Author: Nataliya

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A Heat Wave on a Labor Day Weekend in San Francisco Bay Area

A Heat Wave on a Labor Day Weekend in San Francisco Bay Area

Finally, the long-awaited Labor Day weekend is here! This year, a heat wave hit the entire Bay Area. Here is an image of a beautiful sunrise I took during my today’s morning jog around eight o’clock in the morning. The temperature was already around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tips for the humans:

  • – On a scorching day when the temperature is in the triple digits, it is essential to wear light and breathable clothes, stay in a cool shade as much as possible and hydrate yourself often by drinking more water. Sweating helps to evaporate the internal heat and prevent the build-up of excessive heat.
  • – Interesting that in some Asian countries there is a custom to drink lots of hot tea when the weather is at its hottest.  It might not make much sense, right? In fact, drinking hot tea helps to sweat more profusely and promote rapid internal cooling. When my family and I lived in the southern latitudes, the typical summer temperature was often above 100 degrees and we served hot tea 4-6 times a day. And yes, each of us was sweating a lot!
  • – What kind of tea might be the best? It could be 1-2 cups of your favorite green or black tea, and a few more cups of herbal teas served with lemon slices. If drinking hot tea on a sweltering day does not resonate with you, a cold or iced tea is always another option. The key is to keep your body moist from inside out. My favorite teas are Organic Jasmine Green Tea and  Organic Peppermint Tea.

Tips for the pets:

  • – What about our furry friends? A pet that you own is part of your family. Do you know that animals are not able to sweat and because of that they get overheated very quickly?Overheating can do severe damage to their internal organs and tissues. Cars and other vehicles do not provide a favorable environment for the pets unless an air conditioner is running and keeping the space refreshing.
  • – Keeping the animals in a cool shade and offering them fresh water during the day is essential. Wet food or rehydrated dry food can provide additional hydration.  One of the foods that my cats love is rehydrated Primal Freeze Dried Nuggets. They also enjoy Chlorella Tablets as a healthy crunchy supplement.
  • – Fresh vegetables are an excellent source of hydration and some pets like eating them as a snack or mixed with their regular food. My friend’s dogs like to chew on fresh carrots and broccoli. My cats like avocados and corn on the cob. If you notice that your pet is interested in fresh vegetables, it might be best to discuss it with your veterinarian.

Tips for the plants:

  • – On a very hot day, the plants need extra care as well. If you have a lawn, a garden or pots with flowers, herbs or bushes, keep your plant family members happy and thriving by giving them extra splashes of water on a sunrise and sunset.

Hope my thoughts were inspiring and helpful to you. I wish you, your family, pets, and plants to have a pleasant holiday!

Nataliya

Bibliography:

Ward, E. (2017). How Hot Does It Get in a Parked Car? (video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOcCQ-y3OY Available at https://www.drernieward.com/

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Client Alice M, Millbrae, CA

I worked with Nataliya for about 4 months. I experienced different types of discomfort before beginning Yoga for Scoliosis practice with Nataliya. I found the most helpful poses were Tadasana, Viparita Karani and core strengthening pose. My discomfort has been minimized. The yoga practice helped build strength and relieve discomfort in many parts of my body. One-on-one practice helped establishing a home practice, which was the most beneficial for me. I also learned variations of the poses that were unique to my body. I plan to continue maintaining my home practice to keep discomfort to a minimum.

I would recommend one-on-one Yoga for Scoliosis sessions. It was very educational and helpful to know type of scoliosis, the curvature of spine, the alignment of body, and what factors can contribute to discomfort. Learning specific poses to build strength is very beneficial… especially those pose variations that are unique to a person’s body. My YFS practitioner, Nataliya has been a joy to work with and she is an excellent instructor who has helped me immensely in the way she has guided me through the poses and by example.

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Client Linda V, South San Francisco, CA

I worked with Nataliya for 4 months. Before my private Yoga for Scoliosis practice, I experienced various types of discomfort and stiffness. The most helpful was to learn how to practice relaxing poses and breathing into my back while visualizing my spine being in perfect alignment. As a result, I feel better overall as my chest feels more open and my posture is better. The one-on-one sessions have helped me do the poses more correctly and I really feel the difference.

The one-on-one sessions have helped me feel better by stretching more and paying more attention to my posture and my breathing. I am very grateful that I was able to participate in Yoga for Scoliosis sessions. Nataliya answered all my questions clearly and precisely, giving me examples, clarifications, suggestions that were helpful in my practices at home. I appreciate all the pictures and information you provided that made my own practices easier. As always, Nataliya is the best.

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Client Yuliya K, San Francisco, CA

I worked with Nataliya for about 2 months, in person, by phone and by email. Nataliya was very helpful, enthusiastic, and always willing to answer my questions. Nataliya is truly a very caring, pleasant, understanding, never judging, and very knowledgeable person.

I got the most help with the following:

  • Nataliya made her recommendations based on my age, my personal preferences and my family traditions
  • We discussed my every day intake of foods and beverages
  • She did grocery shopping with me a few times!
  • She suggested better-quality vitamins and supplements
  • She is very educated teacher: I realized that it is possible to improve my health with healthy food and lifestyle choices

My results: I finally lost 20 lbs, I have better energy, I have less of the abdominal discomfort, the pimples on my forehead disappeared, my blood pressure is better. Most importantly, I learned how to take a better care of myself!

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Client Vilma B, South San Francisco, CA

“I always been very conscious about my diet and I thought that I was on the right path until I received a Nutrition Support from Nataliya. I attended Nataliya’s Holistic Nutrition classes and in addition I received 6 weekly individual counseling sessions with her on Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle. Nataliya demonstrated to me her abundant knowledge on how to get me on the right path to good nutrition and conveyed it in a way that made me excited about making changes for the better.
I highly recommend her for anyone who wants to learn how to eat healthier, feel better or has symptoms or health issues which are not being solved by conventional practitioners or to anyone who would like to improve the quality of their life.
Nataliya has introduced me to a new way of eating for health, the information she shares is very valuable and empowering. As a result of my new eating for health habits, I noticed my concentration improved as well as my physical stamina. Before I met Nataliya, I always felt hungry even if I ate something just a few minutes earlier. As a result of coming to Nataliya’s classes and having individual consultations with her,  I learned how I can feel satiated and nourished and my cravings have disappeared. I gained more energy and the elasticity of my skin improved.”

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Client Wanda B, South San Francisco, CA

“It is my great pleasure to recommend Nataliya. I attended Nataliya’s Holistic Nutrition classes and I received 6 weekly individual counseling sessions with her on Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle because my health goals were to learn how to lose weight and get fit. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made for my health.
During the course instruction I received nutritional education and gained self-awareness about the foods I was eating and how they affect my health. Simple strategies such as how to read nutrition labels on packaged foods, how to select “lean” proteins and “clean” fats, how to use more herbs and spices to add nutritional value to the foods I am eating,  as well as many delicious recipes for me to try helped me to demystify today’s complex food choices.
I also appreciated Nataliya’s individual consultations and her doable suggestions on improving some of my current eating patterns and habits. This process helped me make good nutritional choices to stock my cupboards and have healthy nutritious foods available for every meal of the day.
Another aspect of our work together that I found fun and engaging was the challenge of shopping fresh and local. A friend of mine who was also taking Nataliya’s class joined me for weekly shopping trips to our local farmers’ market. We also went on many fun excursions to San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery where most of the food has already been qualified as nutritional and/or certified organic. What fun! This has forever changed the boring routine of grocery shopping and sparked my curiosity to find and consume nutritionally sound food.
Nataliya’s lifestyle embraces her passion for whole body transformation and health. She is a great communicator and teacher. I highly regard her input and consider her an encouraging role model for living a healthy well-nourished life. I would recommend her classes and her individual counseling sessions to anyone seeking to make changes towards better health. Sincerely, Wanda B.”

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Client Mitra J, Millbrae, CA

“When I first Nataliya at her yoga class 5 years ago, it didn’t take me long to figure out that she was an instructor with a solid knowledge of yoga.  She taught in a way that gave confidence to beginners and encouragement the more advanced students.  After a while my then 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with Scoliosis and I consulted Nataliya.  She explained that by increasing abdominal and back strength and improving posture she could reduce the side effects of her spine curvature.  Nataliya then agreed to show my daughter how to achieve these remarkable results by teaching her individualized routines with a series of different yoga sequences focusing on working with the postures therapeutically.  My daughter is still practicing on her own and continues to benefit from these yoga sequences that help her keep her Scoliosis at check.
Taking Nataliya’s group classes for the past several years has been great as she always provides different options for each pose.  I have been able to build strength, obtain a great deal of insight into my own body as well as ability to unwind both my mind and body. I highly recommend Nataliya’s private and group classes for beginners as well as intermediate practitioners of yoga.”

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Client Molly B, South San Francisco, CA

Nataliya has helped me start and build a therapeutic yoga practice.   After having twins in my early forties, it was time for me to get back into shape.   My hips and knees had been really sore; I limped when I walked.  Nataliya sent me back to my doctor to get a proper diagnosis, and after some private sessions with her, I learned how to modify the yoga poses so that they work better for me.   As a result, my posture has improved; my knees and hips no longer ache like they did before I started my training; and I have my very own exercise regime!  Nataliya is very knowledgeable and patient.  I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to strengthen his or her body through the ancient practice of yoga; she is amazing!