Of course ANY Nia White Belt training is awesome, and a great way to change your life profoundly in just 7 days (whether or not you want to teach), but I personally think that there is a very special one coming up November 14-20, 2012 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Okay, so I think it’s special because I’m hosting it.  After careful consideration, however, I am offering what I think are the top 5 reasons why you should come to Sao Paulo to do (or re-do) your White Belt:

1. Location – Brazil is HOT, HOT, HOT right now and Sao Paulo is the center of everything.  In November it’s springtime, which means not too hot, not too much rain which equals great weather.  Disclaimer!  It’s also unpredictable, so I cannot make any guarantees!  But the chances are good that you’ll see the sun and be able to wear short sleeves, and probably be able to go the beach.  Oh yeah, did I mention that some of Brazil’s BEST beaches are within 2 hours of Sao Paulo?  You might need to stay a few extra days….(which just happen to be Thanksgiving.)
   
2. Exchange Rate – the US Dollar is strong right now, the best it’s been since we moved here.  That means you definitely get more for your money when you shop for the lovely bikinis and shoes here. Disclaimer!  Sao Paulo is still expensive, overall, but I’ve tried to make up for that by opening my home to visitors during the White Belt (see reason #3 below.)
3. Free Place to Stay – Our home is open to attendees until the beds are full (first come, first served.) Our lovely home here is spacious, very safe, and features a beautiful pool and hammocks waiting for you!  I am planning to offer massages and other options for guests during the training.  Pictures of Chez Cirihal here for you to check out.
4. Trainer – the incomparable Kelle Rae Oien will lead this training.  In my opinion she is both a great Nia teacher AND trainer, and an experience with her is not to be missed!  She teaches and trains from the heart, with generosity and discipline. AND she does it in English and Portuguese!
5. Studio – The charming Lembu-Kan Sports martial arts room is ours for the 7 days. It has beautiful old wood floors, and shoes have never touched them.  The gym has an organic luncheonette downstairs with fresh juices, smoothies, and sandwiches made to order.  Within 1 block of the gym there is a cute bakery, a Brazilian food lunch place, and a sushi restaurant!  What more could you ask for?

If you have been considering this first level of taking your Nia practice deeper, dive in!  Let us make your experience unforgettable. More details here.

Please feel free to contact either Kelle or I with questions.

The flip side of the things I wish I’d hoarded are the things I’m SO GLAD to have brought with me.  Life here in Sao Paulo is difficult and complicated enough without having to fix/replace poor quality appliances:

1. U.S. washer and dryer – it was a complete pain in the ass installing them here (my husband basically had to do it), but it was SO worth it to have large capacity capability, Kenmore reliability, and all the options!
2. U.S. dishwasher – let’s face it, in general any appliance from the U.S. beats any appliance bought in Brazil.  Again, SO happy to have my American dishwasher, although again my husband had to install it (he’s quite handy!)
3. Sunscreen – Thank God for my hoarder husband, who brought with us at least a 1-year supply.  Sunscreen is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive – like a tiny bottle of SPF 50 for around $40.  Our giant-ass bottle from Wal-Mart was $7.
4. Water Filter – I am addicted to super high quality water, and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Sao Paulo water, but I’m also not taking any chances.  I’m pretty sure we have the best water in the city – my husband brought a reverse osmosis unit and put it in our kitchen.  It was a huge pain in the ass to install (worse than the washer and dryer), but now that I have it I’m not sure I’d want to live without it.
5. Electric Blanket – Didn’t think I’d need it in the tropics, however last June/July/August there were several days that I did NOT want to leave the warmth of my bed in the morning.  Our bed is definitely the warmest place in the house in the winter.

This week I asked fellow Nia teacher Jean Jambas to share her powerful experience of why the new Nia 52 Moves Training was so magical for her....

It sure has taken me a long time to approach this email.  Truly, the training was a game changer for me and as you know, what comes up for each individual at a training is seldom what one thinks will come up.  Let me see how I can describe the training without ruining the delight and surprise.  This training appears to me to be the key to unlocking all of our potential as sacred athletes whether or not we choose to teach the 52 Moves in the manner described during the weekend.  Essentially, it is interval training and conditioning using Nia.  Isn't that brilliant?  When Debbie described how the training was going to be run, the future plan for it and how it evolved, I must admit my head said, "I can't do this," but my heart said, "What if."

As Nia teachers, we are brilliant at teaching what we sense, seeking pleasure and creating a movement experience that is totally in the moment for our students.  What if we could also provide an athletic class that includes interval training to up the conditioning to a whole new level while maintaining the awareness and playful aspect of a classic Nia class?  To put it another way, imagine a classic Nia class.   Fun, right?  Now, imagine taking the class to the playground for a day so they can test their edges with speed or strength.....games that make kids reappear with twinkly eyes.  That's what the 52 Moves is.  I walked into that first class thinking, "I can't," and as Kevin ver Eecke led the class, I realized that this was, of course, still Nia and I was in control of my own body's movements.  After that first exhilarating class, I had a few tears because after almost 2 years of adrenal challenges, I was totally flabbergasted that I did it. 

I must say that I loved the homework.  The written more than the movement because it was the invitation to be still after a few years of "have tos".  That being said, the more important part of the pre-training is the movement but it was all good.

Another thing that I adored during the training was all of the trainers' eyeballs on us as we moved.  What a luxury to have several NGTs (Next Generation Trainers) moving through the space and coaching us each in his or her own way.  They were splendid in how unobtrusive they were and the coaching didn't feel even slightly critical.  The coaching was simple statements of what is and what should be.  I learned more about my right leg turning out too much which I knew but I also learned that my left foot doesn't do much of a heel lead due to some healing injuries.  So much clarity on what these building blocks of Nia movement are and aren't.  I've heard a couple descriptions of the training as delicious or yummy. I would describe it more now as exciting and thrilling.  It's the difference between the White Belt being a Romantic movie and the 52 Moves being an Adventure movie.  I don't want to reveal much more as the training is evolving as we speak.  I was in the first group so while what other trainees experience will be as wonderful and exhilarating, it will be a slightly different format so I don't want to create expectations.

What took me so long to write to you?  It has been those "hidden benefits" that we have come to expect from Nia Intensives and Trainings.  While the 52 Moves is, indeed, about interval training and conditioning, it is also the building blocks of a system of movement, Nia.  We consider it the foundation, the order.  Have you ever noticed when an intention for something, order let's say, is created, all those things that signify "not that" show up?  I came home to a really big can of "whoop ass" clarity.  I call it being bitch slapped by the moment.  I mean no disrespect to the phrase "smelling the moment."  My phrase  means that moment when one thing makes you think of another or the moment when you realize that it all changes from here and it stops you dead in your tracks.  For me, there is usually some Kleenex and yelling involved.

I am a master at surfing chaos.  No really, I am.  For 11 years, our family has had one major upheaval after another without much recovery time in between.  Thus, I have been in the Nia world for around 15 years, haven't taught a lot and will just be getting my Blue Belt this summer.  That being said, Nia has always been with me even when I wasn't dancing....like now. 

What I realized after coming home from the training is that I simply cannot fly without order and simplicity.  We moved into this house 10 years ago and never finished painting or fully unpacking because we didn't know what was going to happen next.  We never know where anything is.  The house is a big old farmhouse with very little storage space. If I am going to go out and present myself to the world, I do not want the base for my sacred livelihood to be chaos; my heart and soul are screaming for order.  So while my other 52 Moves buddies are teaching one 52 Moves class per week and dancing a lot, I am nesting, not teaching or dancing much and creating my center of the storm, my diva den, my home.  I often joke on FB about living in Manland but it is up to me to claim my space here and show my son what calm and order look like.  This isn't just for me; our son was too small to remember our other home.  I have had to muster up some big doses of self-compassion which I just couldn't do until a good friend sat me down and itemized what all had happened over those 11 years.

Ultimately, I feel and think the 52 Moves training will bring me peace.  Peace at home because now that I've been reminded what order looks and feels like, I will recreate it here.  Also, it will eventually provide me with peace again on the dance floor as my body feels the rightness and joy in what I'm doing.

There, that's it....as clear as I can paint it without taking away the surprise for those considering the training.

xxxooo,

Jean

We have been here exactly a year now, and I decided to assess my time here, both in terms of my adjustment to living here and my enjoyment.

First things first – before I left the U.S. I promised myself that I would take a step back from life and use our move as an opportunity to create some space in my life and see what unfolded. 

I did not do that.

Instead, when we arrived I employed my lifelong strategy of jumping in, feet first – into learning the language, finding classes to teach-basically re-creating my life in Michigan. That kept me busy for about 6 months, but then I hit the WALL.  Maybe all expats hit the WALL at some time or another, I don’t know, but I hit the cultural WALL after being here about 8 months. Meaning I finally realized that THINGS ARE VERY DIFFERENT HERE AND FRUSTRATE THE HELL OUT OF ME! 

Being very optimistic, I just surmounted the myriad of obstacles I faced in re-creating my life here, until I just couldn’t anymore.  Then I cried.  Then I ranted (which you know if you read this blog.) Finally I relented and let go of ALL expectations and stopped trying.  I made peace with the possibility that I may not make REAL friends here, and I may not get to teach here or be part of a meaningful community. I started going to the beach by myself, and found a yoga class that I love, and let go of trying to find places to teach. I decided to just be myself and drop anything that didn’t bring me joy.  I let go of fear of not connecting with others here, and re-discovered the joy of being with myself.

One month later, stuff started to happen. It finally started to unfold for me – teaching opportunities, potential new friendships.  On a happiness scale of 1-10, I’d rate myself a 7. On a peace scale, I’d say I’m a 9, which is WAY more important to me. 

What would I do differently?  I don’t believe in mistakes, and am not sure there is any EASY/ELEGANT way to transition to such a different culture, but I would have given myself the space that I intended to in the beginning. It’s scary to contemplate moving somewhere new and not having any friends or anything to do, but my lesson was that it is harder still to force things ahead of their time.

There are many things (okay not many, but definitely some) that I prefer here in Sao Paulo, but sometimes you just need the version from home.  Here’s my rather silly and shallow list of the things I’d wished I’d stocked up on before packing my container to move here:

1. Peanut Butter – yes, it exists here but clearly no one has tried it because it is awful, sickly sweet and does not taste like peanut butter at all.  My husband and I were forced to ration (and bicker about) our stock until he brought more back from the U.S.
2. Mac ‘n’ Cheese – I love the food here, but sometimes you just need a taste of home.  Unfortunately that means something processed in a completely unnatural color, but hey!
3. Space Heaters – it gets SO cold in my house here without central heat, so I was finally forced to go buy local heaters.  Of course, I was also forced to return them twice before finding ones that actually functioned.
4. Toilet paper – you laugh, but did we notice the day our American stock of TP ran out?  Yes we did.  A sad day. 
5. Trash Can Liners – the ones here have no fancy closing mechanisms and don’t fit U.S. cans – which makes me ask, why are all the trash cans here in Sao Paulo SO TINY? 

An acquaintance of mine was sharing that for her to heal her eating disorder she needed to realize that food is NOT love.  That stuck with me, as I too have eaten for reasons other than hunger (to calm anxiety, overcome boredom, etc.) But I realized that living in Brazil has changed my relationship to food dramatically.

As you may remember, my husband and I did the CLEAN program last summer (blogs here.)  Because of that program, I was forced to think about how I prepare my food differently (especially in a new city/culture).  And I became a LOT more aware of not only how I prepared it, but also where it came from.

So what I’ve discovered here in Sao Paulo, as I’ve shared before, is the feira, or street market (blog here.)  But what I didn’t share is my transformation with my relationship to food that has occurred because of the feira.

For the first time in my life, I can tell the difference between food that is ALIVE and food that is DEAD. I am shocked at the difference, but if you come visit me, I’ll show you that it exists. The food here in Sao Paulo (especially from the feira, but also from many of the restaurants) is ALIVE and it TASTES COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! 

For example, I purchased chicken from the supermarkets here and from the feira and prepared them the same way.  The feira chicken had a completely different texture and taste than the supermarket chicken – more flavor, juice, and color.  I began to notice that difference with everything I bought from the feira – eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts.  All of it tasted better than its supermarket cousin, and very different than the same thing in the U.S.

Additionally, when you go to a restaurant here they don’t cook your meal until you order it, unlike many chain restaurants in the U.S. where they basically just heat up something that was cooked previously and preserved.

Preserved is the key word here.  Here in Brazil, there are very little preservatives used (right now – I can see the U.S. trend of convenience arriving and it makes me sad.) When I buy something, it goes bad in days, which can be a little frustrating, but well worth it I think in terms of what I gain in nutrients.

Which makes returning to the U.S. and eating difficult for me now.  I can actually tell the difference – my body CRAVES more nutrients when I eat in the U.S. and the food tastes DEAD to me (overall – of course there are exceptions).  This includes organic – I can still tell the difference between U.S. organic and Brazil non-organic, surprisingly.

So in Brazil I can say that food IS love for me because it feels like an act of love to feed my body the highest quality nutrients that it loves and needs.  AND, more importantly, I have discovered that I actually prefer freshly prepared fruits and vegetables much more than I do in the U.S. Overall, I believe I eat MUCH healthier here.  I noticed that I used to like a LOT of variety - making new recipes, etc. - but here I mostly eat smoothies and chicken, vegetables, and rice daily.  And I am not bored.

In case you are fascinated by this concept, here’s an interesting blog from Fearless Eating that discerns between real “food” versus “groceries” and what he sees as the problems with Weight Watchers…very provocative!