Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 14, 2015

10

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 14, 2015


THE JOY OF YOGA

WHAT’S AN ADVANCED PRACTICE? 

I DO IT 
TWICE A 
DAY FOR 
HEALTH!

Every day, my husband 
and I get up at 5:20 am 
and go for a walk. We 
do about 30 minutes in 
the morning and then 
again after work for 
about 15-20 minutes. 
We’ve done this long 
enough that this is now 
routine. 

By design, humans 
were meant to walk. 
Unfortunately as we 
have advanced in some 
areas we have gone 
backwards in others. 
We have come up with 
so many advances to move us places faster but we 
are actually moving less. One of the biggest problem 
I see in my practice is chronic sitting. Sitting can 
actually be akin to smoking because it raises your 
risk of an early death from poor health regardless 
of your fitness and other lifestyle habits. Frequent, 
prolonged sitting whether it is at work, commuting, 
or watching TV at night, significantly impacts your 
heart and circulation health as well as your metabolic 
function.

WE ALL JUST NEED TO MOVE MORE! Once in 
a while my husband or I sleep funny and when we 
wake, our back hurts. You may think this isn’t a good 
time to walk… wrong. We’ve found that sticking 
with our normal walk helps the pain go away. It’s 
better to get out and MOVE!

I recommend to all my clients to limit sitting as much 
as possible. I know it can be difficult with some of 
the jobs people have but you can be creative and find 
ways to move. Most studies recommend sitting less 
than 3 hours a day. This means you have to make it 
a priority to walk more. I suggest aiming for 7,000 to 
10,000 steps per day. 

My husband has an office job and wears an activity 
tracker that vibrates when he doesn’t move enough 
in an hour. He’s found some easy ways to move 
more. He takes conference calls on a speaker phone 
and stands up and moves about the office. He’ll take 
some calls on his cell phone while going for a walk 
outside. Sometimes, he just gets up and goes for a 
10 minute walk outside. No one will miss you for 10 
minutes… they may think you’re just on a bathroom 
break!

Bear in mind that this walking is in addition to any 
regular fitness regimen you already have, not in place 
of it. My clients find that tracking their steps allows 
them to see how simple changes to their routine 
can add many steps to their day. It also holds them 
accountable, allowing them to see when they are 
falling short of their goal. Here are some examples of 
how you can add steps to your day: 

• Stand or pace your office while on the phone at 
work

• Take the stairs instead of an elevator whenever 
possible

• Park your car in the space farthest away from the 
entrance of your destination

• Take a walk at lunch

Studies show that people who walk more reduce their 
risk of heart disease and diabetes. They sleep longer 
and have better restorative sleep. Walking is one of 
the easiest forms of exercise. No matter what your 
age or fitness level, walking more can improve your 
health.


I often hear yogis 
say they want 
an advanced 
practice. Some 
will say after class, 
“That was a great 
class, but it was too mellow for me.” Another said, 
“Oh no, I won’t take a beginning class, I practice 
at an advanced level.” This brings a question to 
mind: What is an advanced practice? 

 In yoga, there are internal practices and 
external practices. The external practice is our 
lovely, strong and beautiful asana practice. 
Service to others, or karma yoga, would be an 
external practice. Internal practices include 
meditation, mantra, most pranayama and 
energetic techniques. 

 Believe it or not, it’s the internal practices 
that are the most challenging! One of the most 
advanced practices is achieving the balance of 
Sukha & Sthira, or ease & steadiness (we’ve talked 
about this before). Applying these principles in 
an asana practice, and later into life, can prove 
to be incredibly challenging. It’s difficult for the 
hard-driving person to soften and conversely, 
the easy-going kind to become unwavering. 
Many advanced practices lie in our meditations. 
Through this internal work, we heal, grow and 
become empowered. 

 It’s interesting to look at our yoga practice from 
this perspective. Devoting time and effort to the 
internal practices as well as the external motivates 
spiritual growth and deepens the experience. The 
answers and healing we need come from within 
and are no longer outside of us. Can you believe 
some of the most adept yogis and gurus never 
even did an asana practice? 

See you in class, and Namaste 

Keely Totten 

Yoga Madre

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


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