March
2000
Loosening
the Fear: Yoga Classes for People with HIV/AIDS
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Niranjana Ron Zisa
is a certified yoga teacher who has taught at the Integral Yoga Center
in New York for five years. Satya asked him about his yoga classes designed
for HIV positive people.
What inspired you to teach a yoga class for people with HIV?
The reason I chose to teach these classes is that shortly after
graduating as a yoga teacher, I was diagnosed as HIV positive, in June
1995. There were already HIV yoga classes at Integral Yoga, but some
of the students requested a more challenging, deeper class, so I volunteered
to teach it. Now we have two levels of HIV classes here that enable
us to cater to a wide range of students.
How do the HIV classes differ from the regular classes, if at all?
In HIV or any other life-threatening illness, the issue of life
and death is so much more immediate, more relevant. I give a strong
emphasis on being in the present moment. I encourage everyone to focus
on the breath and on the structure of their back to help them loosen
any fear they are holding onto, and to help deal with the challenges
they face each day. In the postures themselves I may put more emphasis
on the form than in other classes. However, it is never the same class
twice. I focus on the students’ needs, attuning my energy to theirs
so that I can instruct them in movements that will benefit them.
In a terminal illness, one’s timespan is perceived as very limited,
and this is something that may surface at any moment. Therefore, these
students really need something to take a hold of.
Is meditation an important part of the class?
Yes, I begin the class with meditation. I encourage them to be aware
of the structure of their backs and of their breathing. This guides
them into a meditation that they can hopefully maintain and carry with
them in their movements during the rest of the class.
Do you ever pause the class to have discussions about HIV and yoga?
Yes, sometimes completely spontaneously. We can talk about things
directly; it’s never an issue. Students can come right out and
say it. Someone might have a question—in fact I positively encourage
questions. They may want to know which posture is good for which ailment,
or what the benefits are of a posture we are doing at the time.
At times, a discussion may come about as a result of a student reaching
a kind of deadlock in their practice. At that point, we may have a talk,
either one-to-one or as a group if I decide to pause the whole class.
Together we might try to find the key that can help to unlock our capabilities,
to open deadlocks.
What is the demand like for the HIV class?
Demand varies. Sometimes the class is crowed, at other times it
is not. I have found that it very much depends on the weather and season;
it is busiest in spring and fall.
I have noticed one interesting and sad correlation: since the introduction
of the protease inhibitor drugs, attendance has dropped—some students
have let go of their practice.
Do you know how the students’ doctors react when they tell them
they are doing yoga to help alleviate their condition?
My own doctor thinks it’s great; the clinic I attend encourages
an integrative approach to healthcare. But with regards to other people’s
doctors, I don’t really know. Some are open and some aren’t—it’s
an individual thing, like so many other things in life.
Is the class only open to people with HIV?
Actually, anyone is welcome. Other yoga teachers often attend. Students
can bring their friends, family, partners. The class is good for anybody,
especially those who feel they would benefit from a particularly focused
session.
If you have AIDS or HIV and want to attend a yoga class,
you can of course go to a regular session. But Satya discovered that
yoga classes for people with HIV/AIDS are springing up all over. It
seems that yoga helps with the tension—mental and physical—caused
by a terminal and often frightening illness. In these classes you can
meet people in the same situation as yourself, and benefit from an instructor
who has your needs in mind. Most if not all of these classes are inexpensive
or by donation only, so it’s an affordable mission to shop around
until you find the one that best suits you.
Yoga centers in New York City that offer classes for people with HIV
include:
Integral Yoga Institute, 227 W. 13 St., tel: 212-929-0586
Iyengar Institute, 27 W. 24 St., tel: 212-691-9642
Jivamukti Yoga Center, 404 Lafayette St., tel: 212-353-0214
