Category: Uncategorized Page 11 of 28

Engaging in the moment



From my amazing friend and colleague Adam Barley, a master 5Rhythms teacher in England. His words resonate deeply with me… passing them on. And yes, Gabrielle’s books are genius. So much wisdom in her glorious life on earth. Adelle 

“To listen to the no-sound of the breath, expanding into the stillness and spaciousness that brings. 

To tune into the same consciousness we find when we dance – aware of the body, it’s instincts and hunches about timing, space, and pace.

To allow the free flow and creative expression of our feelings in and out of relationship with others, including more body-awareness and embodied communication with our friends, lovers, and enemies, remembering how to speak straight from the heart, and listen with everything we have. 

To totally engage in the moment to moment teachings and alchemy that the events of our lives are constantly giving us – whether in a brush with a stranger, an intimacy with our family, a conflict with a friend, or encounters with birth, death, sex, money, and creative endeavor. All the stuff of life has the potential for deep and profound personal evolution, both as healing and growth. Whether you dance daily at home, weekly at your local class, or in periodic high-octane blasts at workshops, a strong practice will create and strengthen pathways in your body-heart-mind that make this kind of engagement more readily available. Gabrielle Roth, the founder of this practice, communicated this kind of engagement with life so beautifully in all three of her books. (If you haven’t read them, just do it. They’re brilliant.) There’s something about movement practices that do this particularly well I think. Because they’re rooted in the body, they create pathways within us, new neural networks, that engage us with ourselves and each other in a very ‘whole’ way. Then off the dance floor those same pathways quite naturally get used to engage us in some mysterious way with life, allowing it to affect us more deeply and teach us more vibrantly, shaking us loose from our moorings of social convention, constantly nudging us awake. 

Nudge me awake. More please. Next step. I’m waking up again. A little more. Listen. Yes. Now. Take a breath. This is it. Let love in. Let myself show. Let life hurt me. Let life bless me. Let go, let go, let go. Let go of letting go and stick with something long enough for creation to happen. Let this be. Here we come.

All these things happen all the time. There is no need for a dance floor. No need to move in a way that would look weird whilst shopping for vegetables at the market. 

Now is the moment of power.” Adam Barley


Adam’s website: http://www.adambarley.com/

Awareness into Presence



Good morning!

Right here, right now, take a moment to sense the fabric of your clothes touching your skin. Look out from what you are doing, soften your eyes, and change your perception of what you see. As you read these words, notice the movement of your eyes, the reach of your hand as you pick up your cup of coffee, tea or water. 

When you do these things, are you anywhere else but here? Present?

These simple tasks are examples of a vibrant principle of Nia, Principle #5: Awareness. The feel of something touching our skin: Living Meditation. The change of perception: Life as Art. The movements our body makes: Dancing Through Life. 

There is a lot of talk these days about present moment, living in the now. Awareness brings us there… here… into presence. 

Yummy, yummy delicious. Its called living life 100%.

As Olympic Athletes say, “Practice, practice, practice, then the game is on.”

As Sacred Athletes, the game is on now for us. Everyday is an opportunity to hone our skills, to practice, for every moment counts. We are alive, humming with awareness… buzzing with life.



Come practice with me this week… the game is on.
Loving you wide, tall, and deep, Adelle
My classes this week: Tuesday 6:45am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 5:30pm at The Synergy Studio

I love this about Presence from Madisyn Taylor: 
When we are fully present, we offer our whole selves to whatever it is that we are doing. Our attention, our integrity, and our energy are all focused in the moment and on the task at hand. This is a powerful experience, and when we are in this state, we feel completely alive and invigorated. This kind of aliveness comes easily when we are absorbed in work or play that we love, but it is available to us in every moment, and we can learn to summon it regardless of what we are doing. Even tasks or jobs we don’t enjoy can become infused with the light of being present. The more present we are, the more meaningful our entire lives become.

Next time you find yourself fully engaged in the moment, whether you are making art, trying to solve an interesting puzzle, or talking to your best friend, you may want to take a moment to notice how you feel. You may observe that you are not thinking about what you need to do next, your body feels like it’s pleasantly humming, or your brain feels tingly. As you enjoy the feeling of being located entirely in the present moment, you can inform yourself that you may try to recall this feeling later. You might try this while driving home or getting ready for bed, allowing yourself to be just as engaged in that experience as you were in the earlier one.

The more we draw ourselves into the present moment, the more we honor the gift of our lives, and the more we honor the people around us. When we are fully present, we give and receive aliveness in equal measure. For today, try to be fully present in your daily activities and watch a new reality open for you. 


Adelle Brownlee Brewer
Owner, The Synergy Studio
Nia 1st Degree Black Belt Somatic Educator + Trainer
Transformational Breath® Facilitator + Trainer

Certified JourneyDance™ Facilitator
www.transformationalbreath.com
www.journeydance.com/adellebrewer


Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  
Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!
Check out my trainings: www.nianow.com/adelle





Living in the shadow of Chaos or diving into the eye of the storm

My friend and fellow colleague of movement, Adam Barley, wrote this today and I wanted to pass it on. See below***

As the wise Gabriel Roth, founder of the 5Rhythms mused, we are in the time of Chaos. And from Chaos flows creativity. 
Shall we live in the shadow of chaos or dive into the storm?
My choice? To dive… 

*BTW, Adam lives in England, and is an amazing ambassador and 5Rhythms teacher. Look for him in your community

***Awakening 

Maybe it sounds a bit grand, calling this year’s on-going group “Awakening”. My English tendency towards understatement didn’t have anything to do with it. It’s not even my idea. Or Eckhart Tolle’s! Everybody’s saying it.

All over the world, from Tibet to the Amazon rainforest, indigenous wisdom keepers have been saying for a few decades now that the time has come for their most sacred teachings to be shared freely with anyone who will listen – human consciousness ‘technologies’ that have for 

countless generations only been passed down orally 
to carefully trained initiates.

But beyond even that, we all feel it, see it, know it in our guts: we’re not just on the brink, we’re off the edge and falling.

Well, that’s Chaos. Chaos falls. The wave needs to break.

After ten thousand years of gathering Staccato momentum, pushing out and forwards like all good waves do, it’s come to the point where that forward motion has become unsustainable, and the pull of mamma earth is taking over again. Such is the nature of Chaos, and this wave is so huge, we’re seeing the beginning of a break so mighty, we can barely begin to grasp it’s depth or power.

FAR OUT!!!

How are your surfing skills, people???

How are you with ‘down’ as a direction?
(You know that Flowing moves in, Staccato out, Lyrical up, Stillness centered, right? Got a problem with “Down we go!”?) ***

Having been through one of the most difficult passages of my life so far in the last few months I feel both stripped and stronger, ready for a big year ahead. Ready to explore this theme of Awakening, which no doubt will be present at all dance floors, all mediation cushions, and all kitchen stoves all over the world as we go farther in, farther out, farther down, farther up, farther through.

Because as far as I can see, there’s no escaping what’s going on. For any of us. We do get some degree of choice as to how, like whether you want to do pharmaceutically engineered, mass media driven, ego feeding nightmares on the one extreme, or whether you’re willing to turn around and look deep into the mirror, dancing with what you find there.

You going to live in the shadow of Chaos?

Or dive into the eye of the storm, and keep waking up?

The answer is probably a bit of both isn’t it? Because awakening is not a one time thing. It’s a moment to moment, day by day, step by step process. Never ending.

with love,
Adam

How old are you? How old would you be if… ???

How old would you be, if you didn’t know how old you were? 
I love to ponder this question. When I press myself for an answer, I have to speak the truth… I have no idea. 
As I enter my birthday week, looking at the ‘number’ 56 on Thursday, January 29, I smile. I’m so grateful for another day. Another year.
I am inspired daily by the amazing people of all ages who come to the studio, ‘young’ ‘old’ and everyone in between. No one talks about age, and if they do, it is with a giggle, a smile, an acknowledgement… followed by “I feel amazing.”
We explore this phenomenon called “Natural Time” in the Nia White Belt. It the measurement of space/time and the movement of energy that naturally occurs in our digits and joints. It is encoded in our cellular system. Not dictated by a clock, or a day, a month or a year, it is our body’s way of measuring and moving based on sensation.
How cool is that?
What do you sense in your body? What age are you if you have no idea old you are? Existential, out of the box thinking… yes… and wonderful. 
Pictured below are dear friends from all over the world, after a video shoot… ages 32-64… and they could give a flip how ‘old’ they are. The listen to the sensations of their body, measure and move in natural time, and they feel great. This picture inspires me, and encourages me to keep talking the talk, walking the walk, and opening doors for potential and possibilities.  
Come dance with me this week. We will explore “Natural Time” as we listen to the sensations of our body, and experience timeless energy. Your Body’s Way. Living as a Sacred Athlete.
Sending you love!
Adelle

​My classes this week:

Tuesday 6:45am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 5:30pm and Sunday 4:00pm​


Adelle Brownlee Brewer
Owner, The Synergy StudioNia 1st Degree Black Belt Somatic Educator + Trainer
Transformational Breath® Facilitator + Trainer 

Certified JourneyDance™ Facilitator
www.transformationalbreath.com
www.journeydance.com/adellebrewer

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  
Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!
Check out my trainings: www.nianow.com/adelle

Awareness

 As the word ‘Awareness’ entered my teaching this week, I was once again reminded of the power of being aware of what my body is saying. The power of ‘Awareness’, the principle we teach that has the catch phrase, ‘Paying attention to body sensations.’

When I woke up and looked at my computer, Deepak Chopra spoke to me this morning about Awareness. Powerful sage of our times, his words resonated:

“If you want to change your body, a change in awareness must come first. Awareness is where meaning happens. What you are unaware of won’t change.

If distorted energy is the root of all problems, it can be brought back to its normal, healthy state by accessing our inner intelligence–pure consciousness.


As your awareness changes, your energy changes, and then your body changes. The chain of events moves from the invisible realm to the visible on this path: AWARENESS – ENERGY – BODY

Awareness that is limited by fear, doubt, anger, lack, addiction, insecurity, and judgment is conditioned. Conditioned awareness does not heal the body, it merely repeats the patterns from the past. In everyone there’s a level of awareness that isn’t conditioned or lacking. This is your real self, full awareness which automatically masters.

When You Are Fully Aware:

  • You can center yourself at will
  • You are familiar with a place of peace and silence inside
  • You aren’t divided against yourself by inner conflicts
  • You can transcend local disturbances and remain unaffected by them
  • You see the world from an expanded perspective
  • Your inner world is organized

  • Old conditioning keeps us from being free, because time and again we fall into old patterns that run too deep, while our new behavior, the one we wish we could have, has no groove to follow at all. This state of being trapped in old conditioning creates its own kind of awareness.


  • When Your Awareness Is Conditioned:
  • You can’t find your center, so impulses pull you this way and that
  • You aren’t familiar with a place of peace and silence, so there’s constant restlessness
  • Conflicting impulses fight against each other
  • Local disturbances disturb and distract you
  • You see the world from a contracted perspective
  • Your inner world is totally disorganized

  • There are three ways to break down old conditioning: reflection, contemplation, and meditation. Their power increases in that order. We all tend to use these words interchangeably, but they have separate implications.

  • Reflection — taking a second look at old habits, beliefs, and assumptions.
  • Contemplation — focusing on a thought until it expands as far as it can.
  • Meditation — finding the level of the mind that isn’t conditioned.

  • Consider the best use of these methods for yourself to maximize your access to full and unconditioned awareness.
    The chain of events that ends in the body begins in consciousness. By moving stuck energy, the free flow of consciousness is restored, and that is enough to bring the body back into a healthy state.” ~ Deepak Chopra

    Well…hmmm… today will be a contemplative, meditative day of reflection.

    Sending love your way~~~ Adelle

    Magical, Mysterious, Mystical Column!



    Nia: A lifestyle practice that can be experienced at any age. Nia keeps us flexible, agile, strong and healthy. Nia combines 9 movement forms, 52 moves, 7 cycles, and 5 sensations to create a practice that everyBODY can do forever

    Why do we hesitate? Why do we let days go by without moving, dancing, rolling on the floor?

    Bring your spirit to class this week, and fly with potential and possibilities, as we dance our magical, mysterious, mystical column. Dancing Nia will open the doors to a life of health for this amazing structure that holds our life-force energy.

    Read 9 fascinating facts below about the spine, and I’ll see you in class! 
    My classes this week: Tuesday 6:45am, Wednesday 9:15am, and Fun Friday 5:30 pm

    With deep love, Adelle
      
    1. Both giraffes and humans have seven vertebrae in their necks.
    2. As babies, we have 33 vertebrae but as adults we end up with 26. What happens to the 9 remaining bones? Four of them will fuse to make our tailbone and five fuse to make the back of the pelvis.
    3. The spinal column has 3 very important functions – it supports the body’s weight, provides flexibility for movement, protects nerve roots and fibers and forms a protective surrounding for the spinal cord– the main pathway of communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
    4. The first set of vertebrae (the cervical vertebrae found in the neck) are also called the Atlas. Atlas is a character from Greek mythology who, after losing a fight, was turned to stone and had to carry the weight of the Earth and the Heavens on his shoulders. The cervical vertebrae were also given this name as they carry the weight of the head.
    5. The biggest cause of disability in the working population is attributed to spinal disorders.
    6. The spine contains over 120 muscles, 220 ligaments and over 100 joints.
    7. One quarter of the spine’s length is made up from cartilage.
    8. Since cartilage discs expand in the absence of gravity, astronauts returning from space may be 1.5 to 2 inches taller than when they left. Gravity’s effect on cartilage is also the cause of humans shrinking between a quarter of an inch and five inches every decade after the age of 40. It also means we are generally taller in the morning than at night because of the daily effect of gravity on the body.
    9. The spine is so flexible it can bend far enough to form two thirds of a circle.
    WOW… Magical, Mysterious, Mystical Column… get ready to move it!

    Dream, Imagine, Manifest


    What does it mean to dream? What does it mean to imagine? What does it mean to dream into manifestation?


    When I was a little girl of 4, I dreamed and imagined a place where everyone in the world could come and dance, no matter how old they were. I dreamed that dream into manifestation 40 years later and The Synergy Studio was born. 

    I am one who manifests. One who dreams ideas into manifestation. I love to help others bring their dreams into reality, into being, with divine right action. 

    I have a lot of energy, and its constantly in motion, dreaming the next dream, imagining the next creation, and taking the first step to manifestation. 

    Today is a day of reflection, and today the next two quotes appeared in my in-box. They emboldened me to write. Words are powerful, and attention sets intentions into motion. 

    Energy flows where intention goes… Create your reality!

    With deep love, Adelle
    Yellow Planetary Warrior: 
    I Perfect in order to Question
    Producing Fearlessness
    I seal the output of Intelligence
    with the Planetary tone of Manifestation
    I am guided by the power of Flowering



    Emboldened by Spirit, I pursue my dreams… Daily Word

    Dreams are ideas in the Mind of God. They arise in my heart because I am a spiritual being, always in the process of becoming. As I listen to my heart, I take bold steps toward my vision. To manifest it, I put my thoughts, feeling, and words into action.
    As I pursue my dreams, I feel joy, peace, and freedom. If self-doubt arises, I rekindle my faith and get back on track. I boldly affirm my heart’s desire and proceed one step at a time. As I confidently walk towards my dreams, I am emboldened by Spirit.  

    Aligning Actions and Words… Madisyn Taylor

    Words carry a lot of weight in this world, from how we say them to what we say with them, but it is through our actions that we bring things into being. This is what we mean when we say to one another that actions speak louder than words. In many cases, what we say doesn’t necessarily line up with what we are doing, and it is here that it becomes clear that it’s easier to talk about doing something than it is to actually do something. At the same time, it’s easy to keep doing something that we don’t necessarily acknowledge ourselves doing verbally. It’s good for all of us to take a look every once and a while to make sure there is alignment between what we say and what we do. 

    For example, it’s easy to talk about our dreams, but it takes a lot more energy to take the many small steps that lead to bringing our dreams into reality. If all we ever do is talk about it, we begin to lose faith in ourselves because nothing changes on the external level. In this way, being all talk and no action is actually a form of self-sabotage. It’s also useful to examine our actions to see if, through them, we are following through on our words. For example, in expressing concern about the environment, we can look to make sure that we are taking the simple steps we can take to put that concern into action. 

    It’s always helpful to observe what we talk about and who we say we are, and then to observe what we actually do in the world. Sometimes we realize our actions haven’t caught up with what we are saying, and at other times we see that we might change our words in a way that it will more adequately reflect what we do in the world. Either way, the more we align our words and our deeds, the clearer we are in expressing our truth in the world, and the more powerful we are in bringing it into reality. 




    Activating the Core to Activate the Breath!

    Hello friends!
    We had an amazing weekend for the launch of Movement and Breath® at the studio. Friday evening, 10 people joined us for the evening breathing session, and Saturday and Sunday, we had 8 who traveled from Austin, Dripping Springs, Laredo, and Boulder, CO.! It was magical, and I am in deep gratitude for everyone’s support. 
    I will be offering the next Movement and Breath® at the studio on a weekend in late March or early April. I will let you know when the date is set, so you can join us! I will also be traveling and teaching this very fun breath weekend. 🙂
    I look forward to teaching all my classes this week, and can’t wait to see you in class. After a weekend of learning how the activation of the core helps to deepen the breath, I am inspired to focus on Nia Principle #8: Core. 
    The pelvis, chest and head make up the Core of our body, where we contain, exchange, and direct the flow of energy.  In Nia, we incorporate movement of the pelvis, chest and head with pelvic circles, hip bumps, chest isolations, undulations, spinal rolls, shimmies and head and eye movements.  By incorporating all these movements, we keep our spine strong and healthy, and energy flowing through all seven chakras that are located along our mystic column.

    As Nia reveals, one of the most beautiful things about living in a body is our ability to find healing and realignment through movement. By paying attention to the way we hold and use our three body weights, we can identify areas that need adjusting and make conscious “tweaks” to re-establish balance, alignment and power.
     
    Join me in class this week as we move, shake, circle, undulate and realign, focusing on Principle #8, The Core of the Body. Unlimited 
    opportunities to strengthen the spine, let energy flow, and find balance in the Year of Possibilities!

    Dancing into a glorious week, Adelle

    My classes: Tuesday 6:45 am, Wednesday 9:15 am, Fun Friday 5:30 pm, and Sunday 4:00pm at The Synergy Studio!

    New Year on the Horizon! Celebrate!

    Happy December 28th!
    Friends, I hope you will be joining us for our 8th Annual New Year’s Day Ceremonial Celebration! I guarantee a wonderful kick-off to our new year. We listen to the beautiful Hang, played by the talented David Montalvo, while relaxing and setting our intentions. Then we write our 2015 intentions on flash paper and send them to the ethers(!!!), and THEN break into drumming and dancing and celebration! OH YES… FUN is in the air. 
    It is 20/per person if you sign up in advance online, or 25 at the door. Chick here to sign up, and go to ‘workshops and events.’
    We will be dancing this week in FUN celebration of the upcoming Year of Possibilities, so I hope you will join me Tuesday morning at 6:45 am, Wednesday morning at 9:15 am, Friday at 5:30 pm, and next Sunday at 4:00. We close at noon on New Year’s Eve and are closed New Year’s Day. 
    Can you feel my excitement oozing through this email?!
    See you very soon!
    Adelle

    Mark Your Calendars…
    January 1st, 2015, New Year’s Day

    Our Annual Celebration with David and Cameron Montalvo!

    Our 8th year to celebrate!
    This event has become one not to be missed!

    David Montalvo: Hang and Drums
    Cameron Montalvo: Drums and Percussion

    Our special New Year’s Day Ceremonial Celebration! We have sold out every year, so don’t miss this opportunity to clear out the old, set intentions for 2015, enjoy the beautiful music of these talented musicians, and have a rocking good time as we drum and dance into the New Year!
    Date: January 1st, 2015

    Time: 2:00 pm

    Cost: $20.00 per person

    $25 at the door


    Adelle Brownlee Brewer
    Owner, The Synergy StudioNia 1st Degree Black Belt Somatic Educator + Trainer
    Transformational Breath® Facilitator + Trainer 

    Certified JourneyDance™ Facilitator
    www.transformationalbreath.com
    www.journeydance.com/adellebrewer

    Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  
    Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!
    Check out my trainings: www.nianow.com/adelle




    12 Hours, 5 Babies, 1 Incredible Mother

    and more…
    8 loads of laundry
    6 cups of Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream
    3 bowls of buttermilk
    2 alert and curious Grandparents
    5 hours of sleep and 1 exhausted owner



    My precious Bella delivered 5 healthy babies last night and early this morning. It was an amazing experience, and I’m so grateful that I was present to help, as Bella might not have made it. My niece Lauren was here helping me, and 5 BIG babies later, everyone is fine!


    Labor started at 3:00pm yesterday, and after many calls to the vet and others, we were just about to take her to the emergency clinic when little legs appeared at 7:00 pm. After many pushes, the baby was stuck around its mid-section, and we knew we had minutes to get it out. Wash rag, gentle pulling and then the baby went limp. We talked through the reality of a still-born and continued to help her by pulling. The baby finally came out and yes, he was limp. I shook and rubbed and opened its mouth and a miracle… a breath! 

    Lauren left to get a suction cup for its nose, and by the time she returned the baby was wiggling, squealing and nursing. 🙂
    Baby #2, also a boy, was delivered in a similar way an hour later. Realizing he was also breech and stuck, we gently pulled until he came out, talking the entire time to one another to keep us from panicking. Two healthy, three to go.
    Our only little girl baby was born an hour and a half later, and without any complications. Whew!

    At 10:30, Lauren went home as I assured her I could do it by myself. I made a pallet on the floor, next to the whelping box, so I would know if Bella got up. I was so exhausted that I didn’t feel her crawl over me.

    At 12:30pm, I awakened to a puppy shriek coming from the other side of the house. As I sat up, Bella appeared with her baby boy in her mouth. She deposited him in front of me, and crawled in the box. After making sure he was breathing, and all was ok, Baby #4 snuggled with his siblings and nursed mom. *He is the Chocolate PieBald on right.



    Back asleep exhausted, this time I felt Bella crawl over me at 2:30 am. I followed her into the back yard, as she ran around twice and then back into the kitchen. High-pitched noises cut the air as she began pushing again. I picked her up, and we went back into my office with the other puppies. On the way, Baby #5 made a head first grand entrance. He was delivered in my lap, and little Bella was so exhausted that she didn’t attempt to open the sack so he could breathe. 

    Nurse Adelle 🙂 flew back into action and two minutes later, after breaking the sac, and tying/cutting the umbilical cord, I handed her last baby to her to lick and help clear his lungs. She then fell fast asleep, while he nursed, and I sat up nodding off… because they were in my lap. 🙂



    Fifteen minutes later, after changing the bedding, I deposited babe, and mom into the box with the other babies, and went off to do my 8th load of ‘middle of the night’ laundry :)))
    I slept next to Bella and the babies on my pallet, listening to the cooing, squealing, and sucking until 6:30 am.

    We have 4 boys and 1 girl. All Piebald Dachshunds, and all healthy. :)))) 


    Meanwhile…. Grandparents Link and Lilly stayed up all night on my bed, watching the comings and goings. They were guarding for any intruders. This morning they are still there… look closely at the first pic. They blend in!


    Link, Grandpappy… not too sure about all this. 


    Lilly, Grandmama… this is old hat. 


    Coffee and comfy pillows, I’m sending pics and face-timing people from all over with the news.

    We are so blessed… Onward!
    Sending love your way, Adelle

    Update two days later… babies doing wonderful, Uncle Austin and Aunt Emily come for a short visit!




    Page 11 of 28

    Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén