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may/june 2015
yogajournal.com.au
photo: Kris Dahl
journey that enables them to make a
difference in their community and beyond.
OTM’s global seva (selfless service) challenge
has raised over 4.5 million dollars to fund
approximately 40 different projects that
address the needs of communities in
countries like Cambodia, South Africa,
Uganda, Haiti, Ecuador and India. This
year’s challenge assists females in Kenya
facing the horror of genital mutilation,
including the establishment of a safe house.
Corn’s commitment to OTM keeps her on
the road over 200 days a year, which she
manages thanks to her six non-negotiable
needs for self-care; yoga, meditation, prayer,
good diet, sleep and spiritual therapy.
Healing heartbreak
One of Corn’s most influential teachers is
her Dad, Stuart, who sadly passed away
from kidney cancer in 2010 at the age of 67.
Corn had introduced him to yoga after
her enhanced happiness encouraged him
to try it, and he instantly fell in love. He
completed his teacher training in 2003 and
taught at Highland Yoga in New Jersey;
a job that – unlike his Styrofoam business
- was for love not a living.
“Yoga was all we talked about; poses,
philosophy, psychological aspects,” she
proudly recalls. “Dad delved deep and was
an excellent teacher. He was diagnosed
with kidney cancer when he began
teaching, and donated all the money to
the Kidney Cancer Research Centre.”
Three months before her Dad passed
away, he urged her to teach “yoga for a
broken heart” classes. He was concerned
by how isolating the individual process of
grief can feel, and wanted her to model how
to deal with grief publicly, intimately and
sincerely; which she began six months after
his death when her own grief was raw.
“When Dad was dying, he wasn’t willing
for us to suppress our fear, and created a lot
of space for our feelings; rage, denial, utter
sadness,” Corn says. “He said you have to
pray for strength to perceive the experience
differently – and yoga helped me perceive
his death in a very different way, helped
free tension in my body.
“Our inherent nature is of God
consciousness, of truth and love; the only
thing blocking that is trauma, heartbreak,
loss, fear. Yoga releases our fragmented
pieces to expose what is already within.
Wake Up with
Seane Corn
Corn will be visiting australia this
May to host workshops and retreats
for the Wake Up project; aimed at
celebrating mindful living and
leadership.
the Women leading Change: a
Celebration of Courage, self-Care
and sisterhood australian tour
will be held in Melbourne on May 2;
Brisbane on May 3; and sydney
on May 16.
the Wholehearted living three-day
retreat will be held from May 8 to
May 10 at Many Beach, sydney.
info and bookings are available
at womenleadingchange.com.au
and wakeupproject.com.au.
yj43_30-35_FEA seane corne.indd 34 31/03/2015 8:49 am