WCB Hostages

On Wednesday, October 21 I was supposed to teach a meditation class at Worker's Compensation Board at 10:30 am. My husband came home from work and told me not to go because there was a hostage situation there. I called one of my bosses but her phone did not answer, so I called security and they told me not to go to work because the police had blocked off the streets and everyone was getting evacuated.

Radio and television stations were playing clips on the event and I went to teach yoga at another WCB venue for noon. There the students could not settle down. We were all worried because the man who was holding the hostages had a gun. I found out the reason that my boss did not answer her phone. She was a hostage! Apparently there were nine hostages to begin with and he eventually let everyone go without incidence after an all day siege. Later that night I got an email from another student who worked in the building who said that she was okay. When the gunman entered the building she was working as a cashier. She said she ducked down quickly and crawled to the back of the room to phone 911.

On Thursday I called to see if I should teach classes and the head of the department wasn't sure at first, but we decided that everyone needed to relax with yoga. It would help to calm everyone's nerves after this ordeal.

Often I have mentioned to the yoga students that we never know what will happen in our lives, but yoga will always keep us centered when difficult situations arrive. We may be the one to hold the energy of peace when chaos appears.