Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 3, 2013

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES Mountain Views News Saturday, August 3, 2013 14 HEALTHY LIFESTYLES Mountain Views News Saturday, August 3, 2013 14 
HOW CAN YOGA HELP 
“What’s The Story 
With YOGA?” 
A friend of mine wanted to know what the story is with yoga. Why do we have a statue of an elephant 
god in the studio. Why is there a picture of the Buddah? Do we worship these things? If so, she would 
not be able to come, she is Christian. 

Yoga is many things to many people. It is spiritual. It is NOT religious. You can be any faith to come to 
yoga. You can be any age and any color and any weight. Yoga is about who you are and who you want 
to be. If you want to come to yoga for a better booty, cool. If you want to be calmer, cool. If you want to 
loose weight, cool. Yoga is all about where you are. We have the statues to honor the tradition that has 
been around for thousands of years. They are much the same as in Greek and Roman mythology –God 
has many faces. But yoga is very respectful of all faiths. Yoga is very spiritual, your own spirit. It is 
that we want to nurture. It does not matter if you are Jewish or Catholic or atheist. The spirit inside of 
you can benefit from the mind/body connection. The spirit inside of you needs nourishing. The mind 
needs to focus internally. In yoga we withdraw the senses (pratyahara) in order to not be distracted by 
them. This allows us to get to know our deepest selves better. 

Om is the universal vibration, very simple and non-denominational. Sometimes we chant that at the 
end of class. So, if religion is keeping you from coming to class, don’t worry, it will only help make your 
faith stronger. 

See you in class. Namasté, René 


THE ZEN OF SLEEP 

by Dr. Tina Paul 

When people are surveyed on what they find pleasurable, sleep ranks 
near the top. However, at least with the clients I see, most people do 
not allow themselves to get enough sleep on a daily basis. Sleep allows 
the brain to isolate itself from the outer world. Sleep is a time when the 
body does most of its repair and maintenance. Think of the body as 
a fine, expensive automobile. If you owned such a vehicle, you would 
surely take it to a mechanic for a tune-up to keep in running in optimal 
condition. Our bodies need daily tune-ups as well and those daily tuneups 
occur when we sleep. How much sleep is enough? We are all unique 
but generally speaking, adults need between 7.5 and 8.5 hours a night. 
Females generally need more sleep than males. The best way to ensure 
adequate time for sleep is to develop a bedtime and try to stick with it the 
majority of the week. 

Here are some habits you can establish to ensure a pleasurable night’s sleep. 

1. 
Avoid caffeinated drinks in the afternoon and evening. 
2. 
Eat your evening meal at least 3 hours before going to bed. 
3. 
Lower the temperature at night. 
4. 
Make the room as dark as possible. Ideally, there should be NO light. 
5. 
Have the best bedding you can afford. You spend a third of your day in bed, make it 
comfortable. 
6. 
Be active during the day (take the stairs rather than the elevator or get out for a brisk walk). 
7. 
Get some sunshine every day. 
Anti-aging has become a very popular phrase. However, the only time you really do not age, is when 
you are dead. Therefore, I like to say that we should slow down the aging process and one of the best 
ways to do this is to get adequate reparative sleep. The way we slow down aging is to give your body 
the time it needs to repair itself. Most cellular repair occurs during sleep. So proper nutrition and 
a good night’s sleep is Mother Nature’s anti-aging pill! 

Dr. Paul is a traditional naturopath and nutritionist at Vibrant Living Wellness Center 


by Lori Koop, Right Brain Business Coach 


“The challenge of work-life balance is without question one of the most significant 
struggles faced by modern man.” - Stephen Covey 

Balance: it is a state of mind. It’s not about equal measures on a scale, like equal 
life and work. That’s physical balance. What we’re talking about here is emotional 
balance. Finding peace within your life and your business... at the same 
time. 

I have a client who drives her kids back and forth between activities, and is 
happy to support them. However, 
when she is with the girls 
she feels guilty about not working 
on her new business. And 
when she is working, she feels guilty about not spending 
time with the girls. She’s torn between wanting 
to support her kids and their growth, and birthing a 
business she’s passionate about. 


Subconsciously she thinks, “if only I could give 100% 
of her time to each, then I would certainly be successful.” 
And that is where her frustration comes from: 
unrealistic expectations. Nobody gets 200%. We each 
get an equal portion... 100% of our time to spend. 


To find peace and restore balance, it is necessary to 
recalculate. Begin by drawing out a typical week and 
blocking in the areas of your day that are already 
committed to certain activities. Use different colored 
markers to represent the various themes, for example: 
the kids, meals, carpooling, exercise, housework, family 
time, etc. What is left uncolored is the time available 
for your new business. Or for whatever else you 
have in mind. By making it visual, the truth becomes 
clear. 


Take a careful look. Are you surprised? This is reality. 
And this is the place to start to create peace. Maybe it 
will necessitate a change in expectation. Or perhaps, a change in time allocation. You get to choose. 
Follow what feels good. 



(If peace is still hard to find, let’s talk. I have lots of tools. There’s no need to struggle.) 

Lori Koop, The Right Brain Business CoachReach your tru* potential! Schedule a complimentary coaching session at The Center for Wellbeing, 
626-355-2443. www.LORiKOOP.com 


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