Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 16, 2012

10

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views-News Saturday June 16, 2012 

THE JOY OF YOGA

THE FOUR PILLARS OF WELLBEING

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

June Birthdays

Pat Fujiwara, Nellie Haynes, Mary Carney, 
Theresa Daley, Ann Disbrow, Ann Durgerian, 
Joan Ellison, Ruth Kirkby, Irene Kudirka, 
Marilyn McKernan, Anne Montgomery, Dollie 
Morant, Trini Ornelas, Martha Spriggs, Pat Starkey.


JUNE 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.

Thursdays:

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.

Fridays: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations 
needed 355-0256

Saturdays: 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. 

 The tradition of yoga says that there are 4 pillars to our wellbeing.

 The first is a good diet consisting of foods that are sattvic, (steady, 
calm and peaceful) or in other words, nutritious, easy to digest, 
home-cooked and made with love. If your food is made with love 
– that love can be absorbed in your system. If your food is easy 
to digest, then it doesn’t use as much of your vital energy trying to 
process it and the nutrients are more easily assimilated. 

 The second pillar is who you are hanging around with. It is important that we surround 
ourselves with others that are on the path of growth. We need to choose our friends and 
choose wisely. If we are hanging around with drama we will have to work twice as hard to 
keep from buying into it. Better to just stay away and focus on what is good. Keep company 
with those who have realized some measure of truth.

 The third pillar is pranayama, or properly regulating the otherwise irregular and hurried 
breath. The aim of pranayama (breath exercises) is to gain control over the nervous system. 
By learning to regulate the breath we can learn to regulate the mind - our fourth pillar.

 Asana practices (yoga poses) are designed to help us learn to breathe. We learn to breathe 
in challenging situations. Learning to breathe then enables us to control our minds and the 
thoughts we think. Our mind tells us how to feel. So we need to train the mind to create the 
life we want. When we can do this – we can choose happiness.

 Sounds easy, right? It takes discipline. But there is only one place to start – the beginning.

 “Don’t worry. Be Happy.”

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

DIAL - A - RIDE TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Sierra Madre Recreation Center

Sierra Madre Library

Friday, June 8th - Nethercutt Collection 
& lunch at the Bear Pit BBQ restaurant. 
June’s adventure takes you to the San 
Fernando Valley to see the museum that 
hous-es over 200 classic cars, antique 
furniture and musical instruments. After 
the guide lead walking tour of the 
collection participants will then enjoy 
lunch (please bring additional money for 
lunch). Bus will depart at 8:45 am and 
return around 3:30 pm. Cost per person 
is $12 for transportation & driver’s tip.

Friday, July 13th - Laguna Beach Pageant 
of the Masters. This annual trip will 
be leaving Sierra Madre at 4:30 pm and 
return around 11:30 pm. Tickets are limited 
to the first 40 registered participants 
and the cost per person is $55.

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


HOW TO CREATE AN ETHICAL WILL

Dear Savvy Senior:

What can you tell me about ethical wills? My wife and I had to make some minor adjustments 
to our legal will last month, and our attorney suggested we create an ethical will as a way to 
explain our intentions and express our thoughts and feelings. We are interested in doing this 
but could use some help. What can you tell me? Planning Ahead

Dear Planning:

An ethical will can be a valuable complement 
to your legal will, as well as a wonderful gift to 
your family or other loved ones. Here’s what 
you should know along with some tips to help 
you make one.

Ethical Wills

Unlike a last will and testament, which tells your loved ones (and the legal world) what you 
want them to have, an ethical will (which is not a legal document) tells them what you want 
them to know. 

With an ethical will, you can share with your loved ones your feelings, wishes, regrets, gratitude 
and advice, as well as explain the elements in your legal will, give information about 
the money and possessions you’re passing on, and anything else you want to communicate. 

Usually no more than a few pages, the process of writing an ethical will can actually be quite 
satisfying. But be careful that you don’t contradict any aspects of your legal will or estate 
plan. 

And, if you’re having trouble with the writing, there are professional ethical will writers you 
can hire to help you, or you can speak your wishes into a voice recorder or have someone 
video record you. 

Where to Start

To craft an ethical will, start by jotting down some notes about what’s really important to you 
and what you want your loved ones to know. Take your time, and remember that you’re not 
trying to write for the Pulitzer Prize. The letter is a gift of yourself, written for those you love. 

After you’ve gathered your thoughts you can start drafting your letter. You can also revise or 
rewrite it anytime you want. And for safekeeping, keep your ethical will with your other legal 
documents in a secure location but be sure your executor has access to it. A safe-deposit box 
or fireproof filing cabinet or safe in your home is a good choice. 

Get Help

If you need some help, there are lots of resources available like ethicalwill.com which offers 
practical information, examples of ethical wills, and lots of materials you can purchase to 
help you put one together, including the second edition of “Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values 
on Paper” by Barry Baines, M.D for $16. 

Another good resource is Personal Legacy Advisors (personallegacyadvisors.com), a company 
that offers coaching, editing, writing and/or audio or video recording ethical wills. 
Prices will vary depending on the services you choose. They also sell a do-it-yourself guidebook 
“The Wealth of Your Life: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Ethical Will” by 
Susan Turnbull for $20.

You can also find help through the Association of Personal Historians. This is a trade association 
that offers a nationwide directory of professionals who can help you create an ethical 
will, memoir or a personal history. Visit personalhistorians.org to find help in your area.

You also need to know that many people choose to share their ethical will with their family 
and friends while they’re still living so they can enjoy their reactions, while others think it 
should be read after their death. It’s up to you. 

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.

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.