It was a journey to remember and now that it is complete, the beautiful smiles of almost 300 women nationwide are flowing through my mind and heart. The path I have chosen is one that feels so right, and I am truly grateful! Each step I take, each shimmy I share, every breath I feel, all of it, is a blessing. Each day is a gift...
Vancouver Island It all began with a fabulous kick-off class at EuroStudios in Victoria. We held back the tears of joy, and felt the best wishes of all as we launched our tour! We then visited Dream Shape Fitness in Ladysmith the day after. Although we had intended to run the workshop outdoors, we were foiled by the rain and fell back on the cozy Dream Shape studio and had an intimate (packed!) workshop with a group of fabulous Dancers, Fitness Instructors and curious newcomers. Thanks to Mille for hosting this wonderful event and blessings to baby-on-the-way!
Vancouver After packing the Bellyfit-mobile and leaving the comfort of the Island, we were greeted in Vancouver by beautiful weather and more inspiring women. Our first workshop at Lululemon on West 4th was a short 45 minute demo class. Belly Dancers, Lulu staff and many others tried to stay cool in the West 4th Studio and fun was had by all! Thanks so much Nicole! We were then on to FitCity for a packed workshop with keen attendees over half of which were Fitness and Yoga Instructors who had some great feedback for our program. Thanks to Michelle Unrau for her support and encouragment. While in Vancouver we were also able to kick back on the beach and hang out with some friends and family. Rowan got a chance to play some Volleyball on Kits Beach which was an unexpected highlight of our stay in the city, and I got to watch "The Secret" once again and was reminded of how our thoughts truly create our reality. I imagined studios filled with circling hips and smiling faces all across the country...it really worked!!
Whistler, BC After a full week in Vancouver, we headed out on our trek to beautiful Whistler. We were invited to the Whistler Lululemon to spend a couple of hours visiting and promoting our workshop. Rowan set up his dj equipment and played some tunes in the bustling Saturday shopping traffic while I handed out stickers and yes, did a bit of shopping too;) After spending the night in our friends beautiful cabin, we visited the local Farmer’s Market and then headed to our workshop at Meadow Park Sports Centre. We had a great workshop with a small but sweet group of women including a few Bellydancers from the local troupe. My dear friend Mojave, and my soon to be sister in law Kati also joined us for this one and it was such a pleasure to have them both. Thanks to Marie-Anne for setting up the workshop at her great facility. I hope your triathalons all went well Marie-Anne. Staying on the track I hope...wink wink Okanagan Valley Following this workshop, we had an epic 6.5 hour journey to Kelowna landing at Rowan’s brother’s place at about 2 am! The winding roads had me and Shalom reaching for the barf bags a couple of times, but we managed to make it with no accidents. Using their gorgeous Okanagan Lakeshore house as a base, we then embarked on a week of workshops throughout the valley. We also spent an afternoon at the Kelowna Lululemon handing out stickers, playing tracks and chatting with the fabulous staff! I held off on the shopping this time!
Bodyfit in Vernon hosted a packed workshop of over 20 women including Dancers, Fitness instructors and club members. This was one of the best workshops yet! We rocked it out and got some really great responses and feedback from the women in that group. Many thanks to Melissa for hosting us and packing the place with so much great energy. We'll be back for sure.
The next afternoon took us to Ladies Only in Kamloops. Being my first time in Kamloops I had no idea what to expect. Turns out they didn't really know what to expect either, but we were all very pleasantly surprised. The room was full and even the manager Kristy with baby in belly shared a few shimmies with us and her mother Gaudenza, the owner of the club rocked out for the whole class and wants to have us back for a big outdoor class in the parking lot! I'm in!! Thanks so much ladies.
In Kelowna we were greeted at The Women's Place, bought recently by Cassandra who seems to have a little gold mine happening there, and the room soon filled up with Fitness Instructors, members and various curious Belly Dancers. Rowan's set for this one was particularly fabulous and despite the oppressive heat outside, the energy inside was incredible. A great way to end our stint in Kelowna. We then said our goodbyes to our fabulous hosts Deren, Sawa and baby Aya, (Thank you my dear friends...the view from your deck, the BBQ delights, and the inspiring conversations were all so wonderful!) and headed off to Penticton where we went straight to the local Thai restaurant and then straight to the workshop. The heat was high, but we were in the cool of the local community centre, hosted by Wendy of the famous Get Bent Yoga and Belly Dancing, and with another great turnout we were delighted. After a beautiful nights sleep in the famous Bird Cottage overlooking the lake, and a great Yin Yoga class at Get Bent, we headed to Nelson, deep in the interior, where it all began!
Nelson, BC With two workshops booked and heat that inspired stillness not booty shaking, we were a bit apprehensive. Greeted by Super Selka on the roof and the fabulous Ken, we devoured yet another incredible BBQ dinner and prepared for the workshop the next day. To our surprise the beautiful room at Shanti Yoga was almost full with eager Nelsonites and with Emma Star, Deva, Heather and Rona from Florida holding down the front row, we were in good hands. The workshop the following day was even better attended (Emma Star and Deva were back for more also!) and we managed to stay focused despite the heat. My dear friend Ashala of Kootenay Hipnotic fame also showed up and I was reminded how it all began so many years ago. Sharing the stage with this Goddess back in 2000 was a true honour, and sharing space at Shanti was no different. Thank you Ashala, I won't lose you again. Also, many many thanks to Joy, owner of Shanti for the beautiful space, both physical and energetic, and the time you spent on our behalf, and to Emma, Thule and Phoenix for the fabulous hospitality, the boat ride was the best!. Nelson will draw us back soon I'm sure, as it always does!
Calgary, AB From the Kootenay Valley we headed North, preparing for a marathon of driving, TV interviews and workshops. First stop was at a lovely campground in the mountains outside of Banff. Breathtaking, and as usual Shalom was a most fabulous traveller and constant entertainment. The homeopathics for car sickness really came in handy here! We finally reached Calgary the next day and went straight to our workshop at a local community centre, organized by Liv of Belly Dance and Burlesque fame. The workshop was full and unique in that every woman present was a Belly Dancer!! Wow. I had to work hard to keep these girls challenged, me in my runners and them in their bare feet. Despite a challenging sound system and yes more stifling hot weather, we rocked the house and I was totally impressed by attendance and performance. Liv deserves a big hand for pulling this one off, as she was en route to Malta! Lovely.
Edmonton, AB We drove away from the sunset in Calgary, knowing that when we reached Edmonton several hours later the sun would not be far from rising. We settled into a beautiful hotel room at 2am and set the alarm for 5:30 am. By 6:30 am we were at the local Lulu preparing for a spot on the Edmonton Global morning show. This is where Shalom really showed what a big girl she is, and she was so wonderfully patient and well behaved;) The filming of the show went incredibly well, owed much to Kendra and Jen from Balanced Fitness who organized the whole affair and demoed some of the Bellyfit floor work, and to Geela and friends from Zaghareet who demoed some of the Bellyfit Cardio moves, despite having learned them minutes before the filming! So awesome. That same evening we headed to a local community centre for a workshop hosted by Geela. The heat kept many away, but those who did show up were full of energy and fun was had by all. Thanks so much Tracy!!
After a lovely rest at our hotel that night, we headed over to Balanced Fitness where we had a morning and an evening workshop booked. The numbers were low so we didn't know what to expect, but both workshops ended up nearly filling and everyone had very helpful feedback. Edmonton overall was incredibly successful and we are truly grateful to organizers and participants for all the support and encouragement. The Global Morning Show will be on the web site soon!
A wee break Having finished our marathon, we were excited to head North to Cold Lake Alberta to visit dear friends Jill and John (two of my oldest friends from public school in Perth!) and their two daughters Ava and Tessy for a much deserved two day break! Shalom was in heaven playing with the two girls at the beach each day, and I revelled in confabulating with my dear Jill about the current status of every person we knew back in grade 5!! Too much fun. Thank you for the perfect hospitality my dear friends...I miss you already and we will be back! Saskatoon, SK Our wee holiday came to an end on Sunday am and by Sunday afternoon we were already in Saskatoon preparing for a sold out workshop at the Refinery Arts and Spirit Centre. What a fantastic group! I even ran into Crystal who had hired our Belly Dance troupe the Kootenay Hipnotics 7 years ago in Nelson and had since become a professional Belly Dancer. Thanks so much to Cynthia who filled this one up for us and even participated for the whole hour and half. I really like Saskatoon!
Winnipeg, MB From Saskatoon we naively set out to hit Winnipeg by bed time, say 2 am;) At 2:30 am we found ourselves almost out of gas at a closed gas station just outside of Winnipeg. This was the only part of the trip where I thought maybe I was a bit crazy, but after setting up the tent behind a 50 wheeler in the back of the parking lot, we were cozy and I had faith again. Shalom and Rowan once again outdid themselves and we were soon showering in a camp ground down the road. By this time I was prepping Shalom for her solo plane ride scheduled from Winnipeg that morning and she was wide eyed with anticipation. She sailed through without a hitch, I on the other hand crumpled into Rowan with sobs as she went around the corner with the stewardess. I survived, she was gathered by Nana, Rossy, Uncle Luke and Aunt Shayna and all is well...PHEWWW!
In Winnipeg we prepared for a fully booked workshop hosted by the Manitoba Fitness Council. We had done a couple of workshops with entirely Belly Dancers, but none with entirely fitness instructors. WOW! So much fun. This group totally rocked and we are very grateful to Vicki for all her hard work and support. I have a feeling we will be back in Winnipeg soon!
Thunder Bay, ON After a great Thai dinner and intriguing conversation about the Manitoba agricultural world with our fabulous Winnipeg host Adam, Rowan's colleague from Queen's University, and a great nights sleep, sans Shalom;( we were en route to Thunder Bay. The heat in this interesting industrial city was much less intense and after checking into our hotel we headed to PUSH Fintess, an absolutely gorgeous, huge facility. Despite the workshop posters never arriving due to a mix up at the printer, the program coordinator Gina managed to fill the workshop and we had our biggest turnout yet. It was packed, the room was beautiful, the sound system awesome and the participants were full of energy and positive vibes! We even had a couple of gentlemen join us for this one, who all in all enjoyed the experience;) Awesome job Gina! See you at Can Fit Pro! We left Thunder Bay the next day, missing our Shalom and eager to reach Toronto and the Arabesque.
Toronto, ON After an absolutely beautiful two nights of camping in Northern Ontario, and many blueberries later, we entered the jungle that is Toronto. We spent the first night with Rowan's delightful Grandparents who spoiled us with delicious food conversations about Rowan's Hungarian heritage and a laundry machine, and then we were off to the Arabesque. To our surprise the numbers on the list were low but we were hopeful, and as seems to be the case, life delivered exactly what we needed. My dear friend Sarah and student of the Arabesque who used to take Bellyfit with me in Victoria years ago showed up early and I was filled with joy. Then my Hilary showed up with Bajan, a friend from when I was three and I would have been satisfied with that! But life had more in store for us and just as I was about to begin the class, 4 beautiful Goddesses entered, all instructors for the academy! And so it goes, that life always knows! Thank you Yvonne, I hope to meet you and Yasmina some day! Journey's end in Perth After a dreamy stay on Toronto Island with Mz Black, we were on the road again! The final leg of the journey. Excited to see my sweet girl and hear her stories, see Nana and do Yoga on the infamous Yoga deck over the river, and shake it one more time with the folks of Perth, according to my mother, the Centre of the Universe, we got the word from Svetlana at Arts in Motion that things were looking good and we were very excited! After lots of snuggles with our girl, we arrived at the Perth Athletic Cetre to find balloons and a huge cake to celebrate the end of the tour and as I fought back tears of joy once again, the room filled up with almost 50 women. WOW!! A true homecoming, and due to a wonderful article in the Perth Courier the week before, everyone knew exactly what we were up to and we got right to shimmies. The room was hot, the smiles were big and several of the women present were the same women who had attended my classes 4 years prior when we were still Ab-Fab Fitness. So Fabulous and so great to see them all! I even had my mother, both my sisters in law, 2 cousins, my aunt, best friend from high school, and many familiar faces present, all in all making it the best Grand Finale we could have ever wished for. Several pieces of cake, many sweaty hugs and lots of great feedback and best wishes later, we found ourselves around the table at my moms house by the river, giving thanks once again to the powers that be for keeping us safe, guiding us through every step of the journey and helping us share our path with so many beautiful souls.
Now, if you want to find me, I will be sitting by the Tay River contemplating the journey ahead, as I watch the frogs and dragonflies frollick and enjoy the beautiful summer days with my family. Until next time...breathe with joy, and remember that every moment is a gift. Slow down, and trust.
blessings and gratitude beyond. I look forward to seeing many of you in the future!!
