Liking Who I See in the Mirror
I have always struggled with my body image my entire life. I have always been jealous of those who were able to get motivated with health and fitness and actually follow through with it. I always seemed to lose interest right away and never have been able to actually stick with anything for a long period of time. I love that with Aerial Dance I never find myself bored. It is very challenging, but it is super rewarding at the same time! I feel so empowered and strong when I am able to do a move that I never had thought I would be able to do. The more I find myself practicing, the better I am getting and I am so much more confident than I have ever been before! I am starting to actually love the way my body looks and I am feeling like I have more muscles than I even thought I would be able to work up to having. The atmosphere is very laid back, but still motivating at the same time. They push you do to better but in a fun way where you actually want to and feel supported. I especially love the pole classes. They are probably my absolute favorite because I feel sexy and strong now! I am able to show my confidence and have become a new level of motivated to do so. I don’t feel ashamed or nervous when I go to classes anymore. The instructors know how to show you the proper warm ups and cool downs to help prevent injury while building strength. They are very well educated on how to stretch and how to make sure you ease into your routine in a way that your body can handle. I love the instructors! They really teach you at your own pace and make sure you only do what you can handle. They are very fun to be around and always encouraging you to push yourself if they think it is something that you are capable of. Thank you for showing me a new version of myself I did not think I would ever see. I am so thankful for it every day and can’t wait to learn more along the way! Join in on the fun at Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
To the Top!
During my second or third week of intermediate class, I climbed all the way to the top of the pole! I may have cheated a smidge, and used more of my thighs at times rather than my knees, and used my feet to help, but I was quick to correct myself. The instructor told me if I could climb all the way up the pole, she would clean it for me at the end of class. I was so damn proud of my progress, what I accomplished that night, and the instructor cleaned my pole for me. #winning I finally don’t feel awkward doing the strut, and the routine I learned in beginner pole, but intermediate is a whole new ball game. I have been negative towards myself lately, saying that I CAN’T DO IT. It is said if you say you can’t do it, you start to believe you can’t. I know that I CAN DO It, but sometimes I do not want to put in the work. I was in a rut one day, and kept saying I can’t do it, and the instructors won’t push you if you’re not going to try, but they will encourage you. When I complain and give up on my bad days, the instructors are amazing (they always are), and I love that they do not give up on you. Sometimes you just need a kick in the butt to wake up! Thinking back to myself climbing to the top, that is what gives me hope. I tell myself “Hey, you can do this! Chin up!” There is so much you learn about yourself when you push the limits. I have worked muscles I never knew I had. I love that all the conditioning gets us ready for more tricks, climbs, poses, etc. It is definitely a full body work out. I should keep up with strength exercises at home, because just from the classes I have a little bit of muscle in my arms. I want to be strong enough to do the inverts, more climbs, and work on what each class offers me, and continues to offer. Sure, sometimes you have tough days. Last week I was frustrated because I was not able to climb, or even do some of the positions, turns, or poses. Sometimes you have slippery days. That is okay too, it allows you to work on other moves. Fireman is always something I can do and/or work on even on my slippery days. It is also easier at times to practice near the bottom of the pole, on those days. Patience is a virtue, and that is something I have been learning. Good things take time, don’t give up! Curious about starting your own pole journey?Check out Intro to Pole or sign up for an upcoming Beginner Pole class!
Just a Little Spoiled
Ladies, we are spoiled!! I think a lot of us take for granted how lucky we are to have Aerial Dance in our lives. They do so much to make sure we have a safe and inviting place to come and workout, socialize, and just plain have fun. First off, the amount of work that our instructors put in each week. For most of them this is a part time job. They make it so much more than that. They train for hours each week, and they put their heart and soul into writing classes for us. They are constantly learning new tricks and bringing in outside help. Since I’ve been coming to Aerial Dance (roughly 6 years) the knowledge has grown so much. Aside from learning new tricks, they also learn new ways to help us build strength and flexibility. Take the next opportunity you have to let your instructors know how much they are appreciated (we all love you!). Second thing that we are spoiled with are the amount of extra classes we are given the opportunity to take. There are so many amazing and unique workshops! It was just Valentines Day and the workshops for that all sounded so amazing and fun! If you haven’t noticed when the instructors have a guest teacher come in to teach them, we almost always have a chance to take classes with these people! Now I don’t know how other studios do things, but this doesn’t sound like something most places would offer. So next time you see one of these in the class options, take it! I’ve regretted missing opportunities to learn things from these workshops! We have a book club and a lending library! These are even more opportunities to learn new things and to socialize and get to know your fellow aerialists. I’m not into doing competitions personally but we have a competition team! If you’ve ever thought about competing definitely look into this. We have a sisterhood fund. It’s a program paid for by other students (or people who donate at events) and these funds are used solely to help students who are struggling so they don’t lose their memberships. I doubt that I’ve even scratched the surface of everything we are offered. I’m positive I speak for all of us when I say thank you to everyone at Aerial Dance. We appreciate you, and everything you do! Learn more about Aerial Dance’s Book Club and Sisterhood Scholarship!If you are interested in Aerial Dance’s competition team, email us at info@aerialdancepoleexercise.com!
My Body is NOT My Offering
“Your body is not your offering.” Such a profound and truthful statement…found in the Aerial Dance bathroom. Prior to my membership at Aerial Dance, this thought had never occurred to me – rather I thought the exact opposite. It felt as though my body was my only offering. And having grown up feeling like my body didn’t look how it “should,” I felt as though I never had enough to offer. For reference, I grew up in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. This was a time where women such as Paris Hilton, the Olsen twins, and Mischa Barton ruled mainstream media and were celebrated for one thing – their thinness. I remember seeing critiques of other bodies (including women who had just pushed a tiny human out of their wombs) with headlines like “WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!” Women with beautiful, strong bodies like P!nk were often called manly and not appealing to look at. This ideology has trickled into quite literally every decision I made as a teenager, and even makes its way into my life now. I felt that since I was always the chubby friend, that I had to go out of my way to make up for it in other ways. This meant that I always had excellent grades, and tried to make myself part of every organization at school. I always felt that if I was fat I had to have as many redeeming qualities as I could. This is absolute bullsh*t. Sorry, but it’s true. First of all, my body has done (and is continuing to do) incredible things. It survived near death as a literal infant. It has climbed mountains in Arizona, swam in oceans in Florida, survived COVID-19, and now allows me to suspend myself by nothing but fabrics hanging from the ceiling. Being a student at Aerial Dance has allowed me to see so many unfiltered, unedited bodies in real life and appreciate each and every one of them. Some of the strongest women I know have cellulite, and some of the thinnest women I know have stretch marks. All of the things that I once was indoctrinated to believe are flaws are completely arbitrary and meaningless. I now try to measure my body not by how it looks, or the numbers I see on the scale, but what incredible feats it accomplishes for me. Every. Single. Day. Come celebrate what your body can do! Try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial and start your journey!
Just Keep Going
I began my journey at Aerial Dance two years ago. I take a couple months off each year when life gets too busy, and I still always find myself LONGING to walk back through those doors, absolutely craving the energy and the achy muscles again. There’s something addictive about the energy of this place. Whenever I see someone online post about wanting a place to provide a sense of belonging, wanting a good place to exercise, a good place to dance, a good spot to workout that doesn’t feel like working out, I think of and always recommend Aerial Dance. Founder Paula has created such a safe space for women from so many different walks of life. I don’t think there’s a single woman who couldn’t benefit in some way from a membership at Aerial Dance. Here I was thinking these blogs were going to be hard to write, but then I realized I’ve been writing them in little fragments for the last two years. I’ve been speaking them out loud after a boring gym session with a friend who doesn’t attend Aerial Dance. I’ve been typing them when I wanted to encourage a mom who needed a sense of purpose and belonging who hated her body. I’ve posted them through video showcasing what my body has learned. Sure, sitting down to gather these thoughts while I work full time and am a stay at home mom to a toddler seemed daunting, but when you host as much passion as I do for this place- it’s not hard. These words came with such ease. And I’ll continue to share my experiences about Aerial Dance with strangers on the internet, or my friends who haven’t pulled the trigger on it yet, or the people in my life who say “I could never do that” or “I’m too weak”. And I will always share these experiences with a happy and grateful heart because I have gained so much. I cannot wait to see how far this place will continue to take me. So thank you for allowing me and other women to find footing financially and being graceful enough to let us share our experiences in exchange for this scholarship. Aerial Dance has changed me and I’m so happy it has. Even on the days I have to drive home with no music on, contemplating my life choices and frustrated with my body, I am happy that I walked through and get to continue to walk through those doors. I am grateful that I get to keep going, and continue my growth. Thank you so much. Click here for more information about our Sisterhood Scholarship.If you’ve always wanted to start your journey at Aerial Dance, try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
The Start to My Experience
I have been attending Aerial Dance since January. I was so nervous to join a pole dance studio and I wasn’t sure which one would be the best fit for me personally. After doing some research, I came to find Aerial Dance. After looking over reviews and seeing the different classes they offered, I decided to go with them for my journey. Ever since day one, staff and instructors have been great and have helped me a lot through these few months. They have put down so many of my worries and most of which are on the first day of class. One thing I would recommend is that people take advantage of pole practice. That time was so helpful for me when I was still in beginner classes. The instructors were all helpful and took their time to help each of us when we were struggling with moves. This time was very helpful because it gave the instructor time to come to each of us and discuss things that weren’t working for us. On the opposite side, the instructors still applauded the things that we did well and were very enthusiastic about it, which helped feel at ease and more comfortable with the things I had accomplished. I can’t wait to go back and start classes again. Pole overall has helped me feel better about my body and has even helped me feel a bit more comfortable in my body. It helps that instructors are so nice and welcoming to everyone. It also is nice that there are a variety of bodies of people in the class as well as the instructors. I felt it was easy to relate to the bigger body instructors because they had similar struggles with certain moves as I did and they knew how to alter the move somewhat in order to complete it. I’m very happy and proud to be a part of this studio. I hope to continue to keep going to Aerial Dance and to keep climbing up the ranks of the classes. I enjoy being able to explore other classes with the Elite Membership. It has helped explore the things I’ve had interest in and has given me the opportunity to try new things. I hope that in the future I can continue the Elite membership and can continue to try the different classes that are offered at Aerial Dance. Start your journey with Aerial Dance! Great places to start include Intro to Pole and Intro to Aerial!
Being an Intermediate Beginner
I have been stuck in beginner hoop, silks, and hammock for years now. I finally learned that I was able to take intermediate hammock (talk to your instructor if you aren’t sure if you are ready yet), I was so excited! I’d get to learn harder tricks, longer sequences, and different ways to do things. When I got to class and saw the first sequence I was terrified. Had I made a mistake? Was I even ready for this? By the end of class I felt so unsuccessful. I wasn’t able to do any of the full sequences and some of the moves from each sequence seemed impossible. I left class feeling slightly defeated. I wasn’t even sure I was going to take another intermediate class. When I got home I sat down and watched the videos of myself. Side note, take videos and pictures every chance you get! You will regret not doing it sooner. After I watched the videos, I realized I that I did a lot more than I thought. Sure I wasn’t able to do everything, but it was my first time doing almost all of the tricks we were shown. It’s so easy to watch other girls getting the tricks as you are sitting up on the air wrapped up going “Wait, my what goes where?? Which direction???” But I did things! I was still successful, and in the end that’s what matters. Always be proud of your progress and hard work! It’s hard to remind ourselves what it’s like to be new at something again when we “level up”. It is going to be hard again – which is what I wanted! I’ve taken a few intermediate classes since then and it has gotten easier! Can I do it all yet? No, but that’s okay. I can do more than I could yesterday. Growth takes time and effort. Keep trying! Start your Aerial Journey today!Start with a beginner class of your choice or try a little bit of everything with Intro to Aerial!
