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Mountain View News Saturday, October 4, 2025


“VISION” IS 
MARVEL-OUS!

At a very young age 9, 
Vision is an affectionate, 
gentle boy who lights up 
when people or other 
cats walk by. Vision is 
clearly ready to love and 
be loved.

This charming boy has so much to offer. He’s meant to be 
someone’s beloved, fun companion. He will follow you 
around, yet he can be both playful chill, or will happily 
nap by your side.

He’s been passed up repeatedly because he has a heart 
murmur and takes one pill 
a day. This is no reason to 
deny him from having a 
loving home. He is otherwise 
healthy and doing very well. 

Are you the one who will give Vision his happy ending?

Apply to meet him at https://www.lifelineforpets.org/vision.html 
or use the qr code.

*Note: Vision is named after the Marvel character who had special 
abilities. Vision was loved by and loved the Marvel character 
named Wanda.


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

 

[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Til Death Do 
Us Part?” and other books. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or Box 
41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

STELLA HAN TEACHES AT 

HIGHLAND PARK’S KINSHIP YOGA 


On a Sunday afternoon on a hilltop in Highland 
Park, Stella Han began to gently play 
her crystal bowls and gongs as 17 people 
or so lay on carpets and chairs around her, 
soaking in the resonance. For nearly an 
hour, she guided them through a soundscape 
of celestial tones, three deep black 
crystal bowls, three rose-quartz bowls, two 
great gongs, delicate chimes, and temple 
sounds of a harmonium—blending into a 
soothing atmosphere that carried across the 
hillside.

Seated before the group, Han gently played 
the crystal bowls while 17 participants lay on 
mats or sat in chairs. This “sound-bathing” 
experience invited participants to immerse 
themselves in vibration. Some described the 
sounds as deeply healing; others said they 
stirred childhood memories.

Han is one of 20+ practitioners at Kinship 
Yoga Studio (5612 Figueroa St., Highland Park), where she has been on staff since early 2015, shortly 
after the studio’s opening. Sound bathing is one of her many offerings alongside yoga.

Teaching Style & Yoga Background

Most yoga teachers adapt to the studio’s requests, sometimes following set sequences such as vinyasa 
or hatha. Han, however, primarily teaches from her own training. She identifies as an alignment-
based teacher, rooted in Ashtanga and Hot Yoga, and also offers vinyasa (breath and movement) and 
hatha (pose by pose).

She is certified in Jivamukti Yoga, a lineage grounded in ethical living, devotion, ahimsa (nonviolence), 
and plant-based values. She also previously taught trauma-informed yoga through the now-
closed program “Street Yoga,” and provided psycho-socially mindful yoga to foster youth for eight 
years.

Currently, she teaches free weekly chair yoga through LA Care in El Monte, where she has taught 
since 2022. She also coordinated a Spanish-language class, taught by a colleague, to expand community 
access.

Han teaches a wide range of classes at Kinship, including, Hot Yoga “Vinyasa” classes, Peak Pose 
Method (influenced by her teachers Noah Mazé & Nichol Chase), every Sunday at 10 a.m., Breathe 
& Stretch Yoga (all seated postures), beginners Yoga, Meditation & Breathwork Circles, and community 
ceremonies.

Han’s training spans over 1,000 hours, such as 200-hours of Yoga Teacher Training in Ashtanga 
(2012, through a program created by Larry Schultz), advanced training with Noah Mazé (2016), 
and Jivamukti certification in India (2020). She is also a seasoned practitioner of Hot Yoga (formerly 
Bikram, now called Second Set Yoga).

From Social Work to Yoga

Before becoming a yoga teacher, Han worked in social services for 15 years after earning her Master’s 
in Social Work from USC. “Earning my Master’s was a dream I never thought possible, shaped 
by my background as the daughter of Korean immigrants,” she reflects. Her parents, who opened the 
first Korean nightclub in Koreatown, instilled resilience and determination.

Yoga became her lifeline during the heavy demands of social work. “My job was filled with crises. 
Yoga gave me peace, balance, and solace. Without it, I don’t know how I would have coped.” After 
years of fatigue, she traveled to Thailand for teacher training and spent a year in Southeast Asia 
before returning to Los Angeles in 2013.

Growing up in Eagle Rock, teaching in Highland Park felt like coming home. She joined Kinship’s 
staff in February 2015 and is now its veteran instructor. In 2024, the LA Times recognized Kinship 
Yoga as one of the best studios in Los Angeles.

Current Path

Alongside yoga, Han has apprenticed with the founders of the Sound Bath Center in Los Angeles 
and is completing certification in Therapeutic Sound Healing. “Sound has blossomed into a parallel 
path of healing for me,” she explains.

Today, she offers a spectrum of practices: Hot Yoga, Alignment-Based and Peak Pose classes, Meditation, 
Chanting, Breathwork, Sound Journeys, Sacred Ceremonies, Stand Up Paddle Yoga, and 
annual retreats.

“Yoga is about becoming self-reliant within community,” Han says. “It honors diversity while reminding 
us of our shared humanity. I remain humbled and grateful to walk the path of teacher, 
student, and seeker.”

You can find her on Instagram at @yogihantas.


Pet of the Week


A Sound Bathing class

Clair is a 4-year-old gray pittie with the softest eyes and 
the biggest heart. She was rescued as a stray momma 
with her puppies – and now that all her babies have 
been adopted, it’s finally her turn to find a loving, 
forever home.

Clair can be a little timid at first, especially in new 
places, but don’t let that fool you! Once she feels safe, her 
sweet personality shines. The moment she settled into 
her foster home, she turned into a snuggly, affectionate 
lovebug who just wanted to be close to her humans.

She’s house-trained, polite inside the home, and gets 
along wonderfully with other dogs (according to her 
foster parent, she was especially smitten with her foster companion Odie, an 80-pound 
pittie mix). Clair enjoys short play sessions followed by long cuddle breaks, and she has 
“sit” and “down” mastered like a champ.

If you’ve fallen in love with Clair, she is available for a 10-day-adoption trial, foster, or 
adoption. Come by and meet this sweet girl today!

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, 
and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos of adoptable 
pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for 
your pet.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by 
phone calls or email.


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