Death and Dying: How Iyengar Yoga Helps Us Explore Unbounded Space Kelly Sobanski

Death and Dying

HOW IYENGAR YOGA HELPS US EXPLORE UNBOUNDED SPACE

BY KELLY SOBANSKI

Before I took my first Iyengar Yoga class with Elizabeth Kerwin, I didn’t realize that philosophy was part of it. I had tried yoga so I could become more flexible to prevent injury while snowboarding. When I discovered yoga was about more than gaining flexibility, I started to heal and grow emotionally. Then I became inspired to be a teacher. From the philosophy I brought into my own teaching, one student was heartened and asked me to speak in the “Death & Dying” class at Indiana University. These classes typically have around 75 students who are eager to learn about how Iyengar Yoga can be applied in the face of death. Thanks to a Fellowship Grant from the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Midwest (IYAMW), I am able to offer my presentation along with free Iyengar Yoga class passes to these large groups.

During slide show presentations, I speak about my own experiences with death and how, at an early age, I was taught to contemplate the mystery when my dearest Aunt Kathy died from cancer. I explain how I found Iyengar Yoga and how the practice has helped me heal through difficult times of loss. In 2016, I learned to death-sit with my dearest Granny who chose me to be in the room as she passed. I believe she asked me because I created a peaceful atmosphere that encouraged nonattachment. I also believe she appreciated that I did not hinder her progression toward ultimate surrender.

In the “Death & Dying” class, I tell the students how Iyengar Yoga taught me to cope with the process of watching others transition and has also helped prepare me for my own death. I show clips of Ray Spooner who, after finding out he had ALS, chose to bike across the country to raise money for the ALS Foundation. His story is incredible. Ray attended Lois Steinberg’s therapy classes up until the end of his life. During that time, many of the supported asanas with teachers' adjustments helped Ray to breathe. Check out his blog at www.rideforray.com.

I also share a clip from Lois Steinberg’s therapy workshop on the Roads to Bliss YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/ KN8AoPbRrGI). In this clip, Betsy Hearne, one of the students, talks about her experience facing death while overcoming pancreatic cancer and how Iyengar Yoga was a blanket of stability and grace. From these examples, students are exposed to the visuals of therapeutic Iyengar Yoga poses, which enable them to see that yoga can be more profound than simply physical exercise.

Inspiration for these presentations also comes from a class Live by Dying Daily.” Dr. Ravindra says that it’s important to ask ourselves: What am I? Why am I here? How do I feel when I think about death? Where does fear of death come from? What do I hope will happen to me when I die? What do I fear

Penny Hanna and Jeanine Berlocher support Ray Spooner during his last therapy class in July 2016.

will happen to me when I die? How can I be free of both? What else do I need to be free of?

Here is an exercise Dr. Ravindra suggests: Lie in Savasana and imagine that your next breath is your last. Observe how you feel and what comes to your mind. Do you sense a need to forgive or ask for forgiveness? Do you have a memory that is I took online taught by Dr. Ravi Ravindra called “Learning to

joyous or sad? Do you wish to express gratitude or send love?

Dr. Ravindra emphasizes the need to practice dying daily in order to create freedom from being bound by our usual selves. This way, we can explore subtler frequencies that lead to acceptance and spirituality. On this route, we can

Students in a “Death & Dying” class at Indiana University

maneuver toward clarity and compassion without attacking the self, doubting changes, or fixating on deterioration. When confidence builds through detachment and inner exploration, we can learn to be self-sufficient and self-confident in personal care during challenging times. By shedding that which hinders progress, freedom from clutter of the mind emerges, and there is room to explore the unknown. Dr. Ravindra asks, “Do you feel you have a Self that wishes to emerge? If yes, what whispers does it convey to your heart?”

This work of dying daily also reminds me of an experience Abhijata Iyengar talked about at the 2016 Boca Raton convention. When Guruji asked her what she was doing one day in the practice hall, Abhijata replied, “I am practicing the Marichyasana III you taught me yesterday.” Guruji walked away, but then came back and said, “Habit is a disease.” Abhijata goes on to say that she has learned to go beyond her practice checklist to explore unknown territories. I believe it is important to access what is beyond our usual faculties by surrendering so the mind, body, and intelligence can be receptive. Acts of dying daily include making room for silence and making room to focus observational skills on the present moment. Since death is such a vast mystery, by contemplating that unbounded space, we may find spaciousness in life. From those unwavering openings, we can learn to trust the unknown without fear. Love of life and devotion is cultivated from illumination of eternal and endless states of consciousness.

This concept of dying daily is something I experienced when Geeta brought children into one of the conventions to help the adults see joyful, kinetic asanas. My experience practicing with these children was exciting and made me bellow with laughter. I was dying to my old self as worries were shed and pure fun surfaced. Geeta taught me to eradicate self-doubt and egocentered thoughts. Through movement, an uninterrupted flow of concentration developed that was full of surprise and innocence. From there, acceptance and hope surfaced. I fell in love with yoga even more, and I gave myself space to accept that love.

At the end of my presentations in the “Death & Dying” class, students fill out feedback forms stating what they learned. I have discovered that most learners initially think yoga is a physical exercise and not much more. One student wrote, “I never thought about yoga as anything other than physical activity. It’s really cool to see it as something that can really help people in their personal lives. I really want to try yoga after this presentation.” Another student wrote, “Yoga can help expose your heart to change and wash away depression, greed, and negativity. I want to try yoga.”

While reading their feedback forms, I was shocked to see the number of students who expressed the need for help from depression and anxiety. Overall from this experience, I have discovered that the next generation is a precious group to support through Iyengar Yoga. If we can succeed in showing them that yoga is more than physical exercise, then cycles of healing, hope, and acceptance through Iyengar Yoga can continue.

Kelly Marie Sobanski (CIYT Intermediate Junior III) teaches at Yoga Mala in Bloomington, IN, and enjoys spending time at Iyengar Yoga Champaign-Urbana, where she practices and assists in Lois Steinberg’s medical classes.