Yoga Journal - San Francisco Conference 2009

What Yogis Can Do For the World

At lunchtime today, I attended the talk about spiritual activism with Seane Corn, Julia Butterfly Hill, and Katchie Ananda (moderated by YJ's Editor in Chief, Kaitlin Quistgaard). Wow, what an awesome and inspiring dialogue. To break it down, the three women on the panel are all activists in the yoga community. Julia is best known for sitting in a tree for two years to save it from being cut down (she also founded The Engage Network and What's Your Tree); Katchie is a San Francisco-based teacher who teaches yoga classes at San Quentin; and Seane Corn has done oodles of projects in places like India and Cambodia, teaching yoga to and raising money for communities in need.

Kaitlin led the panel in a lively discussion about how to get juiced about a cause and go out and make it your own. These ladies are really embodying the true meaning of yoga, which is service—to oneself and to one's community. Seane called herself a reluctant activist, saying that reason she came into activism wasn't initially to help people—it was because she had come into a place of financial abundance and wanted to spread the wealth around. Her point was that you don't need to be a selfless angel in order to go out there and make stuff happen; it doesn't matter why you come to activism, as long as you come to it.

Julia, whom I'd only seen before in pictures during her tree-sit (she's quite beautiful in person), spoke eloquently about the yogic aspects of service, and how to integrate the two together. She gave two pieces of great advice for those who are first dabbling with the idea of making a difference out in their communities, but don't know where to begin. She said:

1 - Don't let what you don't know stop you
2 - Put one foot in front of the other

I was so inspired by the talk that when I later bumped into an old friend who mentioned a volunteer yoga teaching gig that she might need help with, I jumped at the opportunity. Serendipity at it's finest!

Posted by Karen Macklin on January 18, 2009 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Seane Corn: More than Good Hair

Seane Corn has good hair. As someone whose lived a lifetime with mousy brown baby fine hair, I can attest that it's truly something of trademark proportions. Seriously, it's that good ... which reminds me of a funny story.

I first saw Seane at the Estes Park Yoga Journal Conference last September. The event was held at the beautiful YMCA of the Rockies venue, and while most of the people were there for the conference, there were some "non-yogi" types on the grounds.

One afternoon, a gentleman was walking near the main pavilion when he collapsed to the ground, most likely as a result from the effects of altitude. Seane, who happened to be nearby, quickly went to his aid and knelt down beside him.

As the man came to, he opened his eyes to this angelic vision with long, curly, golden hair and sparkling blue eyes. Taking one look at her, he stammered out his first words of consciousness ... "Wow, you have pretty hair." And though HE probably thought he was seeing an angel, everyone else knew he was gonna be just fine.

On Thursday, I attended an intensive on Spiritual Activism which was led by Seane Corn, Suzanne Sterling and Hala Khouri. These three women are partners in the initiative Off the Mat, Into the World described as "a program that aims to inspire and guide you to find and define your purpose and become active in your local or global community in an effective, sustainable and joyful way."

There is much to share about what these women are doing, and I encourage you to check out their site for more information. Suffice it to say, there's definitely a lot more to Seane Corn than good hair. Perhaps that man at Estes Park really DID see an angel after all.

Posted by Pamela Walsh on January 17, 2009 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Seane Corn Classes

Seane Corn teaches classes that are an eclectic fusion of various healing and spiritual modalities. She is the National Yoga Ambassador for YouthAIDS and trains leaders of activism through Off the Mat Into the World, an organization she cofounded. She received the 2005 Conscious Humanitarian Award for her outreach efforts and is featured in several DVDs.