Runemist34
Forum Replies Created
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Honestly, I find that any thick, opaque (not-see-through) conditioner or product is best! If it says "curly hair," then it had BETTER be moisturizing! That's the worst thing for curly hair… it's so dry, and gets so dry if you do anything not nice to it.
Try some stuff out, see what you like better, look for a pattern in the products that you like, that give you the hair you want!
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I currently use Lush products mostly, so their R & B leave in conditioner is great- however, it only comes in the little tubs, so… I can't use it too often, or things become expensive 😉
That said, I don't personally notice a lot of difference between one brand and another, just the product really- like I said, the thicker the stuff is, the better, for me!
The rats' nest thing will go away a little more as your hair becomes more moisturized. This is what often happens with curly hair- it's so dry, as opposed to straight hair which can get oily. Dry hair will tangle a lot easier, and a lot more, so try to keep your hair from getting overly dry! I also find that, if my hair is more dry, it is also more frizzy.
And, having actual ringlets is not necessarily the way to tell if you have "curly" hair- there's a whole system out there for describing your particular type of curly hair, ranging from barely any wave to craaazzzy curly, like african-american hair!
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Hey CapFeb! I've had curly hair all my life, and it's taken a while for me to figure out how to make it work…
So, first thing I'm gonna say… DON'T brush it! It creates a lot of issue for curly hair, results in epic frizz, and I found that it promotes tangles in the long run.
Next- How often do you wash your hair? Like, with shampoo/conditioner? Because you'll probably want to not do that so often. I "wash" my hair about once a month, because of how dry it is, and what happens when I do wash it. I do, however, shower every day and get my hair wet- this allows me to reset it after sleeping on it, which also causes great frizziness.
I do, however, highly recommend things like leave-in-conditioners. My hair LOVES them, and the thicker the better! Your hair may not need as much, or it may need more- it all depends!
If you really feel you must de-tangle your hair, it's best to do it when it's wet. With your fingers. That's the very best way I've ever found, and I will never take a brush to my hair again, unless it's being styled up (which I can't do yet, it's too short!). I've had everyone and their dog tell me that if I do that for too long (no brushing, only with fingers, only when wet, etc.) I'll end up with dreadlocks. Well, it's been like five years, and no dreadlocks yet!
Lastly, handle your hair as little as possible, especially when it's drying. Handling will also cause the hairs to come out of their little curls, and form frizz.
Every curly-haired person is going to do something very different with their hair- I've even heard of some people needing to watch the PH balance of the conditioner they use!
I've also taken to using a little gel in my hair- keeps everything staying nice, and keeps it DOWN when it's raining out (which it is all the time, because I live in BC). I've tried mousse, hair spray, and all sorts of other things… lots of them work, but I enjoy keeping it simple, and it works just as well as all the others. Little bit of gel when it's wet, then let it dry by itself, without fiddling with it.
I wish you luck! Curly hair is a very different kind of creature than straight hair.
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Hey hon!
My suggestion would be DON'T RUSH IT.
Work on the spins and beginner lessons, free dance a whole bunch, and just get to know your style of dancing. Inversions are NOT something you can "jump" right into. In fact, you should never jump into them… and if you rush it, you might, and you will cause yourself a lot of damage.
That said, Veena also has a lot of strength conditioning exercises on here, and flexibility ones, which are super helpful.
You can also look up a few other strengthening exercises on Youtube, such as from Dirdy birdy.
I've been dancing on and off for about four years, and I'm still working to strengthen my basic invert, as well as just gaining some of the moves in the intermediate section! My strength has also been catching up recently, and I've been working hard to make sure it does… but there are so many other moves to work on that don't involve that inversion!
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I totally agree, and you're totally welcome 🙂 It helps me to reiterate, too, since I've got myself a little motivation issue right now 😛
And the tattoo is going well! On to my second week! Just gotta wait till next friday or so… then, I shall tentatively start dancing again!
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I have this issue pretty badly, too- I keep thinking "I can do lots of stretching, get my splits, be healthier for it, too!" But I never do manage to do any stretching, since my tattoo has me off the pole for another week or so…
However, I've been trying hard to break through, and I've gone through this cycle a few times, so here are my tips:
– Don't beat yourself up! Seriously, the guilt trip you put on yourself will only demoralize you more.
-Instead of "I should pole," say to yourself "I WANT to pole!" It IS true, and will actually cause you to feel a little more motivated to do it… because you are acknowledging your feelings, and not the rules you've placed on yourself.
-Looking at the mammoth task that is training for an hour can be daunting, and doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun! So, just do a little dancing. Play around. Even if it is for 15 minutes, or 10 minutes, or even one song… just get yourself touching that pole!
-Remind yourself of how amazing and great you feel after a good workout- I know I get quite the endorphin high from it!
And, finally:
-Put pole in your head. Watch videos of moves you're working on, or moves you might want to work on! Watch videos of your pole idols, too, and marvel at how good they are, and remember why you wanted to do this in the first place! Write down some fun challenges to yourself, think about ways of getting that challening move you've been working on… all that stuff!
It is really hard to find motivation to do anything fun when you've had to move away from your family, your home. When you're feeling down, it's not easy to pick yourself up and give yourself permission to feel good again!
So, be gentle with yourself. It's alright if you've got a bit of a rut going on- it'll pass. Mine always have!
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Please be very careful about stretching! If you push it too far, you can actually cause yourself to become less flexible- I've had this issue trying to stretching my hamstrings, and ended up worse for the effort and pain.
You should feel tension, but certainly NOT pain when you are stretching. Give it time, breathe, relax. It will come in time.
As Alethea Austin says in her DVD's… it took her 3 years to get to where she is now.
Give your body the rest it needs, and please be gentle!
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Alright, clearly it's a lot about practice and taking time while upside down…
I CAN do a basic invert, but usually while I'm there I'm trying very hard to figure out my leg position. This is certainly something I'd like to work on and practice in other ways, obviously.
However, the reason I say I'd like to be more flexible for elbowstands and handstands is because the idea of fligining my legs up against the wall sounds… well, frankly, loud and possibly destructive to my fragile drywall walls 😛 My thought was that, if I could get into them with more control, I would be a lot more stable.
Honestly, I have never successfully done an elbow stand, or handstand.
I will take a little more time while inverted to focus on breathing, though, and see how long I can stay in that pose, instead of trying to just move through them.
If you guys have any tips on elbow- or handstands, I would very much appreciate them. I have no idea how to tell if I have the strength without actually doing it, and the only way I know how to do it is by throwing my legs up over my head… and I don't have the skill yet to balance. It's a strange kind of catch 22 right now.
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Good point! I never thought about breathing- I'm pretty bad at breathing in general, and I could see it being an issue while I'm upside down.
I'm actually not yet able to do any kind of hand/elbow/shoulder stands… I've been wanting to learn how, though. Just feel like I need to be a bit more flexible in order to do it safely!
Any other thoughts?
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Seriously, glitter will just stick to everything. Like, if you put glitter on yourself, it'll just stay there… and get everywhere!
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I'm trrryyyiiinng! Pictures will come soon, when I can get my stretching to happen at the same time that boyfriend is home 😉
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I find that 5 days working out (in any way, pole or not) and 2 days resting works well for me. Stretching can be done kind of alternating intense and easy throught the week, though you gott make sure you're good and warm before any stretching!
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I agree with Chem- I'm currently off-pole for two weeks while my tattoo heals, and I'm not worried- I'll be back to it no problem! If you really want to keep up with it, do a little light trainig over the week, some light stretching, and leave it at that 🙂
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I find that, generally, "normal" refers to the idea that you can function in your day-to-day life without having any particular difficulties, brought on by your own psyche. So, for example, depression causes us to have motivational and perspective problems, making it difficult to funtion in daily life- some people who suffer with depression find it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning.
I find that psychology is a growing, learning kind of science. We don't always get things right (Good example: we used to say that homosexuality was a mental illness, and it was in the DSM. It is no longer considered an illness, and has been taken out of The Book), and sometimes, we are being told about a mental illness and think "wow, that sounds like me!" But, the distinction is that we can still function within our daily lives, and find our creative, physical outlets through, or for, these issues.
As a writer, I'm a little sad to read that article- I know that many writers have killed themselves, suffered depression and anxiety… but I think a great many have also lived to have full, glorious lives, too!
I know that I have suffered depression in the past, and I still deal with anxiety… but it's a process, I am learning to get rid of the anxiety.
I also believe that our society, unfortunately, does not appreciate artistic people enough. In Greek times, creative arts were highly regarded, and you could even get grants- people chosen to sponsor a particular festival were greatly rewarded for doing so, and if they refused, were practically shunned from their society! However, if you look at schooling and news, we find that Science, Math and such are very highly regarded, and the Arts… really aren't. It's very unfortunate, and gives us a certain opinion of people who engage and, indeed, cannot STOP engaging in those arts.
So… yes, all of us may identify to some extent with many of the diagnoses of mental illnesses… but, until it becomes detrimental to us, and gets in the way of our ability to live full and happy lives, I wouldn't consider it an "illness." More an interesting way of looking at the world, and some quirk to our personalities that make us who we are!
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Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like a muscle, but more a tendon, or possibly a pinched nerve. I would ask a doctor about it! And probably try to stay away from half-bracket holds for now, and see if the pain fades. Does it happen only when you're doing the hold, or all the time now?
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Chem, I decided to ask about it, anyways. I've decided that, if I could possibly skip the price of a new pole and go for the $15 for the coupling and base… that would be ideal. My stainless steel and i are really getting along right now… so I figure, why not?
Perhaps I'll get a new pole one day 😉
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I'm currently halfway between! I'm "fine tuning" my transitions and such, getting in touch with a more sensual, flowing side of my dance… and on the other hand, am totally getting like, four new moves down! Ones that, obviously, I have no idea how to transition into 😛 lol
I find transitions quite difficult, and am often trying to find combos so that I can learn how to flow from one to the next… but, sometimes I'm only strong enough, or have stamina enough for one of those moves. So, I continue to practice them more for strength and stamina, and so that when I do learn to transition into them, I don't have to worry about whether I'm going to get the move right, or if I'm going to slip!
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Some moves come and go- I've known ladies on here that totally get a move, and then it "disappears" for a long time. I've had that happen, too, with my cradle spin! I had lost it for at least a year.
I'd say… relax, do some other things, work on some of your conditioning moves for inversion, and try to take the pressure off yourself! Practice your spins, do some climbs and cross knee releases, see what more you can do WITHOUT your invert!
It'll be back.
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Found it on the right side! Thank you SO much ladies! Your tips were of great help! Definitely the tensing of my arm muscles, and the flatting my spine were factors for me- I really need to work on those!
I manage to hold it for about 10 seconds today! Woo! -
Not sure- it sounded like, from her last blog, that she was doing well and in a lot of transition. I really hope she's doing well, and can settle life enough to get back here, soon! I miss her, too 🙂
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Is it the move in the middle of that video?
And also, for those of us who are confused when you click the link- when you click it, go to the URL bar and take out the "m." before "youtube.com" and you'll be able to see it on your computer. The "m." means it's mobile youtube, and it doesn't seem to want to work well for computer.
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I have no studios, and no money for other kinds of dance classes, and haven't for a while… but the pole block still happens!
What I like to do is kind of… go back to basics. I've decided recently that I'm going to take pretty much every move I know, and try to find every creative way into and out of that move! It's quite the challenge, and I'm very excited about it- with hope, it'll make me a better dancer, and also bring out some new strength that I may not have had otherwise.
Working on combos, or just the dancing aspect, or trying to come at everything from a different angle is usually helpful. This is what happens with a lot of artistic pursuits, we find ourselves uninspired and need some kind of kickstart…
So, that's what I would recommend! Go at the dancing thing differently 🙂 Try something you never thought you would on the pole! See if there are any moves from waaaayy back that you wanted to nail but just forgot about, or any neat combos that you've never tried!
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I completely agree with Shonalancs- this is outrageous, and a violation of YOUR rights.
NO job, no matter what you do, should have any say in what you do outside of that job. I don't care what the job is, or where it is- it's a JOB.I am very, very sorry to hear that you quit your job at your studio. I understand why, but it makes me sad- you deserve to be able to teach and do what you love to do.
I would also be rather curious about where you work!
And, my job seems to like to think they can tell it's employees what they can and cannot do- honestly, if they told me that I'm not allowed to do something, ON MY OFF TIME, regardless as to whether I made money doing it (say, for example, if they forbade me from doing Burlesque), I would quit them so fast they wouldn't even see the door move. NO ONE tells me what I do with my own time.
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Thread Necromancy!
I'm getting my very first tattoo in 6 days. My inner, left forearm. I'm very excited, but also terrified! I don't know how I'll do!
I've got two more lined up in my head- the second will be the right, inner forearm, and the last will be on my back, my wings.
I suspect, however, that due to the placement of my tattoo I might not be able to pole AT ALL. So, I might just have to stick to everything else- stretching the most, and strength.
Due to work, I will have to forever wear long sleeves to hide my beautiful body art… but that's okay. I knew when I decided to get it that I would have to hide it under company policy.
How are all of you girls and your beautiful tattoos? I've been perusing and they all look so amazing! It's taken me three years to finally decide, and I hope mine look as good as yours do!
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I'd say… go back to your basics. The "gallery" part of this site is good for looking at holds and moves (other than spins) at each level, so you can keep yourself paced well. You can also look at how the lessons are set up, and see if you can stick to the beginner or early intermediate moves, and try to master those first (even if you don't have the lessons, you can still see them set up in order).
Otherwise… as adAstra said, every little bit helps. You deserve something good for yourself, too! You've got your own birthday, and you should also get presents on christmas! Ask for something like lessons, or a pole DVD. There are lots out there! And we can always recommend a whole bunch if you want.
I am sorry to hear that you've hurt yourself while poling. It is a pretty 'impactful' sport, and sometimes this happens. Some people can handle a little bit of kicking into their invert, and others can't. When we jump or use the kicking momentum to get into any kind of invert, as soon as that momentum stops and our muscles have to engage, we put far more pressure on those muscles than just our body weight, and all within that moment. That's why people get so messed up from it! Our muscles just can't keep doing that, over and over. I've heard some pretty bad stories of people's muscles contorting in really bad ways when they jump into inversions.
Keeping that in mind, however, you can work slowly to teach yourself to invert a little more safely. Try it from the ground, without any kick at all! And, try just the invert position and lift your legs up to your chest, slowly. This is a great way to strengthen your muscles!
Dirdy Birdy on Youtube also has some great pole tutorials! I love her https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif There are a few other tutorials and strength ideas around the internet, too. You can always take a look out for them!
