Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 7, 2014

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 7, 2014 9HEALTHY LIFESTYLES Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 7, 2014 9HEALTHY LIFESTYLES 
THE JOY OF YOGA 
THE TRUTH 
In Sanskrit, the word for truth is Satya. It's one of the most important 
principles in yoga philosophy. It is one of the principles of the yamas, 
the moral observances that one must make to prepare for the transformation 
of yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (the great 
yoga sage). 

To speak the truth, to believe the truth, to be true to yourself, are all 
essential concepts in self under-standing. But the literal translation of 
Satya is unchangeable. How is that the truth?

 Yogis believe that our deepest, essence IS unchangeable. Because our 
truest selves, our souls, do not change. But through all of our experiences and the influences of the 
world outside ourselves, we develop an understanding of who we think we are or who we think 
we should be. We see the world reflecting back at us and think that is who we are. This may be 
completely incongruous from who we are really meant to be. Satya is getting in touch with the truth 
of our unchanging soul, who we truly are and letting that light shine from our eyes. Then let that 
light influence the world around us, instead of the other way around. 

The study of the Yoga Sutra can help us discover our own unique purpose and our own unique 
qualities that may have been hidden from our view. 

And you thought yoga was just about Downward Facing Dog. 

See you in class. 

Namasté, René 


HAVE NEST --WILL TRAVEL

 Retirement is a beautiful thing! Not that I’m looking to retire anytime soon, 

but it has certainly helped my parents become healthier and happier. My mom’s 

job as a third grade public school teacher was stressful, although she made it look 

easy to her colleagues. And I sleep better knowing that my dad doesn’t have to 
face two or more hours of traffic on the Ventura freeway trekking to Sherman Oaks every morning.

 Now they’re homebodies keeping busier than ever with all their projects and hobbies. In fact, my 
dad was surprised (and a little embarrassed) to receive a discount on his car insurance for putting 
less than 300 miles on his 1996 Isuzu last year. “I would’ve put 300 miles on that car in a week when 
I was working!” he told us. Understandably, his SUV sits in the driveway, unused most of the time. 
My aunt even pointed out the cobwebs around the wheels. But when he noticed twigs sticking out of 
the bumper, my dad knew that his vehicle had officially been designated as a permanent stationary 
object to the outdoor wildlife!

 Not only were there sticks protruding from 
inside the bumper, but something flew out of 
there when he walked nearer the car. Upon 
closer inspection, my dad discovered that 
a bird had started to build a nest inside the 
rear bumper. He looked carefully to make 
sure there weren’t any eggs or other potential 
bird casualties. But, if you haven’t tried to 
see the inner corner of your bumper lately, 
let me tell you it’s not an easy task. When 
I laid down under the car I could see the 
bottom and side of the nest. Peering into the 
crack between the bumper and rear of the car 
allowed a partial view of the top of the nest. 
But neither angle gave a good shot of the its 
inhabitants. The first couple times I checked 
on it I gently poked the nest and a very, very 
small creature darted out. Once I saw it land 
on a bush. It was a tiny, delicate finch; not 
as small as a humming bird, but definitely 
smaller than a sparrow.

 
Over the next few days I developed a habit 
of checking on the nest from time to time. Despite the disruption of being rapidly carried along on 
my dad’s local errands, and being poked a few times with a giant finger, this finch was a stubborn 
bugger. Nothing would dissuade her from the security of the inside of the bumper. “Doesn’t it get hot 
when you run the car?” I asked my dad. “No hotter than it does sitting there in the sun.” he answered. 
Apparently the heat did nothing to diminish the finch’s dogged persistence. I wondered if the fumes 
would cause mutations, but my dad assured me that the nest wasn’t anywhere near the exhaust. 

 I thought this stowaway bird was unusual in its choice of nesting places until I became more aware 
of other nests in and around the neighborhood. OSH is a great bird sanctuary, I learned. One brave, 
and probably deaf, dove hunkered down in her nest on top of the loud speaker. A family of sparrows 
made their home in front of the air conditioning vents. 

My dad’s original plan was to dismantle the nest before it really “got going,” thereby discouraging 
the finch from her efforts. We quickly learned that she had no intention of leaving. Needless to say, 
I quickly stopped poking the nest. I figured, since she was bound and determined to stay there, we 
should try to make sure her nest stays as stable as possible. Although these certainly aren’t ideal 
conditions, my dad can live with this little passenger for a while--at least until the end of the baby 
bird season. While we hope she and her kiddos make it through safe and well, we also hope she won’t 
decide to revisit the bumper again next year. And we certainly hope she won’t tell her friends that the 
other rear bumper is available for squatting birds and their families! 


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


HOW DO I GET MY FAMILY EATING 
HEALTHIER? 

My clients ask me this question often. You have decided to get healthier, 
maybe lose some weight and in doing so you want to eat better. How do 
you get your family or spouse onboard? The first step is to take the time to 
plan out your meals for the week. This should be a family affair. Ask your 
family to search for recipes they would like to try. Then vote on the ones 
your family will eat for the week. These meals can be easy to make. They 
may even be some of your family’s favorites but just prepared in a different 
fashion. Say you family likes roasted chicken and sweet potato fries. You 
could cut your own sweet potatoes into fries and bake them in the oven and 
grill skinless chicken and mixed veggies on the grill. The key in grilling 
is to use herbs and seasoning your family likes. In many dishes especially 
chicken, herbs are where the dish gets its flavor. 

Another option is to go out to a healthy restaurant and have everyone taste 
each other’s food. Then go home and try to recreate the dish in a healthier 
fashion. Most all dishes prepared from scratch at home are healthier than 
prepared purchased foods or foods eaten in restaurants because you can 
omit or reduce sugar, oil, excessive salt and preservatives. You can also 
chose to use all organic foods as a way to make meals healthier. 

Another tip is to visit the produce aisle or a farmers market with your kids. Ask them to pick out 
interesting or unusual vegetables. Then base the coming weeks menu on your finds. Kids will be 
more apt to try something new if they 
scouted it out and saw it before it was 
clean and prepared. 
Whenever possible involve your kids 
and even husband in the meal planning, 
purchasing and preparation. The more 
involved your family is in meal choices 
the more invested they will become. 
Also be realistic, not every choice will 
be a hit but if you put some effort into 
this, your family can adopt some new 
healthier food options.