There are yoga teachers and there are yoga preachers, and, as the founder of the Off The Mat and Into The World initiative, the high priestess of them both is undoubtedly Seane Corn. But as festival season kicks in, what we really wanted to know from the activist and yogini extraordinaire is how a girl maintains her A-game on the road. (Clue: could it begin and end with your “daily detox”?)
“People think there’s crack in my cup, it’s in every photo” (Real answer revealed below)
Saturday morning at Wanderlust Vermont, and it’s mat-to-mat at Seane Corn’s Detox Flow® Yoga session. Half the festival is here, which suggests that more than a few of us went a little cray-cray on the Winderlust last night. But hey, that was some good local, biodynamic, sulfite-free s**t! The morning after, however, her words have a certain bite.
“Detox Flow is about creating optimal health, which I define as being able to experience the fullness of life, mind, body and spirit.” We’re listening. “My interest is making sure I stay purified on a physical level so that I don’t shut down, so that I’m not reactive, and so that I can trust my impulses. If I’m using substances, or eating foods that contaminate my system, I’m blocking my ability to be wholly present, and I am contributing to the illness and disease in the world around me…” Oh Seane, your word is gospel! We’re giving it all up…tomorrow!
And judging from the sniggers she gets when she mentions the P-word (yes people, “poop”) there are several ladies present with another kind of detox on their minds. “Festival Logjam” can be a painful fact of life; “I know how it is, you’re sharing a room, eating all this strange food…” But never fear, “I’m here to help you in that department too.” In fact, “please come find me to give me a thumbs up if this sequence gets things moving. I like to know when I’ve been of service.” And besides, “You know you’ve graduated as a yogi when you’re happy to discuss your bowel movements with total strangers.”
All of which got us to thinking – how does Seane herself do it? So we found her, not to give her a thumbs up (we remembered to pack our flax seeds for our morning smoothie), but to get her personal festival season survival guide.
OFF THE MAT HOSTED A FULL ON DANCE PARTY TO OPEN WANDERLUST LAST NIGHT. SO WHAT IS YOUR FESTIVAL POISON?
“I don’t have one! It was a great party, with lots of dancing, and the rumour is I was the last one standing, the rager. That’s not necessarily true. I didn’t leave until 1am, and I did set off an alarm in the building. But I don’t smoke or drink, so my vice is being surrounded by really good people I love and trust and feel safe with, safe enough to lose my mind dancing to good music. Call it organic raging. I can’t blame the alcohol, only my friends.”
SO, YOGI-YO-YOGI, HOW DOES A GIRL STAY REGULAR ON THE ROAD?
“It’s hard. Not only are you in a forgein environment, it’s a free for all, you’re out of your routine and it’s easy just to grab a pizza. But staying hydrated is the most important thing – absolutely! We don’t realise how dehydrated we get and how much that messes up our whole nervous system. Then eat foods that are as alive as possible, with lots of prana and lots of fibre, and avoid processed foods, sugar and gluten. I also incorporate a lot of twists and inversions into my practise when I’m travelling to keep things moving along.”
WHAT’S IN YOUR FESTIVAL RIDER?
“I bring my Fortune Delight tea and I drink it constantly. I’m not a big water drinker, but I know how important it is – so I have it with hot water, a little almond milk, some agave. People think I have crack in my thermos, it’s in every photo! The herbs are anti-oxidants, which feels good for me. I also always have pecans and almonds with me for protein when I need it. Bu it becomes a burden to travel with too much food.”
IN CLASS, YOU ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THE TOXINS WE ABSORB FROM THE PRODUCTS WE USE. WHAT’S IN YOUR BEAUTY BAG?
“I use Jurlique products, which are all organic. I stay away from anything with chemicals, and at night I use a rosehip oil as opposed to a heavy moisturiser. A light moisturser during the day, and that’s pretty much it. My skin is super sensitive, and one reason I don’t wear make-up, besides the fact I don’t like how it looks, is that I’m always touching people and then touching my face, so I wash my face a lot. If I get a pimple I’m like, ‘this belongs to someone else!'”
SO WHAT ARE THE OFF THE MAT BIG PROJECTS YOU’RE BRINGING YOUR FULLY DETOXED A-GAME TO THIS YEAR?
“One thing that’s significant right now is the Global Seva Challenge, which is focussed on the issue of environmental injustice in the Amazon and the impact that improper practises around oil have had on the indigenous people. The challenge is, you raise 20k through outreach in your community and you get to come with us to Ecuador to see how the money is being spent. Were also focussing on Yoga Votes to get people to understand the intersection between yoga and politics, how to look at policy and the impact it has on our values as a community. We want the yoga community to be acknowledged as a constituency, and to understand that politicians need to start paying attention to our needs. These are very engaged people, and through doing to work on themselves and wanting to be proactive and make a change, their voice is instrumental in making a difference.”
Oh Seane Corn, we salute you. THUMBS UP for everything you do. Numi x
www.seanecorn.com
www.offthematintotheworld.org
@jerseycorn1
