Spirituality and Death: Living with COVID-19
An Interview with Vidya

An interview about the first days of the pandemic with my cousin.

Akshay W.

Vidya Warrier

Akshay W.

September 28, 2020

Vidya agreed to be interviewed, recorded, and the recording is permitted to be distributed.

English

Oral History Interview Narrative

     It was a classic watercooler talk at the office when Vidya heard about the Coronavirus in early February, standing around with her coworkers at Johnson and Johnson discussing and joking about the "Chinese virus" and the danger of a New Jersey lockdown. The joke quickly changed its tone as New York had its first case and spread exponentially: posters were put up to promote awareness, and big events were getting closed down very quickly. Despite the noticeable change in the atmosphere, people were aloof throughout New York, ignoring social guidelines and warnings, continuing their lives in a typical fashion. Vidya couldn’t help but share this nonchalance as she was socially coerced into meetings and lunches despite the rumored warnings and quickly became desensitized. The toilet paper war was on, and Vidya was a serious “Warrier” in this battle as well. Although she found the whole situation somewhat amusing and asinine, she was still forced to stock up as the downward spiral of competition and capitalism took effect. Going to the vitamin, grocery, and Indian stores, Vidya stocked up on herbs and dietary supplements, but also essential staples like dal and rice. Additionally, at home, she turned to her developing YouTube channel (The Dancing Warrier) to record her experiences with the virus and the emerging social atmosphere. This began before she was quarantined and continued well into her isolation as it depicted her newly secluded, and somewhat freeing life.

     For Vidya, the initial carelessness had severe consequences. In early March, Johnson and Johnson had its first case of Coronavirus; an employee on Vidya's floor contracted the Coronavirus from her husband, who recently returned from Italy on a business trip. Concerned, the office closed down, but not before Vidya herself contracted the virus (tested a few days later, almost right as, or right before, tests started becoming available on March 5) and was faced with a reality unknown to the general American populace before the first wave happened and the pandemic was declared.

     The exhaustion hit immediately – at home, Vidya felt the beckoning allure of her mattress and comforter, preferring to stay in bed all day with a rising fever and "feeling like something was off…feeling bad". To most, it would be natural to indulge in a frenzy of google searches, exploring cures, treatments, and home care to alleviate the symptoms and to confirm the diagnosis. For Vidya, who has lived her life studying and practicing yoga (specifically isha yoga) and spirituality, and even living much of her life under Sadhguru in the Isha Foundation, she was cautious and aware of the fragility of her psyche and the natural primal fear response that she would necessarily face. As such, withdrawing completely into her intense yogic practices and restorative silence, Vidya focused on spiritual practices centered around the breath and how it manifests in life and death. Although her past experience with yoga and comfort with metaphysical concepts like death prepared her for facing such a dangerous and significant affliction, Vidya found the experience of being infected as a cathartic and profound exploration into her relationship and attitudes towards death. To Vidya, the Coronavirus was a test of her will and ideologies in practices, and fortitude of spirit. Engaging in a modality of a simple diet, powerful mantric-centered meditation, spiritual yogic practices, and ayurvedic and other home remedies, Vidya found the Coronavirus as a method of introspection and a source of spiritual "bliss". Many of her accounts and emotions were recorded and archived in real time through her YouTube channel which she found to be a healthy outlet for her expression. She made videos about her new diet and style of cooking, new habits and daily routines, as well as very raw accounts of her experiences with COVID and the effect of her yogic practices on her situation.

     These were the first days for Vidya, before life changed in any notable way for most Americans. The genesis for her relationship with COVID predated the March 11 CDC announcement and general societal chaos. Although she ascribed to the classic stocking-up practices and nonchalant attitude widely shared by many in society in late February/early March, Vidya had a unique experience being infected by the Coronavirus early on. It tested her roots, but her spirituality and yogic treatments made these times a transformative experience for her.

Originally audio file adapted to a narrative format in Microsoft Word.