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I had the same pain for about 9 months before I finally found relief.  Chiro and stretching only worked temporarily.  Foam rolling was a bit better, but the pain would inevitably return.  What really worked for me was pilates.  I found a great instructor who explained to me that my glutes were weak and my hip flexors were too tight.  After working with her for 3 sessions, the pain went away and hasn't returned.  Now I can do my stretching and anything else without pain.  Look up piriformis syndrome on wikipedia and you may get an idea of the muscles you need to strengthen and/or stretch to get rid of the pain.  Pilates is rather pricey for the refomer sessions so now I do group reformer which isn't as expenseive.  I also do matt classes.  Good luck!

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Can anyone recommend a site to find and download cover music?

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I LOVE this thread.  I've been struggling with a stage name for a long time.  I don't perfomr (yet), but I want a FB page and I don't want to use my real name.  Awhile ago, a friend came up with Indigo Pole….I don't really like it.

Using the pet/street name my stage name would be Shep Easy…doesn't sound so good.   I lived on Easy Street….. I don't think I'd want to pair anything with the word "easy."

I kind of like my grandmother's name…Katherine.  I think it's strong and confident.  I also like Roxy for that same reason.

I love the outdoors so I'm thinking of using Sierra or Skye in my name. I like jewels too.

Ideas???

 

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Oh, one more thing….

You may be a pole dancer if the housekeeper tries to clean your pole and you immediately jump up and give him a lecture about NOT ever cleaning the pole because you have a special way of doing it (true story…the guys eyes got real big and he just nodded okay….hilarious).

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Love this thread!

You may be a pole dancer if you convince your husband that you only need one couch in the living room because you need the rest of the space to pole (who wants company anyway)!

You may be a pole dancer if you tried to change your wedding date at the last minute because you realized you wouldn't be able to go to the pole convention.  (yep, I tried, but it was too late…darn).

You may be a pole dance if you told your husband you couldn't go on your honeymoon "that weekend" because you were going to a pole jam.

You may be a pole dancer if you find yourself pointing your toes and moving your legs around while on the train because you're doing pole moves in your head

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I found it online last year on some obscure site and ordered it.  I never received it and when I contacted Shawn it took her forever to respond.  When she finally did take the time to respond, her response was almost exactly what others have cited here.  In a nutshell, she kept saying she'd mail it and she never did so I ended up getting a refund. You'd be better off trying to find someone with a copy they want to sell than trying to buy it from her.  Sad because I've heard from many that it's a good DVD.

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I just added a bunch of you to my skype contact list.  My skype name is poler4life so accept my request and let me know when you want to jam!

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@hotelchick, that would work for me.  Let me know.

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I agree with watergirl.  Throw a party for her and her friends in the privacy of someone's home or at a studio.  Let them have fun with one another and see if she likes it.  I'm 44 and what got me itno poling was taking a semi private class (there were only 3 of us) with Michelle Mynx (I had no idea who she was at the time ;).  She was (is) an awesome teacher so make sure you find someone good for your mom's party.

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HeadOverHeels I used to live in Cincinnati and took classes at both of the studios.  Bella Forza is a beautiful studio and the poles are taller than any I've ever seen.  The pricing was awesome so I was able to pole 3 times a week without breaking the bank.  Check it out. 

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@shariya, matt pilates can work really well depending on the instructor.  I've taken classes that were so-so and then I've taken classes that were really good.  You just have to try different instructors and see what works best for you.  I've tried doing pilates at home, but it didn't really work out for me becaues I felt I needed someone there to correct my form.

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Shariya I really like pilates.  I've noticed that it's helped with my core.  But, like everything else, once you start you have to keep going or else your abs will revert to what they were.  It can be a bit pricey to work on the reformer, but if you find a studio that has good mat pilates classes you can save yourself a few bucks.

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I try and do cardio 2-3X week, 2 pole classes (2 hours each), 1-2 pilates classes, and stretching.  I'd like to add more and structure it a bit better, but this is it for now. There are some great ideas here so thanks for asking the question!  

BTW, I'm interested to know what rehab exercises RoseMay does as I have have problems with my shoulders and back sometimes.

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I've been in classes with up to 15 people and 12 poles.  I didn't care for the experience.  There's just not enough time for the instructor to possibly help eveyone and move the class forward at an acceptable rate.  I find myself standing around alot in larger classes and it not only cools my body off, but it turns me off of the studio as well.  On the flipside, I've had classes with only 4-6 people and it was great.  Everyone had their own poles and the instructor was able to help everyone without anyone else feelig slighted.  I think 8 people in a class is about the max with one instructor.  

Might be a good idea to look those studios that have larger classes and compare them to those that have smaller classes.  My guess would be that studios that have large classes and multiple people per pole have higher turnover rates and constantly have to market for new students whereas those with smaller classes have more repeat students who build a commraderie not only with other students, but with the instructor as well.   Maybe some folks on the forum who teach or own studios can comment.

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Started poling when I was 40 and today I turn 44…woo hoo!    I'm not very flexibly and have given up on trying to mimick the 20 something year old "bendy" girls in class.  I've also added more protein to my diet to help with recovery and that's working out very well.  So glad to see so many 40 plus polers!

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I have the same problem with putting moves together.  Who is Bobbi and where can I find her DVDs?

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I tried coconut oil and found that it just sits on my skin so I think Empyrean is right in that it's not a good moisturizer.  I was getting a pedicure yesterday and asked the lady about the dry skin on my feet.  She said to oil them before going to bed at night.  When I told her that I'd tried coconut oil she said it doesn't work because the molecules (or something like that) are too big and can't be absorbed through the skin.  She told me to try olive oil instead, which I put on last night for the first time before bed (I also wore socks).  When I woke up, the skin on my feet wasn't as dry so maybe it absorbed properly?  I plan to keep doing it because she said I'd notice a huge difference in about 4 days.  She said you can also use it on your body.

Spoke to someone else about my dry skin at the apothecary pharmacy near my house and she swears by Ahava products.  She said to use the dead sea clay on really dry patches, sit in a tub of the dead sea salts and then moisturize with the Ahava lotion.  I tried it last night before using the olive oil…..my dry skin is driving me crazy and I'm determined to moisten things up a bit (actually, a lot!). 

For poling, I use corn huskers and have found that it makes my body more likely to stick to the pole.

Otherwise, I heard that drinking a lot of water (which I do) and adding coconut oil to your diet  helps alot.  You might also want to try increasing your EFAs in your diet.

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I had my LM on hardwood flooring for about a year and a half and it didn't slip not once (I used the non-slip pad). 

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My dog used to come to the pole everytime I practiced until I accidentally kicked him in the head.  Now he runs out of the room everytime I get on the pole.

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Empyrean I don't see a car in my future. Parking in the city cost hundreds per month, which would be a waste since most things are within walking distance.  I'll try and come out for some of your Saturday workshops.

Luvlee you still have Vixen and others in CInci, not to mention all the polers in Cbus.  Have you checked out any of the classes with Asma?  She teaches at the community center in Dayton. Check her out.  She's a good dancer and a good teacher as wel. She also likes to get together to jam.

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Thanks LindaLu!

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I love Empyrean, but she's over an hour away from me and not convenient to public transportation (I sold my car). Messaged gliterhips and a few others so hopefully I'll hear back soon.  Thanks!

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I really wish studios worked closer together.   Each studio has something to different to offer.   One may have instructors that are good at tricks and not so good at floorwork and another may have instructors who are very dancey.  As a student, I'd like to be able to flow from studio to studio based on my needs as a student.  I simply just have not seen this mentality in Ohio, but I'm still hopeful!

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@LoneStarDiva I had the exact same problem.  I couldn't use the foam roller on my IT band without wincing in pain.  Keep going because it goes away and then you'll love doing your foam roller exercises.

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@veena….It’s been quite awhile since I’ve gone through the lessons. I’ll check them out again tonight. I do remember watching the Getting Started about a year or so ago, but will review it as well. I think I get stuck because I look ahead at all the cool moves I want to do and then don’t have the patience to learn the basic moves 🙂

@chemgoddess…thanks for the technical info. I’ll check it out and get something this weekend.

Thanks so much ladies!