Vincy Liming - Hear it from the locals

by Jamila Soso-Vincent

With our Liming Appreciation Society off to a great start, today we were lucky enough to catch up with the lovely Jamila Soso-Vincent, a journalist and regular Limer! Find out what Liming means to Jamila and get an insight into where and how to Lime in true Vincy style.

What is your favourite place to lime? On the mainland, I like liming at Chillerz Bar/Restaurant and In Bequia, I like liming at Mango's, Lower Bay. Any night and any location is a great night for me once I have good company.

Are there certain events going on throughout the week which you can’t miss? Karaoke at SOV or Mareyna, and roast pork at Punkie's.

What is your favourite music to lime to? I prefer soca and reggae (or old school dancehall - not that new 'aggressive' stuff)...artistes such as Skinny Fabulous, Lil Rick, Bunji, Machel, Fya Empress, Jah Cure, Taurus Riley, Damien Marley...and other artistes of that same ilk.

What is your favourite drink? Amaretto Sour

Tell us about what typically goes on when you’re liming Mostly drinking, chatting, a bit of dancing depending on whether the venue allows for this, making jokes, reminiscing on past limes, and of course some kind of eating has to go down!

What makes liming in SVG so special? The laid-back atmosphere, the jovial and fun-loving nature of Vincentians, the warm weather, and it doesn't take a lot of money to have a good time!

Do you see liming as a crucial part of your life, and why? Most definitely! Why? Because all work and no play makes us all very dull...and nobody wants to be around dull people after a hard day at work!

Mastering the art of Liming

by Dr. Vince E Lime

Liming in St Vincent and the Grenadines - relaxing, chilling, enjoying life to the full, it’s what we do best over here. Whether you’ve been a ‘limer’ for a while now, or you’re just learning the joys of the lime, I’m pretty sure of one thing, everyone’s lime is different. It’s personal, it means something to you and it takes you to a place of happiness, freedom and laughter.

Welcome to my world, here’s what liming means to me...

I’ve been liming all my life; I was brought up with it. Here in St Vincent and the Grenadines it’s a natural part of what we do, and it’s something we’re all pretty good at. It didn’t take me long to realise the times I spent liming were my happiest moments and that I should dedicate my life to it, to doing what I love...liming!

Liming for me is taking time to relax, unwind, and appreciate what’s really important in life. Heading into Port Elizabeth and taking in the sights at Devil’s table, drinking a rum punch in the sunshine at Basil’s Bar on Mustique, sailing around the Tobago Cays,  chatting in Club 28, chilling in Heritage Square or enjoying Vincy Mas Carnival – they’re all really special moments.

What’s important to me is that I make sure I don’t sweat about the small stuff in life. I want to laugh, I want to have fun, and I want to chat. I’ll sit with my friends and we’ll talk about anything, everything and nothing, we’ll take ourselves away from everyday life and we’ll chill. That’s more important for you than you think, it clears your mind and it makes your life so much richer. I even enjoy liming alone, just taking that time out to appreciate how beautiful a view is, how amazing the landscape is, how cold my Hairoun is!

Of course its pretty easy for me to lime living in the tropical paradise of St Vincent and the Grenadines, we’ve got the sun, the beaches, the rum, the music, the people, but you can try it anywhere. I honestly think you should take my advice, start liming daily and when you think you’ve had a bit of practice, come and visit me and see how it’s really done. Trust me, you’ll love it.

I want to make sure everyone gets into liming with me and so I’m creating a society, the Liming Appreciation Society. I’m looking for members from all around the world and for people who I can spread the word to. It’s my mission to show everybody how to have a good time and how to enjoy life to the full.

What do you think? Would you like to join me?!

“Where you limin tonight?”

by Simon Carey, TUI Base Manager for St. Vincent and the Grenadines

“Where you limin tonight?” You are in St Vincent and the Grenadines, in the lower Caribbean, the only country where “lime” is a verb, adjective, and a noun. For me, “limin” is one of the only ways to spend time in SVG. All that’s needed is friends, music, and rum (a cold Hairoun beer will work). You could be sitting around a pool, a beach bar, on someone’s boat or in their living room. Carefree “limes” are hours well spent, but nothing of great importance needs to be accomplished, problems need not be solved -- just living in the moment, and enjoying your company and surroundings.

Some of my favorite places to lime are Reds Rum Shop in St Vincent, Flowt Beach Bar in Blue Lagoon St Vincent, Black Boys Beach Bar in Salt Whistle Bay Mayreau, Jacks Bar Bequia, and Mangoes Lower Bay Bequia -- stop by, hear the local beat, buy a few rounds and soon a few will be coming back to you – “limin”.  Hours slide by and the sunny afternoon turns to dusk, then to evening, and great conversations and laughter mark the time.

“Limin” at Black Boys, Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau

Liming - The Beauty of Doing Nothing

by Louise Gillespie-Smith, Lifecoach at Create Yourself

How often do you get a chance to just hang out? Hang out with no agenda, no purpose but just to chat, share stories and have fun with friends. Not thinking about what you are doing next, not keeping half your attention alert towards your mobile, not waiting for anything, but purely enjoying the present moment.  Just simply liming.

In everyday life these moments can be quite rare. We have things we need to get done, emails to reply to, deadlines to hit, exercise to fit in, shopping to do, before we know it our days fly by in a blink of an eye.

This is one of the reasons why we love and need holidays so much, a chance to escape, switch off and relax. I was lucky enough last year to spend time on the beautiful islands of St Vincent and The Grenadines running a digital detox retreat, where all the guests handed in their technology fully switching off for their entire trip.

We snorkelled amongst sting rays and turtles, enjoyed a champagne picnic on a secluded beach, had time to reflect over our lives and made the most of the time away from it all to lime. The remote feel of the islands, the natural beauty, the gentle lapping waves and no external distractions made it very easy just to hangout, get to know each other and not really think about anything else at all. Liming really is the beauty of doing nothing and the benefits for us are tremendous.

So often our minds are caught up in the past or the future which can lead to worry, fear, regret, guilt and ultimately stress. In everyday life our minds are spinning especially if our work leads us to spending lots of time in front of a computer or permanently attached to our smart phones.

Our body, mind and breath are all inextricably linked, when our mind is stressed our bodies tense and our breath shallows. Tension in the body can lead to dis-ease, mentally and physically. Our health, emotional states, relationships and life balance can all be affected.

Just allowing yourself the time to get away from it all, switch off fully and to be one hundred per cent with the people you are with will help your body and mind to relax, to get life into perspective and feel a sense of connection, which is one of our basic human needs.

Simply laughing will change the physiology of your body leaving you feeling happier, energised and alive. When you are liming the laughter just flows naturally.

I heard a great quote the other day from a yoga guru Swami Vishnudevananda; 
“Life is rich when you are simple and humble”.

Our lives in the busy western world can make things complicated; our lists of external desires and needs can take over, leading us to a life of striving and force. We can easily forget what is really important to us. Taking time to just be fully in the moment with friends, or new acquaintances, helps bring us back to the simplicity of life and the joy of connecting with others.

The funny thing is the times when I have stopped, relaxed and just focused on doing what I love are the times when I have attracted what I want most into my life.

So go on, allow yourself time to lime! Do you really need an excuse?