A New Challenge: Hammock!
This week I decided to switch things up again and I decided to try out hammock! I was surprised how different it is than the hoop and pole that I have been working on lately. It felt like I was using totally different muscles. This seemed really relaxing to me though because this class was much more yoga and aerobic type to me than the high paced heart racing that I was used to. I really enjoyed the difference and think I may actually start using this class as a part of my workout routine to gain strength as well as flexibility without having to get so hot and sweaty all the time. It is still a lot of work and still makes you gain strength but I feel like its slower paced and a bit more calming which was a really great way to change things up for me and to wind down for the day. I enjoyed the calmer music and the instructor was also great to work with and super patient and willing to help me learn in this type of class as well. I was really glad that I decided to make the move and try something new that I had not tried before. All the ladies in this class were super great to work with as well and I had such a great experience on something I wasn’t sure if I was going to like or do well with at all. I definitely will be doing this class again and I am actually excited about it! I gained a lot of flexibility in this class and it really helped me to understand how to stretch properly and without doing any harm to your body when you warm up for exercises. I am super excited to see how much more flexible I can get from this class and learn to take it into my pole classes as well! I liked how calming the atmosphere was in this class. At the end we all sat around and talked about what we liked that day in class and what we were working on. It helped me get a feel of where everyone is at with what they are working on and what the next steps would be for me to get there as well! Thanks to this whole team for being so accommodating to me and making me feel so welcome here once again! Hammock is such a versatile apparatus! Come try Hammock Fit, Aerial Yoga, or Beginner Hammock today!
The Beginning of My Journey
I have been pole dancing for just over four years now and it is one of the only fitness programs that I have actively stayed with since I was in high school. Granted, since COVID hit there has been minor set backs with the shutdown and getting sick quite frequently. Five plus years ago, I never thought I would have taken the steps to get into my intro class, but one of my old coworkers insisted I go with her. That first day was all I needed before I signed up for a full-blown membership and continued my journey. I started off strong with pole, getting into any workshop or extra class that I could… and that is when I discovered hoop. I felt like I could touch mountain tops! Being able to string together a short combo was invigorating, but then they would get us to add some spin in there. I felt like a whole new me once I practiced hard… bruises and all. On top of a pole studio, the studio offers aerial arts. Hoop is still my favorite along with pole, but it has been a minute since I have been able to get into a class! It is always nice to go in and spend some time with our instructors, plus they always will accommodate the combos if you can’t hit a move right away! One of my favorite things about the studio would have to be that the instructors are always evolving in their skill set—whether it is active flexibility or playing on new apparatuses that could possibly become a part of our studio! On top of seeing my own progress, I love watching my peers and instructors continue to push their own boundaries and learn new skills! Also, seeing girls move up to their first advanced class and seeing the undying support from everyone else in the room is a whole new vibe. Another thing that is pretty great about our studio is we are given several opportunities to show off our skills. In April, the studio puts on the annual Student Showcase where students can choreograph their own routines and perform solo or in a group. As soon as outdoor activities start to pick up, we start performing in events around in the community. Then in the middle of summer, students start to prepare for the Annual Show. This show is choreographed by instructors and performed by students. There is not a dull moment to be had. Start your journey at Aerial Dance! Whether it’s pole, hoop, or any of our other ways for a fun workout. There are classes for everyone!
Taking a Break is Hard. Coming Back is Harder
I know that these blogs are typically positive in nature, and I promise I will get there. It cannot be stressed enough how important mental health can be. The past 4 months have been absolute torture on me. Just before life threw as many curve balls at me as it could, I signed up for the annual show (I know it was ages ago but every woman who preformed was absolutely gorgeous and killed it!). When life started throwing punches, every inch of me wanted to step back from the show. I told my husband repeatedly that I couldn’t do it, but he encouraged me to not quit. Show day came and went and boy am I glad that I stuck with it! It was a nice break from everything else going on. I never thought about what came after. I went to a few classes after the show, and I slowly realized I was doing more early canceling than showing up. It has been about a month and a half since I’ve taken a class and I plan to return to my regular pole class Monday. Let me tell you something… I am terrified! Can I still do it? Is all my strength gone? Will I remember to engage? What if I fail? As I sat here today thinking about writing this, I’m slowly realizing that I have nothing to be afraid of. I know that the second I step foot in those doors I will be at home again. I will be welcomed with open arms and I know it’ll feel like I was never even away. Will I have to rebuild some strength? Absolutely! But it will come back in time. Will my first day back be a struggle? I have no doubt in my mind, but I will show up and I will do amazing! I cannot wait to see everyone again. If I’ve learned anything from writing these blogs about Aerial Dance it is that I never should have stepped away in the first place. It is my happy place! My break from life and everything that happens, and I wish it didn’t take writing some blogs to remember that. But I remember now, and I am so excited to be going back. Whether you’re returning from a break or joining us for the first time, there are classes for everyone!Check out a pole, aerial, or fitness class today!
Women Lifting Up Women
For a lot of us Aerial Dance is a sanctuary. It is my happy place. It’s my me time. Time for me to get away from day to day stress from life and just enjoy myself. The women that run, instruct, and attend classes are some of the most uplifting and positive people I’ve ever met in my entire life. In my opinion, normal gyms are intimidating (I’m not trying to say gyms are bad, but I’ve learned that they are not for me). If you are like me, when I’d go to the gym I’d feel like people are judging me or shaming my body size. Aerial Dance is the exact opposite. I have never felt more accepted and comfortable working out in front of people. I’ve never had people cheer me on even for what I feel sometimes are the simplest things. Aerial Dance truly is a sanctuary for women. When you walk in the doors, you can feel the weight of the world melt away. You can lose yourself in the beauty of the aerial arts. Our instructors care so much about each one of us and they all work so much harder than we realize to keep us safe. They make sure they have new things to teach us. I feel beyond special when walking through the door. I feel like I belong. My self confidence can be quite lacking, but because of the uplifting and empowering environment I have become more confident in my body than I ever thought I could be. When I first started coming, I’d see the women working out in tiny shorts and a sports bra. I’d think to myself “there’s absolutely no way I’d ever do that. I’m too fat, my legs are gross, I have too much cellulite, stretch marks. My body just isn’t good enough for that!” I now wear the little booty shorts and sports bra. I’ve become so much happier in my own body even if it isn’t the media’s interpretation of beautiful. I AM beautiful and the women at Aerial Dance have helped me learn to love my body, even if they didn’t realize it. Join our sanctuary and celebrate what your body can do! Try a Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial class!
Learning to Find My Flow
Flow was not my favorite class. Dancing and movement did not feel natural. To be honest, it still doesn’t feel natural. I started taking them regularly because I hated them and they were very unnatural for me. The idea of “if its yours, you can touch it” felt incredibly uncomfortable for me. What do I touch? What would that look like? How am I supposed to move my hands and also my feet and maybe do a move or two? It was intimidating. My first few flows I definitely “just kept moving” during the warm up/cool down free dance. At times I wish I had a video of those early free dances but that’s for another time. After a few flows an instructor said to close our eyes during the free dance. This was game changer. It was a slow game changer, but a game changer all the same. There was a freedom that came with it. An openness. There was probably still a lot of “just keep moving” going on, but at least it finally didn’t feel uncomfortable. It felt like a possibility. It gave me the option to just try movement in my body without watching myself or thinking about everyone else watching me. It allowed me the confidence to try moves or transitions I was unsure would work. If I didn’t know how something would look, it didn’t matter because no one would see it. I could simply move the way my body wanted to move. About two and a half years into my pole journey and I’m just now starting to explore the “touch it if it’s yours” concept. But ladies, I will say, the little I have explored it, it is empowering. It’s simply an expansion of just letting my body move the way it wants. It is also a little bit of self awareness and love rolled into it. Do we really know what our body feels like under our own hands? Have we traced our own curves? I have started and I think it has only improved my body awareness. Another thing that has changed is I don’t always close my eyes anymore. Sometimes I like looking in the mirror. Wait…what did I just say?!? That’s right, sometimes I watch myself dance. I watch what the transitions look like. Sometimes I like what I see in the mirror. I also started recording some of my free dances. Want to know what I learned from that? I learned that I do some kind of cool transitions when I just move my body. So, here we are, 2.5 years later and flow is now one of my favorite classes. It’s one of the classes that has taught me the most. Now, the decision is to try focusing on climbs and inverts or pole spins… If you’re curious about Pole Flow, drop into a class or sign up using your Fitness or Elite Memberships!
If you love Pole, you want the Elite Membership!
I hear it all the time. “I’d love to be an Elite member at Aerial Dance but I just don’t have the time to come enough.” Rubbish! The Elite Membership is priced for you to come once per week and attend two classes, your pole and something else, when you come. That’s it. If you are already attending once a week and can come an hour early or stay an hour after, you will be fully paying for your Elite Membership with just that usage. Do what you’re already doing and stay one extra hour on that trip and you’ll get the financial benefit of the Elite Membership. Anything else you use on the membership after that point would be gravy! You can use your free studio rental every month or attending classes another day that month. The Elite Membership allows you to attend a lot of classes but only pay for the membership you need to attend your Pole class and one other class weekly. That’s it. If you’re already here for your Pole hour, why not take a flexibility class after or a workout class before? The Elite Membership also give you access to Static Pole classes. Our regular sequential pole program teaches spin pole so this is a whole other side of pole that you get unlimited access to as an Elite Member. Give it a try! In addition to unlimited access to static classes, you also get unlimited Spin Pole classes as an Elite Member. Yes! You can take your normal pole class every week and take another of the same level or down a level to keep working on those skills. If you love pole and want to take more Pole, you can do that as an Elite Member. Some Elite Members just use their membership for Pole! That’s ok if that is what excites you! Most Elite Members also take Aerial classes to help cross train for Pole. We have three aerial apparatus to play on: Hammock, Hoop and Silks. If you love pole, cross training will help you get stronger faster. It also reduces your chance of injury by working on skills in a different way. Becoming Elite gives you the option to cross train on other apparatus to improve your pole skills! Flexibility and strength also aid your Pole Journey. With an Elite Membership you can take unlimited fitness, dance and flexibility classes. Work on your cardio for climbing the pole in Dance Cardio or get more comfortable moving around the pole with Floor Flow. Get closer to grabbing your foot in a Figure Skater with Bendy Babe, or simply get stronger, faster with Pole Strong. All the supplemental classes Aerial Dance offers are specifically geared towards helping you get better at Pole. We started as a Pole studio. We LOVE Pole. Everything at Aerial Dance is designed to help you with Pole. The Elite Membership gives you that opportunity to get the full benefits of these classes at a steeply discount price. Plus, there is no hassle of paying attention to how often or what you attend since everything included is unlimited! If you love Pole, become an Elite Member at Aerial Dance. Upgrade to Elite today for unlimited access to all things and to support your love of pole!
