Pearl Howie's Blog, page 21

Weekly Newsletter - Get Your Goodies

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Monday 26th May 2014 - Timetable Updates

This Week - Classes are not affected by the half term and run as normal apart from Bank Holiday Monday

Monday
10 – 10:45am   Zumba Gold®   Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks  £6
Please note there is no class this week due to Bank Holiday

Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm  Zumba Gold®   Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD   £5
7:15 – 8:15pm  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall  £5

Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am   Zumba Gold®   Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD   £5
(Five spaces available in this class due to half term)
11:30 – 12 noon   Zumba Gold® chair  Acacia IGC   £2
6 – 7pm  Zumba® Fitness  Holistic Fitness  £6

Thursday
12 – 12:45pm   Zumba Gold®   Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED     £3
7:30 – 8:15pm (6:30 – 7:15pm from June 2014)  Zumba Gold®  Wimbledon Guild  £5

Saturday
10 – 11am  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall   £5

Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.

Monday 2nd June 2014 - Timetable Updates

Next Week

Monday
10 – 10:45am   Zumba Gold®   Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks  £6

Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm  Zumba Gold®   Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD   £5
7:15 – 8:15pm  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall  £5

Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am   Zumba Gold®   Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD   £5
11:30 – 12 noon   Zumba Gold® chair  Acacia IGC   £2
6 – 7pm  Zumba® Fitness  Holistic Fitness  £6

Thursday
12 – 12:45pm   Zumba Gold®   Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED     £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold®  Wimbledon Guild  £5
Please note as of June 2014 this class has a new time of 6:30 - 7:15pm

Saturday
10 – 11am  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall   £5

Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.

Get Your Goodies

How do you get those Zumba socks and other goodies?
 
1. Recommend a friend to any class and when they give me your name you get a water bottle – if you already have a water bottle you get a bag – and if you already have a bag then you get a Zumba T-shirt!
 
2. Every time you complete a Reward Card you get er… rewarded. 

When you complete a 5 or 10 class card
Zumba wristbands or shoelaces
 
When you complete a 20 or 30 class card
Zumba socks, sweat wristband, headband, bandana, Zumba Gold bracelet/keyring charm, Kids CD, Zumba ring or water bottle (or a wristband or pair of shoelaces if you prefer)
 
When you complete a 50 or 70 class card
Bag or T-shirt (or any of the other goodies I have)
 
When you complete a 100 (BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE!) or 130 or 160 class card
Choose a Zumba vest top from the website or get £15 off any item of Zumbawear!
 
3. You can always buy them from me – and of course, order Zumbawear from the website through me so you save on postage.


Tips On
















Zumba 30 With Bursts

I'm really lucky to be going to Zumba Convention in Orlando again this August and my very first session is with the lead instructors for a brand new Zumba format class – "Zumba 30 With Bursts", including Steve Boedt (above) and Ricardo Marmitte (top of the page with his brothers). 
 
I spoke to Ricardo in Cologne about the idea - a new way of teaching Zumba with interval training to help squeeze all the juice of a one hour class into a tight half an hour.  The format is being launched in Orlando so it looks like I will be in the very first class – honoured! 
 
I'll still need to complete an online training before being licensed to teach this format, which will hopefully be available when it's launched in August (Ricardo and co. have already filmed the DVD.)  
 
The half hour time slot sounds like it could be a great class for me to add at lunchtimes or even before work (not sure about the early start!) so let me know if you or any of your friends are keen.  If you have a workplace with showers and enough space it might even work to bring the class to you!

I couldn't resist checking out the latest videos from Steve and Ricardo online - it's the little kids in the videos that make them!

Charity flash mob with Ricardo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-WeoVTcMYI

Steve proves anyone can shimmy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlBmtx9vrH8
 
Oh yes and Steve is a really nice guy!





















Latest From Pearl Escapes

Check out some of the recent changes and updates to my website:-

Watsu – this treatment is so amazing I had to put it on my website instantly!
http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Guide_To_Treatments/watsu.html
 
A quick update on my playlist for those who keep asking – what is the name of that song "Zumba something?"
http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Basics/Pearls_Blog/Entries/2014/3/24_Playlist_-_you_asked_for_it!.html

Thank You...

...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.

And have an incredible Bank Holiday weekend!

Much love, Pearl

Weekly Newsletter - World Cup Song For Zumba

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Monday 19th May 2014 - Timetable Updates

This Week
Monday
10 – 10:45am   Zumba Gold®   Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks  £6

Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm  Zumba Gold®   Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD   £5
7:15 – 8:15pm  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall  £5

Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am   Zumba Gold®   Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD   £5
(Two spaces left this week - please call to book this class) 
11:30 – 12 noon   Zumba Gold® chair  Acacia IGC   £2
6 – 7pm  Zumba® Fitness  Holistic Fitness  £6

Thursday
12 – 12:45pm   Zumba Gold®   Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED     £3
Please note this class is moving to Holistic Fitness for this week only due to Drake House being used as a polling station on 22nd May
7:30 – 8:15pm (6:30 – 7:15pm from June 2014)  Zumba Gold®  Wimbledon Guild  £5
Please note this class is cancelled this week only due to Drake House being used as a polling station on 22nd May

Saturday
10 – 11am  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall   £5
Please note there is no Saturday class this week due to Bank Holiday

Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.

Monday 26th May 2014 - Timetable Updates

Next Week - Classes are not affected by the half term and run as normal apart from Bank Holiday Monday

Monday
10 – 10:45am   Zumba Gold®   Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks  £6
Please note there is no class this week due to Bank Holiday

Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm  Zumba Gold®   Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD   £5
7:15 – 8:15pm  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall  £5

Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am   Zumba Gold®   Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD   £5
11:30 – 12 noon   Zumba Gold® chair  Acacia IGC   £2
6 – 7pm  Zumba® Fitness  Holistic Fitness  £6

Thursday
12 – 12:45pm   Zumba Gold®   Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED     £3
7:30 – 8:15pm (6:30 – 7:15pm from June 2014)  Zumba Gold®  Wimbledon Guild  £5

Saturday
10 – 11am  Zumba® Fitness  Vestry Hall   £5

Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.

World Cup Song For Zumba

All Zumba Instructors around the world got an exciting personal message from Pitbull last week (recorded on his private plane) introducing us to his World Cup song and also with some fun new choreography from Beto Perez and head office. 

Personally my favourite bit was when all the female instructors took a go at shooting for the goal with Beto as goalie - they gave him a run for his money.  Actually my favourite bit was when he went for the cool soccer kick and landed up flat on his bottom.  (I'm so mature.)

Sadly I can't share the video as it's ZIN only, but you'll be seeing this in class soon and here's a clip of the music for you to get used.  As several ZINs said on our message boards it's nice to hear Pitbull do a song that doesn't include references to thongs and twerking (which is why you don't hear too many Pitbull songs in my class!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W3sWiZ-iO8


Tips On Working Out In Hot Weather

As we enjoy some lovely warm days here are a few tips on staying safe:-

1 - Hydrate before, during and after class. Don’t just drink water in class, if you stay hydrated throughout the day you will feel better and won’t spend the first half of class catching up your hydration.

2 - Strip off! We’re all friends, if you want to wear less in class, feel free to strip down to your sports bra, or a vest top so your sweat can evaporate and cool you down. Don’t be afraid to wear shorts or even a sports skirt. You can get changed in class if you don’t feel comfortable walking down the street in your shorts and vest.

3 - Move to where you feel comfortable in class - there are no spots in my class!

4 - Walk it out! If you are feeling uncomfortably hot don’t hesitate to walk it out and give me a nod to show you’re hot but taking it easy. Please don’t stop suddenly. If you feel particularly unwell talk to me - don’t leave the class by yourself. We’re a family and we take care of each other in class.

5 - Reconsider your salt intake. If you’re on a low salt diet consider whether you need more salt to make up for perspiration. I always recommend pink Himalayan salt and sea salt - remember that sports drinks, although good for a quick fix, are packed full of salts and sugars. Fruit juices are generally considered healthier and some people swear by coconut water (unfortunately it doesn’t agree with me). Also water-rich and salt-rich foods can help you stay hydrated, so a nice healthy Mediterranean salad can tick all the boxes.

Latest From Pearl Escapes

Check out some of the recent changes and updates to my website:-

New index page to help you find everything easily

My Seaworld blog including a wonderful Born Free video

Thank You...

...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.

Much love, Pearl

If You Love Something Set It Free

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Last year when I was travelling to Florida for Zumba Convention one of the biggest decisions was which places to visit to experience dolphins, turtles, manatees and yes, even killer whales. Florida is one of the most amazing places to experience these animals, but there is a fierce debate amongst those who are passionate about marine mammals about whether it is acceptable to keep them in captivity so that we can "meet" them.

I didn't get too involved in the debate, but I have enough Facebook friends involved in marine research, documentary filmmaking and so on to receive enough posts about "Blackfish" (the documentary about Seaworld orcas) and general requests to free marine mammals to decide to give it a miss.

I was rewarded with the magical experiences of dolphins coming up to the beach to check me and other humans out, plus seeing a mother and baby dolphin playing in the wake of Little Toot. I did have to go to rescue centres and nature parks to see rescued manatee and turtles. The manatee Rosie sadly won't be released into the wild because she has spent too much time in captivity to survive and the turtles are all receiving medical treatment. It does seem cruel when you walk into the research facility with all the baby turtles, until you read what they are actually doing and these are all released again after a short time and many are rescued hatchlings.

Even visiting Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (phew!) the excitement was in the completely unexpected appearance of a manatee from the spring who decided to come and join us and hang out for a while with no incentive, just wanting to say hello.

So, last week when I finally watched "Blackfish" I was so glad that I had never visited a park that kept dolphins or whales captive. I thought the documentary was actually very well balanced and kept the content safe for viewers – what freaked me out was the research I did straight afterwards wanting to know more about the state of the whales following the film. If you do decide to look into it please don't do it right before bed – I couldn't sleep and I had nightmares.

Looking at some of the practices of Seaworld and other "amusement" parks holding marine mammals I struggled with the ethical and moral reasoning of these corporations – how could they deliberately do so many of these things and how do you understand it? Some researchers believe that dolphins and orcas may well have a more developed intelligence than humans, they certainly have what seems like an even stronger family bond, with family members living together for life, up to 100 years for the females. When you know that, the idea of keeping an animal locked up for decades is truly appalling, but that's not even the part that freaked me out. Their breeding program did that.

Ultimately I decided there are three ways you can look at this:-

- If you believe marine mammals have an equivalent or higher intelligence and emotional life than humans it's wrong.

- If you believe that marine mammals have a different but strong intelligence we could consider them as an alien species. Imagine how we would feel if an alien species abducted and imprisoned us. So, it's wrong. (Interestingly this is the definition some marine researchers use to decide whether to intervene when an animal is in distress in the wild, if "rescuing" the animal would only prolong its agony and cause further distress then they leave them to die naturally.)

- If you believe that marine mammals have as much feeling and intelligence as a dog it's wrong. If I read about a dog breeder who treated their animals like this I would call the RSPCA.
























My job is Explorer-in-Chief and it's important for me to have new experiences and seek out new ways of healing, whether it's an excellent coffee shop or a once in a lifetime moment connecting with another species. But my experience is no more important than any other tourist's and the regular human duty to live ethically doesn't disappear because we're on holiday (what goes on tour comes home with you). The kids want to go to Seaworld to see an orca? Tough. Just because we relax the rules about bedtime or eating all your greens on holiday doesn't change the big picture.

In Iceland I hit the moral quandary of whether or not to visit a restaurant that had whale meat on the menu. Yes, in Iceland they still kill whales for "scientific research" and somehow the rest of the meat ends up on local restaurants' tables. The argument exists that as this is something the Icelandic people do we should respect their culture and tourists head to restaurants with whale meat dishes to see how the Icelanders do it. It's already dead right? The truth is that Icelanders do not eat whale meat, the majority respect and love whales and are disgusted by this practice but don't want to upset the tourists. We ended up inside one such restaurant after a blizzard forced us to take cover, there's no way I would ever order whale meat, but I didn't even eat the food we had ordered as there was such a terrible vibe in the place.

As far as I am concerned these whales are wild and belong to no nation, so no nation should be allowed to destroy them.

Respect for a host country's customs does not include abandoning all morals and beliefs.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that we are getting better. When I was a child we visited a zoo (we knew circuses were cruel) and saw dead eyed apes in the "monkey house". I was shocked by just how much an orang-utan looked like us, but after a few minutes it was boring and sad to see them sitting there just looking back at us. I wanted to stay to spend time with them but wanted to go because it was awful. We saw a polar bear walking endlessly, frantically from one side on an enclosure to the other, clearly disturbed.

The places I have visited since then are a different world; Marwell, Port Lympne, Howletts, London Zoo – with enclosures and activities arranged to try to simulate the wild as far as possible and with the ultimate goal of many programs to try to reintroduce these animals back into the wild. One thing I have learned is that when natural conditions can be recreated and animals behave naturally they are far more interesting than any tricks we humans could devise for them.

In Victorian times explorers found an animal, shot it, stuffed it and brought it back to show society. They were applauded for scientific research.

Later we caught those animals and brought them back to zoos. I was captivated by a series of books about two young boy explorers who went out to catch animals for zoos, theirs seemed like a great life, especially as there was always some other group behind them trying to capture the same animals but for private collectors or "bad zoos".

Then we created safari parks and natural reserves so we could go out and see these animals in the wild. Whaling towns became whale tourism towns.

Then we realized that while safari parks and reserves might work for the rich they were at odds with the needs of local people, so local tribes were asked to help, to take over the safari parks, take ownership, become gamekeepers.

I was reading an article about the green Kalahari where apparently in the mid 19th century permits were given out to shoot the local tribespeople as they were "in the way". We are getting better. Slowly, but surely.

The title of "Blackfish" comes from the Native American name for the orca; a deeply spiritual animal you don't mess with.

In many places around the world modern governments and business people are "giving back" what was taken from indigenous people. Ayers Rock is now Uluru and Kata Tjuta, as it was for thousands of years before settlers arrived in Australia, and the local tribe helps tourists to understand its significance without breaking their traditional laws.

Around the world there are many places where tourism is providing an impetus for healing old rifts and restoring indigenous people to their land and traditions, even in the green Kalahari where previously hunted tribespeople are now the tour guides.

Sadly Seaworld and other tourism businesses are taking time to catch on. When "Blackfish" was released many music artists cancelled their tour dates at Seaworld venues. Legislation is being argued in California that would effectively end orcas performing and the captive breeding program in that state. Many states and countries have already banned keeping orcas (and sometimes dolphins too) in captivity; New York, South Carolina, Hawaii, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, India, Nicaragua, Slovenia, Switzerland as well as countries where the standards of keeping marine mammals mean that it is economically impossible to keep them; Brazil, Luxembourg, Norway and the UK. There is currently a huge campaign to Free Morgan; a young wild orca who was rescued but has since been transported to Loro Parque in Spain (which may or may not be affiliated with Seaworld depending on who you ask) and is being taught to perform and may be forced to breed as part of their captive breeding program. http://www.freemorgan.org/

Legislation is constantly changing and it cannot be too long before common sense and decency prevails and we see the end of these circuses. Those involved in these businesses have the chance now to see the bigger picture and be part of the change, maybe even rescue some public goodwill or they can wait until they are forced to change.

You might ask why I care so much about animals when this is really a healing website for humans? Because I don't believe that mistreatment of other humans or animals is good for us as individuals or as a society. If you do decide to watch "Blackfish" what is obvious is the pain and regret so many of the trainers feel as they look back; that they believed the lies they were told, that they helped feed this production but mixed with regret is the pain they felt at the thought of leaving the orcas alone to their life of captivity. (Corky, or more specifically Corky (II) is a female orca in Seaworld San Diego who has been in captivity since 1970, 44 years of captivity so far, she could live for a further 50 years in the wild, so it's possible she may spend 94 years of her life in captivity.)

Travelling or just sitting on your computer experiencing life from around the world we realise just how interlinked our planet is, it's all our neighbourhood. As a child you might experience something in a zoo and look back in sadness when the truth of the cruelty of that exhibit becomes clear, however I know my mother would have never taken us there if she had known. You may think you are bringing your child delight by taking them to Seaworld but will they look back, like the trainers with the same tears when they realise they were part of such cruelty?

If you are heading for Orlando there are some amazing wildlife projects and countless dolphin boat trips. You may not get a dinner show or see tricks, but you may get the chance to see these incredible animals when it's not going to distress them and that experience will be richer for knowing that they chose to come and see you too.

Here are some of the animal encounters I recommend and here also is a link to the Born Free Foundation page on marine mammals – which offers some information but is not as disturbing as some of the other information online.

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Spa_Breaks/clearwater---the-sight-–-dolphins-–-caladesi-beach-and-little-toot.html

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Spa_Breaks/clearwater---side-trip-–-homosassa-springs.html

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Spa_Breaks/vero-beach---the-journey-–-drive-from-key-largo-(and-back-to-orlando).html

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Hong_Kong_Spa_Princess/The_Sight_-_Pink_Dolphins.html

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Spa_Breaks/the-activity---the-icelandic-horse.html

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/UK/Livingstone_Lodge,_Port_Lympne,_Kent.html

http://www.pearlescapes.co.uk/Spa_Breaks/the-sight-–-new-forest-ponies-from-the-back-of-a-horse.html

http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/marine/

Lovely video about Corky
http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/marine/campaign-action/orcalab/

Much love, Pearl

Meet The Myth

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Hello everyone,

So I finally got my May issue of National Geographic, (weirdly followed the next day by the June issue) and was fascinated by the article "The Truth Is Out There" – a serious look at travel journalism and how honest and ethical it actually is.

The article looks at how so many journalists and bloggers are now paid or supported by travel businesses and organisations – hotels, tourism groups, so that "the stereotypical blogger – a passionate, elegant hobo armed with a keyboard and a shoestring budget – slips further into myth".

I'm actually kind of flattered by this article and description, although I am not sure I would use the word "hobo" to describe myself, more "boho" thank you very much.

The fact is that nearly all of my travel and spa visits are paid for by me, no sponsorship or press trips get offered, and if I ever do take up a freebie it's pretty much in the first line of my review, in fact if I ever do get the legendary spa trip offer – you know that 5 star holiday in the Maldives it will be ringing through the treetops "Woo hoo I just got offered a freebie!!" (Just so you know.)

But it is something that is on my mind a lot, especially as I couldn't say that writing this website or publishing my books has yet brought in any big bucks, there is always the pressure to add more advertising on my website, and emails asking me to add sponsored links and reciprocal links (where I plug their product, they plug mine). In part I ignore all of this because I want to maintain my credibility. I was so confused when I first started visiting spas because I felt there was so little straight talk – everything I read felt like a press trip puff piece – I wanted to know the nitty gritty, to get the same push in the right direction that I got when reading a film or a restaurant review. I wanted honesty, so I went out and started creating it.

It's funny, thinking about film reviews or book reviews, that it's almost obligatory for a film distributor to put on free press screenings, or for a book publisher to send out free review copies with no strings attached, however when it comes to travel it certainly feels as though there is an expected quid pro quo for just offering a free sample. I suppose it's also along the lines of restaurant reviewers, not that you wouldn't be offered a free dinner for an honest review, but that "honest" review may be tainted by extra special service when what the public really wants to know is how an ordinary Joe (or Joanne) will be treated.

I think if you really want honesty or to feel that your best interests are at heart, in anything, not just travel information, it’s important to remember who pays the bills. What I love about my Zumba Fitness classes is that although there may be a third party involved (i.e. the studio owner or facility where I teach) the customer is clearly the participant – they pay my rent. The actual company Zumba Fitness is paid by my license fee, so it's in their best interests to look after me as their client. If I don't like their products I won't use them and I also won’t recommend their clothing unless I really like it – it's not worth letting down my participants, who are my actual customers, to make a little bit of commission.

However when it comes to travel advice, including spa reviews, it's worth thinking twice about who pays the bills, is it the advertiser, is it the hotel, is it the spa? Sadly even the businesses that supposedly work for you - booking sites and travel agents - don't seem to be that objective because they only get paid when you book, so it's in their short term best interests to sugar coat what they are offering. I'm a big fan of booking sites that offer authenticated reviews (from people who have booked through them) as these usually offer more truth than the rest of the internet combined (including sadly sometimes Tripadvisor, which can definitely be swayed).

When I decided to focus on producing books rather than web advertising it was because I feel if you keep it simple – you pay me for advice, I give you the best advice I can – it also helps to keep things honest. It also allows me to keep my website clear from ads that I haven't selected myself (Google ads are generated automatically). There are ad links which you have to click on to see ads but I always wanted my website to feel like an escape in itself, somewhere you could come when you were burnt out and needing to just have a nice, peaceful moment. Viagra ads and ads for "adult massage", which sadly have popped up through my ad links (I keep reporting them but they keep slipping through the Google net) just don't say relaxing to me.

So far I've made an awful lot more from books than from any advertising (actually I haven't received a penny from advertising) so who knows, perhaps my website is actually part of a bold new world where finally we lose the advertising and make you the clear and outright customer once again.

Another point about the "pay your own way" reviewer or blogger is that it's one thing to go out to posh dinners on your newspaper's budget (funded by their advertisers) it's another when it’s your monthly treat. Not only do I want people reading my reviews to know that I am being completely honest and not swayed by advertisers, but also that if I can do it on my shoestring budget then so can you.

Much love, Pearl

Following the script

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I don’t normally comment on the news (I don’t often read the news), but I can’t stop thinking about the sad, sad story of Peaches Geldof that is everywhere at the moment.

Her family must be struggling right now, to survive, to understand, to heal and most of all to avoid the same kind of fate.

In therapy terms we often say anyone who is reliving a similar pattern to their parents is following a script. We see it time and time again; a parent or family member struggled with a problem, with a lifestyle, with anything and the child lives it over and over again, drawn by a black hole kind of attraction to that sucking annihilation, drawn by a desperation, a fascination and the gravity of something that scarred and changed their life.

If we are lucky we can break the patterns of our family, we can change history and move on - for a moment it looked like Peaches had too.

But this kind of following, then rejecting a script happens in so many ways in our lives. How many people have said “I’m turning into my mother.” How many have been hurt by another saying it; “You’re just like your mother.” It’s not always a mother, it can be a father, or any other powerful influence, but there’s something about that mother daughter relationship that seems to add more weight than anything.

Teenage rebellion can be the healthiest break from the script; not just the stereotypical staying out late and dressing differently (sadly often you’re just repeating your own mother’s rebellion) but also the Saffie type rebellion in “Absolutely Fabulous” - her mother is a wild child, she’s the prim and proper good girl. It stands to reason, if I avoid the obvious mistakes of my mother I won’t end up like her.

Ultimately I believe it’s by challenging and changing and breaking from our mother’s patterns that we can finally turn around and appreciate all the wonderful things about them and realise some of those patterns are really pretty great.

However it’s hard to rebel when your mother is dead, dying or coping with impossible situations just when you want to become your own person.

I did my teenage rebellion many years late - in my thirties, there was a time when I couldn’t look at my mother. Until I did a sharp U-turn and in the moment I forgave her for all the ways she “ruined my life” (like every other teenager) I came to love and respect her so much for all the ways she has surmounted the issues in her life. Talking about some of those things even allowed us to talk about the things I never resented her for, but which she felt she owed me an apology for. It’s good to talk, when it’s so clean and fresh.

I realise now though, that as much as we rebel at certain times to the big strokes of our parents’ lives, the desire to emulate them, follow their script is ever present. In our teens it is so much easier to rebel against who our parents may have been in their teens, thirties and forties, but as we get older that age difference matters less and less, till somehow we wake up another decade older with those habits and ideas and ways of dressing somehow having crept into our lives while we were sleeping.

In some ways my mother and I are completely different, our life stories and styles polar opposites, yet there are some major aspects of our lives that echo darkly, when I look at them I wonder if I somehow intended it that way, or is it just like lightning - it had to strike somewhere?

Another aspect of the Peaches’ story is the fact she was being held up as a motherhood guru. It speaks volumes about our society that anyone well known is seen as a reputable source, just open any magazine or paper and you’ll see comments, advice and tips from famous people. Make up and diet tips from supermodels who were born more beautiful, healthy and tall than 98% of the population will tell you what foundation primer to wear (yeah, that’ll get you on the catwalk). Actresses who have a BMI way below the healthy level will tell you what restaurants to visit. And everyone will tell you where to shop and how to put the latest look together - then you look twice and realise that you would never ever walk down the street like that. And parenting tips, and relationship tips, and holiday tips all from people who may have an army of nannies, be on their third marriage and have a black American Express card. Get real.

Even friends who may seem to have the ideal life, when you get down deep and talk to them you may find the reality is very different - do you really want to follow their lead?

At my book launch there were a few guests who came who also wanted advice, on being a Zumba Instructor, on launching a business. I think some thought that because I had a book launch party I was a successful author and could tell them how to do it. I am successful because I do it, I can definitely give advice on getting started and keeping going, but if you want advice on how to have some kind of rockstar success and make millions you’re probably asking the wrong person. Maybe pick up one of the hundreds of books that tell you how to make a million overnight (I do, but so far I’m still waiting for the big fat royalty check).

The people whose advice I take are usually the most honest, the ones who talk about the mistakes they’ve made, who tell me that what I am trying to do is harder than what they actually do, who can laugh about their mistakes and failures and who, by telling me how things honestly sit with them, remind me that I am not doing such a bad job myself - that my work life balance may suck, but theirs is pretty poor too, that emotional closeness may be hard to find but they’re a Buddhist monk so their life is easier, that they may be doing well in one area of their life but another needs work. To not be so hard on myself or push myself too hard.

Wow, and in saying that I realise that they all sound like my mother - not the pushy parent, but the loving, nurturing “if you don’t feel well stay in bed” parent I was blessed to grow up with.

When I look around at all the advice and all the “gurus” there’s a reason I find myself following my mother’s patterns, because there is so much good in what my mother taught me and continues to teach me.

“You can do anything you set your mind to.” You may not be rich or famous but you can do it.

On travelling “Be careful.” I use proper Government sources and double doses of instinct to stay out of travel - and don’t drink!

“Relax” - but of course I say it back to her to little use. She struggles with putting herself first and taking time out from all the things she does, so do I, but by working on spa guides I hope to help her and lots of other people to be a little kinder to themselves.

Looking around there are a lot worse role models than my mother and my grandmother too, so perhaps that’s why, as well as that inevitable pull, I find myself slipping into her habits.

It drives me crazy how much time and attention she puts on what she and my brother are having for dinner, but she has done wonders for both of their health with her creative culinary skills (I am always telling her she should write a book) and top of my list for improving my life right now “shop and eat better”.

She spends a lot of time on her home and garden - top of my list “have a day sorting out my house”.

One of the most important things she also taught me was to think for myself in terms of religion and spirituality, and to remember that it’s not the religion we profess that is important, it’s how we act and live our beliefs, with consideration for all.

When I look deeply, affectionately at my relationship with my mother I see two beautiful, spiritual women who are both trying to live really good lives, and who, most of the time, have a positive influence on each other. In short, I am truly blessed and, if I keep working, as they say in all good parenting books, to focus on the good and let go of the bad, I am looking forward to growing old disgracefully with her.

When I realise how much she has given and continues to give me, my heart goes out even more to Peaches Geldof. To break some patterns when you have a living, breathing person to work with and against is so much easier than trying to resolve the cold and final script of a dead parent.

I mean no disrespect to the Geldof family when I say that of all the gifts that my mother has given me perhaps the greatest was to protect me from other strong family influences in my life. At a time when divorce was uncommon, stigmatised and difficult she had the courage to do what was right rather than what was safe, popular or easy. Whatever other familial scripts may echo in my life I think it’s the courage to stick up for myself and others that overrides other negative waves.

I know that thanks to her I have had it so much easier than many others who struggle to deal with their parents’ mistakes and try like hell not to repeat them.

x P

Book Launch Party Today!

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Just making final preparations for my book launch and celebration of the release of my 2014 guides at The Library at The Dog & Fox in Wimbledon Village, SW19 5EA 3-9pm!

It’s completely free and you don’t need to buy a book, but it would be lovely if you could join me to celebrate!

Can’t wait to see you there!


x P

I’ve reached the top and had to stop and that’s what’s bothering me.

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One of the great moments of the Zumba Instructor Academy I visited recently was the talk that Beto Perez gave us. Sometimes, with all the great materials and forum chat group rooms thingummies it’s easy to get lost, it’s easy to start looking at other people’s paths in life and start thinking “ah yes, that’s success” and then planning for a career that may not be what we want.

I’m a huge fan of “Grey’s Anatomy” and it’s interesting that in their surgical world when you become a resident the next step is to become Chief Resident, when you become a surgeon the next step is to become Head of your department or Chief of Surgery. But what happens when you get that awesome job is that suddenly you’re bogged down with managing others, dealing with paperwork, reports, budgets and that thing you loved to do, the thing you studied years to do, in their case surgery, becomes the thing you try to squeeze in before your day of paperwork.

In the Zumba world the next step from Zumba Instructor appears to be becoming a Zumba Jammer, where you teach Instructors choreography, then ZES, where you teach people how to be Instructors or teach Specialties. Those who are working as ZES are in most cases extraordinarily inspiring people, so it’s not surprising that after a while of teaching a lot of us regular Instructors aka ZINs start to set our sights on one day becoming a ZES. I recently applied for a Zumba Jammer job, I didn’t get it. And here’s the truth, hand on heart, I didn’t really want it, but I thought perhaps it was a step on the way to becoming a ZES which you know, maybe I would want? Possibly?

So, it struck a chord with me when Beto talked about this directly. He first of all paid tribute to the ZES who worked their butts off at the Academy (kneeling down a la Wayne’s World) and he’s right - seeing how hard they worked at the Academy is awe inspiring. As he said; they travel, they miss out on things, they sacrifice in order to do their job, and they’re awesome... but... he said we don’t need more ZES, what we need are awesome Instructors, teachers out there who are doing the job, just as he does every week when he is not Creative Director of Zumba worldwide, or a guy on a big stage with hundreds of ZINs following him, or a ZES, but just a regular ZIN teaching a class (not even a masterclass). It’s when he gets to do the thing he loves every week.

It’s so tempting to look around and think you want that job; whether it’s the CEO looking at the “ordinary Joes” in his company, as in Undercover Boss, and then realising that his head office is messing them around, or the “ordinary Joe” looking at that cushy “Head of Whatever” role and thinking “Wow, I wish I got to have business lunches.”

I guess what I like when I look at Beto is someone who is keeping it real, walking the walk, in fact his dedication is so powerful that I most often want to say to him “please take a break, go for a spa day,” just as my class say to me!

I think a big part of the desire to want to go the ZJ, ZES route is the desire to prove something, to myself, to others, it’s really about trying to be the best - don’t we all want that “Top Gun” trophy? It’s not really about beating others it’s, as Kelly McGillis says at the end... going at Mach whatever it is with your hair on fire. Being your best.

Ultimately Maverick figures out in the film that being the best is not about getting the trophy, it’s being there when he’s needed - it’s doing the job.

There are so many sensible career paths laid out for us that are wrong - I have this with my cycle ride most days, there’s a way I can go right, left, right or left, right, left. Now the logical practical way is to take the left onto the busy road and then a right at the roundabout where I have right of way. However so many times I try to pull out and turn right on my bike I get cut up, abuse and it’s horrible. If I go the other way I have to turn right onto a busy road - what happens? I stop and a few seconds later someone always lets me out as they take pity on me - and I get a nice easy left home. The sensible way is not always best.

So what’s left? Well in the world of “Grey’s Anatomy” it’s getting to research and experiment and cover new ground. Even there, they’re always working on some ground breaking procedure or cure... end of season it all comes together and they succeed... and the next season um... nothing much has changed, partly because this is TV and partly because the real changes, the real growth is so slow and small that it’s like watching a tree blossom. Really boring, right? (Sorry.)

There are few hard and fast rules to finding the perfect career or life path; most of them contradict each other. There’s “seek your bliss” and then “do what scares you the most”, so maybe do something blissful one day, something scary the next?

A friend of mine calls me a “mad scientist” in a nice way; I see the world as an experiment. Like so many other things found by accident it’s often when I get a result I didn’t expect that something wonderful comes out of it. I also like to explore things that nobody else has done yet.

I was the first filmmaker in the UK to make a fully digital feature film. I know this because the person who did it after me (lovely lady, very nice, I went to her screening) got lots of press for being the first. I also stayed in touch with her for a while, at the time I was a little jealous because she was getting the credit for something I had done, (you could be the first on the Moon, but if no one saw you you don’t get reported in history!) but over the next few years we both had our ups and downs and her life was ultimately no more blessed than mine.

I was the first person in the UK to write a book about being a kidney donor (there were a couple in the US before me) and I do believe my life has been blessed because of that - especially reading emails from people who the book has helped.

I may not have been the first but I was the only person teaching Zumba Gold in Merton when I started, and I do believe I was the first to teach Zumba Gold chair (although someone else was in the paper reportedly being the first when I had been doing it six months). And so it goes.

Ultimately it doesn’t really bother me because I know I was first, oh yes and I believe I am the first to ever publish a book about spa treatments rather than just spas (pretty proud of that!) I feel it’s a little bit like indigenous people living somewhere and some group comes along and “discovers” somewhere and plants a flag and the indigenous people say, well yes, that’s where we go on Tuesdays. When you’re living it the “firsts” and “fastests” and “first woman” blah blah all seems a little irrelevant.

The best part of being a “first” is when you see others go after you, when other people set up classes, when others ask you for advice on publishing, on kidney donation, when that “first” is a flag that helps people find you and ultimately inspiration to do more of the same. (Or they just got there after you not even knowing you were on the same path.)

Being the first to put together a mixed Zumbathon with three different types of class together made me so proud, mainly because I’ve been experimenting with bringing these classes together for years, trying first one way and then another and so it was succeeding with that “experiment” that meant a lot to me. Now I know that it can be done, nothing would make me happier than seeing others use that knowledge to expand and grow.

At the Academy Beto also paid tribute to one of the ZES teaching Sentao, one of the Zumba specialties and he said he was so happy and proud to see someone who could teach it better than him. You can see why we all look up to him. Whether you’re a teacher or a mad scientist it’s the body of knowledge and skill that we look up to - we want to add to it and encourage others to do the same.

It’s hard to stay true to yourself, to your values, your nature and your ideals when you are bombarded with “success” stories, emails telling you how to grow your sales, improve your Google results, make contacts, network... It’s hard when you’re doing a launch party for your book and you’re not sure how many people are going to show up, when you teach a class each week and numbers go up and down, when you feel that maybe you should be doing something different.

And that’s when you have to ask yourself what success really means. For me it’s getting to do what I love, seeing people benefit from it, knowing I make a difference, it’s doing things that no one has done before or just things I’ve never done before, it’s getting to sit in my pyjamas and write about incredible massages (not too shabby, right) and take beautiful real photos to put on the covers, it’s being able to offer support and advice to people who really need it. It’s about creating something powerful and magical and unique, even if it’s only a class that will exist after it’s done only for the few people who were there. It’s meeting up with other Instructors and sharing stories, ideas and experience and helping grow that shared pool of learning.

It’s embracing that wonderful, unique, special person you are that is the only, only person in the world that could do exactly what you do, how you do it, living that magic and following your dream no matter how embarrassingly fun, outwardly dull or hair-raisingly scary it can be at times.

Okay, let’s go. Ulp!

x P

Amida Spa - Chelsea Harbour Club

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After writing my last blog about Como Shambhala London I remembered that I hadn’t written about another spa I tried last year that just didn’t quite make the cut.

Although I loved the Amida Spa in Farnham which has a wealth of top notch spa facilities, including outdoor hot tub and pool not to mention an incredible massage therapist (David), it’s not all that close to home, so we decided to try the Amida Spa at Chelsea Harbour Club. Same sort of deal, some of the same facilities, but...

Although it has a great pool, and fantastic hydrotherapy pool, several hammam beds and a nice outdoor space for lunch, what killed this spa for me is that there is almost nowhere to sit down and relax. It was a very hot day and after my half hour massage I felt very strange. “Do you have many massages?” they asked. “Er... yes and it’s kind of irrelevant, just help me out here.” is what I didn’t reply. Unfortunately there is no relaxation area here and sitting on one of the highly designed but unforgiving sofas in the reception area where people were getting their nails done wasn’t going to make me feel any better. Looking back I should have asked to go back and lie down on a treatment table, and they should have thought to offer it.

We went up for lunch (had to get dressed - don’t like having to do that at a spa - even less when I don’t feel well!) but afterwards I still didn’t feel great. Eventually I piled several towels on a bench by the pool and lay down for half an hour. This was when I realised why there was a man lying on several towels next to the hammam beds when we arrived.

Even a few deck chairs by the pool would be helpful but I couldn’t recommend a spa that didn’t provide enough relaxation facilities as an official escape. Having said that, there are some super cheap deals here for a few hours, so if the location suits you it is one to check out if you can live without a relaxation space.

x P

Como Shambhala Experience - Metropolitan London... they shoot... they almost score...

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I was very excited to try the Como Shambhala massage at the Metropolitan hotel in London as the Como Shambhala Bali destination spa is one of the THE top spas in the world (and often comes in at No. 1).

The Como Shambhala spa at the Met is a much smaller affair, with only a tiny steam room in the way of spa facilities. If you wish to use the steam room you just arrive 15 minutes earlier.

There are some excellent packages available for Como Shambhala at the moment, www.spabreaks.com has a £105 deal which includes 60 minute massage, goodie bag and £29 towards food and drink in the Met Bar. On most days this will get you a lovely afternoon tea but sadly not on a Monday, so we opted instead for “The Met Loves Her” package from the spa itself (see their website) which is only £99, doesn’t include £29 for the Met Bar but does include a luxurious foot bath, which adds up to another 15 minutes of treatment time (woohoo!) We went instead for an afternoon tea around the corner (literally) at Amaranto in the Four Seasons - we booked through www.afternoontea.co.uk and got a complimentary glass of champagne with our £34 afternoon tea which was delicious with impeccable service, sandwich refills at your request (go easy the tiny scones are unexpectedly filling when you pile on clotted cream and chocolate sauce - oh gluttony!) and even a little goodie bag of jam and loose tea to take home.

But, before we got there, the spa. Absolutely charming staff, some pretty powerful ginger and honey tea, comfortable reception, small but plush changing area - one loo, one shower (great shower by the way), with the steam room being a small (maximum two people) shower/steam room next door. All the towels, sumptuous bathrobes, slippers etc. you would expect from a world class spa.

So why on earth would I say they didn’t score? Well I’ll give more details about the massage in a moment - and it was excellent - but my principle is that in order to recommend a spa it has to be the best in its class and although this was an excellent massage it just didn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of Chuan Spa Langham which I recently tried, or even Jivita Ayurveda. If I was to compare it with the massage at Mandarin Oriental London it would be very close, but the Mandarin Oriental also has substantial spa facilities that take it to a much higher level.

It’s about the same price point as Chuan Spa Langham (when you consider the special offers) but more expensive than Jivita Ajurveda, where you can experience some of the same massages on offer at Ananda in the Himalayas (another of the top destination spas in the world).

Anyway if you still want to try Como Shambhala, here’s the skinny on the massage. The therapists we had were both extremely friendly and on the chatty side; I’m in two minds about this as on the one hand I do like to switch off and let my mind go off to wherever it wants (a waterfall in the middle of a jungle with no nasty beasties usually) on the other my therapist had some interesting things to say and suggestions about laughing more and even watching more Adam Sandler films (which is the first time a therapist has ever said that to me) and I find myself thinking about that and opening up to more silliness.

My therapist had a medical background and so there was an element of sports massage with stretching out my knees and other areas that wouldn’t have felt out of place with a physiotherapist and everything he did felt marvellously beneficial, even if sometimes a little uncomfortable in the moment. He was also very good in the first few moments of our conversation to ask about what was going on in my life, and to stress not only that I should tell him if the pressure was right but not to be shy to do so. I only had to ask him to go easier once and it was an area that I was surprised to find tight.

When I turned over onto my back he lifted up the back of the table and the leg area to form a little cradle. As he worked on my arms, legs and shoulders from that position I went into a really deeply relaxed place, he then gave me a great facial massage, which I sorely needed as I felt my jaw had been stiff for the last few days.

Writing this I almost want to put it as one of my escapes, but I know in my gut that it’s a Highly Commended rather than a Medal Winner. Still a lovely day out and close to some amazing afternoon tea venues but to experience the awesomeness of a world class destination spa in London it has to be Jivita Ayurveda.

x P

Why not visit Cologne? Well, I’ll tell you.

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One of the nice things about working for yourself is that you don’t always have to say what people want you to. I decided when I first started Pearl Escapes that I would only recommend places that made me feel good, wellbeing escapes if you will that offered a great energy. I would never recommend Amsterdam, because when I was there the red light district made me so uncomfortable. Back then, a few years ago I dealt with it by hanging out closely with my good friends and drinking a bottle of Baileys in their back garden.

But of course, now that I embrace that vulnerability that I talked about in my last post, and I hardly drink, and what’s more I was staying in Cologne to take part at the Zumba Instructor Academy at FIBO - a fitness expo - which doesn’t really sit well with drinking half a bottle of Baileys the night before (I had a quarter of a pint of the local beer and that was about all I could take!) I felt the atmosphere of a city that lists local brothels, escorts, sexual massage parlours and saunas in its local attractions guide all too keenly.

When I first started researching Cologne online I found it was a pretty, historic town with a large spa right next to the fitness expo, apparently one of the best in Europe! How perfect it all seemed.

When I read the description of some of the saunas in the local guide book I felt my skin crawl. As someone who works to promote the benefits of honest, non-sexual massage and saunas I felt ashamed of this sordid and exploitative side of the spa industry. But even more than that I felt outrage for the way the “girls” were described and talked about, as sexual objects, a product to be marketed.

I felt deeply uncomfortable, not myself at all, jumpy and I found it difficult to connect with other people at the event. I felt that I have worked hard over the years to become more open-hearted, honest and yes, vulnerable, and it just hurt so much to be out in the world feeling that sensitive and raw.

I walked into the spa as I got lost walking around the enormous expo centre, and it was just so unappealing (they have a cigarette machine for goodness sake) and the fact that you have to get naked to go in the sauna or steam room (which I have done before in Croatia and seemed quite a giggle) felt sordid and ultimately I didn’t visit the spa. As I wandered at 10 am on a Friday morning through the Rheinepark I was constantly on my guard. The park was silent except for small groups of men in twos and threes working or smoking and staring at me as I walked past and I kept imagining terrible headlines flashing up. I was so glad to see one or two other tourists arrive.

It was a bit of a hassle to get into the expo - first time visitors have to walk all the way around to the North entrance - no sign of that free shuttle bus mentioned on the website - when I asked someone it was “Er... yeah... but...”, and then when I finally did get into the expo it all felt, well, so businesslike. Where was the “Wellness & Spa” vibe? No it was check out this machine, this food supplement, blah, blah, blah. It makes sense that the biggest shiniest kit is on display, after that’s what fills up the cash register, but I couldn’t help feeling disconnected.

Later when I walked into the FIBO Power area, to see massive posters of men whose muscles looked ready to explode, keg after keg of protein powder I felt like the world had turned upside down (then it did turn upside down when I had my first go on an aerial ring). It took me back to how I used to feel about fitness, still do when I walk into most sports shops, here’s the little girls section, or girl’s trainer section and here’s the 90% of everything else in the shop designed for guys.

When I saw the Zumba Fitness stand I was disappointed - it was very small. Then I turned the corner and saw the shop, the screens with videos, the people some of whom I remember from Convention working in the shop, and then the Zumba small stage and then, there on stage a Zumba demo. Instantly I felt at home, everyone was smiling, having a good time, being cheeky. This, this is what I do.

Over the next couple of days there were highs and lows, sometimes in the classes and sometimes outside which kept on pushing me; to practice, to meditate, to think deeply about spiritual leaders and paths and the deepest truths - that we are all connected and when one of us hurts we all feel that somewhere deep inside. I felt that I was being put in a place of experiencing some of our real darkness as a society in order to discover something. This is what I discovered:

We have been given amazing natural gifts; the gift of dance, movement, food, sex, massage, our spiritual energy, our intellect, our incredible bodies and while there is nothing inherently good or bad about these gifts we can use them to create peace, love and happiness or we can use them as a form of self abuse or worse to exploit and abuse others.

Recently I read in a magazine about several scandals where yoga and healing gurus were arrested or charged with sexual abuse - wherever someone comes to a supposedly healing place for help; whether that is a spa, gym or wellbeing class they are trusting - and sadly wherever there is trust there is the capacity for abuse of that trust.

As teachers we must always be careful that we are serving our students and not exploiting them or abusing them. We must always act in their best interests, except where it conflicts with our own highest good - because we also have a duty to take of ourselves in order to be good teachers. We also need to eat, sleep and rest - maybe for a few hours, maybe for a few years at times.

As soon as we start to perfect or believe ourselves better than the other guy - whether it’s as a dancer, meditator, writer, teacher - we lose the bigger picture - that we are all part of the same thing. In dance in particular we have this incredible gift we can use for healing, and yet so often we damage our own bodies to create a visually pleasing shape, we forget that dance is not just about how it looks or how we look when we are fit and healthy, but how it feels, we forget that we need to honour our bodies as well as use them.

I felt what it feels like to be in a city where people are suffering with little protection; no alcohol to numb me, no home comforts, no plush hotel room - only vast quantities of chocolate from the Chocolate Museum and an iPod filled with uplifting songs. To meditate in this place was painful, remembering that we are all connected, and to try to see the place of suffering in the big picture of the world, to understand its necessity but also to try to alleviate the suffering of others.

I spent a lot of time thinking about spiritual leaders, especially when the class was packed or people were pushing into queues or bumping into me. How do you marry up your own personal interests with being loving and kind?

Susan Jeffers: “There is nothing spiritual about being a doormat.”

Gandhi: Non-violent, non co-operation. (I’m here, get used to it.)

Dalai Lama: Love your Chinese brothers and sisters. (But, you know, if they come after you you may have to leave the country.)

So my energy became more rock-like, as Patrick Swayze once said “this is my dance space”.

Sometimes the hardest, most spiritual thing to do is to say No. No, I will not get out of your way. No, we have to all move back. No, I will not help you, you have to do it yourself. No, you can not push in front of me. No, I cannot teach another class. No, there is no more space in my class today. No, I have to go home and cannot stay to chat. No, you have to pay me the right amount. No, you have overcharged me. No, I need to eat, drink, sleep. No, I do not agree with you. No, I do not want to talk to you. No, you cannot have that. No, I will not be on Facebook, or answer my phone, I am with my family. No, I need to meditate. No, I need a massage. No, it is not enough. No, it is too much. Sometimes tough love is what we need to give, as individuals and teachers.

Cologne taught me that what I do is sorely needed in the world. When you are surrounded by light and love it is easy to forget that it is not like this everywhere; I want to encourage great spas and massages, because I have experienced miracles like Watsu and Reiki and many “ordinary” massages - spa treatments, massage and healing are an extraordinary gift. If I work to increase the positive side of the massage world I hope that more women can leave or never get involved in the sex industry and instead can work in healing.

Zumba is sorely needed in the world in general and specifically in the fitness world. When you are surrounded by it, as I am in my day to day life, or in Convention we start to nit pick and worry about our little problems, but when you see it on an international fitness landscape like FIBO it takes my breath away with the sheer love it sends out. (Not to discount several other great programmes out there.) Yes, we have the capacity to misuse it, to perfect, to build up our egos, to spend far too much on Zumba Wear (I can’t spend too much I always need more stuff!) to overdo it and to sometimes not play so nice with our brothers and sisters, but we also have an incredible inspiration, Beto Perez, who reminds us that it is not about being a superstar or having our name in lights - it is about our practice, teaching our weekly classes, being kind to each other, not worrying when others are negative and, when I see how hard he works, it reminds me to take care of myself!

There is also a seedier side to dance; but I hope more and more women can leave that behind whether it is by becoming a pole dancing fitness instructor or dance teacher or, of course, Zumba instructor. There is so much good we can do in the world with dance. I watched these two videos on YouTube before I left for Cologne and I think if you watch them, especially the finale (scroll through if you don’t speak Ukrainian) you’ll see why they touched me. Even without knowing the words I love seeing her journey, the growing respect from the audience and judges, and her ability to overcome their expectations of her. I believe that everyone has the power to change their life and become a source of positivity.

“I love the light for it shows me the way,
I love the dark for it shows me the stars.”

x P