VISITING YOGA TEACHERS

Seane Corn is one of the best known yoga instructors in the world, with a worldwide reputation for altruism as well.

She got involved in a shelter for teenage prostitutes and raised money for YouthAIDS. Those efforts led to more activism, including a trip to India that she wrote about in her journal and that spurred interest throughout the yoga world.

"I have this incredible platform, and I don't take that platform for granted," Corn says. "I'm not that interesting, but there are a lot of the things going on in the world that are."

Corn created Off the Mat, Into the World to help organize charitable efforts in the yoga industry. Part of that effort is a program sponsoring a trip to a country in need each year. Each participant must, among other things, raise $20,000. That way, the group can better help the organizations. Last year, for the inaugural trip to Cambodia, more than $500,000 was raised.

One of the people on that trip was Abby Weis, 23, whose family owns Breathe Yoga in Pittsford, sponsor of the program this weekend. She and her mother, Cyndi Weis, who plans to participate in this year's trip to Uganda, sold T shirts and donated to the cause fees from classes and services done on days off.

Abby Weis says the trip really made her feel a connection to people in other parts of the world, "not sympathy, but empathy," that they are very similar to people there but with very different circumstances.

By Catherine Roberts

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