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I also recommend giving a stainless steel pole a try. I think it is a great all around finish. I am also a heavy sweater. I love my TG pole, so I must not have quite the same type of skin as you do. But I also really enjoy working on stainless steel. I felt it was much easier for me to use than brass. When my skin is dry, brass is super grippy, but once my sweat kicks in, a brass pole might as well be covered in sunscreen. So I could go from mega grip to zero grip in the span of one pole session (or even the beginning of an aerial combo to the end). I never had that problem with dramatic changes when I used to attend a studio with stainless steel poles.
I have poled on both Platinum Stages and Lil Mynx stainless and enjoyed both finishes. I have never tried the Xpole stainless finish so I can't speak for it. My first home pole was an Xpole chrome and I swear I spent more time worrying about my grip on it than actually practicing. With the TG I seriously just get up and go, and same with the steel poles I've used.
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A common joke/gripe among yoga teachers is that people always say they would love to go to yoga class but they don’t want to because they’re not flexible. It’s just like… that’s why you go! To get flexible! 🙂 Everyone has to start somewhere and that goes for all things. I will say that a lot of Veena’s stretching lessons have similarities with yoga, so if funds are an issue, doing the stretches here will be really helpful too.
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No problem! Everyone here on StudioVeena is here to help. It’s a great community for that reason. 🙂 If you have any specific questions about a stretch or any lesson, post a comment on the lesson page and Veena will get back to you about it.
If you have existing hip and back issues, then definitely be mindful of them. You may find that careful stretching may help improve certain types of pain, as will staying active in general. One thing I found that was really complementary to my pole practice was practicing yoga. It really helps me build my flexibility while focusing on proper alignment. It has really improved my body awareness in the parts that we don’t think about as much in daily life – shoulder stabilizers, hip flexors, etc. That has translated to improvements on the pole as well. If you can check out yoga or Pilates classes or videos in addition to pole, I highly recommend it for cross training. Good luck!
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The general idea behind contraction during stretching is that muscles work in pairs. Think about triceps and biceps, quadriceps and hamstrings, etc. If you contract one half of a paired muscle group, it will help relax the opposing side. So Veena may say to contract your quadriceps (front of thigh) while you stretch into your relaxed hamstrings (back of thigh). It is useful to help ensure you’re not trying to stretch a tensed muscle.
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Being naked is awesome! I think I belong in Europe where there is less taboo about nudity. It's a comfort thing for me. There are times I get out of the shower and don't put clothes on right away because I need to first dry my hair and let the lotion soak in and stuff… and then that turns into a couple of hours. Suddenly it's lunchtime and I realize I'm still naked. I'm going to be in so much trouble if I ever stop working from home…
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Who cares if it's yours? It's other people's that you gotta worry about, LOL.
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I pole topless sometimes, usually when I just want to do a bit of poling without taking the time to put on a pole "outfit." It's easier to just take off the clothes I'm wearing and pole in a bra and panties, or just the underwear if it was a poke-y molded underwire bra. I'm kind of a casual nudist in everyday life and enjoy nude beaches, so naked feels natural to me. I can't say poling with or without a bra matters that much in terms of abilities, except I like having a bra to keep my boobs in place. Mine are not small and can get in my way when I'm upside down.
I have poled naked before, more just as an one-off than as a matter of practice. I don't like exposing my lady parts to the possibility of getting scraped or bruised! Now I know why strippers generally stay on the floor once the bottoms come off… 😛
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Hazi I think I know the Freya sports bra you're talking about (the unflattering one) but I think they've just released a new one. It's quite flattering on me and it has the little back-strap hook thing like the Panache. Which is great for pole, since it exposes your shoulder for shoulder mounts.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/freya-active-underwire-bra/3394061?origin=keywordsearch
Panache, Freya, and Fantasie are all UK brands and have UK cup sizing (most websites that sell them have conversion charts to American sizes). I remember reading somewhere that something like 40% of Australian women are DD or larger. I'm not sure if that's accurate, but it would explain why British/Australian brands come in a wider variety of sizes!
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Totally agree on the wide angle lens comment. Webcams are not designed to flatter. I hate using Skype for that very reason! 🙂
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I just got my first Freya sports bra, it's very similar to the Panache bra described above. Freya and Panache both make excellent full busted swimwear as well, as does Fantasie. A swim top from one of those brands would make a great top for pole performances!
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If you asked me to name one fitness class I despise, it's Zumba. I'm so awkward and sweaty and uncoordinated and just… no. I have never tried Jazzercise but I would probably hate it. But you love it and that's awesome! To each their own!
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I use a mixture, mostly whatever is easier for me to say. I think "surya namaskar" flows very nicely off the tongue, more so than "sun salutation." But it's a lot easier to say "down dog" instead of "adho muhka svanasana." https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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@Pankake Funny you mention English vs. Sanskrit. Yoga suffers from a similar problem as pole in that not everyone agrees on the common English names for poses. Of course everybody knows what Triangle Pose is, but I've tried to discuss arm balances with people and they have no idea what I'm talking about unless I use the Sanskrit name. I have taken a class taught by an instructor from Australia once and she used some different names… I was so confused. At least the Sanskrit names are (usually) pretty universal. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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Look for a studio that has a new student intro series. Or, if that's not available, consider booking a private or semi-private session with one of the instructors as an intensive. It might be expensive, but it might work out to be the cost of several group classes and you will get so much out of it.
I was just talking to my instructor a couple weeks ago about this beginner problem in yoga. For a long time, my studio had all-levels classes every day of the week, and one designated beginner class on one evening each week. It was always very full and attracted lots of students, but every week there were brand new people coming in. There's a lot to cover before you're ready for an all-levels class. So my instructor kept having to start over from the very beginning each time to accommodate the brand-newbies. The people who'd been coming to the beginner class for weeks got bored and eventually left without ever making it into an all-level class. So now she's changed it to be a 4-week beginner series. You sign up for 4 classes in advance, and each one covers roughly 1/4 of what you need to know. Of course people complain about that, what if I have to miss one, etc etc but they can always book a private session to get caught up. I guess I'm sympathetic to the studio owner side of things.
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Also, ashtanga yoga is the exact same sequence, done in the exact same order, every time, without music. So people who do ashtanga end up memorizing the flow and know exactly what's next. Ashtanga is often seen as a more serious practice because it's so rigid. One of my instructors was an ashtanga practitioner for over a decade but as a teacher she prefers having more freedom.​ Vinyasa/flow yoga is more open ended, the instructors have more free reign to design their own sequences as they see fit and to target specific objectives. That also means you have to pay attention and may screw up and be a few poses behind at times (I do that all the time!) No one cares, seriously, so don't worry. If they do, you've gone to a snobby school and they suck and don't deserve your money (IMHO).
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Dwiizie think of yoga like pole. Vinyasa class is like a routine, or a series of combos. There are a few established combos that everyone knows and does over and over (often called "taking your vinyasa") but the others are sequences that instructor calls out on the fly. There is order and sense to it but it takes a long time to really understand.
Jumping right into an all-levels vinyasa class is like jumping into an intermediate pole class. There's no way you'll do the combos right if you haven't mastered the individual moves first. Taking a slower form of yoga, where you can really learn the finer points of the specific asanas, would be a great start. Once you understand the individual postures, the flow will make a lot more sense.
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Yoga, more than pole I think, really benefits from in-person instruction. I dabbled in yoga several times over the years, taking a few classes here and there and doing some videos, and never really got all that excited about it. It felt nice and I knew it was good for me, but I felt like I could get a much better workout in a shorter time by doing other activities (like pole). So that's what I did. When I moved to a new town far away from all my friends (and with a serious lack of pole studios) I knew I had to do something to get out of the house and interacting with humans, or else I would start to go nuts.
So I started going to yoga classes again. I tried a few different places and had the same experience as always – I'd do it for a week or two and then flake. Then I finally found the place where I currently go. It's perfect. I'm so happy I found it. The teachers are awesome and they really uncovered for me what it is that makes yoga so special. It's difficult to articulate, but it's a combination of the cues they give, the positive affirmations they remind us of during each class, and the general camaraderie they have with the students. They just radiate love and understanding and it's clear that this stems from their yoga practices and how much they want to share it with people. If I hadn't encountered these people, yoga would've always just been "mindful stretching" with world music playing in the background. Now it's something more for me. But I understand not everyone is seeking that.
That doesn't mean you can't practice yoga at home or by yourself with videos – in fact I do it all the time, especially now that I have a grounding in it with lots of hands on corrections from instructors. But I think taking classes with an instructor is essential to really "get" yoga as opposed to just using it as a tool to achieve physical goals like flexibility, strength building, and stress reduction. I also know that some people do what's called foundational yoga, which focuses mostly on the body mechanics and muscle groups used (similar to Veena's lessons) instead of all the mind/body stuff. Keeping it simple and focused on fitness can be great too. But I use what my teachers have given me on a more esoteric level and make it into a moving meditation. That is what I love about yoga.
I've rambled a lot, but I guess the takeaway is that doing yoga videos at home can be nice, but if it doesn't really grab you, don't give up on yoga right away. Try taking classes with a live instructor. And if it doesn't grab you during your first in person class, try a few more. If you can find a teacher you really "click" with, then it can be amazing.
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I think flag can be a transitional move down the pole with V legs. Sort of like a baby iron X. Not like I can do it yet, but… I think it can be in a dance. But a horizontal flag by itself? That's just for bragging rights. 🙂
Karol Helms did a spinning Janeiro as the last move of her USPDF optional routine this year and I thought it was a nice way to finish. But I agree that most of the time it's kind of a WTF move. And I usually find the spatchcock to be ugly too, but Shelly Lamb manages to make it look elegant. I think a lot of it has to do with the placement of the hands.
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I like the vulgar stripper moves too. The pole studio I started at was very elegant and I learned so much about how to dance with beauty. Then I joined SV and was thrilled to see someone could teach me how to bounce my buttcheeks! Pole has something for everyone and some of us love it all 🙂
Veena, the one legged climb looks badass to me. And I happen to think strippers are badass. So it fits!
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PS I also dislike regular gyms. I'm much more comfortable exercising at home, and a lot more likely to do it as a result. Spending the time and money to outfit a little area for myself was worth a lot more to me than a gym membership I'd hardly use.
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If you don't already have Veena's lessons, get them. A lot of her conditioning lessons can be done without a pole, or with something else to hold onto like a chair.
I pole at home without a studio, and I do lots of things off the pole. Pushups, core work, squats and leg lifts, yoga sun salutations, resistance band and free weight exercises, and pullups on a bar that attaches to a doorway. I also have a foam roller for stretching and flexibility training (Veena also has lessons for that.) I am working injured right now and can't really dance, but I'm using this as an opportunity to do strength training off the pole.
Another good tip would be to take related fitness classes like yoga or pilates, which work muscles in a similar way. You can also do these things at home with nothing but a mat and maybe a computer to watch videos, although taking a few classes in the beginning is essential for learning good form.
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I've found that walking is great on my sore days. It gets the blood moving and my heart rate slightly elevated, which I think speeds the recovery of the soreness. And once you've gone for a walk, your muscles will be warm enough for flexibility training or some easy pole work (like transitions).
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Yes, I agree that partners (and anyone really) are impressed by beginner stuff, so just have fun with it. Work on your floorwork and transitions, and smile! I think it's mostly pole dancers who are impressed by things like handsprings and flat jade splits. In my experience, my audience likes hair flips, booty wiggles and a nice smile. 🙂
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Welcome!
Karol Helms sells a cute pole heart shirt in both a tank and t-shirt variety (I have the tank). I like it because it's subtle.
http://polepraxis.com/buystuff.html
Your studio may sell branded merchandise, or you can always buy a Studio Veena shirt! You may also find some nice designs on Etsy. Good luck!
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Sadly, I have to agree with you too MemphisKitten… I wasn't going to mention it, but I began to develop a very negative and unhealthy relationship with food as well. I'm wary of going down that road again. The middle path is the one that works for me – treat my body with respect and honor, but let myself live a little too.
