Macao News https://macaonews.org Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:20:29 +0000 Mon, 24 Jan 2022 16:20:49 +0800 Kaitlin Tan 47205 2023-06-26 22:39:33 2022-01-24 16:20:49 Wellness expert Renu Dhawan shares her yoga skills and Ayurvedic training with a growing community in Macao.]]>For Renu Dhawan, health goes beyond a number on a scale, blood pressure or cholesterol – it’s about both your mind and body. That’s why the native of Haryana, a state in North India, shares yoga and Ayurvedic practices –  an ancient Indian health philosophy – with anyone seeking to improve their wellbeing in a holistic way.  In Macao, where the speed and pressure of modern life spares very few, Dhawan believes simple practices of meditation, a plant-based diet and yoga can help people restore clarity and maintain balance. Having seen that transformation in her clients, the Ayurvedic doctor felt inspired to open Yoga Life, a leading wellness centre in Macao, in 2012.  “If you see people around you suffering, then you cannot be happy,” she says of her philosophy. Dhawan’s path has taken her from humble beginnings to academic success, and, eventually, to  Macao, where she helped to cultivate a community interested in a slow-paced style of life that incorporates yoga, wellness and mindfulness.  

Redefining wellbeing

Born in 1980, Dhawan grew up close to nature with three siblings (two sisters and a brother). Her father worked as an engineer and her mother a teacher. When she was young, she recalls dancing to traditional Indian folk music and Bollywood tunes with her two sisters and watching older villagers fold into intricate yoga poses.   Since so many people in her community practiced yoga, Dhawan picked it up as a child and never received any formal training. Most often, she practiced with her grandparents who encouraged her to embrace yogic breathing exercises. But back then, meditation and breathing seemed too still, too boring to Dhawan. She and her sisters were more interested in yoga’s acrobatic side, attempting challenging poses that could test their physical fitness and agility. As she grew up, Dhawan began to realise that mental wellness is just as important as physical stamina. People need to be more aware of their overall wellbeing and prevent issues early before they become serious problems, she says.  It was this realisation – and a desire to help others – that propelled Dhawan to pursue Ayurvedic medicine as a career. “I wanted to help people [discover wellness],” says Dhawan.  Ayurveda follows the maxim, “prevention comes first, treatment comes later,” says Dhawan. It focuses on patients’ unique constitutions, developing tailored recommendations for movement, diet, herbal treatments and mindfulness. “Heart attacks and cholesterol problems can be avoided with proper diet and exercise. It is also possible to reduce your chances of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease through meditation.” After graduating from secondary school in 1998, Dhawan spent a year studying for the Premedical Test, a highly competitive entrance exam conducted for national medical universities in India. She says the experience was “the greatest challenge of her life” and she will “never forget studying day and night.” Her hard work paid off – one of the best medical colleges in her province, Shri Krishna Ayush University, accepted Dhawan.  Dhawan studied medicine for six intense years, then graduated with a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery in 2001, followed by a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Sikkim Manipal University in 2003. In university, she trained in both Western and Indian medicine, covering anatomy, physiology, pediatrics and scanning technology such as radiology.  Dhawan specialised in Ayurveda, because it is “a natural lifestyle,” that focuses on balance and prevention, relying less on  specific treatments.  As a part of her studies, Dhawan regularly practiced yoga, which only intensified her passion for the mental and physical practice. She describes Ayurveda and yoga as “sister sciences”, developed based on the same principles derived from the Vedas (5,000-year-old scriptures written in ancient Sanskrit), which explain how to live a healthy life.  In the years following her studies, Dhawan attended several yoga teacher-training schools in India, where she learned many different yoga styles, techniques and insights.

From theory to practice

The year she graduated, in 2003, Dhawan started her first job as an Ayurvedic doctor at a clinic in Delhi, the capital of India. It was this same year that Dhawan met a fellow yoga enthusiast, Ashish Dhawan, who would become a partner in life and work, and her journey as a yoga professional began to unfold.  Ashish worked in the hotel industry as a yoga and fitness consultant, traveling to different properties to set up yoga and wellness facilities. They married in 2006 and, soon after, moved to the Maldives where the Four Seasons hoped to introduce Eastern wellness concepts to Western tourists. They both provided Ayurvedic consultations and taught yoga classes in this prestigious island destination. Dhawan worked at ​​Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, while Ashish worked in the Four Seasons Kuda Huraa.   After a year, Dhawan returned to India, where she decided to switch gears. Since it would be expensive and stressful to set up her own Ayurvedic clinic, Dhawan focused on yoga instead. After all, it was a practice she could take anywhere – all she needed was her body and knowledge. In 2008, Ashish joined the Mandarin Oriental, Macau (which later became the Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau) as the yoga and fitness manager, which brought the couple to the city. From 2008 to 2012, Dhawan also taught yoga and provided wellness consultations to clients at the hotel.  When Dhawan first arrived, she recalls people telling her that she was “in the wrong place.” As a city known for its buzzing 24-hour casinos, many outsiders were skeptical of Macao being even remotely meditative. Dhawan also faced a profusion of misconceptions. Some people believed yoga was a religious activity; others thought it was only for vegetarians or gymnasts, restricted to those in tip-top shape. Dhawan continued to raise awareness about wellness and shared her passion with clients every day. Over time, she began to observe a groundswell of interest, which led her to establish Yoga Life, one of Macao’s first yoga studios, in 2012. In her large, soothing studio on Avenida da Praia Grande, Dhawan offered a wide range of yoga styles, from yin (a slower practice with longer stretches) to hatha (a gentle style focusing on strength and flexibility), Vinyasa (faster movements synchronised with one’s breath), and more. She also provided private sessions for those with specific concerns or goals, such as balance, strengthening or flexibility. In the early days, Dhawan worked tirelessly to debunk misunderstandings through communication and education. She shared articles and books with skeptics,  and wrote about yoga’s many benefits for local Macao newspapers.  Dhawan found that people in Macao were very open-minded and, most importantly, willing to try new things. With time, Yoga Life increased in popularity, thanks largely to word-of-mouth and referrals. According to Dhawan, 80 per cent of Yoga Life’s original clients continue to attend classes to this day.  With her first yoga studio thriving, Dhawan established a second location in Avenida Olimpica in Taipa in 2018. Now, Dhawan employs three other professional instructors, runs up to 20 classes daily, including aerial yoga (which uses hammocks for deeper stretches and balance) and provides private sessions, too. And in 2019, her practice expanded beyond Macao’s borders with online consultations for clients in New Zealand and Europe.

Sharing yoga with Macao

At Yoga Life, Dhawan has encountered clients with a wide range of concerns, from shoulder aches to insomnia. She leans on yogic teachings “to guide clients’ lifestyles and alleviate the pain in a natural way” and strives to share her “best teachings to anyone who needs it most.” Although “everyone comes with a different goal,” Dhawan tailors private yoga classes based on the individual’s constitution with an aim to strengthen their physical and mental health.  “We really want the people of Macao to learn and practice yoga like they practice tai chi and qi gong,” she says. “To integrate yoga into the culture and lifestyle of Macao, and for locals to adopt it as a preventative healthcare system.” Hiroko Saito, a client who attends weekly sessions at the Taipa studio, sought Dhawan out after the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown to get back into a daily exercise routine. Through yoga, Hiroko discovered “an opportunity to reconnect with [her] body and mind – refocusing on what is actually important in her life.”  Outside of the studio, Dhawan holds wellness sessions and yoga workshops for clients she met at the Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau. “If people in Macao want to do something, they commit,” she says, applauding her student’s dedication and proactive mentality. “They are committed to us; we are committed to them.” Dhawan is not only committed to her students, but also to regular community work. In 2012, Dhawan and Ashish founded the Indian Cultural and Health Association of Macau, a non-profit organisation that shares Indian culture and holistic wellness practices with Macao through events. In her personal life, Dhawan also strives to impart her beliefs – “honesty, truthfulness, and service before self” –  to her two daughters, who are five and seven years old. Both attend Dhawan’s Kids’ Yoga sessions, which helps them “develop physical strength and flexibility,” she says. Since yoga is a non-competitive sport, Dhawan also believes it teaches children to be calm and patient. Looking to the future, Dhawan hopes to expand her company to include a host of new services. For starters, she plans to return to Ayurveda and open a clinic where she can provide lifestyle consultations and herbal remedies. Since her philosophy of “food as a medicine” is based on Ayurvedic principles, she also hopes to develop a food and beverage arm, as well as her own healthcare products, such as teas and cosmetics.  “Our focus is on [encouraging] integrated natural healthcare systems, [taking a] preventative and therapeutic approach to improve [the] overall health and wellbeing of Macao people,” she explains.  Reflecting on nearly 15 years in Macao, Dhawan says she never could have dreamed of this life but wouldn’t trade it for another, adding: “Macao is our home now, and Macao people are our family.”  ]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2021 16:39:11 +0800 Tanja Wessels 37215 2021-08-13 10:31:47 2021-03-11 16:39:11 As the National Director of Macau Special Olympics, Hetzer Siu has been building a career in athletics for decades.]]>As the National Director of Macau Special Olympics (MSO), Hetzer Siu has been building a career in athletics for decades. So it comes as a surprise to hear that he had little interest in sports growing up. A self-confessed “fat boy” in his early years, Siu remembers himself as a class jester, more interested in chatting with classmates than a game of pick-up footy.  That may have had something to do with the fact that he was one of very few boys to attend Sacred Heart Canossian College Macau, which is traditionally an all-girls school.  “Our home was nearby, so my parents chose the school closest to us. Sacred Heart is an all-girls secondary school. But in primary, they expect to have a few boys as students.” Siu didn’t mind being a minority among his mostly-female student body, but says it caused a delayed interest in the world of athletics. “When you’re a boy in a girl’s primary school, you tend to avoid playing sports with the girls because you want to play ‘boy sports’, not ‘girl sports’. At my school, everyone wanted to play volleyball, but I thought boys should be playing football or basketball... so instead I just avoided sports entirely in primary.” That changed somewhat when he moved to Instituto Salesiano as a teenager. “My secondary school is very famous for its football team, so sometimes I would play a game with classmates,” he says, adding that his working class family, who emigrated from Hong Kong, didn’t have much money to spend on sporting equipment for Siu and his younger brother.  Born in February 1968, Siu’s family moved from Hong Kong to Macao when he was just two years old. He could hardly have known that he would grow into one of Macao’s most impactful figures in the local community.  After graduation, Siu joined local electricity company, Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM), as an electrical technician in 1986. Several of his friends from school had done the same, and he looks back on the job fondly as the heady days of his youth. “There were about 10-12 of us on staff at the electricity company, right out of school,” he laughs. “You can imagine what teenagers like that get up to, and I was always the one to do the craziest things.”

The power of sports 

His position at CEM left him with plenty of free time and in 1988, a friend suggested he try volunteering. He discovered volunteer coaching roles with Macau Special Olympics, which piqued his curiosity. Despite his late interest in sports, Siu still believed it could be a powerful motivator. In his own life, Siu had been meeting with former classmates every Sunday – even on holidays – for a weekly football game. The idea of helping people with intellectual disabilities through sports resonated with him, so he joined MSO.  Founded in 1983 by volunteers, the Macao branch of Special Olympics International supports adults and children with intellectual disabilities, campaigning for a more inclusive society through athletic competitions and social support programmes. In 1987, MSO was formally established and registered as a local non-profit organisation.  When he first joined, Siu recalls training being limited to just track and field, with training one day a week on Saturdays. The team of 12 other volunteers agreed that more could be done, and expanded the schedule to offer more training days, as well as incorporate basketball and swimming.  Volunteering at MSO turned out to be a profound growth opportunity for the young coach, who found his interactions with the athletes rewarding and refreshing.  “[Our athletes] speak directly, they say what they want and how they are feeling. They aren’t afraid to show their emotions, so it’s easy to have honest interactions with them,” says Siu of the coaching relationships that have developed into friendships.   The experience also changed Siu’s perception of people with intellectual disabilities, which he says had been largely informed by unfair portrayals in the media. Inspired by his athletes, Siu felt motivated to invest more time and energy into volunteering and changing public perceptions of disabilities. 

International inspiration 

After a few years as a volunteer, Siu welcomed a life-changing opportunity. He travelled to the US for the 1991 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota, representing MSO for the first time on an international stage outside of China. The experience afforded him a global perspective, offering real-world examples of how other countries support disabled communities.  “I realised that we are not alone in Macao and Hong Kong. The world is big, and for the first time, I could see what was being done for people with intellectual disabilities in other countries. From that moment, I thought, ‘How can I use this [knowledge] to help Macao?’”  Newly inspired, Siu enrolled at Macao Polytechnic Institute in 1995 to study social work. After the first three years, he took a couple of gap years, completing his degree in 2004.  That same year, he became a full-time social worker. “Social workers help people in need, and inspire change; MSO believes in the power of sport to develop teamwork and communication skills, which can change lives and give our participants a better life,” he says. “The mission of social workers and MSO are similar, and that’s why they both appeal to me.”

The growth of MSO 

As a newly qualified social worker, Siu accepted a government job with the Correctional Service Bureau where he was assigned to Coloane Prison for the next three years. It was a challenging experience, which helped him better understand how to work within large organisations while balancing the needs of individuals. After Coloane Prison, Siu was in need of a change. He realised that working for an NGO might better suit his personality, and provide a closer and more direct relationship with the people he was trying to help. In 2003, he joined MSO full-time as National Director, and has served in that role for nearly two decades. “Over the past 18 years, we have provided many services, not only to people with intellectual disabilities but also to their parents and families,” he says of his tenure at the organisation, adding that many of the athletes’ parents feel more empowered to advocate for their children as a result of MSO programmes. Much has changed over the decades. Back in 2003, for example, MSO only had 14 staff members; today, it counts 230 staff and about 1,500 volunteers who help with events. They also expanded services, providing community care and education support, in addition to sports and vocational training.  In terms of social welfare, MSO trains people in real-life working situations and helps them find suitable jobs. “More and more athletes have been employed since the vocational training and supported employment services were implemented,” says Siu. When it comes to education, MSO has established a team of occupational therapists, physical therapists, mental-health counsellors, special education teachers and social workers. “This team aims to provide students with training in mood control, social and learning skills and help them better fit into school life.” Of the proudest moments in his career, Siu says, was the creation of a special education needs (SEN) service in 2009. Expanding MSO from the sports arena to Macao’s classrooms, the programme offers a range of services to students with special needs, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physiotherapy. “There are around 1,700 SEN students in Macao, and we provide services to about 60 per cent of them,” he says with pride. And then there’s the athletics. MSO caters to an estimated 1800 participants, offering training in 14 different sports including table tennis, badminton, bowling, football, golf, basketball, ice skating and dragon boat racing. One of Macao’s few remaining non-government organisations, MSO also organises athletic events, competitions and gatherings throughout the year.   After decades of caring for others, Siu says he’s looking forward to one day retiring and spending more time with his wife – a primary school teacher – reading books on history, sociology and philosophy and building models (he’s built over 1,000 sets in his collection at home).  But even when Siu does step down one day, it’s unlikely that this life-long MSO supporter will vanish completely. He plans to cheer his athletes on from the sidelines, even in retirement.  ]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2020 19:00:58 +0800 Macao News 26422 2021-02-03 10:07:33 2020-07-24 19:00:58 With horses in Tyrone Sapire's blood – his father was a racehorse trainer and his older brother was a farrier in South Africa – he followed in his brother’s footsteps in his later teenage years.]]> Photo by António Sanmarful[/caption] With extensive farrier training, he arrived in Macao at the start of 2020. He immediately began leading a team of 24 farriers at the Macau Jockey Club, working alongside three vets in keeping around 380 horses in top shape. Shoeing or farriering a horse is essential to equine hoof care. It includes trimming hooves and ‘balancing’ them so they land flat on the ground. It’s a physical and highly specialised profession which combines the skills of a blacksmith and a vet. Sapire is an American Farriers Association (AFA) Certified Farrier. He also gained eight years of experience in the trade in Dubai, as well as three years in Singapore, prior to his move to Macao earlier this year, which he made because he says he was seeking a new challenge. And a challenge it is. “It is very tough to keep horses running in Macao,” he says. “They race a lot more often. But I have been able to help a few horses so far and it is extremely rewarding. I’ve got a great team of farriers behind me. They are all enthusiastic. I’m just happy to be here more than anything else. I want to be here for a while and, hopefully, maybe even retire here. I’d like to see the Macau Jockey Club grow back to its former glory. If I’m able to play a small part in that, it would be a defining achievement in my career as a farrier.”  ]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2020 17:00:29 +0800 Macao News 26425 2021-02-03 10:32:02 2020-07-17 17:00:29 Mohammad Reza Rashidnia packs plenty of competitive experience under his black belt and has been the Macau Karate-do Federation coach since 2002.]]> Mon, 26 Sep 2016 17:54:09 +0800 Leonor Sá Machado 10527 2021-02-03 09:56:36 2016-09-26 17:54:09 Paula Cristina Pereira Carion is a translator for the MSAR’s Public Prosecutions Office and a former karate-do fighter in Macao and abroad. She is fluent in Cantonese, English, Portuguese and Mandarin and retains dual citizenship with Canada, having once been a resident for four years.]]>