Mountain View News Saturday, August 29, 2026 
1010 
11 YEARS AGO 
Mountain View News Saturday, August 29, 2026 
1010 
11 YEARS AGO 
ALL THINGS 

By Jeff Brown 

STILLNESS SPEAKS BY ECKHART TOLLE 

Stillness Speaks is a collection of short reflections that 
invite readers to discover inner peace through present-
moment awareness. Unlike a traditional self-help book,
it is written as a series of brief contemplative passages 
rather than a continuous argument. Tolle encourages 
readers to slow down, reflect, and experience the silence 
behind the words instead of simply understanding them 
intellectually. A wonderful book! 

The central idea of the book is that our true identity is 
not the thinking mind or the personal story we tell about 
ourselves. Instead, beneath thoughts, emotions, and life 
experiences lies a deeper dimension of awareness that Tolle calls Being, Presence, or stillness. 

This awareness is always present, peaceful, and unaffected by changing circumstances. By 
recognizing ourselves as this awareness rather than identifying with our thoughts, we can 
experience lasting inner peace. 

A major theme throughout the book is the role of the ego. Tolle describes the ego as a false 
sense of self created through identification with thoughts, memories, social roles, possessions, 
and achievements. The ego constantly seeks approval, compares itself with others, and 
fears loss or failure. According to Tolle, this identification with the ego is the primary source 
of psychological suffering. Freedom begins when we observe our thoughts and emotions 
without believing they define who we are. 

Another important teaching is the practice of living fully in the present moment. Tolle argues 
that most anxiety, regret, and emotional pain arise because the mind is absorbed in memories 
of the past or worries about the future. Since life unfolds only in the present, bringing 
attention to what is happening now allows us to step out of unnecessary mental conflict. 
Simple practices such as conscious breathing, sensing the inner body, listening deeply, or 
spending time in nature help cultivate this state of presence. 

The book also emphasizes acceptance and non-resistance. Accepting the present moment 
does not mean becoming passive or approving of difficult situations. Rather, it means acknowledging 
reality as it is before deciding how to respond. Once inner resistance ends, 
actions become clearer, more effective, and less driven by fear or anger. Throughout Stillness 
Speaks, Tolle presents silence as more than the absence of sound. It is the ever-present 
background of awareness in which all thoughts, emotions, and experiences arise. By repeatedly 
returning to this inner stillness, readers can discover a deeper sense of connection with 
themselves, other people, and life itself.

 The book ultimately teaches that peace, wisdom, and fulfillment are not things to be achieved 
in the future but qualities that naturally emerge when we rest in the stillness of the present 
moment. The book can be ordered at Sierra Madre's bookstore Fables & Fancies 52 W.Sierra 
Madre Blvd. 626-836-3200 

The essence of the Non-Dual understanding is that “Peace and happiness is the nature of 
your being and you share your being with everyone and everything.” Rupert Spira 

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CARDIO OR STRENGTH TRAINING? 

Most of us have a favorite type of physical activity. Some 
people walk. Others ride a bike, swim, dance or use a 
treadmill. And some people lift weights. 

All of these are good choices. But new research gives 
us another reason not to choose just one. A recent 
study found that people who regularly did both aerobic 
activity and strength training had a much lower risk of 
developing some common health problems than people 
who did neither. 

Researchers from the University of Queensland in 
Australia followed more than 8,000 adults for nine years. 
The participants were between the ages of 40 and 64 
when the study began. They answered questions about 
Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness the aerobic activities and muscle-strengthening activities 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit. they did. 
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness. 

The results were impressive. People who met the 
recommendations for both types of activity had a 50 percent lower risk of developing type 2 
diabetes. Yes, I said 50 percent lower risk. They also had a 24 percent lower risk of developinghigh blood pressure compared with people who met neither recommendation. 

The researchers additionally found a 23 percent lower risk of cancer, although they were 
more cautious about that finding. The study was recently published in the “Journal of Science 
and Medicine in Sport”. About half of the people in the study were getting the recommended 
amount of aerobic activity. But only 24 percent were meeting the recommendations for both 
aerobic activity and strength training. 

For years, when people have talked about getting more physically active, much of the 
attention has been on aerobic activity. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Get on the treadmill. Take 
an aerobics class. Those are all excellent things to do. Your heart and lungs need activity that 
makes them work harder. But your muscles need to work harder, too. 

Think about what you ask your muscles to do every day. You get out of a chair. Climb 
stairs. Carry groceries. Pick something up from the floor. Lift a bag. Push a heavy door. Put 
something on a high shelf. We need strength to do all of those things. And maintaining that 
strength becomes even more important as we get older because we naturally lose muscle and 
strength with age if we don't do something about it. Strength also helps us stay independent. 
The stronger we are, the easier it is to keep doing everyday activities for ourselves instead of 
eventually needing someone else to do them for us. 

The good news is that strength training does not mean you have to become a bodybuilder or 
spend hours lifting heavy weights at a gym. You can use dumbbells. You can use resistance 
bands. You can use weight machines. You can even use your own body weight. 

Squats or getting up and down from a chair work the large muscles in your legs. Wall push-ups 
work muscles in your upper body. Resistance bands can be used for dozens of strengthening 
exercises. The important part is that your muscles have to work against enough resistance to 
challenge them. 

The current U.S. physical activity guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of 
moderate aerobic activity each week. They also recommend muscle-strengthening activities 
at least two days a week. Notice the word “also.” It isn't 150 minutes of aerobic activity or 
strength training twice a week. We need both. 

That doesn't mean you should suddenly add a long, difficult strength workout to your week, 
especially if you haven't done strength training before. Start small. You might choose four or 
five basic exercises that work the major muscle groups and do one set of each. As you become 
stronger, you can gradually increase the resistance, repetitions or number of sets. 

The same rule applies to aerobic activity. If you are inactive now, you don't have to start with 
150 minutes next week. Begin with an amount you can comfortably handle and build from 
there. 

So really, the practical message is simple. Don't ask whether cardio is better than strength 
training. That's like asking whether you should brush your teeth or floss. They do different 
jobs. 

If you're already walking, swimming, cycling or doing another aerobic activity, great. Keepdoing it. But take a look at your week. Where is the strength training? And if you already liftweights but rarely do anything that gets your heart beating faster for an extended period, ask 
yourself the opposite question. 

A good fitness program isn't about finding one perfect activity. It's about giving your body 
the different kinds of activity it needs. This latest study gives us one more reason to make 
room for both. 

Michele Silence, M.A. is a certified fitness professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 

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