Pilates and Reiki In Paradise

Books, Books, Books

2009-11-06T13:39:00.000-05:00

I often tell the story about selling our books and bookshelves when we decided to move to the Caribbean. We literally had an entire room in our house that we used as a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves and we took very few books with us when we left. Now we have Kindles, so we purchase Amazon books electronically, download them to the computer and usb them into our Kindles. It seems odd, but it is so nice traveling with 100s of book in something the size of a small trade paperback.

Parrot Cay Spa Finder Awards 2009 - Why No Pilates?

2009-11-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

This year Parrot Cay picked up FOUR Spa Finder Readers Choice Awards (fully half of COMO Shambhala's EIGHT awards).

We won for:

* Best for Yoga
* Best for Water
* Best for Romance
* Favorite Spa Manager (Susan Allison)

I must say that I am quite disturbed by the lack of a fitness or Pilates category! I really think that in this day and age Spa Finder, which even lists us as one of the rare Caribbean spas with Pilates equipment, would not have Pilates or Fitness as a "best of" category.

Maybe next year!

My Favorite Eye Cream

2009-11-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

In my ongoing search for the best eye cream I have finally settled on a product that is rich enough to feel moisturizing yet light enough to wear every day in this harsh Caribbean climate. And no, it is not a special brand that is hard to find. I use Loreal's basic RevitaLift® Eye Cream and it works really well and is easy for me to buy.

Insurance

2009-10-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

The big new insurance program in Turks and Caicos is the National Health Insurance plan, which is an extra 4% out of salaries. What is interesting is that the hospital is not yet completed, nobody has met the new doctors or knows anything about how it will actually work, but we all submitted our paper work dutifully to the government.

Makes me want to look for life insurance quotes :-), but at least I am thankful that we have private health insurance for the moment that covers everything as I have no desire to change doctors.

Book Review: Child of Fire by Harry Connelly

2009-10-29T14:40:00.001-04:00

As I am generally a fan of magical fantasy and urban dark fantasy, this novel sounded like it would be right my alley and it was! I can't tell you the last time I picked up a novel that was so captivating that I read it in basically 2 or 3 sittings, and that's what happened with Child of Fire: A Twenty Palaces Novel. Harry Connolly is a new talent and this is the first of a series, so there are still questions left unanswered at the end of this book that I assume will be fleshed out in the future installments.

The group at the center of the action is the Twenty Palace Society, comprised of powerful magicians who use whatever means necessary to control use of magic in the general population, since so often spells and demons go wrong and end up running amuck. Our unlikely protagonist is Ray Lilly, the driver and "wooden man" (i.e., fall guy or cannon fodder) for Society enforcer Annalise. They are called to a major predicament where many children in a town called Hammer Bay are spontaneously combusting, turning into worms, and then promply being wiped out of people's memories. Their own parents do not remember them and do not even see their books, clothes, or toys right in front of them.

Annalise is sent to find the source of the problem and wipe it out. Unfortunately she is badly wounded (which is hard to achieve on a centuries old magician) and Ray must complete her job alone. There are good guys, bad guys, ghosts, demons, spells, werewolves, corrupt politicians, and a crazy generations old magical web created within the Hammer family.

A great scary, gory, funny, fascinating thrill ride of a novel!

Post Holiday Cleaning

2009-10-24T17:01:00.002-04:00

Luckily when we go away for 6 weeks I have someone on island who cleans and watches the house for us, so at least when we return things are clean and we don't have to start from scratch. The problem this year is the power was off at our housing for the entire 6 weeks, so there was some cleaning that could not be done. Now that we are back and the power is on I plan to borrow one of our steam cleaners and give the place a good deep cleaning.

Technical Difficulties

2009-10-24T16:55:00.002-04:00

Computer or hard drive failures can be a pain in the a** at the very best of times, but in a small Caribbean country it can take at least a few days to get new hardware and there are very few places that offer data recovery assistance. Plus the environment here is not conducive to electronics (think salt air, moisture, and heat). So several of my friends have started using online backup services to save their data. Makes sense!

Enjoy A Pilates & Spa Day on Parrot Cay

2009-10-24T11:50:00.004-04:00

Enjoy a luxurious pampering spa and pilates retreat day at the best hotel/spa in Turks and Caicos!

Experience Parrot Cay, our award winning COMO Shambhala Spa, and a day of Lynda Lippin's Strength Without Struggle Pilates Retreat, including boat transfers, the daily Pilates retreat schedule, lunch, and a 60 minute COMO Shambhala Massage.

Available Wednesday 11th November - Friday 13th November, 2009.

$480 + tax & service charge.

I Am a Product Junkie

2009-10-18T20:31:00.002-04:00

It's time for a confession - I am a product junkie. I love products! Creams, lotions, serums, bath fizzies, eye creams, masks, cuticle oils... I could spend hours in a store like Sephora or Bath & Body Works. For a long time I have been searching for the best under eye cream, as I have circles and a few fine lines. So far I haven't found any that I love, but I still keep looking.

Weight Loss

2009-10-18T20:28:00.002-04:00

While I was in New York I spoke with a lot of people about weight loss and weight loss supplements, including personal trainers, yoga & pilates teachers, and my clients who range from PR execs to fashion models. All agreed with me that in the end the only way to lose weight and keep it off is through lifestyle changes in diet and exercise. If your behavior doesn't change neither will your waistline!

Back on Parrot Cay

2009-10-18T20:22:00.003-04:00

After our 5.5 week crazy whirlwind vacation in NYC, ending with seeing Al Green live at BB King's Friday night, we were looking forward to getting back to work. When the car picked us up at 4:30 this morning it was 38 degrees and pouring rain. I was shivering at JFK's curbside checkout. And then a few hours later (made extra pleasant by the group of non-deodorant wearing people sitting around us) we were in the warmth and beauty of Turks and Caicos. A warm welcome at Parrot Cay, a nice dinner, and we are exhausted but glad to be back!

Staff Housing

2009-10-11T08:26:00.002-04:00

Many people wonder what staff housing is like at a Caribbean resort. Since my husband and I both work at a Caribbean resort I can tell you! Basically, you have the choice of either a room with a small kitchenette and bathroom, AC, wifi, and satellite TV with access to the staff canteen, washer/dryers, and ovens. Or you can live in an apartment, like we do. We share a 2BR apartment in nice large prefab mobile homes with full kitchen, en suite large bathroom, central AC, wifi & satellite TV, and washer/dryer> No bills, nice accommodations - that's the way!

Pimping the Caribbean Ride

2009-10-06T12:45:00.002-04:00

Caribbean weather is notoriously hard on cars. The moisture, constant salt, and heat wreak havoc on both the inside and the outside of a car. So you would think that people wouldn't spend tons of money on new rims, spinners, billet grilles, tires, and even luxury cars.

But they do!

I have never understood this and it seems to me like a total waste of money, but there are some very flashy cars on the islands.

$6 Million for 6 Million - the Video

2009-10-02T15:54:00.004-04:00

This is my friend Stephanie's project to honor the memory of the 6 million jews who died in the Holocaust. She is raising $6,000,000 to make a film called An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust based on a book by the same name by Dr. Henry Oertelt. Through his lectures and book, Oertelts story has been used in middle schools, high schools and colleges to educate students on the Holocaust and hate issues for over 40 years. Donate to $6M for 6M today!

Travel Bargains

2009-10-02T12:52:00.002-04:00

When we were planning our NYC vacation this year I was really searching for internet travel deals on vacation rentals, dining, events, etc. What I discovered was that there are a few good non-scam travel sites, but most simply repeat other site's deals. I also learned the importance of working with professionals, both travel and real estate, to avoid being ripped off in the process of getting my great travel deal.

Publicize Your Website

2009-09-26T08:57:00.002-04:00

One great way to publicize a website is to submit the link to web directories that can target your traffic by keywords or topics so that you only get people who are interested in what you offer. There are many quality free directory submissions sites, but also many who just take your information and do nothing with it, so be careful of where you submit but do not let this stop you!

Day Pass Rates for Pilates Retreat

2009-09-26T08:56:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled to announce that we have day pass rates for my Strength Without Struggle Pilates Retreat at Parrot Cay. This means that if you live on another island like Providenciales or North Caicos or are already staying at another hotel in Turks and caicos you can still benefit from the Pilates Retreat and get a taste of Parrot Cay without committing to a full 6 night stay.

There are several options:

A rate for the full 5 day retreat commitment including boat transfers, 1 private evaluation, and the 4 hours of retreat classes per day $1350 + tax.

Daily rate without commitment is $300 + tax per day including boat transfers, use of Parrot Cay facilities, and the 4 hours of Pilates retreat classes. You may pay for a private evaluation separately.

And then a spa retreat day, including the daily Pilates retreat schedule, lunch, and a 60 minute COMO Shambhala Massage) for $ 480 + tax & service charge.

Food, Glorious Food

2009-09-23T13:21:00.002-04:00

Tony & I are examples of people who have lost weight while still eating all th efoods we like, just in moderation. We started to exercise more while watching our food consumption and promptly lost about 30 pounds combined. With all of these diet pills review websites you would think there was no way to lose weight in an unassisted way, which is just wrong!

My Birthday

2009-09-23T13:18:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was my 43rd birthday and I had a blast! On Monday night we had a fabulous sushi dinner up the street at SushiSamba. Then yesterday we went shopping in Soho and came home to a wonderful spread from Zabar's with champagne. Just a nice, simple, quiet birthday in NYC!

Acne Treatments

2009-09-23T13:15:00.002-04:00

I am one of those gifted skin people. No zits, no blemishes, very little problems even as a teenager. I don't se any special products or anything and luckily I don't have to worry. There are some great and some not so great acne treatments out there, and different people like different things. For some the best acne treatment involves a multi-step treatment plan, while for some the simpler the better.

More Diet Pills

2009-09-21T08:12:00.002-04:00

Every single time I turn around there is a new (or at least new to me) diet pill such as apidexin being marketed and touted as the next great thing in weight loss. Once again, every weight loss pill or supplement also tells you to do the hard work of more exercise and less food intake. No matter what you cannot lose weight without diet and exercise! As I type I am getting ready to go work with a fitness client who understands this and is losing weight without pills.

NYC Update

2009-09-18T13:57:00.000-04:00

Our first week in NY was a whirlwind of activities. We flew in last Thursday night, spent Friday shopping and seeing friends, and then drove to PA on Saturday morning.

My mother is in a nursing home with very little grasp on reality and I hadn't seen her in a few years. My father is in his 80s and won't hire a cleaning person (need I say more?). Nice but depressing.

Then we went to DE to visit with my step-son Evan and our new grand-daughter Karmyn, who is just the cutest baby! Only 10 days old when we saw her and cute as a button.

We came back Wed. and saw Johnny Winter live at BB King's last night. Nice!

Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel

Marketing

2009-09-13T08:03:00.000-04:00

If you run any kind of usiness you understand the importance of marketing. I try to learn lessons from all sorts of businesses, including travel marketing, restaurant marketing, fitness marketing, and insurance marketing to see what models people in different industries use to get the word out there. Any information helps as the marketing arena is always changing and therefore people's expectations are also always changing.

Critical Reasoning Skills

2009-09-08T10:21:00.002-04:00

Way back in the day when I was a graduate student in Philosophy, I used to teach a course called Critical Reasoning (which is something most people don't seen to use anymore, judging from the news and other TV commentary shows I watch). As part of the course I would teach test taking skills ranging from GRE, LSAT, and GMAT prep. We would do sample exams, discuss how to handle multiple choice exams where many answers are similar, and in general my students scored higher than they expected.

Lynda Is Teaching Reiki In NYC

2009-09-05T09:42:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Learn Reiki with Reiki Master & Pilates Teacher Lynda Lippin
as featured in Pilates Style Magazine

What?
Training & attunement in tradional Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki for self healing and to heal others. Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive, highly effective method of healing & relaxation that works with all other medical & healing treatments for the greater good of all. Reiki is easy to learn, easy to practice, and most importantly, Reiki Works!

Where?
ZenGirl Fitness & Grasshopper Pilates, 515 Broadway #2AR (Soho), 212-413-5225
Pilates on Fifth, 501 5th Avenue #2200 (Bryant Park), 212-687-8885

When?
Soho:
Reiki Level I Wed. Sept. 23 5:30-8:30pm $150 (no prerequisite)
Reiki Level II Wed. Oct. 7 5:30-8:30pm $150 (must have Reiki I)

Bryant Park:
Reiki Level I Thurs. Oct. 1 5:30-8:30pm $150 (no prerequisite)
Reiki Level II Thurs. Oct 15 5:30-8:30pm $150 (must have Reiki I)

How?
* Tuition includes manual, training, attunement, practice, certificate, & unlimited email support from Lynda
* Contact the studios directly to register.
* Class size is limited to 8 people.