Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 19, 2015

13

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 19, 2015 


THE JOY OF YOGA

BE HERE NOW


I cannot express 
enough gratitude 
for the feeling I 
have in the present 
moment. As a 
friend reminded me 
recently, all things 
are manageable in the present moment. In the 
moment, I not only live life as its happening, but I’m 
experiencing it. There’s no resistance from me, I just 
am where I am in total focus on what’s in front of 
me. 

 If I’m in past, I can feel regret, guilt or nostalgia. In 
the future, and ooh baby, the fear can creep in over 
situations that have not even happened. It’s in the 
those little gaps of awareness (or present- ness) that I 
lose my way. Mistakes happen and I miss moments 
that are important to me! 

 Yoga is the absolute perfect venue for practicing 
this present moment awareness. Using the breath 
with deliberate movement, we almost instantly 
slip into the now. The mind settles and the process 
reduces our distractions. Granted, we may still be 
distracted, but our entire focus is being directed 
back to the here and now. Just directing our efforts 
can bring about an amazing result. This is another 
reason why yoga is so enjoyable. We practice 
heightened awareness, we practice consciousness, 
we practice being in the present moment. It’s in 
this experience, we connect with our greatness and 
bigger Self. Our ability to appreciate the beauty and 
simplicity of the moment is strengthened. 

 Take a deep breath and enjoy this very moment. 
Look down at your feet and be where they are! 

Namaste and Love, 

Keely Totten


5 REASONS YOU NEED AN ALOE PLANT

Aloe succulent leaves store a gel-like juice with powerful protective and 
healing properties which have been recognized for many centuries. The 
only thing you need to do is break off a leaf, scrap out the gel and the 
aloe will do its magic all on its own.

•Aloe is anti-inflammatory and has a cooling effect so it workswonders on bug bites. You may want to break off a leaf and place it in 
you fridge for several minutes. The extra cold will enhance its cooling 
effect and help to reduce the itch.
•My favorite use of aloe is for burns. If you have never burnedyour hand cooking or suffered a sun burn you are lucky. Aloe not only 
soothes a burn but it also heals and moisturizes the skin. The only thing 
you need to do is open up a leaf and rub the inside over your skin to get 
instant relief. 
•Aloe is great as a skin moisturizer as it hydrates and providesnutrients for the skin. It is full of vitamins C, E, and beta carotene which 
are all known to help prevent premature aging. 
•Aloe is not only anti-inflammatory but it is also anti-microbial. These two properties makealoe a great choice to treat a wide range of skin problems such as eczema, rashes, psoriasis, and acne. 
It reduces inflammation, cools and moisturizes the skin all while promoting cell renewal 
•Lastly is you have stretch marks either from weight gain or from pregnancy, applying aloegel on a daily basis helps to reduce their visibility. Stretch marks are the result of minor tears that 
appear in the top layer of our skin. Aloe can help to heal those tears when applied early to stretch 
marks. 


Aloe is so easy to grow… everyone 
should have a plant somewhere in 
their yard. It can even grow in a 
planter on a balcony. 

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


BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


SAVING FOR COLLEGE: 
WHAT, WHY, WHEN, 
WHERE, AND HOW

If it’s important to you that your children attend 
college, the time to start saving is now. The real 
question is where to place your savings.

 If you start saving early in your child’s life, you 
can afford to take a riskier approach in the early 
years. The closer you get to needing the money, 
however, the less acceptable risk becomes. For 
example, a sharp downturn in the stock market 
right when you need money can be devastating if 
your investments are in market-sensitive securities.

 Regardless of which savings vehicles you use, it’s 
key that you stay connected to your investments. 
Handing them over to a financial advisor blindly 
is usually not in your best interest. Understanding 
and participating in your own investment decisions 
almost always makes more sense.

 There are two main types of savings vehicles I 
recommend you consider: The “529 Plan” and the 
Wealth Creation Trust.

 The 529 Plan is the most common way to save 
for college. This college savings opportunity is 
named for the section number of the Internal 
Revenue Service Code that provides for its use. 
Under a 529, taxes are not paid on the earnings 
if used for college, including tuition, books, and 
living expenses. If the money in a 529 Plan is not 
used for college, however, a 10% penalty is assessed 
on the earnings (though the principal may still be 
withdrawn tax free).

 The Wealth Creation Trust on the other hand, 
does not offer any tax savings, but it does offer more 
flexibility. You can establish a Wealth Creation 
Trust for your child at an early age and then ask all 
of your family members to contribute to the trust 
for the benefit of your child at important events, 
birthdays and other rites of passage. The funds in 
the Trust are then held for the benefit of your child, 
who can eventually become a Trustee of the Trust 
and learn to manage the assets when she hits a level 
of maturity you determine to be appropriate.

 Funds in a Wealth Creation Trust can be used 
not only for education, but to start a business, 
travel the world, purchase a home, or for any other 
purpose you determine. 

 Sometimes when contemplating how to pay for 
college, parents are tempted to tap into money 
that has been set aside for other purposes--most 
notably, retirement. Using these funds, however, 
can affect a student’s eligibility for various need-
based tuition assistance programs. Retirement 
funds withdrawn to pay college expenses must 
be reported on the Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid as additional income. 

 Consequently, the Expected Family Contribution 
derived from the FAFSA will be higher and 
will therefore reduce the possibility of financial 
assistance when using retirement funds.

 Two bright spots in the challenge of paying 
college expenses are the American Opportunity 
Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. These 
are tax credits that allow a student or her parents 
to reduce their tax liability dollar for dollar based 
on tuition payments. The AOTC gives a credit of 
100% of the first $2,000 in tuition- costs, and 25% 
of the next $2,000. The Lifetime Credit allows a 
credit of 20% of the first $10,000 in tuition costs 
regardless of how many children are incurring 
the expenses. Both programs have income limits 
to qualify: $180,000 and $130,000 respectively for 
those married and filing joint tax returns. If single, 
the limits are $90,000 and $65,000.

 One of my favorite things about being a personal 
family attorney is building lifetime relationships 
with my clients. I am able to serve as a resource for 
them as they navigate the same challenges I face in 
life -- and yes, saving for my kids’ college is a big 
one! If that’s the kind of relationship you’d like to 
have with your lawyer, give us a call and schedule 
a Family Estate Planning Session with me. We’ll 
look at your unique family situation, goals, and 
challenges. If things aren’t quite where you want 
them to be we’ll look at strategies, tools, and 
techniques to help get you there.

 Dedicated to your family’s wealth, health, and 
happiness,

 

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a 
mission to help parents protect what they love most. 
His office is located at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, 
Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an appointment 
to sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love 
and financial security for your family by calling 
626.355.4000 or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more 
information.

THUNDERCLAP: 
CROWD-SPEAKING 
ON TWITTER AND 
FACEBOOK

If you are looking for a way to amplify a message 
on social media, you might consider using 
Thunderclap (www.thunderclap.it). It is a crowd-
speaking platform that will send out a timed 
Twitter and Facebook post from all the people 
who sign up to participate. They call it an “online 
flash mob.” Everyone who joins your thunderclap 
will share the same message at the same time on 
their Facebook and Twitter.

You set a supporter goal and promote your 
Thunderclap campaign by asking people to join 
your campaign. When they join, they are giving 
Thunderclap permission to to have your message 
posted on their Twitter and Facebook accounts 
at the designated time and date of your launch. 
There is no charge for the people who join your 
campaign; basically, they are donating their 
social reach.

There is no charge to create or support a basic 
Thunderclap. But, they have other pricing tiers 
ranging from $45 - $500 per campaign depending 
on what you are trying to accomplish. 

You can see sample case studies at www.
thunderclap.it/casestudies.

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own 
HUTdogs, a creative services business that 
specializes in Internet Marketing strategies 
and Social Media. They offer social media 
management services and help their clients 
build a strong on-line presence. “Like” them on 
Facebook for trending news in social media, 
internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.
facebook.com/hutdogs.

Sign up for their upcoming classes, webinars and 
presentations at: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/
schedule 


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