Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 27, 2013

HealtHy lIFeStyleS Mountain Views News Saturday, July 27, 2013 14 HealtHy lIFeStyleS Mountain Views News Saturday, July 27, 2013 14 
HOW CAN YOGA HELP 
THE SILENcE 
People tell me all the time that they are not able to meditate. They have too much on their minds. 
What happens when you sit in silence? What do you hear? Do you hear the roaring of your 
thoughts? Is your mind jumping around like a monkey? Are you too fidgety? Some styles of 
meditation are to just sit there and watch as those thoughts jump around. Some styles are guided, 
so that you follow along and then have brief pauses. Some styles say “just clear your mind”. 
What is the right style for you? We are all very different. There are many, many styles. But here 
is what works for me, most of the time: I start by practicing yoga. You knew I was going to say 
that right? Well, yoga was designed as a back strengthener. Yoga was designed to help us learn 
to breathe better, to increase our capacity so we can sit in meditation and do pranayama (breath 
work). But honestly, I need to get the ya-yas out. I can’t just sit down and expect my mind to be 
quiet. I can’t just sit down and be still. I need to move and get the body calmed down first. The 
yogis knew this. In fact in Classical and Tantric yoga science it is the nervous system that we 
need to calm down before we can meditate. Unless we are in a constant state of the sympathetic 
nervous system then we are in fight or flight mode. That means we are waiting for the next thing 
to happen. How can we expect to meditate if we have just been driving our cars? Our brains are 
in Drive. 
So, we know that meditation is the number one thing to reduce anxiety, the number one stress 
reducer. But we can’t just go from stress to meditate in 2 seconds.
Let’s do the yoga first. It really helps!!!
Trust me, meditation is the balm/bomb, the best thing you can possibly do for yourself. And it’s 
been around for thousands of years for just that very reason. 

See you in class.
Namasté, René 


tHe mytH oF lIVING aloNe 

by Douglas Edwards 

America is beginning to wake up and take notice of an important change taking place across this 
broad land of ours; people are retiring in huge numbers and living much longer than ever before. 
We are turning 65 at the rate of 8,000 a day; a rate that is expected to continue through 2020. 
This is known by many names: “Age Wave, Silver Tsunami, or The Aging of America”. America, 
and many other countries, are experiencing the Baby Boomers retirement, and American business 
is changing to respond to this group’s interests and needs. 

As Americans retire and live longer in this chapter than in any other chapter of life, where they 
live becomes increasingly important to quality and quantity of life. “Aging in place”, is now part 
of American vernacular which summarizes the hopes and dreams of most retirees. Living in 
the privacy of one’s home until death is driving the American business community. One of the 
big changes that has occurred is the privatization of services that traditionally were provided in 
a community setting. Now one can buy all the services needed to remain in your home. Everything 
under the sun can be delivered to your home. 

The benefits to living in privacy are obvious: independence; the comfort of creating your own 
space and living with the familiar; 
living on your own 
terms; the security of knowing 
and being known by 
your neighbors and the ease 
of maintaining the routines 
of daily living. 

The challenges of independent 
living become more 
apparent as one ages, something 
Americans are particularly 
averse to admitting. 
As we age it is more difficult 
to maintain the lifestyle that 
we created. When we lose 
a spouse or our children 
finally move out, we are 
alone; and our network of 
contacts with those around 
us changes. The neighbors 
we once knew have moved 
and the new owners keep to 
themselves and speak languages 
other than our own. 
Our homes which once gave 
us security and freedom are 
not always constructed to be 
friendly to the challenges of 
aging. The stairs become an 
exercise element at best, a 
risk at worse. Our home requires 
upkeep that becomes 
less interesting and more 
expensive as the plumber 
we knew has retired and the 
gardening which once gave 
us joy is now back breaking 
and a distraction away 
from activities in which we 
now have interest. Privacy 
begins to be a source of isolation, 
often leading people 
who live alone to experience 
two leading causes of 
death; declining health and 
depression. 

Living alone is not all it is 
cracked up to be. For many 
it leads to poor health, a 
lower quality of life and in 
increasingly more people, 
early death. What else is 
there? 

To be continued………….. 

You can reach Doug at 

Doug.Edwards@thebegroup.
org| www.thebegroup.org 


by Lori Koop, Right Brain Business Coach


“The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself.” -Mark Messier 

A client arrive frazzled and confused. She had embarked an entrepreneurial 
adventure and received rave reviews. Many new ideas had surfaced in her client 
meeting, and she was excited. Things were moving forward, and fast! 

After a few days, she felt overwhelmed and stuck. She couldn’t even focus 
enough to file. There was a tempest 
brewing, and it wasn’t outside. 
The fury was within. Wind 
howling. Thoughts flying about. 
Nothing was grounded or certain. Fear. Yup, she was 
in “the storm.” This is when she came to see me. 

We discussed what was going on. How the initial excitement 
had turned into pressure. Pressure to please 
the retail buyers. Pressure to create all these new 
things. Pressure to know things she didn’t know yet. 
Distracted by the whirlwind, she had stopped doing 
photography --the part of her business she loved 
most. 

 We are funny creatures. We lift up pressure and put it 
on ourselves. Once we see what we are doing, we can 
remove it. That’s just what we did. She was invited to 
shift her thoughts to align with her TRU self; when 
she did, she immediately felt better. More peaceful. 
She planned to schedule regular photography sessions 
each week. From this place of passion and love, she 
would hear when her spirit suggested a new product. 
She would know when to expand, even how to expand, 
as she stayed connected. 

 Even bosses cannot stress us out unless we let them. 
It’s a matter of learning the tools that get us out from 
under the self-imposed weight. I teach these tools that 
work both in life and business. If you’re interested, 
book a complimentary session with me at The Center, 626-355-2443. I’m happy to share how you too 
can experience more peace. 


Lori Koop, The Right Brain Business CoachGet clear about The Real You and what’s TRU, for you and your business. Schedule a complimentary 
coaching session at The Center for Wellbeing, 626-355-2443. www.LORiKOOP.com 

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