These words from renowned yogi and activist Seane Corn hit at the heart of what yoga is for me. After discovering my love for yoga on a retreat in Mexico, I participated in the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Yogathon this past spring. I expected to enjoy a couple hours of outdoor yoga with a group of strong women (and men) under the guidance of a number of local teachers, but I never expected to be so greatly impacted by keynote speaker Seane Corn. Tears were running down my face as she reminded us that although everything in our lives happens as it was meant to, we are not defined by our traumas, tragedies, and heartbreak. We must recognize when they are affecting how we react by acknowledging them and finding a healthy place to put them. From there we can learn to heal ourselves, our communities, and our world. She shared the very personal story of losing her father as well as her experiences trying to connect with the villagers living around a trash dump in Cambodia. Along with her partners at Off The Mat Into The World (www.offthematintotheworld.org), she continues to change the world and inspire others through training, activism, and community-building. I do not think I would have had the same emotional connection to her words had I just shown up for a lecture and not connected my body, mind, and spirit through yoga in the previous hours. After hearing her speak, I felt the dark cloud of grief was finally lifting and was driven to start this blog page to share my experience of healing through the connection between travel, mindfulness, and activism.
I’ve loved writing about seeing the world in previous posts, but in reality I spend most of my days at home where the challenge is to maintain that positivity and happiness in the monotony of daily life. Yoga is definitely one of those ways. I’m not formally trained and still at the beginning stages of learning myself, but I hope to share what the practice of yoga means to me and inspire others to give it a try. One of the things I love most about yoga is that it is as individual as those who practice. You will find every age, gender, body type, fitness level, and spiritual belief system represented in a yoga class. There are a variety of yoga types from the flow of a vinyasa practice marrying movement and breath to the deep stretch of a yin practice awakening the connective tissues. You can practice yoga in a dedicated studio with an instructor, at a gym as part of a full body workout, outside under the trees, or in the comfort of your living room. You can do it hot, you can do it fast, you can do it while hanging from the ceiling (I’m still talking about yoga here). Instructions will always include modifications for all levels, and the beauty of yoga is that no one will judge you for where you are (the real challenge is not to judge yourself). It is not a competitive sport but rather a community based practice built on respect for ourselves and our fellow humans. You can focus on your strength and flexibility, balance and center, being grounded and present, or your spiritual and personal growth (all of the above please).
For me, I prefer a free or donation class outside, offering more of a connection to nature while being budget friendly, which can easily be found online or through meetups. When Atlanta traffic or that pesky job I love get in the way, I can be found in my basement or backyard alone entertaining my neighbors and frustrating my dog who thinks floor time = play time. I use free websites such as www.doyogawithme.com which allows you to search based on level, type of yoga, and desired practice length and www.nickycjones.com which includes freebie yoga, relaxation, and meditation specific to grief healing. There is a free app called Down Dog which offers a totally customizable experience right on your phone to do anywhere. Ideally you would have a mat, but that isn’t necessarily required. As long as your clothes are comfortable and not restrictive, just kick off your shoes and you are good to go. Speaking of mats, that would be where any investment is worth the research and expense. A cheap mat is fine to start just to make sure you like it, but I was slipping all over the place. Since I have sweaty hands and feet, I went with the Aurorae Synergy mat/towel combo. Any kind of strap or bag will do for storage and portability. I don’t find that I need any other accessories such as blocks, straps, or bolsters as most studios provide them or I can improvise at home. Though I have some difficulty accepting the cost and relative inconvenience of joining a studio class, I am trying to push myself through that discomfort to benefit from the community and instruction. I am drawn to a more spiritual and introspective practice over just the physical asanas (poses) and hope to find instructors in my area that share those values. Fortunately most studios offer free or discount initial trials. I prefer a traditional style that keeps me on the floor and out of the hospital, but I would like to try aerial yoga and hot yoga (did it once, almost lost consciousness) and report back. I have a preconceived dislike for gym classes, so in due diligence and to honor the yoga teaching of non-judgement, I would like to try some out as well, recognizing that each experience is determined by both the instructor and my mental/physical state that day, not the setting.
In the meantime, my most recent practice has been with Seane Corn’s DVD series—The Yoga of Awakening. You can find this 3 disc series at her website www.seanecorn.com along with other downloads and schedule information. It is recommended that you start with the first disc and move sequentially through the series as the concepts build upon one another, “from the individual into the collective” as she states. Not one for following instructions, I started by purchasing the 3rd disc in downloadable form for my iPad to bring on a trip. It is provided through the Sounds True app which comes with other meditations, audio lessons, and music. Unfortunately for me I did not have enough memory space to accommodate the content and unknowingly burned up a month’s worth of data in the attempt. The company offered a full refund, and instead I bought all 3 discs to use at home. Who’s the sucker now…it’s me, it’s always me. Having been through the whole series, I would recommend if you are financially limited to only purchasing one, the 3rd disc is the way to go. Though it pains me to say anything less than amazing about the woman I consider a mentor and motivator, I did not love the actual yoga, but rather found it lacking in variety and clear instruction. The practices are done in voice over which leaves the usually vibrant and animated Seane we meet in the included discussions rather emotionless and flat. The true value of this series is in her words which are so deeply moving, powerful, and humbling I found myself in tears needing to hit rewind to take it all in (then write it down to read over and over). Again, messages that would not have such a great impact had they not been received while the body is in tune through the practice of yoga.
In Volume One, Body-Mind Flow, you will find 2 discs with 3 hours of content. Disc One contains lessons on The Yoga of Awakening, Instruction in Proper Breathing, From the Ground Up: Conversations with Seane, and a 1 hour all-levels practice. Disc Two is broken down into further lessons Body-Mind Flow: Deepening Your Practice and Going Within: Conversations with Seane including personal experience: journey with the body and beyond, tools for inquiry, recognizing spiritual opportunity, and a prayer for you. The 2nd disc concludes with a one hour Advanced Practice which focuses on spirituality, your purpose, your relationship with the God of your understanding, and how you will serve. I admit I found the yoga challenging, having to modify and even stop for breaks. While stretching and breathing at the end of this practice, I was moved to tears by her words for the first but not last time: “We are not the small weak voice that limits our beauty and strength. Spirit teaches us, outside our practical perceptions, that everything happens so that our soul can transform. We co-create with the universe and magnetize exactly what we need in order to grow and develop our consciousness. It is in this understanding that there can be no blame or victimization, life just is. We feel, we deal, we accept, we learn, we grow, we serve. We see each other as teachers and each experience as great and divine teaching. Doesn’t make it easier. Our hearts will still be broken, people we love will still die. What we can hope for is a shift of perception so that we can become empowered by our experiences, not in spite but because of them, as they are, as they have revealed themselves to be…blessed.” Sigh, gets me every time. This is the core message of her teaching that I remind myself—you are not your trauma, so much so that you can and will grow from it, healing yourself and the world in the process.
In Volume Two, Chakra Flow, you will learn about the 7 chakras and how they manifest in your life when each are in deficit, balance, or excess. There are 7 hours of content within these 3 discs. Disc One contains the Introduction, The Subtle Body, The Chakras, The Chakra Reference Chart, Trauma and The Mind Body Experience, and How To Use This Program. I found myself disengaged during the lessons but still mesmerized by her stories. Spirituality is paramount to the practice of yoga and yet left up to your own personal interpretation, coinciding with all religious beliefs grounded in love and acceptance. You will learn that though Seane was raised agnostic, she finds God through love and by practicing meditation, visualization, and prayers at each vibration.
The chakras are further defined as to their meaning, element, and color, and from the bottom of your seated body to the top are:
Muladhara: Root support, Earth, Red
Svadhisthana: Sweetness, Water, Orange
Manipura: Lustrous Gem, Fire, Yellow
Anahata: Unstruck, Air, Green
Vishuddha: Purification, Sound, Blue
Ajna: To Perceive or Command, Light, Indigo
Sahasrara: Thousand Fold, Thought or Consciousness, Violet
In the 2nd disc of Volume Two, the 7 chakras are broken down into 14 practices, one for each in both Theoretical and Experiential form--same practice with different audio. They are 37 min, 38 min, 42 min, 43 min, 43 min, 17 min, and 12 min respectively. I was personally moved during the practice for the 4th chakra in which Seane teaches, “the shadow of this chakra is grief,” yet I was at a point in my life where I felt a great awakening and permission to live. The 5th practice contains some unexplained sounds while the 6th is restorative and requires a bolster and the 7th is meditative. The 3rd disc contains a 90 minute chakra based practice which again I found difficult, but received value in the reminder to forgive others you have resentment towards as well as yourself. “Everything in life happens so that our soul can transform, so that we can awaken to love. It is through this transformational process that we understand the interdependency of all beings, all moments, all souls as one.”
The final volume in the series is Mystic Flow containing almost 15 hours of content. In Disc One, a 19 minute Introduction: Body Prayer and A Call to Action explains how the 7 practices are broken down, each with 4 options, with or without verbal prayer guidance and with or without music.
30 min Beginner practices and prayers, What is God to You?
30 min Beginner commitment to yourself
60 min Intermediate dedication to Mother Earth
60 min Intermediate offering movement and breath to someone we love, living or passed
60 min Intermediate offering to someone who needs healing
60 min Intermediate prayer for forgiveness of someone you hold resentment toward
90 min Advanced dedication to our brothers and sisters who do not have the access and privileges that we have
Meeting Our Disowned Self is a 10 min discussion about social justice and activism, Seane’s history of starting to teach and work with others, and the realization of her own healing work left to do around detachment. Yoga, Transformation, and Creating Social Change from the Inside Out is a 15 minute vignette questioning ‘now what?’ as the cycles of oppression and power, separation and trauma have taken hold. Seane reminds us that change begins within, when we confront our shadows of negative energy and discharge them healthily, only then can we define our spirituality off the mat and become one. “May we serve this world into peace.” This first disc concludes with the first 4 practices and the second disc contains the last 3 practices. The 2nd disc also contains 2 discussions: "What Will You Commit To...?" which is 18 minutes about searching for God in a Cambodian trash dump where children were living, and "Showing Up in Love" which dsicusses her Off The Mat, Into the World work in Uganda over 12 minutes. There seems to be subtitles on this disc that I cannot remove as well as some skipping on mine, but I am working my way through the practices using the guided prayer options, preferring without music. My favorite so far is the first practice on Disc 2 (the 5th in the series) focusing on leg balances with reminders to the original healing intentions.
I hope you will find some time to explore yoga if you have not, especially if you are looking for a spiritual connection. If you have tried but that aspect was missing, please keep looking for an instructor who shares those values and consider purchasing Seane Corn’s DVDs. Once you are working toward your health, happiness, and healing, spread that love off the mat. I am always actively involved in service projects around Atlanta and medical mission trips to Haiti, so please contact me if you want to participate or brainstorm ideas to start your own work. As Seane teaches, “We use our bodies to pray, we use our breath to align, we use our love to serve, and we use our intention to create a world this is united.” Namaste.
