Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 4, 2014

9

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Mountain Views News Saturday, January 4, 2014 


THE JOY OF YOGA

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS


I bet you ate and drank more than you really wanted to this holiday 
season. Is it your New Year’s resolution to shed some unwanted pounds 
and try to feel better? This is the time of year many people want to do 
a cleanse, detox or purification program to give them that boost into 
weight loss and a healthier year. 

A cleanse helps your body to purify and rebuild from the inside out. 
Cleanses go by multiple names. Some will tell you there are slight 
differences between them. Some target specific organs and others are 
whole body. There are lots of cleansing programs on the market. Some 
are good and some are not. The best cleanses support your major organ 
systems with the proper nutrients that are only found in 

whole foods. The second part of a good cleanse is transitioning to a 
healthier way of eating that is pleasurable. 

This is the time of year to do a cleanse. A cleanse helps your body to 
detoxify from the toxins that have accumulated from too many holiday 
parties! A cleanse also helps your body to maintain a healthy weight. 
The holiday food and drink are not the only ways our bodies obtain 
toxins. We are exposed to toxins on a daily basis including air pollutants, 
pesticides, and even household cleaners. Our bodies are made to rid 
themselves of toxins but can and do become overburdened with the task. A purification program 
or cleanse will offer your body additional support while ridding it of toxins naturally, reducing your 
weight and bringing about a feeling of vitality. 

If you have never tried a cleanse, this is the year to do so. Cleanses and purification programs are not 
just for the stars or the rich and famous. You too can start a journey towards looking and feeling your 
best. Find out what it is like to live a healthy and vibrant life where your body functions at its best. 

Happy New Year! There's nothing like a fresh year ahead, full of possibilities. 
What a good time to take stock and review the past year. What areas 
of our life could we improve upon? What do we love about ourselves? 
How can we illuminate those traits we love and minimize the ones that 
don't serve us? 

In yoga, we call this self reflection or "taking stock", svadhyaya. This is 
an integral part of each experienced yogi's practice, or at least it should 
be. As we've established, yoga is more than just asana (poses) or burning 
calories. There's philosophy, breath work, diet, self healing, and work 
within the subtle, energetic body. All of this handed down through tradition 
with great care and precision. 

There are many roads to lead us to regular svadhyaya, or self reflection. You may already have a self 
study practice in place. Yoga may compliment this practice, and working with a teacher may further 
strengthen this practice. 

One very tangible and formal direction to self study is through advanced studies in yoga. This avenue 
has become increasingly popular because of its comprehensive approach. A real live teacher guiding 
you every step of the way, within a community of like minded individuals. Students who have taken a 
teacher training/advanced studies course have reported: increased confidence, improved self esteem, 
clarity and concentration, and self understanding. 

Whether you're looking to polish an already evolved spiritual practice or embark on a brand new 
journey to uncover your radiant self, we have a place to start. Next Advanced Studies/ Yoga Teacher 
Training begins January 10th at Yoga Madre. It's one weekend a month for 10 months. Now's the time! 

Namaste, Keely Totten

Teacher at Yoga Madre 

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


JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND,,,

SERENGETI’S SAVANNAH

 Is it really as pristine as we think?


Mac, Thea and Senator are!! 

2014 is all about new beginnings 
and who is more deserving than 
Mac, Thea and Senator - as all have 
reached a milestone in their lives! 
They have been sheltered at the San 
Gabriel Valley Humane Society for 
the past two years!

At most shelters, their time would 
have been up many months ago, 
but at San Gabriel they are given 
every opportunity to find their 
forever home. Animals don’t have 
pre-determined expiration dates 
or quotas that must be met. Staff 
and volunteers work together to 
socialize the dogs in their care and prepare them 
for their new homes. When you adopt an animal 
from this shelter, you know that it has been loved 
and well cared for. 

Please meet these three great dogs: Mac is 
approximately 5 - 6 years old and weighs about 
9 pounds. He is a sweet, friendly boy and a good 
steady walker who likes to sniff and explore. He 
enjoys petting and loves a good back rub. He 
gets along with his kennel mates and was well 
behaved representing the shelter animals at city 
council meetings. 

Senator weighs 10.7 pounds and is a very cute, 
sweet, fun miniature pinscher boy with an 
interesting coat. He is mostly black, but has 
brown legs and a white chest. Once he gets to 
know you he will usually climb into your lap and 
bless you with kisses. He loves his outings to the 
park and needs his exercise. He is curious about 
the world around him, and, like ‘human’ senators, 
is a bit talkative! 

Thea can be a little shy at first, but when she 
warms up to you she will lean right in and be 
your best buddy. She is a beautiful 2-3 year old 
Chihuahua girl of average energy who she loves 
to go on walks and play with her kennel mates. 
When you meet her while she is in her kennel....
she will jump up and down with excitement to 
see you... Hoping you will take her out and spend 
time with her.

 

All three are spayed/neutered, up to date with all 
routine shots and ready to be part of your family!! 

They currently reside at the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society located at 851 E. Grand Avenue 
in San Gabriel. We are located off San Gabriel 
Blvd., north of Mission and south of Las Tunas. 

To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with the one of your 
choice, please stop by any time from 10:00am to 
4:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday. The adoption fee 
is $135 which includes the spay/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 these three. See our website at 
www.sgvhumane.org for information and photos 
of all our available pets. 

Happy New Year from our home to yours and we 
look forward to another year of saving lives in the 
San Gabriel Valley!

Happy Tails

Lars Werdelin, author of Sunrise on the Serengeti, an article 
that appeared in the November 2013 issue of Scientific 
American magazine (my new favorite) is senior curator of 
fossil vertebrates at the Swedish Museum of Natural History 
in Stockholm. His research is focused on African carnivores and the relation between their evolution 
and that of humans. The article proved quite interesting to me, as I am always interested in how wild 
animals continue (or not) to thrive in their respective indigenous habitats on earth. So many natural 
spaces have been taken over by the human’s insatiable need to develop lands, and side-effective 
changes to natural ecosystems have been caused inadvertently by the humans’ desire to meet their 
own needs, it is refreshing to hear about places where animals are still wild and living free, the way 
they were meant to be.

To many, eastern Africa is thought of as a pristine ecosystem, largely unchanged by our kind over 
the two million-plus years since our genus, Homo, arose. Not to burst your bubble, if you are among 
those who hold this view, but new research indicates that this region is not as pristine as historically 
thought to be. In his studies of the fossil records of African carnivores, Werdelin discovered that 
lions, hyenas, and other large-bodied carnivores that roam eastern Africa today represent only a 
small fraction of the diversity this group once had. Intriguingly, but not surprisingly, fossil research 
reveals that the decline of large carnivores started around the same time that early Homo began eating 
meat. The timing of events indicates that early humans are to blame for the extinction of these beasts 
starting more than two million years ago before Homo sapiens came on the scene.

Like a row of falling dominoes, the rise of the new Homo hunter/meat eater resulting in the loss 
of big carnivores would have triggered large-scale changes farther down the food chain, affecting 
the prey animals and plants those creatures ate. So, if Werdelin’s hypothesis is correct, our forebears 
began radically transforming ecosystems far earlier than previously thought, at a time when ancestral 
population sizes were quite small. It comes as no surprise to me that Homo, it seems has been a force 
of nature from the outset.

For over two decades, Lars Werdelin has studied thousands of carnivore fossils from eastern and 
southern Africa, hoping to get a handle on how the modern carnivore community evolved over the 
past seven million years. In collaboration with Margaret E. Lewis of Richard Stockton College, expert 
on carnivore bones from the neck backward, Werdelin specializes in their teeth and skulls. The results 
of their research has yielded a much higher-resolution view than previously available of how many 
kinds of carnivores there were in Africa at different times during the two-million-year interval, which 
also spans the entire known history of human existence. As they amassed more and more data, they 
gained a much clearer picture of the species that thrived and failed over time, and soon realized that 
the extinction of many large carnivores (those weighing 48 pounds or more) coincided with a shift 
among human ancestors from a mostly vegetarian diet to one that relied more heavily on animal 
foods. Of course this all makes common sense to me, but I find it interesting that this could be 
confirmed by studying the fossils found in that particular region.

OK, so maybe the diversity and numbers of wild animals that roam the Serengeti are no where near 
what they used to be before humans came on the scene. Still, it is a remarkable region that continues 
to sustain more big beautiful wild beasts than most places on our modern-day globe and I hope it 
can stay that way forever. I would love to visit the area myself, but that kind of goes against the grain 
of my feelings about leaving nature alone. After all, I can enjoy the beauty of the Serengeti and the 
animals that roam there, in photos and on film taken by others, and it pleases me to know the land 
and animals there have been allowed to remain somewhat the same for so many years .

There are enough developed places on earth as it is, let’s do our best to preserve the wide-open natural 
spaces that remain for the indigenous wild animals to survive and thrive in. We all need to be better 
about appreciating the earth and it’s natural wonders. Look around you and feel the energy of all 
living things, including the animals both domestic and wild, the trees, flowers, shrubberies and plants. 
Recognize that nature needs balance in order to sustain us. Keep it clean, take care, love and let live!


PET OF THE WEEK

ESMERALDA: ANIMAL ID #A4664274

Sometimes pets teach their owners how they should 
live, by just being themselves. Esmerelda is the perfect 
example of an amazing, well-balanced and kind creature! 
Esmerelda (A4664274) is a wonderful three year old 
black and white female Australian Shepherd mix who 
was brought to the Baldwin Park Shelter on December 
28th. Weighing approximately sixty pounds, this medium 
energy girl walks beautifully on the leash, shakes hands 
on command, and is most likely housebroken. Good 
with other dogs, we think she will make an outstanding 
companion for children. Esmerelda is a very sweet and friendly girl and is the perfect indoor pet 
for an active family living in a private home. Her one wish for 2014 is to find that loving home. To 
watch a video of Esmerelda please visit this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x7R8MB-7LM

To meet Esmerelda in person, please see her at the Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, 
Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is currently available now. 
For any inquiries about Esmerelda, please reference her animal ID number: A4664274. 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 Esmerelda 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 through its Shelter Support Program, 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