Off the Mat
Bliss Miss
By Kristen Dollard
A conversation with renowned yoga teacher Seane Corn
Sure, she’s a Nike poster girl with clients like Ashley Judd, Heather Graham, and John Cusack on speed dial. But Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Seane Corn is more like you than you think. At 39, she works hard, she’s in a long-term relationship with her partner and his three kids, and even she has days when she doesn’t want to practice. Yoga is her passion, but, as she explains to YogaLife’s Kristen Dollard, it’s also the antidote to arm flab, perfectionism, and all the other dramas of the day
Q&A
Q: What first led you to yoga?
A: I moved from New Jersey to New York City alone at age 17 looking for adventure. This was 1984. I had access to—and indulged in—all of the popular drugs. My first job was at the Life Café in the East Village, and when my boss, David Life, and coworker, Sharon Gannon, returned from a trip to India they began to advocate yoga and vegetarianism. [The pair went on to open the Jivamukti Yoga Center, a celeb-friendly space in New York City.] Because I saw such positive changes in them, I decided to try it and cleaned up my own act.
Q: Was there a moment when yoga just clicked for you?
A: I was just doing my upward facing dog and chaturangas and loving the way my stomach looked, and one day in a yoga pose, I cried. I didn’t know why I felt such a release. I was overwhelmed. Once that happened the yoga practice went to places I never expected it to go.
Q: Like where?
A: For example, some people—like me—won’t take a break ever. I need the ceiling to fall on my head before I surrender. When I get to that edge, when I am breathing too hard, my personality won’t back down because I’d feel like I let myself or somebody else down. Yoga has taught me how to ease up.
Q: What have you seen yoga do for other women?
A: I’ve seen women remove their implants, stop eating fast food, and walk away from unhealthy relationships. To me, anytime any woman gets on the mat, it’s a victory because they are taking time for themselves.
