Andrew Lahser methodically raises his arms up to his chest. "Relax down, push up," he says as eight students follow each move. "The idea is you are pushing the whole world away from you." The group ...

First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide. In the 1980s, I lived in a Victorian triplex close to Ottawa’s Chinatown.