Alyssa Milano over the weekend seemed to call on her Twitter followers to remove President Donald Trump from office with the power of yoga.
Milano, a TV actress turned feminist activist, announced Saturday that she would start chanting for seven minutes a day with the goal of “manifesting a change-of-guard in Washington.” She said her mantra would be: “Believe in believing. The impossible is possible.”
“JOIN ME,” he urged her 3.7 million Twitter followers. “We’re stronger together.”
On Sunday, Milano clarified that she had not yet commenced chanting Trump out of office. But she promised to start Monday, and offered specific instructions on how fans could support her.
“Upon waking, lay in shavasana (look it up), set your alarm for 7 minutes,” she said, referring to the “corpse pose” in yoga, which basically involves the practitioner lying motionless on their back.
After uttering the supposedly reality altering mantra, she advised adding: “We’d like to create a changing of the guard.”
This is what I’m going to do starting tomorrow morning. JOIN ME.
Upon waking, lay in shavasana (look it up), set your alarm for 7 minutes.
Say this mantra: Believe in believing. The impossible is possible.
And then out loud say, “we’d like to create a changing of the guard.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 22, 2019
Milano did not name Trump or specify what a “change of the guard” would look like. But she has been a vocal critic of the president, and her call for chanting came after lawmakers left Washington for holiday break on Friday with no agreement over how they will handle the Senate trial to consider his impeachment charges in January.
Trump stands little chance of being convicted and removed from office by the Republican-controlled Senate, which will weigh the two impeachment charges that were passed on Wednesday by the Democratic-led House of Representatives. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet sent the impeachment package to the Senate, a bid to increase pressure on Republicans in the upper chamber.
Alyssa Milano and the power of yoga
Milano, who launched the #MeToo movement with a tweet in 2017, was widely ridiculed for her latest attempt to repeat that feat of progressive organizing.
Fellow actress and conservative influencer Mindy Robinson joked that Milano seemed to have confused “Charmed,” the WB show about sister witches in which she once starred, with reality.
Holy hell, I think Alyssa is actually starting to think “Charmed” was real. The TDS has become terminal, folks.
— Mindy Robinson (@iheartmindy) December 22, 2019
Some commenters suggested that Milano try chanting alternatives mantras, like “MAGA” or “Trump 2020.”
Others took Milano’s ties to the dark arts more seriously, accusing her of being a “witch” and advising her, “Get to church.”
As following her failed #SexStrike to combat abortion restrictions in May, Milano drew mockery even from some sympathetic liberals.
Imraan Siddiqi, an activist for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, implied that her latest campaign was counterproductive, tweeting: “We’re all definitely gonna be locked in camps.”
Siddiqi also trolled Milano with a meme of Kevin Garnett’s declaration after winning the 2008 NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, “Anything is possible!”
However, comedian and LGBT activist Dana Goldberg came to Milano’s defense, suggesting her yoga advocacy was no different than Christians offering “thoughts and prayers” following “mass shootings.”
Milano agreed, saying, “Exactly. But I don’t mind. They mock me for everything. They certainly won’t pierce the armor by mocking my faith.”
Exactly. But I don’t mind. They mock me for everything. They certainly won’t pierce the armor by mocking my faith.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 23, 2019
Milano has previously spoken about how yoga and meditation help her cope with anxiety, including regarding the threat of gun violence. She has said that her peace of mind is also enhanced by keeping two guns at home.
*story by Pluralist