For more than 50 years, the Royal Canadian Legion's Coquitlam branch has been serving its members with fellowship, support, music, bingo and beer.
Now, the long-serving veterans organization is adding yoga classes to its list of programs, the first Lower Mainland branch to do so.
"Selling liquor is a dying business and the hall sits empty most days," says Branch 263 president Bob Chapman. And when the retired cop started looking into yoga as a way to regain flexibility, he thought: "Why couldn't we offer it here?"
Times are changing and the legion needs to expand its repertoire, Chapman said, noting: "We're not a community centre but were community centred."
Selling the idea to his colleagues, however, wasn't easy but they were eventually won over by the health benefits of yoga.
And for younger veterans, especially those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, the yoga classes might be a positive addition to their healing process.
As for the name — Warrior Yoga — Chapman said he and the instructors came up with it as a bit of word play acknowledging veterans' military history and yoga's warrior pose.
"We didn't want it [the name] to be too fluffy," Chapman said, noting the classes focus on body movement, stretching and de-stressing.
Instructor Connie Meisner, whose grandfather served in the Second World War, says the classes appeal to all ages and levels of physical abilities, from chair yoga classes for seniors through to beginner and flow yoga, as well as a meditation/relaxation class. Two classes a day are offered — at 10:30 a.m. and noon — and a yoga class for families is held on Saturdays.
The teachers are also experienced in working with people in high-stress jobs, such as emergency responders, and hope their classes will appeal to local police and firefighters, as well as veterans, and others in the community.
A number of E-Comm dispatch workers have joined the program, including husband and wife Audrey and Gordon Hansford. "It's less intimidating than studio yoga," said Audrey. "It's great to turn everything off."
Gordon, meanwhile, said he feels completely calm after the class.
Chapman, who used to cycle and previously participated in the Cops for Cancer Tour, says yoga is helping him gain more flexibility so "I don't get old before my time," and while it's new to him, he is enjoying it all the same.
• More information about the Coquitlam legion's Warrior Yoga classes is available at www.rclegion263.ca/yoga.
