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HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS
Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 13, 2016
THE JOY OF YOGA
Happy Tails
by Chris Leclerc
BIRD BRAIN BRILLIANCE
BREATHE EASY
The world lost
a great, world-
renowned teacher
this week, T.K.V.
Desikachar,
the son of
Krishnamacharya (the father of modern yoga).
Desikachar’s book, The Heart of Yoga, is a beginning
text for many teachers and students seeking to delve
into this rich practice. With his practical, easy-to-
understand approach, Desikachar brought forth
ancient yoga teachings and made them accessible to
all with his “in-the-moment” methodology.
One of the main themes of The Heart of Yoga is
the focus on the breath. The quality of our breath
shapes our life and tells a story of our mind and
emotions. As Desikachar states, “The quality of our
breath expresses our inner feelings.” Respiration is
the very thing which sustains life and it is the point
of origin for movement and postures which calm
the mind.
Learning to breathe fully and smoothly is
essential to positively affecting our physiology
and psychology. A solid yoga practice should be
based on improving the quality of the breath. With
this focus and central theme, we are setting the
intention to be in optimal health and balance. As
we work with the breath in practice, it gives us self-
awareness and teaches us that we have the power
to change our energy and our mind. Life is better
when we breathe easy, fully, and with control. It also
sets the stage and prepares us for further advanced
practices of pranayama and kriya.
To improve the quality of your life, improve the
quality of your breath. Begin where you are and
make assessments on a moment-to-moment basis.
Adjust, re-commit, and bring in the intention on
a daily basis. Start with one-to-one breathing--
smooth, even, and deep inhalations and exhalations.
Namaste, see you in class! Let’s breathe together.
Keely Totten
“Whenever you are in doubt, it is best to pause.
Few things are so pressing that they cannot wait
for a moment of breath.” -- T.K.V Desikachar, The
Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
I remember as a kid, hearing the term “bird brain”
often used in a derogatory manner, directed at
someone who’d just done something really stupid
or absent-minded. To me, it seemed like a rude
thing to call someone, but unlike many other
words that we kids may have used to convey the
same sentiment, birdbrain was one we knew we
could get away with in front of the adults.
The teasingly taunting term, “bird brain” is
assumed to have been derived from a similarly
insulting moniker, “bird-witted”, which dates
back to the early 1600’s. The original term was
used to describe a person with, what we might
call today, ‘attention deficit disorder‘, presumably
applicable because a bird appears to lack focus
when flying to and fro in rapid motion, with no
apparent direction. Ironically however, in reality
this notion could not be further from the truth.
The presumptuous premise behind the use of
the ill-mannered idiom, “bird brain” is based
on the human‘s erroneous perspective that birds
have proportionately small brains, and appear
to lack intelligence. In applying that thoughtless
theory to calling someone a bird brain indicates
that a person who acts foolishly must have a small
brain like a bird, and therefore he must be stupid.
The remarkable irony lies in the fact that birds
are far-and-way more focused than the average
human believes or perceives them to be. As a
matter of fact, some species of birds are even
considered to be among the most intelligent wild
creatures in the animal kingdom, and certain
species of birds possess some amazing brain
capabilities that God apparently did not see fit
to instill in the human being. I’m not talking
about instinctual behaviors, I’m referring to
scientifically proven facts about the biological
properties of a bird’s brain that equate to higher
intelligence, as we humans define it.
The most blatantly obvious example of
bird brain brilliance was proven through an
experiment conducted by animal psychologist,
Irene Pepperberg at Harvard University. Doctor
Pepperberg purchased an
ordinary pet-store parrot that
she named “Alex“ (a cute, catchy
acronym for Aviary Language
EXperiment), and went right to
work, teaching and observing
him.
By the end of the experiment,
Pepperberg wrote in her book,
Alex & Me that Alex could identify
50 different objects and recognize
quantities up to 6; that he could
distinguish 7 colors and 5 shapes,
and understand the concepts of
“bigger”, “smaller”, “same”, and “different”, and
that he was learning the concepts of “over” and
“under” when he passed away on September 6,
2007. It is true that a parrot will sometimes mimic
sounds and words with no knowledge of what
they mean, but they are also capable or learning a
wide range of terms and concepts with a complete
understanding of their meanings and appropriate
responses.
In case the intellect of a parrot does not convince
the average human that a bird’s brain is indeed
small yet brilliant, a particularly remarkable
trait possessed by the pigeon is enough to turn
any human green with intelligence envy. What
might that be, you ask? The pigeon has an internal
GPS (global positioning system) inside his tiny
little bird brain. And the pigeon gets to keep his
privacy because his GPS is non-track able!
The results of a recent study conducted by
Drs. Le-Qing Wu and J. David Dickman was
published in Science, the world’s leading journal
of original scientific research (April 26, 2012),
describing the fact that “neuronal responses in a
pigeon’s brain stem show how single cells encode
magnetic field direction, intensity and polarity -
qualities that are necessary to derive an internal
model representing directional heading and geo-
surface location.” To put it in a nut shell (pun
intended), the pigeon possesses a unique neural
substrate for a vertebrate magnetic sense.
In other words, a “bird brained” pigeon is
capable of finding any location he wishes to find
on the earth’s surface without having to strap
on a Tom-Tom! Now run and tell that, Getting,
Parkinson and Easton! Oh, and by the way, that
thoughtless theory about birds lacking focus and
direction definitely goes right out the window
when it comes to the common park pigeon.
So, the next time you are tempted to call someone
a bird brain when they’ve done something stupid,
think again. In fact, our seemingly flighty
feathered friends have apparently got it going on
when it comes to brain brilliance!
Meet kittens
LOLA &
DOMINO,
age 4 months.
Both are cute,
cuddly, and just plain purr-rect! Lola, tabby, is
very smart, part explorer and part love bug. And
Domino, white w/black markings, just wants to
please you and cuddle. They are being fostered
together, so we would like them to be adopted
together.
Lifeline for Pets is a small no-kill rescue
organization, and we know our cats well. We
show some of our cats most Sunday afternoons
at Petsmart, 3347 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena,
12:30-3:30.
Adoption fee is $100 for both, which includes
neuter, microchips, & vaccines. Our cats are
negative FELV/FIV unless otherwise indicated.
See adoption application, more pictures, and
videos of Lola & Domino on our website, www.
lifelineforpets.org. Or call 626-676-9505.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lifelineforpets.
pasadena. Email: info@lifelineforpets.org
LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?
Frederick is a handsome dog,
found as a stray at a local
Walmart store. He is being
called a Chihuahua mix,
although he clearly has some
other breeds in his DNA. He has
a short white coat with striking
black and tan markings. This
good-looking boy is about 4
years old and weighs around 9
pounds. Frederick is friendly
with people, and enjoys going
for walks with our volunteers.
He has a medium energy level
and also likes to play with toys
and with other dogs. He has
had a variety of kennel mates
during his time at the shelter,
and has been compatible with all
of them.
Frederick seems to be a smart boy who would
benefit from some basic training classes to challenge
him and make him the best dog he can be. He would
love to be part of an active family that can give him
regular exercise and play time, and he would enjoy
having another dog as his companion and playmate.
Come meet this sweet boy to
see if he can be your new best
buddy. His adoption fee is $130,
which includes neuter surgery,
a microchip, first vaccinations
and a free wellness check-up at a
participating veterinarian. Feel
free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for
more information on Frederick.
He currently resides at the San
Gabriel Valley Humane Society
located at 851 E. Grand Avenue
in San Gabriel which is located
off San Gabriel Blvd, north of
Mission and south of Las Tunas
Drive. To arrange a ‘Meet and
Greet’ with Frederick, please stop
by any time from 10:30am to
4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday.
Website:www.sgvhumane.org.
Go to smile.amazon.com and find the San Gabriel
Valley Humane Society and every time you buy
something 0.5% will be donated to the shelter! It’s
easy to do and helps the shelter with every purchase
you make! Let your friends know about this simple
way to make a difference!
PET OF THE WEEK: ARTHUR: ANIMAL ID #A4969486
This little pup has the
happiest spirit around.
Meet Arthur (A4969486),
an endearing 4-year-old
brown male Chihuahua
mix who came to the
Baldwin Park Animal
Care Center on July 6th as
a stray from Baldwin Park.
Weighing 13 pounds,
Arthur has an A-plus
personality—happy and
affectionate, with a tail that
just can’t stop wagging,
and a round, expressive
face. This sunny, darling boy is recovering from a
leg fracture (so he’s in the medical building, away
from public view, and will need to be evaluated by
an outside veterinarian), but it hasn’t dampened
his spirits. He shows signs of being housebroken
and seems to be fine with other dogs. Arthur is a
real ray of sunshine and will make an outstanding
indoor pet, companion, lap sitter, and affection
swapper for any individual or family. He is a
volunteer favorite and volunteers would love to see
him make it safely out of the shelter. Meet Arthur
today! To watch a video of Arthur, please visit the
following link: https://
youtu.be/AJu8kLmHtz8
To meet Arthur in
person, please see him at
the Baldwin Park Shelter,
located at 4275 N. Elton,
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
(Phone: 626-962-3577).
He is currently available
now. For any inquiries
about Arthur, please
reference his animal ID
number: A4969486. The
shelter is open seven
days a week, 12 pm-7 pm
Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday.
This is a high-intake shelter with a great need for
adoptions. For more information about Arthur
or the adoption process, contact United Hope
for Animals Volunteer Adoption Coordinator
Samantha at Samantha@hope4animals.
org. To learn more about United Hope for
Animals’ partnership with the Baldwin Park
Shelter, as well as the many dogs of all breeds,
ages, and sizes available for adoption in local
shelters, visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.
org/about-us/shelter-support-program/.
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
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