Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 18, 2014

9

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 18, 2014


THE JOY OF YOGA

 UNWINDING


Everybody needs 
an opportunity to 
unwind from day-
to-day stresses. 
There are many 
ways to do that; 
exercise, time 
with friends, a vacation, even a few drinks. But 
what about the accumulated stresses that we can’t 
unwind from? Usually a result of shouldering 
responsibility, or having a full busy life. 

 These tensions remain even when we go on 
vacation or take a day off. We stay tight and even 
irritated just under the surface. Yoga can help in 
this situation. 

 We hold our “stuff” in our physical body, 
emotional body, energetic body, and in the mind 
body. The simple act of attending an asana class 
can help loosen up and break up the accumulated 
stress in the physical body. We feel better, our 
back hurts less, hips feel good, stiffness in the 
neck is relieved. 

 Emotional and energetic body are also 
addressed during practice. We have an 
opportunity to find balance, and check in on our 
inner space. Often, the great feeling after class 
is a change in our Prana, or life force energy. 
The mind body is certainly given a break with 
concentration and focus on our breath and the 
practice at hand. 

 Little by little, we unwind. We unwind from 
day-to-day stress and from more long standing 
accumulations too. This makes room for fun, 
love, and joy, taking the place of the wasted 
energy our worries were causing us. 

 Cultivating the awareness of what we need, 
and what worries we can do without begins in 
the stillness experienced during practice. Even 
coming to the realization that we need to spend 
more time decompressing can happen on the 
mat. Cheers to unwinding on a grander scale! It 
takes time. See you in class. 

Namaste, 

Keely Totten 

Yoga Madre 


A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE

Remember those 
antidrug commercials 
that played on TV 
saying that a mind 
is a terrible thing 
to waste. There are 
not too many people 
out there that would 
disagree but there are 
man-made chemicals 
that threaten brain 
function. These 
chemical are legal 
and around us every 
day yet they are very 
dangerous to the 
brain. The good news 
is there are ways to 
avoid them. 

 Heavy metals are 
perverse toxins that are not easily removed but 
are commonly found in the bodies and brains of 
millions thanks to vaccines, dental procedures, 
agricultural chemicals, industrial pollution, fish, 
chicken, second hand smoke and more. To ensure 
that I ingest as few heavy metals as possible, I 
avoid flu shots, mercury fillings and am cautious 
when consuming seafood.

 Another chemical added to our food that is 
detrimental to our brains is MSG. MSG is a 
concentrated salt that is added to food to enhance 
flavor. Dr. Blaylock, a retired neurosurgeon and 
author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, 
explains that over time ingesting MSG destroys 
parts of the brain that could cause Alzheimer’s 
disease, Parkinson’s and other brain ailments. The 
best way to avoid MSG is to stop eating processed 
food, or look for it in the ingredients, mainly as 
monosodium glutamate or yeast extract. Also ask 
before you eat at an all you can eat food bar if they 
use MSG on their food. 

Dr. Blaylock’s research also stated that artificial 
sweeteners such as aspartame are excitotoxins. 
Excitotoxins are chemical that over stimulate 
neurons in the brain. The symptom list from 
consumption of these sweeteners is too long to 
list but does include anxiety, depression and 
migraines. 

 There can be a hazardous relationship between 
food (in this case, the wrong food) and brain 
health. I routinely advise my clients to avoid 
the center of the grocery store because products 
contained on those aisles are not food. They are 
manmade products that have been sold to us as 
food. Instead, stick to whole unprocessed foods. 
We need to be informed, choosy consumers to 
make sure we are avoiding these brain/mind 
destroyers!

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


FREE FLU VACCINE CLINICS 

OFFERED THROUGH NOV. 25, 2014


PASADENA, Calif.—Fight the flu by getting a free 
vaccine offered by the Public Health Department 
through Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014. The vaccine will 
be provided at various Pasadena locations, listed 
below, on a first-come, first-served basis.

 The free vaccine will be available to everyone 
ages 6 months and older at no cost, while supplies 
last. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or 
guardian. Be sure to wear short sleeves.

For more details on the clinics, call (626) 744-6000 
or visit www.cityofpasadena.net/publichealth.

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Center, 
1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 
E. Holly St. 

Pre-registration required. Call (626) 795-4331.

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library, 1130 
S. Marengo Ave.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Santa Catalina Branch Library, 
999 E. Washington Blvd.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library, 
1355 N. Raymond Ave.

 Different types of flu viruses can spread through 
the community during flu season. The Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 
that everyone ages 6 months and older get the 
flu vaccine annually to protect against the most 
common types of flu viruses. Even healthy 
children and adults can get very sick from the flu. 

High-risk groups susceptible to severe flu 
complications include seniors ages 65 and older, 
pregnant women and people with chronic medical 
conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease 
and diabetes. 

 For more than 120 years, Pasadena’s Public 
Health Department has worked to promote and 
protect the health of the greater Pasadena area. 
Promote. Protect. Live Well. Visit the Department 
online at www.cityofpasadena.net/publichealth.

 Stay connected to the City of Pasadena! Visit 
us online at www.cityofpasadena.net; follow us 
on Twitter @PasadenaGov, www.twitter.com/
pasadenagov, and like us on Facebook at www.
facebook.com/cityofpasadena. Or call the Citizen 
Service Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, at (626) 744-7311.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com