Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 21, 2012

10

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views News Saturday, April 21, 2012 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

THE JOY OF YOGA

WHAT IS A YOGA CLASS LIKE?

April Birthdays

Blanca Martinez, Lillian Snyder, Dorothy 
White, Freda Bernard, Beth Copti, Terri 
Cummings, Marilyn Diaz, Virginia Elliott, Elma 
Flores, Barbara Lampman, Betty Mackie, Elizabeth 
Rasmussen, Maria Reyes, Ann Schryver, 


APRIL ACTIVITIES

Senior Programs have returned to the Hart 
Park House enior Center, 222 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd. in Memorial Park - Come by and 
see the changes!!

ene
By Rene Quenell, Founder/Owner

Yoga Madre - Sierra Madre 

Meals-On-Wheels


MondayS: City Hall & Lunch Café 

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café: Come enjoy 
a hot meal with others. Donation for seniors 
(60+) of $2.00; visitors $3.75. Call 355-0256 
to make your daily reservation.

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm: Strength Training with 
Lisa Brandley. FREE class of stretching with 
light hand weights while you sit.

Tuesdays: 

 FREE blood pressure checks by Methodist 
Hospital Nurse; 11 am to 12 noon.

1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: BINGO; cards are only 25 
cents each so stop by & play

5:15 pm to 6:45 pm: Yoga; $6.00 - 50 & over. 
Please call 355-5278 for more information

WednesdayS:

11 –11:45 am: Balance Class with Teryl. FREE 
class designed to improve balance & refresh 
the joints

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations 
needed 355-0256

2nd Wednesday of the month: FREE Legal 
Consultations: 10-11:30 am. Appointments 
call 355-7394

Wii Wednesday - 1:00 pm or call the senior 
desk at 355-7394 to arrange another time & 
day to learn how to play. No previous experience 
or skills required and it is great exercise.

Thursday:

1:00 to 3:30 pm: Game Day. Join us for Poker 
with Bridge on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays; so 
please call for more information.

Friday: City Hall closed on Dec. 16, 23 & 30 
and Lunch Café closed on Dec. 23

 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations 
needed 355-0256

Saturday: 11:30 am: Senior Club brown bag 
lunch and BINGO at 12:30 pm. 

Meals are delivered to home-
bound seniors by volunteer drivers 
through the YWCA Intervale 
Lunch Program M-F (with frozen meals for the 
weekend.) 

Meals are delivered to the home-bound seniors 
by drivers through the YWCA Interval Lunch 
Program M-F (with frozen meals for the 
weekend.) 

 Call the YWCA at (626) 214-9460 for more 
information. 

PART 1 

Some people have been 
hesitant to come to 
class because of the unknown. 
Or they think 
that everyone is turning 
into a pretzel. So let’s 
take a minute and demystify the yoga class. 

Now I can’t speak for all yoga classes, a Bikram 
class is different and a gym class is different, but 
in a typical studio yoga class here is what you can 
expect:

 You arrive 10 minutes early and sign in, and pay 
(leave your shoes outside the yoga room, we go 
barefoot). Turn off your cell phone so it doesn’t 
ring in the middle of class. You usually do not 
need a reservation. (Our classes are $16 for a 
single class, some places are more, or you can buy 
packages and the prices go way down.) You can 
bring a mat or borrow one. Some places charge a 
few dollars to rent a mat. I like to have my own 
mat. But a good mat can be expensive. A cheap 
mat is just that – cheap, and you won’t like it after 
a short time. Most studios sell good yoga mats.

 You’ll want to come to class without a full stomach. 
Try a lite meal at least an hour before class. 
A full stomach will slow you down. An empty 
stomach might not provide the energy you need. 
We talked about what to wear last week. Just 
be sure not to wear perfume or cologne. Most 
studios do not have showers. But changing there 
is ok, like if you are coming from work. Bring a 
bottle of water and a towel if you like. Some of us 
sweat a little more than others. Some of us need a 
towel to dry our palms and foreheads. In classical 
yoga we heat up the body from the inside with 
breath and movement. The room is comfortable, 
not super hot. But there are styles of yoga that 
super heat the room. We will speak about styles 
in the future too.

 Then you choose a spot and get something like a 
blanket or bolster to sit on. All yoga studios have 
these things for you to use. Blocks too, in case 
you need it to reach the floor. The teacher will 
usually check in with you if you are new to see 
if you have any injuries or special requirements. 
Then the class is ready to begin. If you can’t take 
the suspense – come to class before next week’s 
column – jump right in and have a great time. 
Or – next week we will talk about the actual asanas 
or postures that we do. 

I can’t wait to see you in class! Namasté, René


LUNCH & LEARN 

Join the Senior

Community Commission

at the 

HART PARK HOUSE

 for a FREE presentation. Lunch is 
available for a 

$2 donation 

Call (626) 355-0256 by 

12 noon the day before. 

2012 EXCURSIONS

SAVE THE DATES

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN 

Thursday, April 26TH - Palm Springs Follies. 
Spend the day in sunny PS and see the 
new show Hot! Hot! Hot! celebrating those 
memories of endless summers with music 
and dance. COST per person is $58 (includes 
transportation, tip & show). Lunch will be 
on your own at one of the many restaurants 
next to the theatre. The bus will leave the Senior 
Center at 8:30 am and return at 6 pm. 
The featured guest stars are The Diamonds 
(“Little Darlin’ and Why Do Fools Fall in 
Love”). Space is limited to the first 30 persons 
to register.

Thursday, May 17th - Adamson House in 
Malibu. Join us as we visit this historic 1930s 
home, view the largest display of Malibu titles, 
tour (walking) the Malibu Lagoon Museum 
and end your visit at a local restaurant 
for lunch. The bus will leave the senior center 
at 8 am (L.A .traffic) and return around 3:30 
pm (depending on traffic). COST is $20 per 
person (you will need additional money to 
pay for your own lunch) and the tour is limited 
to the first 20 paid registrations. Please 
note, if it rains the excursion will be canceled 
per the museum staff. City staff will know by 
7 am the morning of May 17th if it is canceled 
& will call all participants at that time.

SAVE THE DATE: Friday, June 8th - 
Nerthercutt Collection & lunch in Sylmar 
area

Registration can be done either in person or online at 
www.cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregistration

Registration can be done either in person or online at:

www.cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregistration

DIAL - A - RIDE TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Sierra Madre Recreation Center

Sierra Madre Library


BINGO Tuesday - join us every Tuesday at 
the Hart Park House Senior Center at 1:30 pm 
for this traditional social activity. Bingo cards 
are only 25 cents each.

There will be a special intermission dessert 
& prize at the April 24th game provided by 
Angie Chen of Seniors Helping Seniors - In 
home services for seniors by seniors.

NEW WAYS TO CASH IN ON YOUR LIFE INSURANCE POLICY

Dear Savvy Senior:

What can you tell me about life settlements? I 
have a life insurance policy that I really don’t 
need any longer and I’ve heard that selling it 
can produce a nice payout. 

Interested In Selling

Dear Interested:

If you don’t need your life insurance policy any longer, are having a difficult time keeping 
up with the premium payments or could just use the money, a life settlement is definitely an 
option worth considering. 

How it Works

A life settlement is the sale of an existing life insurance policy to a third party company for 
cash. Life settlements are typically best suited for people over age 65 who own a policy with 
a face value of $250,000 or more. 

Historically, if an owner of a life insurance policy decided they no longer needed it, they 
would either let the policy lapse or turn it in for a meager cash surrender value. But now, 
with the life settlement option, you can actually sell your policy for two to three times more 
than the cash surrender value would be, but less than its net death benefit. 

Once you sell it however, the life settlement company then becomes the new owner of the 
policy, pays the future premiums and collects the death benefit when you die. 

How much money you can expect to get with a life settlement will depend on your age, 
health and life expectancy, the type of insurance policy, the premium costs and the value of 
your policy. Most sellers generally get 20 to 30 percent of the death benefit. 

If you’re interested in a life settlement here are some things you should know:

Shop around: To ensure you get the best deal, get quotes from several brokers or life settlement 
providers. Also, find out what fees you’ll be required to pay. To locate credible providers 
or brokers, the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) provides a referral service 
at lisa.org.

Tax implications: Life settlements are also taxable if the cash surrender value of the policy 
exceeds the premiums paid on it. This can be very complicated, so be sure to consult a tax 
advisor. Also, be aware that receiving money from a life settlement can affect eligibility for 
public assistance programs like Medicaid or food stamps.

Be cautious: Life settlements are not regulated in every state so be careful who you deal 
with. Make sure the broker or life settlement firm you choose is either licensed in your state 
or is a member of LISA.

Other Options

If you don’t like the idea of selling your life insurance policy but could use some extra cash, 
here are some other options your insurance agent can help you investigate: 

• Cash value withdraw: If you have any cash value in your policy, you can probably 
withdraw some of it to meet your immediate needs and keep your policy for your 
beneficiaries. 

• A loan: You may also be able to use your policy to secure a loan from the insurance 
company, as well as a bank, credit union or other lender. 

• Annuity “1035” conversion: Find out if you’re able to convert the cash value of your 
policy into an immediate annuity, which will make regular payments to you for a set number 
of years or for the rest of your life. 

• Accelerated benefit: If you’re terminally ill, some policies have an accelerated death 
benefit which pays some of the policy’s death benefit before you die.

• Reduced premiums: If premium payments are your problem, your life insurer may 
be able to convert your policy to a paid-up policy, or lower your death benefit amount 
in order to reduce your premiums. Or, consider asking your beneficiaries to help pay the 
premiums.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller 
is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.