South America Travel Diary: Sao Paulo (Brazil)

South America had always been on our to-do list for a long time, mainly to visit Machu Pichu, one of the new wonders of the world. Since we would anyway travel half way around the world for it, we thought we might as well include other places and make it a longer vacation! So after a lot of research and changing minds off and on, dropping plans off and on, we finally decided up on this itinerary for May 2012. And this is how it looked!

Singapore - Doha- Sao Paulo - Lima - Cusco - MachuPichu

MachuPichu - Cusco - Lima- Santiago de Chile - Rio De Janeioro - Iguazu - Sao Paulo - Doha - Singapore

 

17 days, 3 countries and 7 cities...that was the best we could fit in, with a packed travel schedule. There were more that I would have loved to do like the Fernando de Norona Island and the Amazonas and up north of Brazil as well as Argentina but that would mean a month long of travel and being home sick! So I was quite happy with this short and sweet and interesting itinerary :-)

 

Being in the far east, there were very few options with the flights to SA. None of the flights seemed to go via Pacific direct to SA. Either fly through United States or go all the way through Africa/Middle East/Europe. If you fly through Johannesburg, you can save about 3/4 hours but you have to change the airlines, check out, check in and go through all the hassle. So we chose Qatar Airways and transitted through Doha, with a total of 22 hours flight + 2 hours transit. It was the cheapest option available and our first time with Qatar airlines. They are known for their 5 star service but they did manage to screw up our vegetarian meal request, which was placed a month back! It was my first time in a long haul flight and though I was mentally prepared for it, no amount of preparation helped especially in the 2nd leg which was 14.5hrs. It seemed as though time was not moving and I was just waiting to jump out of the plane! Finally it landed in Sao Paulo in the late afternoon. What an awesome feeling of relief it was!

 

Sao Paulo is a business district of Brazil. There is nothing touristy out there, though they have tried to "create" some tourist attractions but trust me, it is worth a skip. We had to include it in our trip as Qatar flew only to Sao Paulo and not Rio. We stayed close to the Providencia which is the heart of the CBD area and the hotel was close to restaurants, pubs, malls, MRT etc. The choice was more for convenience as we did not have much plans in that city. We just had 2 days of rest and were eagerly looking forward to fly to Peru.

 

It didn't take us long to realize that language is a MAJOR problem in Brazil, even in a very touristy place like Rio or a business district like Sao Paulo!! If you are travelling alone and not with a tourist group or package tours, you cannot manage by speaking English, 'coz English is an alien language there. People expect you to speak Portuguese and if you cannot, then most of them don't even care to make an effort to understand or speak English. Well, I had spent 6 months to learn basic Spanish and was prepared to survive in Peru & Chile and was hoping to manage even in Brazil thinking it would sound similar or people would speak some Spanish at least. Well, I was wrong! So we picked up a Portuguese dictionary and started finding our way around and managing to convey at restaurants as to what we want to eat. It's especially difficult if you are a quirky vegetarian, like yours truly! :-) It was the first time I realized what "feeling lost" truly means!

So my 2 cents - if you are planning in advance, do learn some basic conversational portuguese if you wanna survive there during your travel! And definitely learn Spanish if you are visiting the other countries in SA!!

Stay/Getting Around:

The hotels in Sao Paulo in the central area are quite expensive and an average hotel can range between $100 to $150 (USD) per night. We did not prefer staying in hostels this time mainly becoz of the long, tiring flight. You can use the metro to get around easily, so it is a good idea to stay close to a metro station. If you want to take cabs, then good luck with explaining to the cabbie in Portuguese on where you wanna go. The names of the places/roads dont sound anything like what they are spelt....it's a weird language! :-/

Food:

I am not the right person to give details on Food, coz I am limited to the Veggie stuff. But we did find some nice Italian restaurants, coffee bars for breakfast and even an Indian restaurant (Tandoor) in Providencia. Definitely recommend Tandoor, so you can see how Indian food has been adapted to suit the Brazilian palate ;-) Gopala Madhava is another restaurant (only the name sounds Indian) but it has vegetarian Brazilian cuisine! It is owned by a guy who is a devotee of ISKCON and hence the name. Try it!

Things to do:

1. If you are a lover of history/art, you can visit some museums in this city.

2. Party around and go pub hopping.

3. Take the open top bus city tour

4. Visit hotel Unique or Edificio Italia which are skyscrapers to get a full view of the city..

5. See Ibirapuera Park

We didn't do any of the above :-) Just chilled and roamed around as it was our pit stop!

More coming up in the next post...!

Adieus!

Pratima

A year of learning..

We all know 2012 is a significantly important year! For me it has been a year of learning and gaining lots of new knowledge & new skills and there are lots more in the pipeline for the next few months. It is fully packed and I am loving it... it is keeping me busy like hell and the only regret I have is that I don't get enough time to update this blog often.

Sometimes I feel I am here only to learn, learn and learn! Each time I attend a new course or a workshop I am  on a  "high" for many days (which no wine or alcohol can give!) It's a pity that most of us get stuck in the daily rut of life and never even explore 10% of what life has to offer. Someone I know recently mentioned that 'Knowledge is like an ocean. When you learn something it is like dipping one finger into it and tasting a drop of water.' There is a huge ocean of knowledge out there and a lifetime is not enough to even get a taste of it! But I am glad that I am able to devote so much time to learn new stuff, practise it, help others succeed with those skills as well as my own self-development! Hope to share more insights here as I go through this journey....

I also had an amazing trip to South America last month and even the travel has been a great learning experience. I am yet to write my travel journal here... Hope to post it here this week!


Signing off with this lovely quote - “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”  
― Phil Collins

We are all students and teachers both, aren't we?

New Look!

Now that Blogger has a new interface, it was high time I gave my blog a complete makeover! I had gotten bored of the old template which was on for almost 5 years!!! We all need change and so did my blog! :-) I am still working on the template, so lot more changes will come along...

Movie Review: Kahaani

* NO SPOILERS!* :-)

Watched this movie over the weekend and seriously I have all praises for it!! It's probably one of the very few women centric movies in Bollywood, which has a compelling script, good plot, well directed and amazing performance by Vidya Balan. She has carried off the entire movie on her shoulders and has done a darn good job at it!

Since the plot is a mystery, I would dare not write much about it and spoil the readers' experience! As shown in the trailors, all I knew when I went to watch it was that the story is about a pregnant woman who goes to Kolkatta in search of her missing husband and how she struggles to find his wherabouts. There was not a single point during the movie where I felt it was boring or the climax was given away. It kept me guessing till the last scene and boy was I taken by surprise with the climax!

It's no doubt a MUST watch!! Very rarely Bollywood comes up with such substantial movies! And Vidya Balan's performance is something you would not want to miss. The fact that there are few songs included (even those that are there are pretty much in background or intro) and the duration is just about 2 hrs, makes it all the more easy to watch, without wasting time on adding in an unnecessary item number just to get a box office hit! When there is a strong story line and a great performance, a movie really would not need a hot n sexy chic doing a guest appearance with an item number just to hit the box office records, isn't it?!

After the movie got over, I could actually draw a lot of paralles between this and the movie "A Wednesday". They seem to be giving a common message but with a different story...What do you say?

Travelogue: New Zealand (Day 9-17)

Continued from the previous post

On Day 9, we took a bus from Christchurch and headed towards Lake Tekapo. Tekapo is about midway from Christchurch to Queenstown...takes 4 hours by bus. The bus is quite luxurious and comfortable and is perfect to enjoy the beautiful scenery that the South Island has to offer.

Tekapo is outstanding and I am short of words to describe the beauty of this lake! The bright turquoise blue color of this lake is because of the rock flour left behind by the melting glaciers. We were lucky to have the bright sunlight and awesome weather after a week long of rainfall. There is a small town area close to the lake and everything there is exhorbitantly priced with no other option around. So be prepared to pay double the cost for accomodations and food/drinks..We had booked a cottage right beside the lake and enjoyed a beautiful view of the lake from our room...

The next morning we took the same bus from Lake Tekapo to Queenstown which was another 4.5 hrs of journey. We stayed at Hotel Copthorne which had a view of Lake Wakatipu and also the cable car viewpoint. It's a little on the expensive side but good ambience, walking distance from the town centre and very convenient. We walked around the town and lake wakatipu that evening and did some shopping.


On day 11 we had booked a overnight cruise at Milford Sounds with Real Journeys. We were picked up from the hotel and off we went to Milford Sounds...a long 7 hours journey!! Quite tiring as you have to take a round about route to reach there. But the bus had 85% glass with half the roof being glass as well. So the views were awesome! Reached Milford sounds at 3.30pm and started the cruise at 4pm. The weather was sunny, bright and beautiful. There was time for water sports once the cruise ship was docked to spend the night at a cove amidst the sounds. It rained heavily the whole night and the next morning was raining and the clouds were so low that we could reach them easily! It gave a mystical look to the place, very different from the previous sunny evening. It looked like we were in a Narnia land..very magical and out of this world! After cruising through the tasman sea, we headed back in the same bus to Queenstown with another 7hrs of tiring journey...

Day 12 was "ADVENTURE" day. You cannot leave the adventure capital of the world without trying some extreme sport! So we had booked a skydive with NZone..it was my first skydive and I was excited and nervous! Luckily the weather was clear and we could skydive as planned. The whole skydive experience calls for another blog post. So I will save it for that :)


Day 13 we headed towards Franz Joseph glacier. There are 2 famous glaciers in NZ - Fox glacier and Franz Joseph which are about half an hour's drive apart. It doesn't matter which one you choose to visit! The bus journey was another 8 hours again but we saw some beautiful lakes on the way and saw the west coast as the bus goes right next to the tasman sea on the west coast line....Reached Franz Joseph by 4pm and checked in to our Rainforest resort. The town of FJ is just 1 small road about 4kms long. You find just the basic necessities and some good variety of restaurants.

Day 14 was the glacier trek. They have variety of options and difficulty levels for the trek, so you can choose any depending on your interest, fitness level and duration of stay. The glacier is not too big, so even if you skip visiting this, you do not miss much!!

On Day 15 we took a bus from FJ to Greymouth (about 4hours) and then the most famous TransAlpine Scenic train to Christchurch which goes through Arthur's Pass. The journey of ~5 hours through the Southern Alps is very memorable and totally worth it! The train stops for a short while at Arthur's Pass so that you can get down and check out the majestic mountains...

We reached Christchurch in the evening and just had dinner and crashed in our hotel. It was our last night in NZ and I was feeling sad to leave that beautiful country!! The next morning we took a flight back to Singapore from Christchurch...moving back to reality!

It was the best vacation I have taken so far and I fell in love with the country and its people. I had a strong urge to go back and settle down there for a lifetime! I spent the next few days having severe vacation blues :) Even today when I think about the days I spent there, it brings a smile on my face and I truly feel happy. Someday I shall visit NZ again! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of the Travelogue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Travelogue: New Zealand (Day 5 - 8)

Continuing from my previous post

On day 5 we reached Picton late afternoon, by the InterIslander ferry from Wellington. The ferry ride which is about 4 hours was extremely beautiful but very rough while we were in the open sea..To top it, rain was still following us, all the way from Auckland! So though it was technically summer, the weather was freezing cold out there!

Picton is a small town and nothing much to do there. There is only one street which is like a main street in the town with restaurants and shops. By 5pm the street looked deserted as if there was a curfew! We took a walk around in that super cold weather and had a nice dinner at one of the Italian cafe bar before heading back to our backpackers lodge. We stayed 1 night at Sequoia Backpackers hostel and it was very cheap and worth the money.

Next day morning we left for our full day wine tour in the Marlborough region. Our guide Kerry, from Bubbly Grapes picked us up from the hostel and took us into the vineyards of the Marlborough and for wine tasting in 7 wineries! It was a lot of fun tasting wines but got a little too much by the end of the day.. :) so we had to call it quits after 7 wine tasting sessions!


We headed to Blenheim directly from the vineyards and stayed at Copthorne Hotel there which was one of the best hotels there and quite expensive as well. Blenheim is close to the Marlborough region than Picton, so we chose to stay there as we had planned for another half day of wine tour the next day! :) Blenheim is a much bigger town than Picton and I could see more people on the streets here making it look like a real town!

The next half day was spent again in the vineyards and we visited another 4 to 5 wineries before we headed to the train station to catch the Kiwi rail to Kaikoura. This route is one among the most scenic train routes in the south island as it passes right next to the sea all along (for about 2 hours). We reached Kaikoura late afternoon and checked into a backpackers hostel yet again - "The Dolphin Lodge"! The weather was still freezing and Kaikoura is extremely windy as its just by the sea side. So that made it even worse! To top it all the hostel had a room heater which would switch off every half an hour (going green, you see!) to save electricity. So whole night was spent in switching on the heater than sleeping! We learnt our lesson to check this before booking a hostel again! (The pic below is the town of Kaikoura)


Kaikoura is a very small town and the only tourist attraction there is the Whale Watching. It's one among the very few whale watching places in the world. So we went on a whale watching tour early morning on the next day. Boy! it was truly a memorable experience! Watching those huge sperm whales at a few metres away from you is quite thrilling! We were lucky and spotted 4 whales, a few dolphins and the albatross that day. However, the sea was again very rough and we had to pop in a few pills to avoid the sea sickness! So it's always a good idea to carry some along...

(The pic below shows the sperm whale making a dive back into the sea)

After the whale watching we had lunch in the Kaikoura town (in a crappy thai restaurant) and headed to the train station again to board the Kiwi rail to Christchurch (the capital of south island). This also falls on the same scenic route by the coastal side and was a beautiful 3.5hrs journey! We got to watch some seals too.. I would highly recommend travelling by trains and coaches there than driving around as it reduces the trouble of driving and you also get to see these beautiful sceneries which otherwise is not accesible by the roads...



We reached Christchurch by 6.30pm and still the sun was not being generous on us. It was as freezing as Kaikoura 'coz it had just rained and was very windy that day. Damn my luck! I was hoping to enjoy the beautiful summer but ended up being dressed like I'am in a snowland!


We were so tired by the time we reached Christchurch. We had travelled every single day so far and there was more to come! So we checked in to a motel - The Bella Vista. It is a chain of motels and it was really neat and clean and nice! I would highly recommend this anywhere in NZ. After checking in, we walked down to an Indian restaurant nearby (yeah, you can find an Indian restaurant in even the remote corners of NZ!) and called it a day.


The next morning we were off to Lake Tekapo by bus! We still had Tekapo - queenstown- milford sounds- franz joseph glacier - greymouth to travel before coming back to christchurch and ending our trip!


To be continued in the next post....

Travelogue: New Zealand (North Island, Day 1 - 4)

Time for another long travelogue series! Took a nice long vacation (17 days!) to New Zealand this month. NZ had always been on my 'must see' list and finally I did get a chance to visit. Living in Singapore gives us the advantage of reaching NZ faster than compared to travelling from India. It still was a 10 hour flight to Auckland...

Our itinerary was quite optimal. SGP - Auckland - Wellington - Picton - Blenheim- Kaikoura- Christchurch - Tekapo - Queenstown - Milford Sounds - Franz Joseph - Greymouth - Christhcurch - SGP ! :-) And added a few day trips and short visits to other places like Rotorua, Wanaka, Te Anau, Hamilton, Arthur Pass during the journey. We stayed in 9 different cities on 9 consecutive nights! Yeah, That was a packed vacation! Hectic but full of fun... We chose to travel by trains and coaches unlike the preferred way of renting a car or a campervan and driving around.All trains are scenic and you get the opportunity to see and appreciate the beauty of the nature around, without getting tired of driving or looking at the route maps! I would highly recommend trains/coaches!

We covered both North and South Islands even though people had told me that there is nothing worth seeing in the North. Now that I have seen, I completely disagree with that! North has a different landscape & scenery and Rotorua especially is something you cannot miss!



We flew SGP-Auckland and it was midnight by the time we landed in Auckland. Unfortunately it was raining when we landed and the rains followed us for the next 1 week. It poured & poured everywhere till we reached Blenheim in South. Though it was summer, due to the rains the weather was super chilly! We had just 1 day to see Auckland and as it was raining, we could not get a good view from the top of Auckland tower. There is nothing much to see in the city other than this tower! The photo below captures the tower in the background.

The 2nd day was a full day trip to Rotorua and back. Rotorua is about 3.5hrs drive from Auckland and is known for its geo-thermal springs and Geysers and the Maori village. Maoris are the native tribes of NZ and they have a village in Rotorua which is worth a visit! Don't ask me to pronounce the name of the village...its in the pic below, you can try it yourself! ;)
The "Wh" syllable is pronounced as "Fa" in Maori language. They did teach us how to say the name just so that in case we get lost inside we know what to ask for :) Most of the places & lakes all over NZ have Maori names and if you end up in a coach with a Maori driver in it, he will give you the entire history of the name and place...whether you want it or not!



This one below is the pic of a geyser which had just erupted. The whole village is full of hot springs and they actually cook their food in those springs. So we had a healthy lunch in their cafe with the food cooked in those springs!



We also attended a cultural show where they do the traditional Maori war dance and other forms of songs and dances. It was something new and entertaining!



Saw the zorbing zone and Kiwi birds on the way back to Auckland and reached back by late evening. Must warn that everything in Auckland shuts down by 5.30pm! (Infact all over NZ). The Kiwis have a very easy going lifestyle and dont work beyond 10 to 5.30. So there was not a single bookstore open that evening to pick up a book for the next day's train journey.. The streets look deserted all through the day..people hardly venture out!

The next day we took the Tranzscenic train from Auckland To Wellington, which was 12hrs! It was toooo long a journey but the scenery was beautiful and we also stopped briefly at the National Park midway.. The train also travels just by the side of the Tasman sea and the view is worth the time spent!

Below is a view of the capital city, Wellington taken from the train...It was pouring heavily and extremely windy! Nights were freezing cold. We didnt spend much time at Wellington as we left next day to Picton. Though we did go into the city and checked out the central business district and the main streets...

Next day, Took the InterIslander Ferry from Wellington to Picton (in South Island). That's the only way to get there. (The other option is to fly from Auckland to Christchurch and travel back to Picton). The ferry ride is about 4 hrs and it was a bumpy ride as the waves were high due to winds in the Pacific Ocean...You travel through the Charlotte Sounds before reaching Picton and its the most beautiful part of the journey!


To be continued from Picton...in the next post!

Rebirth & Renewal....

Well, am not going to post something philosophical here but I am referring to the rebirth & renewal of this much neglected blog of mine! For the past 1.5 years, since the time I got married (can't believe its been so long already!) I haven't been actively posting here. It took me a long time to settle down in a new lifestlye - a new role, new country, and a brand new venture of my own. Writing used to be my favorite pastime but I just lost the inclination towards writing about anything till now (well, kind of a writer's block you can say!). But I somehow seem to have got that spark back in me now, so I am back here to get this blog rolling again and post my thoughts here more often!

Now there cannot be anything better to start off than writing about my first venture! It's been, officially, 8 months since I registered my company "Revive" here in Singapore and I am glad to see that it's going great, way beyond my expectations! Considering the fact that I moved here last November (to a new country where I hardly knew anyone!) and I started it in just 3 months after moving, the amount of progress I have made, makes me feel proud of myself! It's a great self-assurance to know that I have the ability to dream something different and bring it into reality. I must accept that it did take a lot of courage to give up a well paying, secure job after an MBA and jump into an unknown territory of starting a venture in a niche area. But the journey has been very pleasurable and the learnings have been invaluable! I have come to discover things about myself and grown personally & professionally. I had to break my barriers of being reserved about approaching new people and talking about "my venture" (well, actually selling it!). I forced myself to join networking groups to widen my contact circle & get visibilty. It was initially tough but now I have started enjoying it! I hardly spend on advertising or marketing and rely solely on "word-of-mouth". This is working wonders for me becoz I believe that business is not just about getting customers but building relationships with them!




If you are new to this blog and have not checked out my centre's website, here it is - www.reviveholistic.com and the facebook page www.facebook.com/reviveholistic

Reiki & its benefits

Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of healing technique using light touch and hand positions. Rei, means higher power or universal life force and Ki means life energy. So the word Reiki means universal or spiritually-guided life force energy. Practiced for thousands of years throughout Japan, China and Tibet and other Asian nations, Reiki was rediscovered in the late 19th century by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Buddhist monk and educator who used the therapy to heal the sick. Reiki then came to the west in 1930s after Hawaya Takata learned the practice from Dr.Usui in Japan.

Today, Reiki is used as a method of healing illness and reducing stress through light touch or, more commonly by placing hands near the body in specific patterns. Through these positions, a Reiki practitioner can correct energetic imbalances in the body which in turn improves the health and restores the person's energy levels.

Everything that has life can be helped by Reiki – including animals and plants. Treatment will also benefit people of any age and condition. Reiki is extremely empowering, and when faced with a pain or crisis, it will assist you in overcoming feelings of helplessness and dependency.


How is Reiki Different?

Reiki is easy to learn and simple to use and you can practise it anywhere, anytime! Unlike other forms of healing, attunements are necessary to channel the Reiki energy. An attunement can be given only by a certified Reiki Master. Attunements are for a life time. Reiki will always be available to those who have received attunements, regardless of the frequency of usage. However, regular usage will enhance your ability and intuition.

A Reiki session feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

Reiki is NOT a religion and it has no dogma associated with it. There are beliefs that you need to create or give up in order to learn and practise Reiki. Whether you believe in it or not, it just works! Reiki is the abundant energy of the Universe and you are not passing your own energy to the person being healed. So there is no need to worry about getting tired or depleted of your own energies. How can it get any better than this?!

There are many types of Reiki such as Usui Reiki, Karuna Reiki, Kundalini Reiki, Seichim Reiki, Sekhem Reiki etc.. The traditional form of Reiki discovered by Dr.Mikao Usui is "Usui Reiki". It is taught in various levels

- Reiki Level 1 (For Beginners, you learn healing for self and others)

- Reiki Level 2 (Distant Healing, Mind-Body-Spirit approach)

- Reiki Level 3A (Master Practitioner Level, Learn the Master Symbol)

- Reiki Level 3B (Master Teacher, Learn to attune others for Level 1 & 2)

- Reiki Mastership (Learn to attune others for Levels 1, 2, 3A, 3B and Mastership)

For complete details on the course content for each of these levels, visit http://www.reviveholistic.com/usui-reiki.html

For Reiki attunements and certifications visit my website http://www.reviveholistic.com/ or contact me on info at reviveholistic dot com to schedule a private class.

Follow us on Facebook for regular updates - www.facebook.com/reviveholistic

Revive Monthly Draw - Free Tarot Reading

Looking for a Tarot Reading? Here is your chance to win a FREE Tarot reading on 18th of every month! I am offering all the fans of REVIVE on facebook, a chance to participate in the monthly lucky draw and get a tarot reading session for free.

All you have to do is visit www.facebook.com/reviveholistic and click the "Like" button on top of the page to become a fan and leave a comment on the post for August Monthly Draw saying "I am interested".

Check back on the 18th of August to see if you are the lucky one!

If you are the lucky winner and based in Singapore, then I will contact you to set up an appointment for a personal reading session. If you are not Singapore, then the reading will be done either on PHONE or sent through EMAIL.


How can it get any easier and better than that?!

A step into Viral Marketing

A friend of mine from a media company made this video for me to help advertise my business. Took a lot of effort to create this crisp 1 minute elevator pitch to ensure the message is conveyed. For the first time effort, I am quite happy with the final outcome!

You can click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vZthmZ3B7o to 'like' and help me improve the rating!

All about HypnoBirthing

For most of their lives, women have been inundated with the negative stories of other women’s birth experiences. Everyone, from their mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, and even strangers, wants to tell them the horrors of giving birth. They have been conditioned to believe that excruciating pain is associated with birth; and because of this, women today hold an unprecedented fear of giving birth. This extreme fear causes their bodies to become tense, and that tension often prevents them from easily performing the normal, physiological function of birth. The result?—exactly what they feared most--long, painful, disappointing birthing.

People who are drawn to HypnoBirthing have long been searching for a way that helps women give birth as calmly, safely, and gently as possible. Until HypnoBirthing® was founded, it seemed almost unattainable. Through a very simple program of self-hypnosis and education, women learn to release emotions tied to fear-based stories and misinformation, and they are helped to see birth as normal. They learn to trust that their bodies know how to bring their babies into the world in the calm and gentle way that Nature intended.

What is HypnoBirthing all about?
HypnoBirthing® is as much a philosophy of birth as it is a technique for achieving a satisfying, relaxing, and stress-free method of birthing. This amazing program teaches you, along with your birthing companion, the art and joy of experiencing birth in a more comfortable manner. You will learn how to call upon your body’s own natural relaxant and thus lessen, or even eliminate, discomfort and the need for medication. When a woman is properly prepared for childbirth and when mind and body are in harmony, Nature is free to function in the same well-designed manner that it does with all animal mothers in Nature. You will be fascinated as you view HypnoBirthing® films, showing laboring mothers, awake, alert and in good humor as they experience the kind of gentle birth that you, too, can know when you are free of the fear that causes pain and tension. Through self-hypnosis, special breathing, and visualization, HypnoBirthing® teaches you to release all prior programming about birth, how to trust your body and work with it, as well as how to free yourself of harmful emotions that lead to pain-causing fear and unyielding muscles.

HypnoBirthing® will teach you the art of using your own natural birthing instincts. With HypnoBirthing®, you will not be in a trance or a sleep state. You will be aware and fully in control, but profoundly relaxed.

Advantages:
• Teaches deep levels of relaxation to eliminate the fear that causes tension and, thus, pain
• Greatly reduces and often eliminates the need for chemical painkillers and drugs
• Shortens the first phase of labour
• Leaves mother alert, fresh, awake and with energy
• Helps keep oxygen supplied to baby during birthing
• Reduces the need for an episiotomy
• Reduces and often eliminates fatigue during labor
• Empowers parents with techniques to achieve a gentle, calm birth for themselves and their baby
• Gives the birthing companion an integral role in the birthing
• Embraces the concept of pre-birth parenting
• Teaches breathing techniques that allow a woman to gently breathe her baby into the world without the violence of hard, physical pushing.

Class Structure:

HypnoBirthing is taught in 5 classes (total ~12hours), each 2.5 hours in duration

--Pratima Nagaraj

Clinical Hypnotherapist, Hypnobirthing Practitioner& Childbirth Educator

www.reviveholistic.com

If you are in Singapore and interested to know more attend my FREE preview talk and meet me personally to get your queries answered.

Date& Time: Sunday, Aug 21st ,2011

Venue: ParentLink, 43 Jalan Elok, Singapore.

Entry: FREE!!

Email: info@reviveholistic.com

NOTE: Prior Registrations are required to reserve your place as there are limited seats

Disclaimer: This content is proprietary of the HypnoBirthing Institute, USA and is protected by the Copyright laws. It cannot be reproduced without prior consent.

Travelogue: Leh - Ladakh

I would list Ladakh as one of those must see places in a lifetime. What better place to visit in summer than this where the temperature gets sub zero in the night; where you can get a sunburn and a frost bite at the same time! It's also a photographer's paradise - you will never get satiated clicking photos till you exit the place :)

We made a 8 Night/7 Days trip end of May which was just the onset of summer and yet there were some snowfalls just before we reached. The best way to get there is to take a flight from Delhi to Leh, which is in the early morning and gives a breathtaking view from the top. It's truly a heaven on earth, with white snowclad mountains creating a mystical view!

We stayed at the Eco Poplar Resorts in the Leh town, very close to the main Leh market area. The resort was beautiful, nothing luxurious...just a room with basic facilities but in a lovely environment of green tall Poplar trees. The first day was spent just resting and acclimatizing as Leh is at 11,000 ft and it takes time for the body to get used to the low levels of oxygen, especially if you are taking a flight.

Day 2 & 3 were spent touring the Leh city - the land of the 'Gompas' (Monsatries). Am sure if you count you will find more than 50 monastries there! A couple of them were extremely beautiful like the Spituk & Thiksey monastry but frankly I had an overdose of seeing them and got bored the second day. Over these 2 days we also visited

- Magnetic Hill, Gurdwara of Patthar Sahib,

- Hall of Fame, Shey Palace

- Sangam , Shanti Stupa

- Sindhu Ghaat

- The Leh Palace

Day 4 was a journey to Nubra Valley (140kms from Leh, about 5-6 hrs) via the highest motorable road - Khardungla Pass at 18,000ft. Quite a difficult journey on those small mountain roads with snow on the path. Khardungla was full of snow and staying there for about 20 minutes gave a dizzy feeling due to the low levels of oxygen. Feels like being on top of the world, literally! It's definitely worth the experience!! We reached Nubra by late afternoon and stayed at one of the camps. The rest of day was spent resting.

Day 5 was in Nubra valley where we visited the white sand dunes at Hunder, where you can find the double humped camel to take a ride. Enroute we also visited the Diskit monastry but skipped the hot springs as all of us were dead tired by end of the day.

Day 6 was again driving back to Leh from Nubra via Khardungla pass of course! So we got more time to spend at Khardungla this time and eat more hot maggi at 18,000ft and play in the snow :-) If you truly want to realize the importance of oxygen in your life then you *have* to visit this place! The journey was extremely tiring as we reached Leh by late evening.

Day 7 was the round trip to Pangong Lake via ChangLa pass (at 17,000ft). We did plan on camping at the lake overnight but it was snowing there and extremely windy, so staying was not a good idea. Pangong is about 140kms from Leh (at the Indo-China border ), so the round trip was 280kms. Travelling 11 hours on the same day was screwing! So it's actually a good idea to spend the night at the lake and get back the next day. We spent about 2-3 hours at the lake and in those couple of hours, it snowed, it rained and it was bright & sunny. Such drastic weather changes!! So it's good to be well prepared and wear layered clothing :)

Day 8 was at Leh again. We visited the Leh market and did a lot of shopping. You get good wollen clothing, handicrafts, pashminas, handmade wall decoratives, gemstones and jewellery and lots more! You have to bargain well as it's a touristy place and prices are marked up.

Regarding food, Leh has a quite a few restaurants in the market area, so its a good idea to stay nearby. You get regular Indian food and tibetan cuisine...not to miss the steamed momos!

The important things to carry for the trip include - lot of moisturiser, layered clothing (wollen clothes are a must even if it is summer), cap, sunscreen, shades, lip balm, good pair of shoes and Diamox tablets (for acute mountain sickness). Good time to travel would be between May and September, which is summer time.

It's one of the most memorable trips that I have made so far! If it's not on your list then you definitely should consider visiting this land of mountains.

Holistic Healing & its benefits

Most of us are familiar with the term “Holistic” due to the growing popularity and need for holistic health. “Holistic” means the three aspects of the self – mind, body and spirit. It comes from the word “Whole” which means Complete. It’s a way of taking an all round approach to treat diseases or imbalances and choosing to lead a more balanced lifestyle. Holistic healing (or more popularly referred to as alternative medicine, Complementary medicine or Integrative medicine) is not an ‘alternative’ to medical care. These therapies are presented as options to conventional medical treatments. Seeking help from a medical professional should never be ignored. But what we fail to understand is that physical illnesses are the symptoms of a greater imbalance which may have a root cause in our thoughts & emotions. Some of the holistic therapies and treatments available are:

•Aromatherapy
•Hypnotherapy
•Regression Therapies like Past Life Regression
•Energy-healing methods such as Reiki, Pranic Healing
•Acupuncture
•Yoga
•Meditation
•Crystal Therapy
•Affirmative healing
•Chinese medicine and lots more!

One major belief common to all the above holistic therapies is that “WE” are ultimately responsible for our own health and issues and not our environment, friends, relatives, bosses, co-workers, circumstances and whatever it is that we choose to blame, in order to escape from owning responsibility. It is only when we take personal responsibility that we can truly begin to get healed. The first step begins here, even before you visit a holistic practitioner!

Our childhood beliefs, cultural values and attitudes affect our mental and physical health and they are considered in the above techniques while finding the cure. As a holistic healer our role is to recognize that the discomforts or pains are just symptoms at the surface level whereas the imbalance may be due to the mental, emotional or spiritual needs not being met. No aspect is overlooked in this treatment. A complete evaluation is made and appropriate techniques are suggested to the client. Every person is unique; so no one treatment, medication or technique will be used. There is no one standard or one-size-fits-all approach. Each treatment is individualized.

It can be worthwhile in guiding your own self-appraisal by asking questions like “How can I strengthen my body to have a robust physical health?”, “Are my emotional relationships allowing me to grow in a healthy way” or “How are my activities helping in developing my inner spiritual self?”

Choosing your holistic practitioner is like choosing your medical professional. You have to find a good fit! So make your choice today and bring in those positive changes in your life!

--Pratima Nagaraj
Clinical Hypnotherapist, Holistic Healer
www.reviveholistic.com

Disclaimer: This article cannot be reproduced without giving due credits to the author or linking it to this blog

Travelogue: Kuching (Malaysia)

Continuing with my travels, I visited yet another country 2 weeks back. So that makes it 8 countries in 1 year :) The more I travel, the more I seem to enjoy it!


There was a long weekend 2 weeks back and we planned a short 3 day trip to Kuching which is towards the eastern side of Malaysia, in the state of Sarawak. It's probably one of the greenest cities I have seen so far. The entire city is painted GREEN with plants and trees, absolutely anywhere you go. It was truly a visual treat!! There are hardly any high rise buildings, you will find only villas and bungalows through out. So it also has a very spacious vast feeling unlike Singapore where you are surrounded with tall structures everywhere.

Weather wise it was not a great time to visit as it was onset of summer. Being a tropical climate the humidity was very high and it was tough to venture out during the day time. Yet we managed to do a short jungle trek, in one of the nearby islands at Bako National Park. Well, contrary to what we were told that we could see "wild" animals there, the only thing we spotted were monkeys :) It was quite a streneous trek, given the heat and humidity. But the 45 minutes motor boat ride to the island and back was more adventurous for me! Given the fact that I am hydrophobic and it was my first time sitting in such a small boat and going on the sea in such speed, I had my heart in the mouth!

We stayed about half an hour drive away from the city at Peramai Rainforest Resort, in one of their Tree houses. This was again a brand new experience for us! It was amazing to stay among the trees, right next to the beach, in a wooden tree house which would shake everytime you walk inside! The freaky sounds of insects, the mosquitoes, the rains and the noisy waves hitting the shore at night all added to our experience. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Kuching as against staying in the city in a usual hotel. The people in the resort were very friendly and gave a good service. The food was nothing great, especially me being a vegetarian I really had a tough time finding something edible to eat. I am not a big fan of malaysian food either. But I did manage to survive :)

We also visited the city and did some shopping. The Sunday market, which is a tourist attraction was closed by afternoon and we had no idea about it and we missed it. The city seemed to be like a very relaxed and laid back place. Everything shuts down early and there is nothing much to do even as a tourist. It's a good place to visit if you want to just go unwind, be close to nature and relax!

Hypnotherapy awareness sessions - Singapore

I am conducting a Hypnotherapy awareness talk in Singapore on Apr 7th (6.30-7.30) and Apr 8th (4-5.30pm). The main objective is to spread the awareness about hypnotherapy and how you can benefit from it in your day to day lives. The agenda of the session is below. The investment is very minimal - S$ 12 only.

Our Sub-conscious mind holds the key to solutions for a large number of problems that we come across in our day to day lives!!! So learn the power of sub-conscious to help you lead a healthy, happy and a positive life!


What will you learn in this session?
- A sneak peek into the interesting world of hypnosis and its immense benefits!
- What is Hypnosis and how is it induced?
- Theory of Mind : How our conscious and sub-conscious mind works
- Benefits of hypnotherapy- Physical, mental and emotional problems that can be cured through hypnotherapy
- How diseases manifest in our body and how our thoughts can cause physical and mental ailments
- Bust the myths, misconceptions and any fears associated with the science of hypnosis
- What is self hypnosis and how it can help you in your career, relationships and all walks of life
- The power of positive thinking
- Experience a 15 min hypnosis session for deep relaxation and de-stress at the end of a tiring weekday!


Logistics:

Date: Friday, April 8th : 4.00 – 5.00 PM
Venue: SCN industrial building, 11 Sims drive, #03-04A (Previous Audio House bldg) (5 mins walk from Aljunied MRT)

Date: Thursday, April 7th : 6.30 – 7.30 PM
Venue: 66A, Haji Lane, Singapore 189259 (Parallel to Arab Street, 5 mins walk from Bugis MRT)


Investment: S$ 12 per person. Bring a friend and pay only $20 for 2 people

Contact: Leave a comment here if you are interested or drop a mail to info@reviveholistic.com for registrations


If you are not in Singapore, you can just help by spreading the word among your friends here :) For details visit - http://www.reviveholistic.com/

Join us on - www.facebook.com/reviveholistic

Incredibly Believable!

I came across this book written by Late Dr. Sunny Satin (Ph.D, C.Ht) when I was doing my Level 4 Hypnotherapy workshop at CHII . Having discussed the topic of "Ascension" and the "2012 changing Earth" concepts in the class, I was curious to get my hands on this book! And as it was available there itself, I immediately grabbed a copy. It has never happened before that I have finished reading a 300 page book in just 3.5hrs! I was amazed at my own speed of reading and the level of concentration.. But the book itself is such that once you start reading, you just cannot keep it down :)

It's an amazing book if you are interested in knowing what is happening to the world, the reason behind increase in natural calamities, death & violence, the huge shift in attitude with the current younger generations, about the Crystal and Indigo children, the increased focus on spirituality and alternate healing therapies, why and how the Mayan civilization could predict what is going to happen in Dec 2012 but could not predict anything beyond that! And above all... what exactly is going to happen in Dec 2012.! It's not the end of the world but the beginning of a new phase... the 4th dimension! Read it and you will know what I am talking about :)

Here is a brief synopsis about the book, taken from the cover page

Ask yourself: “Do you feel there are major changes occurring in the world?”
If the answer is ‘No’, you do not need to read this book.
But if the answer is ‘Yes’, then this book will provide you insights into your feelings, and provide many answers to questions that you did not know whom to ask.

Around the world, there has been a lot of talk lately about the major “Shift” that we, as Mankind, along with Planet Earth, are experiencing. Beyond the well-documented geophysical changes, like major increases in the number of earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and other natural phenomena, there are also major changes in every area of life that affect each and every one of us.

This is an absolutely interesting and informative hard covered book written about the changing earth and humanity, often known as THE SHIFT of 2012-2029. Dr. Sunny Satin combines the background of the shift, guides one through the transition, and provides a description of the New World after upon completion of the shift. Definitely a page-turner, written in simple language and great for EVERYONE to understand!

Important topics include:
1.- Energetic and Scientific Look on the Dimension Shift
2.- Sources of Universal Information
3.- Body Changes (chakra, DNA etc) during the Transition
4.- Indigo and Crystal Children
5.- Masters and Helpers
6.-Timelines for Reaching the Dimension shift

Revive - A holistic approach to health & life

After a month's long effort and 3 months of planning, my very own center for complementary & alternative medicine is finally up and running!

You can check out the website at http://www.reviveholistic.com/

You can join the facebook page & follow the regular updates at http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=131316900268842&sk=apps#!/pages/Revive-Holistic-Center/131316900268842?v=wall

It has been a great journey starting from envisioning the concept of Revive, developing and planning it and actually putting it to implementation. Above all, it gives me immense satisfaction and inner happiness that I've always been looking for and that's what keeps me going!

I had never ever imagined that I would be starting a venture all on my own, but here it is, all set and done! My MBA skills acquired at ISB definitely came handy. I would have probably never had this level of confidence to take the risk and do everything single handedly, without my education at ISB. It's only towards the end that I realized how much of an effort it takes to start even the smallest possible venture! And the work still continues... to make it better and aim to be the best..

The center is now functional in Singapore and I will be providing the following services/workshops
- Hypnotherapy
- Reiki healing & trainings (Level 1,2,3A,3B)
- Tarot Readings
- Egyptian Card Readings
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Crystal Healing

Singapore - first impressions

It's been almost 2 months now since I moved to Singapore and it has been great so far. Being here is a very refreshing change from the middle east, no doubt! One great aspect is definitely the weather, unlike Dubai it allows me to step out of the house and do something. Though it pours like crazy on sometimes, most of the days the weather is quite pleasant and very welcoming....


Singapore, which is a city as well as a country on its own is a very small place. It will probably take just 45mins by train to go from one end of the country to the other. So you can reach any place nearby just walking around. The public transport - MRT, buses and cabs are extremely efficient and easily accessible, hence there is no real need to own a car (well, even if you want to, it is just not affordable here!). In addition, the city is very clean, green and nice and walking is a great pleasure!


We live very close to the East Coast Park (which is to the south of singapore and is along the beach which is well maintained) so the beach is just a few minutes walk from home :) Not to forget the beautiful sea view from the balcony, looking at which gives immense peace and calmness to the mind! I absolutely love this place....hope it gets better as the days and months pass by!

Reiki Level 1 Workshop

I am conducting a Reiki Level 1 certification workshop in Bangalore this Sunday January 16th, 2011. Anyone interested in attending this, plz leave a comment here with your email ID and I'll get back to you with the details/registration.

Prior Registration is required as there are limited seats only.

Venue: Therapy Ayurveda, #3776, 12th cross,
13th main, 2nd stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Duration: 9am to 5pm

Investment: Rs 1200 (includes course material/CD)


This course is designed to meet the needs of anyone interested in learning techniques for self-healing, relaxation, and pain-relief. Reiki (ray-key) is a Japanese healing technique that uses gentle touch or non-touch (distance healing). The use of Reiki for oneself and others restores energy balance and vitality by relieving physical and emotional effects of unreleased stress. This workshop results in certification as a ‘Reiki Level 1 Practitioner’ and includes
- Introduction, history and principles of Reiki
- How to give Reiki treatment for self and others
- Reiki for common ailments
- Practical sessions
- Reiki Level 1 Attunement