How to react to applicationWillResignActive from anywhere?

Looks like you are looking for this code.

- (void) applicationWillResign {
    NSLog(@"About to lose focus");
}

- (void) myMethod { 
    [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter]
        addObserver:self
        selector:@selector(applicationWillResign)
        name:UIApplicationWillResignActiveNotification 
        object:NULL];
}