About this episode
Selma Chalabi explores the transformative experience of adult swimming classes led by Jimmy at Cardiff International Pool, highlighting personal stories of courage and community.
‘Do nothing’. So exhorts Jimmy as he overhauls the strokes, kicks and breathing of his adult swim learners at Cardiff International Pool. They plunge, roll, extend. As they learn to let go and glide, they’re overcome with a sense of joy, freedom and bodily ease. For journalist Selma Chalabi, Jimmy’s classes have been a lifeline. She joined the class to improve her swimming technique, but what she found was something so much more profound. Jimmy’s unique and philosophical style of teaching taught her not only how to move at one with the water, but also how to live her life - when to move and when to rest and how to breathe. It’s in the pool that Selma meets a community of learners - all ages, shapes and cultures - who are doing so much more than learning to swim. There’s Maggs, who is determined to face her worst fear and overcome a deep childhood trauma, and working mum Doris, whose moment of peace is when she submerges into the water. As for Darius, he has transformed from absolute beginner to potential competitor. This is a world you might find in any leisure centre around the country. A place so familiar to us, and yet in its depths and shallows, in its pools of chlorine and…
People in this episode
Host: Selma Chalabi
Topics covered
- swimming
- personal growth
- community
- overcoming fear
- life lessons
- joy
- freedom
Keywords
- swimming
- adult learners
- Cardiff International Pool
- personal growth
- community
- overcoming fear
- life lessons
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cardiff International Pool, BBC Radio 4
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