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Will I never be able to go upside down?
I was practicing on my pole last night with some friends, and we started talking about headstands. I could never do them in class unless someone lifted my legs for me, I just can't get my head round the movement! So my friend lifted my legs and got me into the right position, but I immediately had to ask him to put me down as my body just freaked out. We tried again, he let go of me and I stayed there for longer, but my head felt really weird and I just didn't like it at all so I practically had to beg him to help me down again because I couldn't move, it just felt so horrible! Surely if I can't do a headstand without freaking out I'll never be able to invert? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif Any thoughts?
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27 Replies
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What is it that makes you freak out you think? x
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you will be alble to invert.
the firsts when upside down are always a bit confusing for everybody, whether on the pole or just doing handstands.
having a professional help you is probably the best way to learn. either a pole instructor or a yoga instructor can help you invert by gradually teaching you poses that build your strength while getting you used to having your hips of feet higher than your heart.
if you cant find an instructor, try to find a person with lots of experience and who will keep your safety in mind. -
Thank you for the replies guys
Amiloo, it was like a weird sensation in my head. Not from the pressure of my head against the floor (don't worry I was on a cushion so I was safe), but like a strange rushing sensation like my head was filling up with something and it ended up feeling really heavy. I guess it's the blood rushing to my head that I don't like the feeling of https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif
Katana I attend pole classes once a week, we only did headstands once or twice and I gave up because I couldn't get my legs all the way up…every time my legs (or even just one leg) got close to the pole it was as if my body just went "NOPE" and made me put them back down again. I've had my instructor lift my legs into a headstand before and I had no problem balancing there or anything, it just felt so bizarre and I couldn't work out which way to move my legs to get down as I was so disorientated!
The feeling in my head just makes me feel a bit ill. I don't know if it's just because I never did them as a child so I'm not used to them or if my body just has a genuine hatred of being upside down, which is what it feels like at the moment!
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Dont be so hard on yourself…one day you will do them & if you dont ever feel comfortable enough, there are other ways to get in & out moves on the pole.
I have been poling 3 yrs & still can’t do head/hand or elbow stands, they freak me out. I have tried them a few times but have put them on the back burner for now. I took a class w/a pole legend a cpl months ago & she was trying to get me to elbow stand & I told her I was scared & struggled doing them & she said it was ok & that she didn’t/couldn’t climb for the first 3 years she poled! We all learn at our own pace & something’s will come easy to us & others will take more time, courage & practice to get & that’s ok.
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Wanted to add that just because you are struggling with head/hand/elbow stands doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do inverts…I was nervous about inverts at first but around 3-4 months into poling, I braved my first invert. Sure, the first few tries were scary but then I never looked back 🙂
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I inverted on the pole long, long before I did either an elbow or handstand. Honestly, they kinda freak me out and I still prefer to do inversions on the pole vs. either of those. I do try to work on them every so often to keep myself from getting freaked out by them all over again.
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This is all quite reassuring 🙂 the thing is though, what I didn't like was the feeling in my head that came from being upside down, so won't that translate to inverts?
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@kate92 I don't think so…see, I've come to realize that my fear over the head/hand/elbow stands is me fearing that my arms, wrists and shoulders are not strong enough to hold my body weight and that they will give out/collapse trying to hold myself up like that.
Now when you invert, its all about your leg lock/hold and various leg contact points once you get upside down. I've come to realize that I have more faith in my leg strength and leg POC's, than I do in my arms. This I believe is also another reason why I think that I also struggle with split grip and elbow grip moves…it all goes back to my lack of confidence in my arms, wrist and shoulder strength. This I am working toward over coming though by working more on building strength in those portions of my body that I don't have faith in.
Again also, time and practice is also a factor…the more/longer you pole, the more comfortable and confident you will become…
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You might be right, my arms are a lot better than they were when I started but they're still not great by any means so I sometimes have trouble trusting them.
I guess you're right about practice, I just don't want to practice them because I hate them so much! 😛
It's more the dizziness/ill feeling I got inside my head from being upside down like that affected me though, so I imagine that would be the same in a basic invert, inverted crucifix, CAR etc? I'm not sure if there's any way around it
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it can take time to get used to being upside down with the head rush. Doing cxr used to make me pretty dizzy. I got over it with practice. To get used to it I didn’t go upside down too long at first and not too often. Moving slowly helps when coming up and down. I found that adequate water intake is key. If you are upside down, your heart is working against gravity and has to adjust.
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It took me like 6 months to finally do a CKR & a few months after that I did my 1st crucifix 🙂 I have seen people invert quicker than I did, also heard of some taking longer. You will do it when you are ready, no need to rush, when you are comfortable that’s when the time is right for you!
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Everyone is different, there’s probably things you can do quicker then someone else. I’m teaching my two friends and they both started the same time one of them starting inverting very early and is now doing Gemini’s, Scorpio and hip holds and my other friend still hasn’t been about to go upside down yet but there are things like pole sits, planks, layback etc that she can do heaps easier then my other friend.
I just try to remind them that everyone learns at their own pace and you should be happy with what you are able to do now!
There are moves on the pole that I think I should be able to do already but I know that maybe that move is just alittle more difficult for myself to learn then other people..Hope that makes sense 🙂
You will get there!! Just let yourself enjoy your pole journey!! 🙂
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I think inverting from the pole will give you a sense of security, I bet when you come to doing them you find themm no way near as disorrientating
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I inverted on my fifth lesson (I was quite strong already and had been practising tucks since the first, to be clear!), and have no problem with most of the upside down moves.. and I can come down into a nice handstand easily from a layback…. but now, after 18 months, i STILL can't do a normal head or handstand against a wall!!! Everyone is different – for me, i can do it occasionally if i have someone watching, but it's a struggle – it freaks me out! So there's no connection between the two, I think.
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Thank you for all the replies! Really helpful https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif I'll take all your tips into account.
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