Yoga for FREEDOM
Ending human trafficking: 17 years of Yoga Stops Traffick. By Karina Middleton
Reading time: 2 minutes
Some yogis may be familiar with the mantra ‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’, which loosely translates as: May all living beings be happy and free. It is a mantra with a meaning for all those involved in the charity, Yoga Stops Traffick.
Last September, I sat around a roaring fire under a star-lit sky at the Om & Bass Festival in Oxfordshire — an event that supports the charity — chanting it together with 50 other beautiful souls.
This is a special year in that it marks the 17th anniversary of Yoga Stops Traffick, a campaign uniting yoga practitioners worldwide in the fight against human trafficking.
Throughout March — and leading up to Yoga Stops Traffick Day on 29 March — the yoga community comes together each year, and across borders, as one voice: we affirm that women and children are not a commodity.
The fact this work still needs to be done in 2025 is heartbreaking, however there are lots of ways to get involved and support the charity: hold a fundraiser event; join an event anywhere in the world, including two official events on 29 March — one outside Mysore Palace in India
and one in London; share the campaign with your local community; donate and dedicate your practice to the cause; or purchase Yoga Stops Traffick merchandise to support the movement.
Held in Oxfordshire, Om & Bass is also a major fundraiser for Yoga Stops Traffick.
This year's Om & Bass Festival takes place on 5-7 September and will welcome 1,000 people for a weekend packed with diverse workshops, from yoga classes in the Fierce Grace Yoga Barn to dynamic Osho meditations, martial arts, drumming circles, forest bathing, art and live DJ’s including Grooverider, Nicky Blackmarket and DJ Rap. The Soul Revolution live music stage adds a soulful soundtrack with performances spanning spoken word, gospel kirtan, sacred hip-hop and tribal folk reggae, creating a truly vibrant and inclusive experience.
To donate or support Yoga Stops Traffick visit: yogastopstraffick.org
Find out more about the Om & Bass festival at: omandbass.co.uk
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
