et bY Z Cindy Hsu-Becker teaches chair yoga at the Sunset Community Centre. The practice of chair yoga benefits people with mobility problems and uses modified movements. KELSEA FRANZKE PHOTO Yoga teacher takes a seat Variation of yoga practice welcomes locals to participate By KELSEA FRANZKE nspired by her mother-in- law’s difficulty with move- ment, one Vancouver-based yoga teacher is helping se- niors and others with mobility is- sues through the practice of chair yoga. Cindy Hsu-Becker is a chair yoga instructor at the Sunset Commu- nity Centre in Vancouver. Prior to teaching yoga she was a landscape architect. Because the outdoors has been a perpetual draw in Hsu- Becker’s life, deciding to become a yoga instructor was an easy decision to make. “The practice of yoga is tradition- ally an outdoor practice, so it was just a natural flow for me as a land- scape architect who enjoys design- ing outdoors, to practice yoga out- doors,” said Hsu-Becker. “There’s just a really close correlation be- tween the two,” she said. As a graduate of the yoga teacher training program at Langara Col- lege, Hsu-Becker is trained to teach the therapeutic benefits of yoga in her classes and focuses on the wellness of the both the body and mind. In the yoga studio she shares her knowledge and mindful living practices with her students. “Cindy is very calm, methodical and upbeat. She’s gentle with stu- dents and offers lots of options if you need to do something different, or have an injury,” said Sarah Hol- land, a former classmate of Hsu- Becker. “She’s very grounded and offers an atmosphere in class that is reaf- firming and positive,” Holland said. “She was a really stellar student and now teacher.” — NASEEM GULAMHUSEIN, TEACHER TRAINER As yoga is a form of exercise that varies in intensity, Hsu-Becker says that people with mobility problems often struggle to get up and off the floor when practicing traditional yoga. The practice of chair yoga solves this, as it is geared to those who have physical limitations. “When teaching yoga, you can decrease a level of intensity so you are still receiving the benefit of the yoga exercises, just without the ad- ditional stress on the body. This is what we do with chair Yoga,” Hsu- Becker said. Naseem Gulamhusein, program coordinator for the yoga teacher training program at Langara, en- courages yoga teachers to get a pro- fessional credential, and is proud to see that Hsu-Becker, her former student, is now sharing her knowl- edge within the community. “T think it’s amazing that Cin- dy is out there in the community, spreading the teachings of tradi- tional yoga and is really making a difference in the lives of others. She was a really stellar student and now teacher,” Gulamhusein said. All Bodies Dance ¥ Community centre retains popularity within South Vancouver By AGAZY MENGESHA dance program aimed at giving disabled people a means to express them- selves continues to grow since it first started operating for over four years ago. The All Bodies Dance class was established in 2014 to create an integrated dance program that in- cludes all bodies, including those with disabilities. Harmanie Taylor was recruited because of her background in dance. “The program started because there was a need for it in the com- munity, there was no integrated dance for people with disabilities, people without disabilities to come together,” Taylor said. “They did a few workshops before actually starting getting the grant and doing the big whole semester project, and the first year was so successful that we all decided to keep going,” she said. The program offers classes throughout Vancouver and at Sun- set Community Centre. Mawi Bagon, the centre’s recreation pro- grammer, said that it is one of the only programs subsidized by the community centre. “We subsidize programs, so the association will be paying for the instructors and the space and it’d be free for participants,” Bagon said. Participant Janice Laurence started dancing in September 2017. It all started with someone else’s shoelace being untied, she said. “She ran up to the bus stop and I was sitting in my wheelchair be- cause I couldn't walk at the time, and her shoelace was undone so I said, ‘Oh your shoelace is undone’, and she said ‘I’m just on my way to dance class.” Laurence had searched for a dance class that wouldn't get in the way of her wheelchair. “Everything is accepted,” she said. moves many Saisie Harmanie Taylor dancing with class participants at the All Bodies Dance class at Sunset Community Centre on. 4G4Zy MENGESHA PHOTO Falcons take off to nationals The men's soccer team beat longtime rivals in the provincial playoff games By JOE AYRES he Langara men’s soccer team is off to nationals after beating season-long rivals, the Douglas Royals, by 4:3 in a penalty shootout. The last round of provincials playoffs took place on Saturday Oct. 20 with the men’s team win- ning against Douglas College, while the women’s soccer team lost. With nationals quickly ap- proaching, Joey Ratcliffe, the Lan- gara’s team captain, says the team is fine tuning their skills while main- taining a clear mental focus for the games ahead. If the team trains too hard they could find themselves with injuries, a dreadful prospect at this pivotal stage. “You have games where it’s do or die. On one game you never know what can happen so you try and put your best effort forward and hope,” Ratcliffe said. The Falcons will be playing their first game in nationals on Nov. 7 at the Terry Fox Sports Complex in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island. Kevin Monk was the goalkeeper in net during the shootout at the provincial games which predeter- mined the fate of the team. At the time of the winning save, the — oppos- ing kicker intentionally tried to dis- tract Monk Mare Rizzardo from saving MENS SOCCER the winning HEAD COACH shot, however, Monk managed to stop the shot, taking the team to the national games. As a goalkeeper for the Falcons for the past seven years, this win is particularly special because it is Monk’s last season with the team. “Its sad but happy at the same time. Just trying to take in as much as I can while it lasts,” Monk said. Marc Rizzardo, Falcons coach and physiotherapist, has given his best efforts to ensure the team is successful by offering free physio treatments to all team members. “It’s a win-win situation. I know they’re getting good treatment. A lot of the guys cant afford to get treated, theyre not necessarily in well to do families,” he said. Head coach, Marc Rizzardo Head coach, Marc Rizzardo Head coach, Marc Rizzardo Head coach, Marc Rizzardo SOURCE: LANGARA.CA