Adelle Brownlee Brewer

Dance, Breath, Medicine

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On March 16, 2013

In Uncategorized



Dancing, Breathing Medicine Men and Women, 

From the Rejuvenation Lounge… 

“ ‘To lose our connection with the body is to become spiritually homeless.  Without an anchor we float aimlessly, battered by the winds and waves of life’ Anodea Judith
Make no mistake dance is medicine. And can be used as a tool to unwind our lives. Intuitive dance passionately shakes up any stuckness and confusion, ignites our spirit and reconnects us to flow again.
I always feel truly alive, connected to every cell in my body and an overwhelming feeling of expansive love when I close my eyes, surrender the inhibitions and allow my body to flow to its own exquisite intuitive movement.
No structure or specific steps.  Absolutely no thinking or worrying about looking good.  Plain simple un-planned dancing.  An unguarded willingness to become vulnerable to the moment and trust the body to organically and naturally untangle knots, energy blocks, confused emotions and stress.
Gabrielle Roth…  ‘There is a dance that only you know how to do’

Dance is even greater medicine when coupled with fabulous music.  Fast, slow, pop, 70′s or even classical – there’s no right nor wrong.  Trust your gut.
Intuitive dance smashes stress, dissolves anxiety, revitalizes your energy channels, shifts moods leaving you smiling brightly from the inside. Hallelujah!
I’ve proven the “dance is medicine” theory many times in life.”
Dance is indeed medicine for the body, mind and spirit. Combine movement with breath, and wowsa… you’ve got the inner healer working his/her magic!
Join me tomorrow, Sunday morning at 10:00 for a Journey Dance of the Breath… and this week for Dance, Breath, Medicine of “Prana”… one of the most beautiful routines ever released from Nia HQ. Native American music, focusing on breath, and sounding… movement medicine!
Medicine Men and Women… See you on the dance floor!
With love in FLOWING abunDANCE!  Adelle

You will be called on to expand… and that is why we practice

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On March 14, 2013

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From the amazing Danielle la Porte… if you haven’t read her book Fire Starter Series… order it now. Its amazing!



You will be called on to expand. And this is why we practice.

I travelled to Dharamshala, India with six friends to meet with The Dalai Lama. It was cell-altering and heart-expanding. (The story is here.)
The week before our arrival, there had been a horrible event in which some monks were murdered — most shockingly, by other monks. The story was on everyone’s mind and in our small, private meeting with His Holiness, the first thing we did was offer our condolences. His response captivated me.
“Ah, yes, thank you for your thoughts,” he said. “This is why we practice, for times like these when compassion is so necessary.” He didn’t nod in mutual disdain. He didn’t show any drama. He was soft and … practical.
This is why we practice.

For times like these.

You don’t need to forgive until you need to forgive. You don’t need nerves of steel until you need nerves of steel. You don’t need to call on your reserves of compassion, or fortitude, or faith until you’ve used up everything else.
This is why we practice.
This is why, that even when life is ambling along nicely and there’s food in our spiritual cupboard, we still make sure that we get to yoga, or the reading group, or Sunday services.
When we’re healthy and happy we make sure to dance, we hit the court, we pick up the phone to check in, we drop by with something in hand.
When we’re believing in the fairness and the glory of human nature and the so-called Fates, we keep seeking, and meditating on reality, and praying for healing though nothing obvious ails us.
We keep standing up to make our art even when we could be predictable pedestrians.
Because the day will most certainly come, as it does whether you are a whole-hearted Lover or in denial of Grace, that you will be struck down or ground down by life. It can come in tiny tearing heartbreaks five times a day, just walking through your neighbourhood. It could come in the name of tragedy that could only happen once in a lifetime.
And you will need to withdraw the insights that you put into your heart’s escrow. And you will need to call on your people — the unseen and the ones right in front of you — to help you meet the day.
You will be interrupted.
You will be called on to expand.
You will be asked who you are and why you are here.
This is why we practice.

Take a Full Cleansing Breath and Release Sounding “Ahhhhhh!”

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On March 9, 2013

In Uncategorized



Dear Friends, 
We are completing a wonderful week of the new Nia routine ‘Touch.’ Using the touchstones of skin, eyes, sound and breath, the routine is fantastic. I also just returned from a magical few days in Big Bend. My first time to experience the majesty of this beautiful part of Texas… the sights, smells, sounds… “ahhhhh.”

Breath has its own resonance, sound, music… our gift of life-force energy… Prana…
In Yoga, we have a practice called Pranayama. In Nia, we say “smell the moment and bring awareness to your breath, to living, to the wonderful sensations of your healing breath traveling through your body.” It can also be called Pranayama, for our life force energy is our ever-present gift that brings us healing, energy, life, our spirit!


Join me in class this week as we celebrate the touchstones of breath and sound. We will complete our ‘Touch’ week on Sunday at 4:00, and starting Tuesday morning, we will use sounding and breath in the magnificent routine Prana. The music is powerful with native American drums, shakers, voices… healing music for the soul. 
Our own voice, our unique sound, is part of our breath… we will sound, hum, sing, create vibrations that massage our inner organs…they will love it!


I will be teaching Journey Dance at 10:00 Sunday morning (tomorrow), activating healing sound and vibration as we focus on our fifth chakra, our voice. 
Its a week of breath… a week of sound… a week of living!
I have copied more below on the rhythm of the breath, meditation, and bringing calm and serenity… words that resonated with me.
All love, Adelle


My classes this week: Sunday (tomorrow) Journey Dance at 10:00am and Nia at 4:00 Nia: Tuesday 6:45am, Wednesday 9:15am, Friday 5:30pm, all at The Synergy Studio

“You might feel that it is difficult to control your actions today. It could seem like your emotions are overwhelming your ability to make decisions, and you may feel a need to ground yourself. Spending time in meditation today may be a good way to still your mind and gain more control over any racing thoughts you may have. Find a peaceful place and begin to focus on your breath. With each inhale, imagine that your awareness expands outward and is filled with light and energy. With each exhale, picture your mind emptying itself of all thoughts and concerns. As you get in touch with your breath, you may notice that your mind becomes stilled by the flow of your inhalations and exhalations. 

The rhythm of our breath is a powerful tool that helps us gain serenity when our thoughts seem out of control. There are times when our minds get the better of us. We are unable to think about anything rationally or focus on anything around us. Our breath then becomes a means to calm the mind. As we notice that our breath moves through our lungs with swelling and receding waves of air, we begin to realize that our minds work in a similar way. Our thoughts also tend to move in a set pattern, rising and falling. Watching our breath allows us to observe the flow of our thoughts without becoming attached to them. They then lose their power over us. Noticing your breath today will help you gain control over any uncontrollable thoughts.”  

So Many Ways to Touch! Eyes, Skin, Sound, Breath!

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On March 1, 2013

In Uncategorized


Dancers of Life… 
Join us for a great weekend, as we introduce the new Nia routine “Touch!”

Tonight at 5:30 pm, Tomorrow at 9:30 am, and Sunday join us for the ‘Learn the Moves’ experience at 2:30, followed by class at 4:00. Sign up here for Sunday! $30 and you get the workshop experience, the music, and the class!

See you on the dance floor! Love in abunDance, Adelle

Madisyn Taylor is right on target again. Life as Art… being ‘Touched’ by the world through our eyes… our breath… our skin… our voice.  Read below….

March 1, 2013

Decorating Life… The World as Home


Each day we choose to decorate our life just as we do our homes.


There are few things more thrilling than having a new house or an empty room to decorate. Our imaginations soar as we consider the many possibilities. In the same way, our lives offer us the opportunity to express ourselves within various contexts, to ask ourselves questions about what we want to see as we move through our days and how we want things to flow. Some people do this instinctively, moving through the various environments they inhabit and shifting the energy with their presence. These people have a knack for decorating life. This can be as simple as the way they dress, the way they speak, or the fact that they always bring a bouquet of wildflowers when they come for a visit. 

As we move through the world, we make a statement, whether we intend to or not. We shift the energy one way when we enter a room dressed elegantly and simply, and another when we show up in bright, cheerful colors and a floppy hat. One is not better than the other. It is simply a question of the mood we wish to create. What we wear is just one choice we can focus on. The way we speak to people, or touch them, shifts the energy more profoundly than almost anything else. The words we speak and the tone in which we say them are the music we choose to play in the world that is our home. Some of us fill the space with passionate arias, others with healing hymns. Again, one is not better than the other. We are all called to contribute. 

Just as we consciously create an environment within our homes, we can consciously choose to decorate life itself with our particular energy. Ideally, in doing so, we express our deeper selves, so that the adornments we add to the world make it more meaningful, more beautiful, and as welcoming as a beloved home.


Adelle Looking Over Back NGT
Adelle Brownlee Brewer
Owner, The Synergy Studio, San Antonio, TexasNia Black Belt Teacher; White Belt Trainer
Nia Training Faculty
Journey Dance Guide; Professional Fiber Artist
www.thesynergystudio.com
www.nianow.com/adelle
www.journeydance.com


Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive. 
Our next intensive is coming up in June!
Read more about upcoming opportunities to take the White Belt: http://www.nianow.com/adelle





Ancient Wisdom of the Body

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On February 25, 2013

In Uncategorized



I’m sitting on my bed, after just returning from a fun weekend in Dallas with my dear friend Toni Bergins. We traveled to Dallas to support her as she introduced Journey Dance to a new community. It was inspirational and exciting, and some of them will be joining us here in San Antonio when Toni comes back in April!

Reflecting that it has been over 36 years since I taught my first dance class, and 16 of those years teaching Nia, I continue to be fascinated and awed when introducing Nia to someone new. The beginner’s eyes, mind, heart and spirit that are open to change, discovery, mystery and transformation. I am humbled at the healing power of this work, and how much our body has to teach us. 

Our body is filled with ancient wisdom waiting to be revealed.


In Nia, we continue to access this ancient wisdom through the language of the body… sensation. By continuing our exploration as sensation scientists, and listening to the voices of our body, we can learn so much moment to moment how to live a healthy, vital life. 


FAMSS… an acronym we use in Nia to describe the five sensations that keep us healthy. We love to explore how they move energetically in the body…


Using your hands, open them as wide as they can go with web spaces… moving energy out…sensing Flexibility.

Now open and close them, catching flies, or dreams… energy that starts and stops..  Agility in action.

Tickling the space around you with creepy crawler fingers… constant energy flow… Mobility at work.
Draw your hands into a tight fist… energy moving in, packing to the bone…Strength.
Now open your hands into stillness and sense the energy supporting you all around… the sensation of Stability.

Let’s explore the ancient wisdom of our body through the five sensations this week!

After 16 years of teaching Nia, I continue to wake up every day, loving my life and the people I meet daily… loving my body for being there as my best friend and companion… and deeply grateful for the gifts and talents that have blessed me.
Join me in the dance of sensation, and your beautiful body’s ancient wisdom…  
Have a glorious week!  Adelle

My classes this week:
Tuesday 6:45am, Wednesday 9:15am… 
Then get ready for a weekend of sensational fun with the new Nia routine Touch!  Join Joanie and me for Touch classes on Friday, at 5:30 and Saturday, at 9:30… then again Sunday, March 3 at 2:30 for a “Learn the Move” experience of Touch, followed by the 4:00 class.  Many Nia teachers will be teaching with us on Sunday! Sign up here for the Sunday playshop, including the CD.

Teachers and Licensed Belts of Nia… We have a fantastic group coming! Join us for Touch classes Friday and Saturday, and stay on Saturday for the Touch Routine Immersion learning experience! Contact Joanie about receiving the bars and pearls.


Adelle Looking Over Back NGT

Adelle Brownlee Brewer

Owner, The Synergy Studio, San Antonio, Texas

Nia Black Belt Teacher; White Belt Trainer

Nia Training Faculty
Journey Dance Guide; Professional Fiber Artist

Sound, Sensation, Self!

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On February 16, 2013

In Uncategorized

Its a Sound, Sensation, Self week!



There is a thrill when we investigate unfamiliar territory and discover new ways of moving, thinking, feeling, and expressing. The presence of change and living in the ‘now’ can cause discomfort as our body, mind, emotions and spirit transform, mold, and shape-shift. The inevitability of change can also inspire us to explore topics that we formerly eschewed because they caused us a certain amount of discomfort. This open-minded approach to learning and expansion applies to our movement, as we explore new ways of expressing our uniqueness.

Let’s play with Sound and Sensation this week, as we investigate uncharted ways of moving our Self. Using familiar steps and stances that our body recognizes, we will explore the creativity of our unique dance, finding our voice, our primal sounds, doing something different, and discovering the multitude of ways our body can express itSelf.


We are excited to introduce the new routine Touch at the weekend immersion March 1-3. Touch uses four ‘Touchstones’ as the focus… Eyes, Skin, Breath and Sound. As we play with sound this week, notice how sounds touch your body, inside and out… resonance, vibration, harmony, melody… they are all a part of life. Supported by silence, sound creates a music that gives us a background to dance through life.
Students and supporters of Nia… Join us for Touch classes on Friday, March 1 at 5:30 and Saturday, March 2 at 9:30… then again Sunday, March 3 at 2:30 for a “Learn the Move” experience of Touch, followed by the 4:00 class. Sign up here for the Sunday playshop, including the CD.
Teachers and Licensed Belts of Nia… Join us for Touch classes Friday and Saturday, and stay on Saturday for the Touch Routine Immersion learning experience! Contact Joanie about receiving the bars and pearls.

Discovering the Self with Sound and Sensation!

Love and light,

Adelle 

Adelle Smiling Heaven

Adelle Brownlee Brewer

Owner, The Synergy Studio, San Antonio, TexasNia Black Belt Teacher; White Belt Trainer

Nia Training Faculty
Journey Dance Guide; Professional Fiber Artist


Read more about upcoming opportunities to take the White Belt: http://www.nianow.com/adelle

One Billion Rising San Antonio

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On February 15, 2013

In Uncategorized

For No Reason…

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On February 4, 2013

In Uncategorized

Now I Am… choosing to be creative, childlike, free.  I can choose moment to moment… ahhhh…. life is so rich!

And for no reason I start skipping like a child.
And for no reason I turn into a leaf That is carried so high I kiss the sun’s mouth and dissolve.
And for no reason a thousand birds choose my head for a conference table, start passing their cups of wine and their wild songbooks all around.
And for every reason in existence I begin to eternally laugh and love!
When I turn into a leaf and start dancing, I run to kiss our beautiful Friend and I dissolve into the Truth That I Am.
~Hafiz, an ancient Sufi Poet.


Incredible, Intelligent, Fearless and Strong… I see you!

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On February 2, 2013

In Uncategorized

Good morning dancing de-light-filled friends!


“I see you…I see your Greatness.”  I have just returned from Portland where 48 Nia trainers from around the world gathered to collaborate and co-create the new face of Nia.  Nia, just like our body and our life is constantly changing, growing and expanding, and I am so honored and grateful to be part of this amazing group of men and women.  Many times during our full days of dancing and sharing of wisdom, Debbie Rosas, co-founder and CEO of Nia, thanked us and told us “I see you.  I see each of you and I see your Greatness.”   I have shared the moment with you in pictures below. 
As we accepted our red belt, she reminded each of us to see Greatness in ourselves. Seeing our Greatness is not about being great.  It is opening our hearts and our eyes to the possibilities before us and our unique potential.  It is being a Sacred Athlete.  
The eyes are the entry into our soul.  There is so much that is revealed through our eyes.  I can look at someone and by looking at their eyes I can tell how they are feeling at the moment.  Our eyes are communicators and communicate all our emotions:  love, excitement, anger, sorrow, compassion, apprehension, curiosity.  Our eyes reveal what is happening inside.  Have you ever looked at a loved ones eyes and known they were not feeling well?

In Nia we learn to use our eyes in new and exciting ways.  In principle 5, Awareness and Dancing Through Life, we are invited to look out and change our perception, be inspired and see art in all of life.  In Principle 8, The Core of the Body, we learn to use Head and Eye movements as the most organic way to move our head and neck, and integrate the rest of our body. Look and let your eyes move you naturally with grace, ease and efficiency.  In Principle 10, X-Ray Anatomy, we are invited to see without seeing and sense what is underneath our skin and make alignment changes that bring our body into homeostatis… into balance and peace.  We also learn to look at our body and the body of others through non-judgemental eyes for information, making choices to move our bodies toward pleasure and wellness.  

Nia always invites us to see ourselves with love.  Not until I can see myself with love, as love, and see my Greatness, will I be able to see others as love and see their Greatness.  Nia has opened my eyes to potential and possibilities and has connected me to the visual magic around me so I can see and receive life with curiosity and wonderment.  As I step back into my life here in San Antonio I want to express my gratitude and love for each of you. I see in you the wonderful human being that you are, and the difference you make in this world and in my life.  I see you and I see your Greatness!  

See you in class!

Tuesday 6:45am

Wednesday 9:15am

Friday 5:30pm co-teaching w/Joanie
Saturday 9:30am co-teaching w/Joanie
Sunday 4:00pm co-teaching w/Joanie, previewing the new routine TOUCH!

all at  http://www.thesynergystudio.com/. 

On Friday, Feb. 8th Joanie and I start a Nia White Belt!  Join us in classes and a special debut of the new Nia routine Touch on Feb. 10th!
Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.    Sign up at http://www.nianow.com/Adelle 



Adelle Brownlee Brewer
Owner, The Synergy Studio, San Antonio, Texas
Nia Black Belt Teacher; White Belt Trainer
Nia Training Faculty
Journey Dance Guide; Professional Fiber Artist
www.thesynergystudio.com
www.nianow.com/adelle
www.journeydance.com

Strength in Numbers

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On January 28, 2013

In Uncategorized



As I’m preparing for the third day of our Wisdom Quest in Portland, Oregon, I am reflecting on the gift of words of wisdom and affirmation in my daily horoscope.
The Nia faculty is 48 strong…gathered here to do what we love, explore the possibilities, share our ideas, and live into our greatness. The passion for the work of Nia is palpable and tingling in everyBody. I deeply admire and appreciate the dedication and time of so many… dedicated to bringing the Joy of living life in a body to the world.
We are indeed…. Strength in Numbers… abunDance creates abunDance.
And it is All Love.


January 28, 2013
Strength in Numbers
Aquarius Daily Horoscope

Today, a companionable mood can prompt you to seek out and spend time with people whose company you value. In addition to the pleasures of companionship you enjoy during social interaction, you may discover that the connection you share with others serves yet another purpose. If you invite your loved ones and respected colleagues to work with you on a project or to help you cope with some difficulty, you will likely be surprised at how much less trying the objectives before you become. When your talents and aptitudes meet those of your companions today, you can each do more than you might otherwise be capable of accomplishing.

The companions that stand by our sides as we make our way through life contribute so much to our overall wellbeing while ensuring that we are capable of fulfilling our potential. A single individual’s strengths are limited because the blessings they have been granted are specific to their perspective and their circumstances. When we come together with people we care deeply about, however, these limitations are rendered moot. Our talents and aptitudes merge with those of our companions while we work side by side to achieve a common goal, and the weaknesses that might otherwise stay us are cancelled out by our collaboration. The connections that bond us to one another also strengthen us immeasurably, expanding the range of our shared potential. As you enjoy the company of the people you like and love today, your confidence levels will soar, allowing you to prosper with little effort. 

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