Mountain Views News     Logo: MVNews     Saturday, March 29, 2014

MVNews this week:  Page 9

Mountain Views News Saturday, March 29, 2014 
9HEALTHY LIFESTYLES Mountain Views News Saturday, March 29, 2014 
9HEALTHY LIFESTYLES 
THE JOY OF YOGA 
A SACRED PLACE 
Practicing Yoga at a yoga studio is a unique experience. It's a community experience. 
It's an energetic experience. Very different from taking a yoga class 
in a gym or multi use environment. 

As a student, I first began taking yoga classes in a studio. Looking back I'm 
so grateful I started this way. What a treat. I enjoyed the smell upon entering 
the studio. It was instantly calming. I liked the easy going people working 
the desk and the yoga teacher greeting students as they came in. And whoa, 
the practice space was clean, spacious and relaxing. As I continued my practice, 
I became picky about where I would practice yoga in a group setting. 
When traveling, I looked for yoga studios, not fitness places with yoga classes. 
There's a difference in tradition and reverence for the practice. 

Little did I know the effort put in by the yoga studio to create the space. Clean wood floors, simple, yet 
aesthetically pleasing decor, carefully stacked blocks and blankets, cherished deities displayed honoring 
any and all faiths. But the biggest noticeable attribute was the energy in the room. It had been 
created and gathered, class after class. Only yoga, meditation, and learning about those things taking 
place in the room. It was a sacred space. Many students say the yoga studio is their second home. I'm 
not sur-prised at all! 

Come and enjoy class at our lovely, sacred space. 

Namaste and Love,
Keely Totten Teacher at Yoga Madre 



Dr. Tina is a traditional 
naturopath and nutri-
tionist at Vibrant Living 
Wellness Center


7 SIMPLE WAYS TO REDUCE 
TOXINS IN YOUR LIFE 

It’s a fact, we are exposed to toxins every day, from our food, from the 
air and even from water! It’s a good thing that our bodies have a built in 
detoxification system that works hard to eliminate these toxins, through 
the use of our liver, skin, gut, kidneys and lungs. 

Our liver is our main filtration system. The liver detoxifies the body 
in 2 phases. Phase 1 breaks toxins apart so that hopefully they can be 
removed by the kidneys. In some cases the toxins can’t be broken down 
and can even become more toxic. The phase 2 process repackages the 
parts of the toxins so they are neutralized and can be taken out of the 
body through the urine. If phase 2 is sluggish, we run the risk of building 
up toxins in the liver. 

The best advice is avoid exposure to toxins in the first place. Here are 
some simple ways to reduce your toxin exposure and to eliminate the 
toxins that you do take in: 

1. Avoid plastic water bottles. Drink water, lots of water all day but not from plastic bottlesas they contain harmful toxins called BPA (Bisphenol A). These toxins actually induce phase 1 to 
create more free radicals which in turn depletes the antioxidant reserves of the body. 
2. Stop eating canned foods (even if it’s low sodium or organic). Cans are also lined with 
BPA. 
3. Read skin care products carefully! Many skin care products contain chemicals that are 
absorbed through the skin and must be processed by the liver. Many are endocrine disrupters whichmeans they mimic hormones. Your skin care products should contain only natural ingredients,
meaning if you can’t eat it don’t apply it to your skin. 
4. Make sure you are sleeping well. This is the time that your body takes the garbage out soto speak. This is the optimum time for repair and maintenance. If you are not sleeping well, getevaluated to help you determine why this is. Many people have nutritional deficiencies that hindergood sleep. 
5. Keep the sewer system working! Our gut actually performs the 3rd phase of detoxification.
Everyone needs to avoid constipation. Once the liver has done its job, the body needs to eliminatethe waste via the stool. Constipation leads to recirculation of toxins in the body. 
6. Shake things up! Regular exercise or movement releases toxins through the skin via sweat.
It also keeps our lymph system working well, promoting lymph drainage. Yoga is especially goodfor this. 
7. Take deep breaths! Practice 
slow deep breathing a few timesa day. This slow deep breathingreleases toxins though the lungs. 
Hopefully some of these suggestionswill help reduce the stress put onyour body, especially your liver, toeliminate toxins. Look for part 2 nextweek.