Learn Thai Yoga Massage in São Paulo

The traditional healing techniques of ancient Thailand may seem a long way away and indeed they are. But this February you can learn the secrets of Thai traditional massage right here in São Paulo and even get certified as a Level 2 practitioner.

Barbara Santos is a Brazilian therapist who lives and works in Thailand. In 2012 she founded Espaço Nibbana, a holistic therapy institution through which she aims to raise awareness of traditional Eastern therapies and in particular Thai Massage.

Although she now resides in Asia where she can live and breathe the traditional art of healing through massage, she regularly returns to hold seminars and encourage other therapists to delve deeper into Eastern holistic practices.

Thai Yoga Massage courses are coming to São Paulo

In February this year she will be returning to her homeland to teach some of her learnings via intensive weekend courses. Her schedule only allows for 3 Brazilian cities one of which, of course, is Sampa. In São Paulo, the course will be held at Casa Jaya in Pinheiros. Full details are available here or directly on Espaco Nibbana.

A great opportunity for those who wish to learn how to give a great professional and traditional massage!

The etymology of São Paulo’s neighbourhoods

What is the origin of your neighbourhood’s name? 

Below is a quick and dirty list of some São Paulo districts and where their names come from:

Bixiga (Bela Vista)

The saying goes that an infection of the bladder ("bexiga" in Portuguese) was common in the farmland area of Bela Vista in in the late nineteenth century and residents were labelled Bixigas as a pejorative term. Another possibility is that an Italian resident known for drinking heavily at the bars and taverns of Bela Vista, had a belly as round and big as a party balloon (which is also called "bexiga" in Portuguese), so, the area was nicknamed after him.

Ipiranga

Ipiranga comes from the indigenous language Tupi. It means red river which is the colour the rivers take when containing a lot of the local red coloured earth.

Itaim Bibi

Itaim Bibi the portuguese word bebê (baby) was adapted to Bibi by slaves referring to the son of famous doctor Leopoldo Couto Magalhães. Magalhães was also the owner of the Chácara Itaí. Hence th eneighbourhood name Itai(m) Bibi.

Jardins

Jardins means gardens in Portuguese not many of which seem to have survived the passage of time.

Moema

Moema is a reference to a chracter in the poem Caramuru by Santa Rita Durão

Perdizes

Perdizes - Joaquim Alves was one of the better own breeders of partridges (perdizes) who live din the area at the end of the 19^th century. He lived in what is now known as Largo Padre Péricles. Hence the área became known as Campo de Perdizes (partridge fields) and later simply Perdizes.

Pinheiros

Pinheiros literally means pine trees and this because the land which this neighbourhood occupies used to be an area of dense forest which contained a Brazilian subtropical species of pine, Araucaria angustifolia, which incidentally is very common in Curitiba and is the symbol of Paraná state.

Tatuapé

Tatuapé is another Tupi name meaning the path (apé) of the armadillos (tatu). 

Street Art in São Paulo Part 6 - Pinheiros

Somewhat overshadaowed by the grafitti heavy Vila Madalena, Pinheiros still has some nice street art if you look carefully. A few weeks ago I saw this one headinga long Faria lima towards Alto de Pinheiros area:

Clothes left behind on Avenida Faria Lima

And slightly further on, this friendly elephant was walking down the street:

A runaway elephant cooling down a passerby

More São Paulo street art here

Street Art in São Paulo Part 2

Nobody has been able to explain why but there is a custom of painting lamp posts in many parts of the city. Here are some examples:

Pinheiros region

Faria Lima

Alto Pinheiros

Vila Madalena

If you know why lamp posts are painted like this please leave a comment!

Helpful street objects around Pinheiros

Despite what is usually said about big cities and what I have heard about São Paulo's residents, in my experience Paulistanos have been extremely proactive, thoughtful, considerate and helpful. In fact, I often notice small details on the street which are put there to make life easier for another Pauistano. Here are some interesting examples:

On a street corner in Pinheiros the newspaper stand has a lighter attached to it for passers by to grab a "light" or for customers who have just purchased cigarattes:

The same stand also has a pen for you to use:

And further down the street there are public telephone booths, called orelhãos, portuguese for big ears, as they look like oversized ears. Notice that they have built a lower one for disabled access:

Compare that with the thought of a disabled person trying to get a wheelchair inside the traditional telephone boxes in London and the orelhão wins hands down.