I really believe there is More To Books than Reading
I also love to support other authors. It is with pleasure that I got to interview Charlotte Marsh about how Susie Sloth came to life and why her secret superpower is so important for our children!
How did Susie Sloth come about?
When I took my qualification to teach Pilates to kids and teens, it was suggested we take inspiration from yoga story books as there were so many for sale, but not one Pilates activity storybook for children. That was disappointing as yoga and pilates differ and it clearly stuck in my mind.
When lockdowns happened due to covid, I had to pivot and started teaching “petit pilates” over Facebook live to families stuck at home. Each week, I created a lesson loosely based on a theme with a short story feel. I didn’t return to teaching my normal classes and got a bee in my bonnet about there being a gap in the market so I decided to create a kids Pilates book. I wanted to include my most recent line of work which is helping people to improve their breathing so I chose a sloth as the main character as they have a breathing secret & that’s how Susie Sloth and her Secret Superpower came about.
What do your readers’ learn from your books?
On the surface, this book is a really colourful, fun activity book for children to read and join in with. There are Pilates moves on every page with diagrams and simple instructions. Plus breathing exercises to practise. Underpinning this story is years of professional study and my own personal experience of chronic pain, as well as identifying breathing issues in children and helping address anxiety via Breathwork. Kids love the cute character and the fun aspect, plus there’s a hidden ladybird in every picture and a repeated phrase at the end of each page gets them excited about guessing the next animal and they happily join in with reading aloud. Parents, teachers, therapists, pyhsios and other health professionals appreciate the science based lessons that are intertwined within this story.
It’s now well accepted that movement and nature are the most successful interventions for improving mental health conditions. Combining specific breathing protocols provides even more physiological benefits.
The 5 breathing exercises draw from my certification as a Buteyko breathing coach, from neuroscience, and from research based methods. The book finishes with Susie Sloth sharing her secret code which is a way of teaching the basics of better breathing for bodies and minds of all ages. Most of all, I think most people just love the cute little character that is Susie Sloth!
The beauty of reading this book is you’re bound to get wriggles and giggles, it allows for a connected play session together and actually delivers quite a workout for the adults too!
Follow Susie Sloth and Charlotte here:
🦥 https://instagram.com/susiesloth_secretsuperpower?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
🫁 https://www.instagram.com/betterbreathing/
🌎 https://www.benefitsofbetterbreathing.co.uk/
Love Kat x
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