“I, as one person, only have a certain amount of power but we, as a collective, are a force to be reckoned with,” says Seane Corn of the yoga community.
On any given Saturday at Wanderlust this summer, yogis near and far can be overheard talking about Seane Corn and her enlightening “Out of Many, One” yoga, dance and meditation class. But the experience, bliss-inducing and inspiring though it is, serves a higher purpose than merely self-pleasure. It is method of connecting – from holding hands, to communal dancing, to leaning against a stranger for a collective series of Oms. Yogis connecting with each other, and connecting with Seane’s charity, Off the Mat and into the World.
In her Speakeasy lecture from Vermont 2012, Seane delves deeper into how she found her calling, which is taking the yoga practice off the mat and turning it into something larger than a self-practice, something that helps the community, ultimately changing the world.
She explains, “When I look at the evolution of the yoga community, I see a ton of change, it’s getting bigger, it’s getting more diverse, it’s very simple people doing extraordinary things and I can’t help but feel freaked out and awe inspired by the potential of this community.”
“What would happen if we could align ourselves as a collective? What would happen if we could collect the energy that holds the intention of we are one and put out our energy, time, money, our vote, that changes policy, that lends aid, miracles could happen.”
She goes on to explain that OTM serves to inspire yogis to help their communities from a place of positivity, as opposed to a place of sadness or anger.
“Off the Mat and into the World is a training program that bridges the gap between yoga and activism and helps to inspire and train people to bring the qualities of yoga into outreach work so that it can be more sustainable and come from a place of connectedness.”
To learn more about Off the Mat, check out their website here.
—
Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher known for her impassioned activism and inspirational style of teaching. A strong and articulate voice for social change, she started her activism work by creating the yoga program for L.A. shelter “Children of the Night”. Since 2006, her work has been focused on training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World® and bringing awareness to the HIV/AIDS crisis.