Who We Are
OTM has been a collective of practitioners, educators, and activists working in collaboration with global and local leaders to seed and support grassroots change. We bridged the tools of yoga and self-awareness with effective community action through continuing education.
This beautifully made short film of WHO WE ARE at Off the Mat Into the World® was created by our dear friend, community member, and producer Kirthi Nath.
While this video is a snapshot of some of our past work and former faculty, not all of the communities we have been in collaboration with are represented. Our work has not been performative and much of it has not been caught on video or film, but it’s lodged deep in our hearts. At OTM our focus has always been on growing and building relationships with new leaders and communities.
Theory Of Change
Effective and responsible leadership requires critical self-awareness, communication skills, and knowledge of the larger systems (economic, political, and cultural) that impact all of us. The inner work is a necessary part of external transformation. Embodied practices like yoga and meditation are effective tools for this self-awareness as well as tools for remaining grounded in the face of conflict or adversity.
We understand that a systemic analysis of power, privilege, and oppression must guide our leadership so that our work can address the root causes of the issue we wish to address. People must be agents of transformational change to shift the status quo toward one that is truly sustainable and equitable for all.
Meet Our Founders
SEANE CORN, HALA KHOURI, & SUZANNE STERLING are internationally known for their yoga practice as activism work. Committed to conscious, sustainable social change, the trio launched OTM in 2007 as a global community-focused leadership training organization for activists.
resOurces
OTM is proud to align with conscious, mindful organizations that encourage yoga and social change where they are needed most. Use this list to connect with allies for inspiration, support, and partnership.
BODY IMAGE
CANCER
CHILDREN & TEENS
ACCESSIBILITY
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
RECOVERY
Yoga In Action
Yoga in Action (YIA) is a grassroots, purpose-driven leadership program that brings the Off the Mat experience of self-inquiry and sustainable action to a local level
Designed as a small circle model, this seven-week program is an opportunity to build community around yoga and service, to develop relationships with other yogis and activists, and to collaborate on creating authentic and lasting change close to home. In this training, with the support of a small group of peers, participants journey from inward witnessing and acceptance to outward purposeful and accountable action within their communities and the outside world.
OTM's vision is to seed these small groups of change in communities and online to inspire collaboration and connection among our diverse community of activists.
Over the last ten years, through the 5-Day Yoga, Purpose & Action Intensive, OTM has trained hundreds of leaders across the globe to lead YIA Circles on a local level and has ultimately built a network of embodied, inspired, and motivated people, committed to actively serving their communities in a conscious and sustainable way.
Global Seva Challenge
For 8 years, Off the Mat sponsored a transformational journey, the Global Seva Challenge, raising over $3.5 million for organizations creating real impact in countries around the world.
An international service project, the Seva Challenge built community, provoked awareness and action around global issues, and raised significant funds that supported communities in crisis. With a focus on listening closely to the needs of locals in the recipient country, the Global Seva Challenge program saw incredible success
OTM empowered Seva Challenge participants to raise significant funds through grassroots fundraising and community building.
The grassroots fundraising process of the Seva Challenge built leadership skills and cultivated dedication and passion for taking direct action.
The Seva Challenge trips were an opportunity for participants to have an in-depth immersion into trauma-informed cultural awareness, witnessing firsthand the effects of global issues and an inspiring experience of projects that are successful and sustainable.
Participants who raised significant funds were invited to join OTM on a powerful journey called the Bare Witness Humanitarian Tour where they spent two weeks working directly with the organizations their funds helped to support. During these trips, participants connected with local organizations that were meeting short term needs while also identifying long term solutions for underserved areas.
After the trip’s completion, OTM and our partner The Village Experience provided guidance and assistance to those participants who continued to work in support of our Seva Challenge partners and projects in that country.
2015 GLOBAL SEVA CHALLENGE: KENYA
The Global Seva Challenge 2015 was focused on raising awareness and providing support to women facing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Early Childhood Marriage (ECM) in Kenya.
The issue
It is estimated that, in Kenya alone, more than 40% of women between the ages of 15 and 19 (and over half of women above the age of 35) have been subjected to some form of female genital mutilation (FGM) or early childhood marriage (ECM), which are dangerous, oppressive and potentially fatal for millions of girls worldwide.
Partners
Global Seva Challenge efforts are done in solidarity with local community organizers and groups. We were excited to work with the Samburu Girls Foundation and the Tasaru Ntomonok Initiative, both of whose primary objectives are to rescue girls from child marriage, circumcision, domestic violence, and physical/sexual abuse in Kenya. They also work to offer and educate groups on alternative rites of passage ceremonies.
Our longtime friends & partners at The Village Experience / The Village Cooperative (TVE/TVC) coordinated the distribution of funds raised by OTM to our partners in Kenya for these projects.
Bare Witness Humanitarian Tour
After much evaluation and discussion, OTM founders and staff decided to cancel the 2015 humanitarian tour to Kenya due to safety concerns in the country. This was not an easy decision to make, and we strongly support the work that both the Tasaru Ntomonok Initiative and the Samburu Girls Foundation are doing in Kenya.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SEVA CHALLENGE OVER THE YEARS!
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