Author: adellebrewer Page 4 of 10

Good Monday evening dear friends,

I find myself feeling very heavy after the weekend.

Hurricane Harvey took its toll on many of our friends and family around Texas. I feel continued and limitless gratitude for the preciousness of life itself. Listening to NPR/TPR in my car, talking to people in the grocery store line, and hearing tales of horror from those who lost everything they own including their workplace, has brought me into a stillness I have never experienced. Sensing my breath moment to moment has created a transformational shift inside. Like the eye of the storm, my heart is peaceful.

I lived in Houston, Texas, when Hurricane Alicia hit in 1983. The eye of the storm passed over our house. Although I had grown up in Oklahoma, and experienced many tornadoes, I had never experienced an ‘eye’ of peace that is present in a hurricane. It was a door for me into Mother Earth’s true heart. The trees around our house completely laid down one direction, as I huddled alone inside, listening to the whirl of the wind and watching the rain pour horizontal. The trees slowly righted themselves and then…

Peace. Nothing. No wind. No rain. No sounds.

I will never forget that peace. I had no thoughts, and no fear… just empty space inside.

And then the trees began their descent the other direction. A slow bend that would leave them on the ground holding on for dear life as the wind and rain pounded them yet again.  I found myself staying in that place of peace, without fear and sending all my love and energy to the trees.

They held on, only losing a few branches. When I walked outside after the major gusts had subsided, I heard the trees say, “Its ok. We are strong. Just like our Mother Earth.” Yes, I hear trees, and talk to them too.

That is where I am right now… in the eye of the storm. So many things are whirling around me, with the studio, students, changes… and yet there is a peace inside that knows all is ok. This moment is all I have.

Join me this week to dance in the eye. We call it Living Meditation in Nia. Its the place that is present all the time, no matter what we are doing. It is the place that we can access 24/7 by taking a breath, and sensing it touch us inside. It is the place where we can look into another’s eyes and for a moment, radiate stillness and presence as we truly SEE them. It is the place where we can hear all the turmoil around us and listen in silence with an open heart, creating an energetic aikedo swirl that dissipates the energy into calm.

We all have it inside.

Let’s dance it this week.

While there are many organizations helping out, I have found two that are here in San Antonio doing great things, and I have donated to both. If you are looking for a way to help, the San Antonio Food Bank has many needs, both financial and physical. I am heading down there tomorrow afternoon to work stocking in their coolers. You can go to https://safoodbank.org/, and make donations as well as sign up for shifts. Animals are also in dire need of assistance. Please visit the Animal Defense League, to donate as well as volunteer to foster homeless animals: https://adltexas.org/.

Ride the wave of peace in the eye of the storm.

I love you all dearly, Adelle

Nia: Tuesday 7:30am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 9:15am

Nia FreeDance: Thursday 9:15am

Read more from Madisyn Taylor of DailyOm. My inspiration for this week’s focus. Riding the Wave of Life~

While riding the wave of life you must also practice stillness so you can flow with, rather than resist the wave’s motion.

Our lives are continually in motion, buoyed by the wave that is the universe’s flow. As the wave rises and falls, we are carried forward, through life’s high and low points. The universe’s flow may take us to a place in life where we would rather not be. As tempting as it can be to fight the direction and size of this wave that propels us, riding the wave is intended to make life easier. When you ride the wave, your life can evolve naturally and with minimal effort. Riding the wave, however, is not a passive experience. It is an active process that requires you to be attentive, centered, and awake. You must also practice stillness so you can flow with, rather than resist the wave’s motion.

Because life is dynamic and always changing, it is when we try to make the wave stand still or resist its direction that we are likely to get pulled under by its weight. If you try to move against the wave, you may feel as if you are trapped by it and have no control over your destiny. When you reach a low point while riding the wave and find your feet touching bottom, remember to stay standing so that you can leap forward along with the wave the next time it rises. Trying to resist life’s flow is a losing proposition and costly because you waste energy.

Riding the wave allows you to move forward without expending too much of your own efforts. When you ride the wave, you are carried by it and your head can “stay above water” as you go wherever it takes you. It can be difficult to trust the universe and let go of the urge to fight life’s flow, and you may find it easier to ride the wave if you can stay calm and relaxed. Riding the wave will always take you where you need to go.

… space.

5Rhythms creator Gabrielle Roth said; “Between the head and feet of any given person is a billion miles of unexplored wilderness.”

How do you honor the silence and sound of your life? The vast solar system of possibilities?

I’m sitting in the Oklahoma City airport, after a wonderful weekend of celebration. Louisa, my youngest child, opened a new location for her art school in Norman, Oklahoma. Oil and Clay Studio is inspiring young minds and hearts through art, literature, and creative thinking. They now have a new location on Main Street Norman, among shops, galleries, and restaurants that are all cutting edge examples of entrepreneurs stepping into their greatness… making a difference one person, one body at a time. I was also able to spend precious time with my 15 month-old grand daughter Nora, watching her moment-to-moment discoveries, as she moved, explored and created.

As I sit here writing in reflection, I am listening to the purr of the coffee machine, the gentle flow of the air conditioner, and the occasional announcement over the loud speakers. Amazingly, there is a lot of silence in this airport. I am also watching as the sun begins to slowly be covered by the curtain of our moon. It is a clear day, and we are 30 minutes away from a solar eclipse.

There is a palpable stillness in the air…

Back again, after sharing my solar-gazing glasses with new friends outside the main terminal. I am in awe, sensing the space and stillness within. As Gabrielle Roth wrote, we ARE truly unexplored wilderness.

Join me this week, as we explore the silence between the sounds, the space within the density, the stillness that is present in the movement. The vast solar system of our body has endless possibilities to move, explore, create and discover new pathways for healing.

I will be teaching most of the class exploring the silence and sounds of the music, cueing with very little words, as my body leads the way. This is YOUR practice, YOUR discovery, YOUR body as a microcosm of the Universe. Bring YOUR body to the dance floor. You will hear ‘thank you’ coming from your greatest life companion, YOUR body.

Returning to San Antonio with boundless gratitude, Adelle

Nia: Tuesday 7:30am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 9:15am, Sunday 4:00pm

Nia FreeDance: Thursday 9:15am

Yoga: Thursday 12:00pm, Sunday 8:45am

“Your body is a microcosm of the universe…”
―Anna Halprin, one of the most inspirational dance teachers of the post-modern movement

Click here and Check out Oil and Clay Studio! 

What does the name Nia mean? 

I hear this all the time. Sometimes I laugh and give the long answer, and sometimes I just say, “Dancing with Purpose.”

When Nia was birthed, it was an acronym for Non-Impact Aerobics. Hmmm… that didn’t work. Nia does have impactful pressure on the body, specifically the bones (as does walking itself,) and gentle stress on the bones keep them stronger.

Then Nia was known as Neuromuscular Integrative Action… wow. A mouthful. While Nia does access neurons, muscles, and many other processes of the body in an integrative way, the LONG name brought some raised eyebrows.

Nia in Swahili means ‘with purpose.’ In Hebrew, Nia means ‘to move.’ While there are many ways of describing Nia,  (9 Movement Forms, 7 Cycles, 52 Moves, FreeDance, etc.) I love to say, “We move with purpose.”

As Madisyn Taylor writes below, nothing happens in our lives and in the world without purpose.

Everyday, I purposefully move my body to feel better, for health of my emotions, mind, and spirit. It is a choice as human beings that we make everyday.

What do you choose?

Now I Am… moving with purpose. Join me in class this week!

Check out the MANY special events, classes, trainings and loads of FUN that are on the horizon! CLICK HERE! 

Love, Adelle

Nia: Tuesday 7:30am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 9:15am

Nia FreeDance: Thursday 9:15am

Read more from Madisyn Taylor…

The path that speeds us toward our dreams can be a challenging and complex one, so it’s easy to get bogged down in confusion and insecurities. We often hesitate at the start of that path, questioning our purpose or our capabilities. Yet we should be moving forward joyously, eager to discover what destiny has in store for us. The universe has plans for us that eclipse anything we have dreamed of thus far. Though we must work diligently to fulfill our potential and to accomplish our individual missions, the universe is aware of both the quests we chose before birth and the goals we have formulated in adulthood. If we accept that it us watching over us and believe that it will facilitate our eventual success, the universe will provide us with the assistance and opportunities that enable us to make significant progress on our journeys of ambition.

Nothing happens without a purpose. Whether we attract success or repel it depends on our willingness to stay open to a wide range of possibilities and to embrace concepts like synchronicity. The universe is always ready to care for our needs, but we must not write off its loving attention as mere circumstance or chance. Likewise, we must endeavor to ensure that our egos do not become a barrier that prevents us from recognizing that even perceived mistakes and strife can be profound lessons that smooth the progress of personal evolution. When we understand that we only need to enthusiastically try our best to realize our objectives, the universe will take care of the details, propelling us forward in its unstoppable current. We may not always immediately understand the significance of certain experiences, but our trust will help us choose wisely at each crossroads.
The universe wants to see you accomplish your goals. No matter how long you’ve dallied or hesitated, it will always be there to put its plan for you in motion at the first sign of your faith. You can make the most of this aid by acquiescing to it rather than fighting it–nurture your dreams but do not attempt to micromanage every detail along the way. The universe will provide you with guidance and, if you heed that guidance, you will find your formerly stressful quest for success will become a journey of great joy. ~Madisyn Taylor, Daily Om

Happy wet Monday friends! How about the rain?!

Yesterday in the 4:00 Nia class, I was teaching CELL-ebrate, and decided to put in another song from Spotify, giving the class a ‘mini’ Nia FreeDance class experience. We were dancing along, and I was giving pearls from Body, Emotions… and BOM! The music auto-magically changed.

I knew it was a mandate from Spirit when the song started out with, “Hokahey (Sioux for ‘Let’s do it’)” and then continued, “This Earth does not belong to us, WE belong to this Earth… We must take responsibility to make sure everything is healthy for the future of our children…”

Pearls came in from Body, Emotions, Mind and Spirit, as we danced a rain dance for the Earth. It was palpable and POWERFUL.

Guess what??? It POURED rain this morning, giving our spot on Earth relief, here in sun-baked San Antonio, Texas.

Do you listen to your heart and intuition? To Spirit mandates that say, ‘Let’s do it!’? What if we lived from our heart brain and intuitive knowledge that is coded in our body… how would life change? What would we manifest?

Some say it’s ‘woo woo.’ It IS some ‘woo woo’ with a whole lot of truth… its the power of positive thinking. The power to change the energy that greets us everyday, with a positive affirmation. By starting the day with a positive affirmation, as if it has already happened, we set it into motion. Manifestation.

Now I Am… Powerful, Strong, Flexible, Peaceful, Happy, Agile, Mobile, Accepting, Inclusive, Flowing, Present, Grateful… the list is endless!

Bring your affirmation to class and let’s manifest! 

SEE you in class… Adelle

Nia: Tuesday 7:30am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 9:15am

Nia FreeDance: Thursday 9:15am

Empty hallway to Laughter Studio

“Rock your emptiness”… hmmm…

When I read these words written by Danielle LaPorte, they resonated with me, Adelle, the introvert who craves space. That is how Danielle answered the question posed to her about emptiness when she said, “You’re full of space, which means you can walk around feeling like anything is possible.”

That is how I feel about flexibility, the sensation that moves energy out, and gives me space… space in my body, my emotions, my mind and my essence, my spirit. I know it is THE sensation that brings healing to me, Adelle, the introvert. Being an extraverted-introvert means I have to be OUT, I have to be ON, and I HAVE to allow myself time to rejuvenate, let go, be silent and rock my emptiness.

Space is waiting for YOU!

What if we made friends with the peace that is always waiting for us? What if we waved our arms around our chest, our torso, our heart space, and said, “This is spaciousness, this is powerful… this is the space I need!”

Let’s do it!  See you in class this week!

With love from my spacious heart, FULL of possibility…  Adelle

My classes this week:

Nia: Tuesday 7:30am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 9:15am, Sunday 4:00pm

Nia FreeDance: Thursday 9:15am… all at The Synergy Studio!

Yoga: Thursday 12:00pm, Sunday 8:45am

*Read more from Danielle LaPorte*                                                                               “Can you speak about emptiness?” a young woman asked at my talk. As those words came out, she circled her hands in front of her stomach, as if she was rubbing a hollow belly.

“Is it numbness or emptiness that you’re feeling?” I asked. A key distinction. Numbness is the result of being overloaded—too much pain, too much information, too much medication. Emptiness is very different.

Her response was poetic. She wasn’t stressed, or heavy about it, she was truly curious about her experience, “I feel this emptiness when I walk through the world, like the wind is blowing right through me.” Ohhh. I know that gusting.

“Well, I could be wrong, and this may sound perverse, but I’m excited for you. Because this…” and I waved my hands around my torso, “THIS is spaciousness. And it’s a powerful thing.”

“Sunyata” is a Sanskrit term for emptiness. It speaks to the concept of not having a “self”, the voidness of being. You could say it’s one of the aims of enlightenment itself, a supremely big deal. But most of us are terrified of going there.

Much of our personal and global (same thing) problems are a result of trying to stuff our emptiness—with food, power, noise, gadgets. We cram our lives with people—virtual, in-person, strangers on screens, so we don’t have to be alone. We’re raised to fill the void. Like little robots. Fill void, fill void.

But what if we rocked our emptiness? Felt the perimeter of ourselves. Relished the silence. Made friends with the peace that’s always waiting for us. What if we got off on the discomfort of our emptiness and let it be creative tension?

Maybe we’re just one mental reframe away from turning our universal emptiness into personal power.

“Because, you’re not empty. You’re full of space,” I said to the girl who was feeling the elements of life moving through her core. “Which means that you can walk around feeling like anything is possible.”

“Ohhh. I like that,” she said. “Empty, but full of possibility.”

SO full. Danielle LaPorte

Water is a precious commodity. In San Antonio, this time of year proves challenging due to our heat. With heat comes water restrictions, and we are now in Stage 1.

Water is also a great teacher. Madisyn Taylor, of Daily Om, wrote a beautiful post about water showing us how to move through the world… with grace, ease, determination and humility.

As I’m reflecting on the week ahead, teaching Nia, Nia FreeDance and Yoga, I also see a wonderful metaphoric teacher in water, a metaphor for the 5 sensations that keep our body healthy. Daily feeding our body with Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability, we can move through the world with grace, ease, determination and humility.

Madisyn writes, “The journey of water as it flows upon the earth can be a mirror of our own paths through life. Water begins its residence on earth as it falls from the sky or melts from ice and streams down a mountain into a tributary or stream. *Agility* In the same way, we come into the world and begin our lives on earth. Like a river that flows within the confines of its banks, we are born with certain defining characteristics that govern our identity. We are born in a specific time and place, within a specific family, and with certain gifts and challenges. Within these parameters, we move through life, encountering many twists, turns, and obstacles along the way just as a river flows. *Mobility*

When a river breaks at a waterfall, it gains energy and moves on. As we encounter our own waterfalls, we may fall hard but we always keep moving on. Water can inspire us to not become rigid with fear or cling to what’s familiar. *Flexibility* Water is brave and does not waste time clinging to its past, but flows onward without looking back. *Strength* At the same time, when there is a hole to be filled, water does not run away from it in fear of the dark; instead, water humbly and bravely fills the empty space. In the same way, we can face the dark moments of our life rather than run away from them.*Stability*

Eventually, a river will empty into the sea. Water does not hold back from joining with a larger body, nor does it fear a loss of identity or control. It gracefully and humbly tumbles into the vastness by contributing its energy and merging without resistance. Each time we move beyond our individual egos to become part of something bigger, we can try our best to follow the lead of the river. *Sacred Athlete, Living with Purpose, Potential, Possibilities*

Join me this week, as we focus on the 5 Sensations that keep our body healthy, while also appreciating the great teacher that is present in every sip that we take.

Loving you!

Adelle

My classes this week:

Nia: Tuesday 6:45am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 9:15am, Sunday 4:00pm

Nia FreeDance: Thursday 9:15am

Yoga: Thursday 12:00pm, Sunday 8:45am

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Did you know your head weighs between 8 and 10 lbs?  Imagine holding a 10 pound weight in one hand… for a LONG time. That is the weight that bears down on our spine whenever we are upright!

Our head is important in our daily activities and plays a vital role in our alignment and health. In Nia, we integrate our head in all our movements, keeping our spine healthy, flexible, and strong.

Through Head and Eye Movements (HEM), we organically move our head by using our eyes to follow our hands, or an imaginary butterfly through the room.  This allows us to learn and sense the design and function of our head and help us move with mindfulness and pleasure.

One of Nia’s 9 movement forms is the Alexander Technique, with the catch phase “Movement From the Top”.  The Alexander Technique teaches us to be in relationship with our beautiful head, and to connect with electromagnetic energy from above as we initiate our movements to keep the energy upward.  It is a gravitational force that lifts us up!

We can do this by imaging a feather is connected to the base of our neck, lengthening upwards toward the sky. Imagine that the feather is so tall you can tickle the belly of the clouds. This image draws attention upward, gently lengthening our neck and all seven cervical vertebrae.

We have 8 bones in our head, or cranium. EveryBody release your jaw, the only bone in the cranium that moves, and say ‘AHHHHH” and then SMILE!! Guess what? You have 14 facial bones that just moved!

Dem Bones… Da Noggin’! Bring em to class and let’s dance!

Love, Adelle

Tuesday 7:30am, Wednesday 9:15am,  Thursday 9:15am for *Nia FreeDance, and Friday 9:15am

A few pics from our FABulous weekend teaching in Dallas!

If you are an anatomy geek like me, check this out… Da Noggin’!

Bones of the head: There are 29 bones in the human head. They consist of 8 cranial bones, 14 facial bones, the hyoid bone, and 6 auditory (ear) bones.

• The 8 cranial bones are the frontal, 2 parietal, occipital, 2 temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones.
• The 14 facial bones are the 2 maxilla, mandible, 2 zygoma, 2 lacrimal, 2 nasal, 2 turbinate, vomer and 2 palate bones.
• The hyoid bone is horseshoe-shaped bone at the base of the tongue.
• The 6 auditory ossicles (little bones) are the malleus, incus and stapes in each ear.

Good morning friends!

This week, we are going to CELL-ebrate our Bones! Bones are the 206 structural parts of our body that create form and freedom, so we can dance through our day.

If we move from the bones, vertical/horizontal/rotational, then we are moving all of our muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue… YUMMY!

The new Nia routine that I choreographed, CELL-ebrate, was released internationally on Friday. I just returned from a FUN long weekend in CaliforNia, premiering CELL-ebrate on Saturday morning, at the beautiful studio of my dear friend Kate Nash, Cosmotion. It was a true celebration of life itself, with the wonderful CaliforNia community coming together to sing, sound, and dance.

I have attached the YouTube promotional video from Nia HQ about CELL-ebrate, as well as a few Cali-Nia pics. FUNtastic to be in our amazing worldwide commUNITY!

Join me for Nia FreeDance, Nia, and Yoga, as we CELL-ebrate our Bones!

LOVE! Adelle

Thursday: Nia FreeDance 9:15, Yoga 12:00… Friday: Nia 9:15… Saturday: Nia 9:30 Sunday: Yoga 8:45, Nia 4:00pm, all at The Synergy Studio!

FUN weekend ahead, as Joanie and I team-teach the new routine Sacred on Saturday at 9:30 and Sunday at 4:00. We will celebrate our bones in the dance!

CELL-ebrate video, Click here!