Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 12, 2014

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

10

Mountain Views-News Saturday, Jully 12, 2014 

THE JOY OF YOGA


IT’S IN THE STILLNESS THAT WE 
HEAR


DO CHEMICALS BELONG IN 
OUR FOOD OR SKIN CARE 
PRODUCTS?

In the morning 
there are so many 
birds chirping. 
The mocking 
bird outside my 
window starts 
around 2:00 or 
3:00 AM. Before that, it is still. So his repertoire 
bursts through the silence emphasizing the stillness 
in-between. He is silent by the time I get up. Other 
birds have joined the chorus and drowned him 
out. Then the parrots come swooping by and it’s 
almost deafening in Sierra Madre. The aftermath 
is quiet for a bit and then the blowers and mowers 
start. The silences are what we normally don’t even 
give the time of day. Our attention is drawn to the 
sounds, the distractions from our sleep, our tasks, 
our paper and coffee. We hear the siren and briefly 
we pause, and carry on with our tasks - until we sit 
to meditate.

 The sounds then become the greatest of 
distractions. The silences uncomfortable. Our 
mind quickly fills up any gaps with chatter we can’t 
control. We struggle. We want to meditate, but 
there are things to get done! With the momentum 
of the day, it is even harder to sit and be still. 
Successful meditation comes in moments. 
Moments of silence that are profound. Moments 
where our inner teacher, the voice of God, speak 
to us, in the quiet.

 So how do we find the quiet? Start early. 
Before the blowers if possible. Wake, use the 
bathroom, brush the teeth and sit. Breath 
practices learned from your teacher are best. The 
more we concentrate the energy at the mid-brain, 
the better. A little movement (yoga asana) can 
help even more. Then practice stillness. Watch 
the thoughts roll by, without participating. See 
what continues to come up. The silences will 
speak volumes - just like the moments before the 
mockingbird.

 One little note here for the parents (I’m a 
mother of three boys....), do not fret about your 
meditation if the kids come to cuddle, enjoy it. 
Do it later, after they get to school or when they 
are sleeping. It will help you be a calmer parent, 
but not if you stress over it.

 For everyone else, get up and do it, you will 
hear the most amazing and wonderful things - in 
the silence. Namaste, Rene

In the morning 
there are so many 
birds chirping. 
The mocking bird 
outside my window 
starts around 2:00 
or 3:00 AM. Before 
that, it is still. So 
his repertoire 
bursts through the 
silence emphasizing 
the stillness in-
between. He is 
silent by the time 
I get up. Other birds have joined the chorus 
and drowned him out. Then the parrots come 
swooping by and it’s almost deafening in Sierra 
Madre. The aftermath is quiet for a bit and then 
the blowers and mowers start. The silences 
are what we normally don’t even give the time 
of day. Our attention is drawn to the sounds, 
the distractions from our sleep, our tasks, our 
paper and coffee. We hear the siren and briefly 
we pause, and carry on with our tasks - 
until we sit to meditate.

 The sounds then become the 
greatest of distractions. The silences 
uncomfortable. Our mind quickly 
fills up any gaps with chatter we can’t 
control. We struggle. We want to 
meditate, but there are things to get 
done! With the momentum of the 
day, it is even harder to sit and be 
still. Successful meditation comes in 
moments. Moments of silence that are 
profound. Moments where our inner teacher, 
the voice of God, speak to us, in the quiet.

 So how do we find the quiet? Start early. Before 
the blowers if possible. Wake, use the bathroom, 
brush the teeth and sit. Breath practices learned 
from your teacher are best. The more we 
concentrate the energy at the mid-brain, the 
better. A little movement (yoga asana) can 
help even more. Then practice stillness. Watch 
the thoughts roll by, without participating. See 
what continues to come up. The silences will 
speak volumes - just like the moments before the 
mockingbird.

 One little note here for the parents (I’m a 
mother of three boys....), do not fret about your 
meditation if the kids come to cuddle, enjoy it. 
Do it later, after they get to school or when they 
are sleeping. It will help you be a calmer parent, 
but not if you stress over it.

 For everyone else, get up and do it, you will 
hear the most amazing and wonderful things - 
in the silence. 

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


MAKE THIS THE YEAR OF 
CONTRIBUTION

Many great societies, organizations, and/or 
businesses have been built on contribution. 
From those contributions came rewards to those 
who contributed. As the success continued and 
more rewards came to those who contributed 
and even to those who didn’t, it was expected 
that the rewards would continue. Usually over 
time the amount of people giving diminished 
and there were more takers than givers. When 
this happened, the society, organization, and/or 
business collapsed.

 In regards to your health, are you a contributor 
or a taker? Did you fail to contribute to your 
self with good habits this past year or were you 
overcome by bad habits, the worst being neglect?

 Did you neglect to eat healthy foods regularly? 
Did you neglect to exercise regularly? Did you 
neglect to get proper rest? Did you neglect to 
maintain a healthy positive attitude? Did you 
neglect to have good posture? Did you neglect to 
keep your spine and nervous system functioning 
and in balance?

 If you neglected any or all of these areas, you 
were making withdrawls from your health 
resources without putting anything in. In fact 
were you overdrawn? How can you tell?

 Were you sick, tired, lacking focus or 
motivation? Were you negative, distrustful and 
unhappy? Do you find it hard to sleep and were 
you impatient and frustrated regularly?

 If so you are definitely overdrawn and you need 
to start making some deposits immediately to 
get out of debt.

 Contribution to your self are like making 
regular deposits in stocks and mutual funds. 
You make these deposits to earn interest on 
your money to build wealth. The same is true 
if you make regular deposits in your self, you 
earn self interest and have resources available to 
you to avoid illness and injury, give you focus 
and motivations, keep you positive, trustful 
and happy, help you to sleep, be patient and in 
control.

 Start today to contribute daily in your own 
self interest and build a wealth of health. If you 
do the rewards will be abundant and allow you 
to be a contributor in other areas to build and 
elevate your world.


PROTECT YOUR 
FAMILY FROM 
HARMFUL UV RAYS

(StatePoint) Ultraviolet (UV) rays are a danger to skin 
and eyes year-round, playing a contributing factor to skin 
damage, skin cancer and eye disorders like cataracts. 
With people spending more time outdoors in the summer 
months, it’s a great time to protect your family.

“The more time you spend outdoors without protecting 
your eyes, the greater your risk for ocular damage,” says Dr. 
James Winnick, an optometrist with VSP Vision Care, the 
largest not-for-profit vision benefits company in the United 
States.

Rather than avoid the problem entirely by seeking refuge 
inside, take steps to mitigate your risk in the sun. 

Consider Risk Factors

While all people need to protect their eyes from UV 
radiation, some populations are more sensitive than others 
to the sun. For example, children don’t yet have the natural 
protection in their eyes that adults have, so they get most 
of their exposure before they are 18. Additionally, people 
living with diabetes have increased light sensitivity.

No matter who you are, protecting your eyes outdoors is 
crucial, say experts.

“One of the most convenient ways to ensure you’re 
constantly protecting your eyes from UV rays and excess 
light is to opt for photochromic lenses, which are lenses that 
darken automatically to changing sunlight conditions when 
outdoors,” says Winnick. “These lenses can be especially 
useful for kids and adults who have trouble remembering to 
switch from their regular glasses to sunglasses throughout 
the day.”

Protection for Entire Family

Photochromic lenses are a great way to ensure everyone 
in the family is getting automatic and constant protection 
from UV radiation -- whether it’s playing in the backyard or 
walking from the car into the office. And an added benefit 
is that your eyes will be much more comfortable in all light 
conditions, helping reduce eye strain and squinting.

Choose Wisely

It’s important to look for a brand of photochromic lenses 
that both darken and fade back quickly. For example, a new 
type of photochromic lenses called sunsync starts darkening 
within seconds of UV exposure and returns to clear within 
just minutes of going indoors. More information about 
sunsync lenses can be found at www.vsp.com/sunsync.

Reflected Light is a Concern

Sunlight is reflected off water, sidewalks, buildings -- 
almost everything -- and it goes in every direction. While 
sunglasses and photochromic lenses protect from UV light 
passing through the front of the lenses, a new trend in eye 
protection takes on the back side of lenses as well.

A special anti-reflective treatment can now be added to the 
back of lenses that helps prevent UV radiation from reflecting 
off of them and 
into your eyes. The 
great news is that 
some lens brands, 
like UNITY, offer 
this “backside 
UV” treatment 
at no additional 
cost depending on 
the options you 
choose for your 
new photochromic 
lenses.

Don’t wait for UV 
exposure to get the 
best of your eye 
health. Just as you 
use sunblock, you 
should have some 
protection for your 
eyes throughout 
the day. This 
summer, take steps 
to better protect 
your family.