Cultivating Death Positivity In Mexico: Elis Regina, BCS: Ep8

podcast
Written By Travis G

Elis Regina is a yoga teacher and thanatologist who recently moved to Baja California Sur from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Elis is the founder of Urban Yoga Teacher and leads classes, workshops and teacher trainings, mostly in La Paz and La Ventana, but all over Mexico. As a thanatologist, Elis has a profound interest in helping people navigate death, dying and grief. She leads both Spanish and English-language Death Cafés in La Paz, where all are welcome to discuss death in a confidential and respectful space with “no agenda, objectives or themes.”

I spoke with Elis about the Death Café, the differences and similarities she observes between her Spanish and English-speaking groups, and how the practice of yoga can bring ease to our relationship to death.

In This Episode:

  • Elis’ experience hosting Death Cafes in Guadalajara and La Paz

  • The concept of Death Cafes; conversations about death and dying held in coffee shops or homes

  • Death Café is not therapy, but a space for people to discuss their feelings and experiences

  • The psychological motivation of the expat, who travels to a foreign country to die

  • Mexico’s lack of hospice services and clear legal processes for end-of-life

  • Cultural differences between the Mexican and expat experience of grief

  • Día de Muertos as a ritual unrelated to the everyday acceptance of mortality

  • How talking about death helps us realize we are not alone in our struggles

  • How listening to the experiences of others can lead to personal insights about change and loss

  • Elis’ journey of understanding death and grief through yoga

  • How yoga teachings emphasize recognizing the difference between the physical body and one's true essence

  • What it means to be liberated from suffering

  • How facing smaller changes can help reduce fear of the unknown

  • Why every change is an opportunity for rebirth and growth

  • Love and its role in helping us to overcome fear

  • Living and dying with intention

  • The future of the death positive movement in Mexico

Learn More:

Follow Elis Regina on Instagram

Travis G

Travis, your surf guide, is a lifelong adventurer and began his career exploring the backyards of Fort Worth, Texas on his 80cc Honda dirt bike at the age of 6. He has lived and worked in mainland Mexico, and Costa Rica (where he first learned to surf), yet Baja holds a special place in his heart. He has been traveling the Baja peninsula since the early 1990s and is passionate about sharing the beauty and culture of Baja with others. 

http://instagram.com/travisggardner1
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