Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 23, 2015

12

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 23, 2015 

 
THE JOY OF YOGA

NOTICING WHEN YOU’RE LOW


Noticing when 
you’re running on 
empty is a vital 
part of the practice. 
Especially for the 
givers, you know 
who you are! This becomes so clear when we are 
“running around like a chicken with our head cut 
off” or when we are “burning the candle at both 
ends”. We all know exactly how this feels. Further, 
we are too depleted to enjoy the fun events or visits 
with people with love because we are worn out.

 Our yoga is a practice in awareness. We start 
with our breath, our physical body and keep 
refining our levels of awareness through the subtle 
body. It takes practice. Eventually, we may sense 
when we are getting low BEFORE we’re actually 
there. We mindfully conserve and protect our 
energy and our honor our bodies requests as well. 
If you are low and depleted from stress or just 
everyday living, here are a few tips to help get you 
back on track:

 1. Nutrition. Make a least two home cooked 
meals per day, made with love. Sit down to eat the 
meals using a real dish. You deserve this.

 2. Yoga. Make time for your asana practice. It 
doesn’t have to be extremely rigorous, but make 
time. Make an effort to breathe and do the poses 
slowly. Don’t forget that wonderful group shakti 
that a group class can provide.

 3. Get out in nature. Notice the birds, the colors 
and the smells when you are there. Let it soak in. 

 4. Rest. Try your very own Savasana at home 
with super even, equal wave breaths.

 Enjoy taking care of yourself, and seek out the 
people and activites that support your well being. 
See you in class. 

 

Namaste and Love, 

Keely Totten


FOOD & DRINK

THE COUNTER, REVISITED PART 3

Over the last year there are two restaurants which I reviewed that I left scratching my head. It was 
my initial visit to each, and maybe it is intuition or too many Twilight Zone episodes, but I could 
not escape a feeling that something more was going on at these restaurants. I hate to admit it, but 
sometimes I may just concentrate on enjoying my meal too much and only give a cursory once 
over to the restaurant. Even when I am at the height of awareness it is often necessary to make a 
second visit to fully appreciate a restaurant. One of the restaurants that has haunted me is Malbec, 
on Green Street. The other is the topic of today’s conversation, The Counter, on Shoppers Lane, in 
Pasadena. It’s has been a year since my last visit to The Counter. So, when my race track buddy Jon 
Davenport asked if I wanted to go to The Counter for lunch, I accepted with a sharpened pencil 
in hand.

I enjoyed my last experience at The Counter, but I don’t think that after my initial review the 
owners would be booking a limo for this return trip.

The Counter Restaurant has been open for over five years in Pasadena. The Pasadena located is 
in the Old Indian Restaurant, Raddika’s. You 
will not be confused in the slightest because the 
layout of The Counter is entirely different. Guess 
what, you may be surprised, but there 
really is no counter, Jon, bravely offered 
that the bar was the counter, but I thought 
it looked like, you guessed it,… a bar. We 
sat at the counter and were treated to some 
real stellar service from Ashley an aspiring 
architect student at PCC. 

We started off our meal with the French 
fries, shoestrings fries for $3, I have had 
worse. Jon was pleased with them and 
thought they were good. These fries are 
cooked in a French fry style. Ok, let’s move 
past the appetizers and on to the main 
course. The Counter gives you the option 
of build your own burger, or you can create 
your own from the menu. I determined to 
fly the coop on this trip and go with the 
Bison Burger, a 1/3 lb for ($16). I doctored it up with mustard and green Ortega chilies. I thought 
it was well prepared. Mike had the 1/3 lb burger for ($9.50). This is an All-Natural ground beef 
burger, cover in a rich slice of Tillamook Cheese that warmly ripples over the top. It is completed 
with a leaf of lettuce, an onion, a pickle and a splendid red radish sauce. 

Now, I partook of a less daring adventure at The Counter, but I recommend you try the burger. 
Grab a sheet and start checking off what you’d like from the menu, begin with step #1 and finish 
with step #4. A convenient way to engineer your own beautiful burger, it is a little more expensive 
but you get it your way.

Jon and I give the experience two forks up. It was nice to get another opinion, just to make certain 
that I have not lost the old character of palate. The restaurants interior is decorated for an art 
showing, skateboards I think.

The Counter 140 S. Shoppers Ln., Pasadena. www.thecounterburger.com

Join me at 3 PM on KLAA Radio AM 830 this Sunday at 3 PM


TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


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