beings, regardless of age, ability, class, circumstance, or religion.
Beyond teaching yoga, Nichol is a stay-at-home mama. She loves travel, adventure, kirtan, gardening and
hot springs.
Nicole Azzi Williams
Co-founder/Owner & Instructor
Nicole’s classes focus on building strength through awareness, control, and sustained effort. With a strong emphasis on anatomy and intentional sequencing, she guides students through slow, creative flows that challenge both body and mind.
Her teaching invites students to stay engaged with difficulty rather than rush through it. The result is a practice that strengthens the body, expands capacity, and sharpens focus. Students leave feeling capable, steady, and more connected to themselves, on and off the mat.