[azriel]

welcome caz!!

[azriel]

thanks lola & branquinha.. i finally got it today! i did it both ways, but felt more secure with my dominant arm on top i think. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[azriel]

welcome! this is def one of my favorite sites too! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

[azriel]

i fully wax myself too. but i use a brand of soft hot wax that they dont carry in the US. however, since i have to wait a month between waxes, i sometimes shave once in between.. also i’ve heard it’s best to wax right after your menstruation ends, because hair tends to grow faster during that time https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

[azriel]

Not being able to learn at a studio really sucks. So far i’ve learned everything on my own from watching others’ videos. As far as safety is concerned, i make sure to warm up and stretch really well to prevent pulling a muscle while i’m in the middle of a move, since there won’t be anyone to save me! It’s also a good idea to use cushions when trying new moves, and to practice them as low as you can. Spotting in terms of someone physically helping you- i don’t know, maybe a big cushiony piece of furniture (like a lazyboy) could be useful when doing a move high up, so you have something to lean on or grab on to if you feel insecure.. i’ve never tried it though so not too sure if that’s good advice or not. Having a friend help you would probably be the best option, if possible https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/alien.gif :0

[azriel]

no need to respond to this, i fixed it! in case anyone else ever has this problem, i downloaded k-lite codec package and now it works!

[azriel]

I just got my laptop de-bugged, and now movie maker wont play my video files. does anyone know which codec i need for wmm vista, and if i can download it?

[azriel]

ok i’m gonna try to get some more pics up on photobucket and a vid of basic invert this week! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

[azriel]

i was wondering, when doing aysha, do most of you use your dominant hand as the top or bottom arm? i feel like i need 2 dominant arms to do it! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_albino.gif

[azriel]

wow, i was really touched reading this thread.. everyone had such helpful things to say, and i agree 100% with everything everyone said.. when i was reading your post, all the thoughts i had to reply were written by one of the other girls’ responses– if so many people agree on this issue, chances are they know what they’re talkin about! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
I just wanted to add a couple more thoughts, and i’m not saying these things just to cheer you up (if you remember from chat, i’m not the type to do that). i’m just going to state a few psychological facts.
First of all, when we’re feeling a bit depressed, we tend to somewhat distort reality towards the worst- like for example, we think that EVERYONE is better or EVERYONE is______(whatever). We totally over-exaggerate everyone else’s strong points, while in contrast, totally over-exaggerate our own weak points! Which means that while we underestimate everyone else’s weaknesses, we unerestimate our own strong points!
Case in point:
1) not EVERYONE is progressing fast!!!
2) No one here has laughed at you or ever will for any reason- its obvious how much we all love you!
3) There’s always room for improvement, as long as one desires it, but your transitions are NOT crap, and you do not seem like you’re pretending to know what you’re doing! It’s one thing to feel that way, and another to actually LOOK it.
4) Not everyone’s videos are so perfect! C’mon glit, EVERYONE’S? first of all "perfect" is a very abstract and relative word, and everyone’s idea of it varies.
5) and i don’t even know what to say about "everyone here is so thin and graceful". Everyone here hasn’t even posted a vid for you to draw such a conclusion. And even so, you may not be thin, but you got sexy curves, awesome sense of humor, and one of the prettiest faces i’ve seen. Plus i wish i could belly dance like you! And just like others said, why compare yourself? everyone is different in their own unique way, and there’s ALWAYS gonna be someone you think is prettier, better body, etc. What’s important is realizing the good qualities that make you YOU, and in my opinion, you really stand out as a personality. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rendeer.gif

Please don’t fall into the trap of the negative thought vicious cycle. When this happens, your brain begins to "selectively remember" only things that are in agreement with your beliefs, while disregarding things that contradict your beliefs, only leading you to feel worse, thus creating more negative beliefs which are based on false facts! For example:
If you believe or think to yourself "i suck at pole-dancing", you will begin to notice all the really "good" pole videos, while discrediting the ones that show the hard work to get a move. This will lead you to draw unrealistic conclusions like "everyone’s videos are so perfect", and make you feel worse. and the worse you feel about pole-dancing, the more you will focus on what you Can’t do yet (because this is in agreement with your belief), and the less you’ll focus on what you CAN do (umm yeah, knee hold!!!)and how good you really are (cause this contradicts your belief). And of course this makes you feel even worse, leading to more unrealistic thoughts, and its just a never-ending cycle!!
And the worst part is that thinking like this can hold back your progress (self-fulfilling prophecy). We actually tend to behave in ways that will prove and bring about what we believe, whether we are right or not.

Wow i just realized that i did a whole psychology lesson here, and now i’m feelin insecure about posting this- don’t wanna seem like a know-it all about this stuff. Ok so here are my insecurities about myself:
I know my videos seem good and that i’m progressing fast, but they make me look better than i really am cause i did major editing, only including the best attempt of the moves. I feel like my dancing sucks, and that i keep doing the same transition over and over. why do you think i havnt posted a full unedited dance video? i’ve tried to do it for the 80’s vid, and just always look so silly. so if i post, i will make it purposely a silly dance vid. Also my age- i’m almost 30 too (like pole-twista) and its kinda freakin me out cause i don’t wanna grow up, and i envy all you girls who have started poling at a younger age. And i’m not that flexible.
ok and the worst is that i have cellulite. i know it doesnt show on my vids, (cause i fix the lighting and wont include any clips where it shows!). I’m not overweight, but cellulite is mainly hereditary, and trust me its not pretty. So i can’t even comfortably wear those really short shorts or sexy lingerie while pole-dancing- i’m always thinking about which angle to do each move so that when my skin scrunches up (making it even worse), it wont show.
But you know what, in the end, i think its so sad and unfair that society has set up all these standards of how women should look or how good or sexy they should dance- and that we women allow ourselves to get trapped in it (myself included), and we forget about all the good things about ourselves that we take for granted.
I agree with everyone about taking a break from the pole if you feel that way, but don’t make up your mind yet about quitting for good. OMG this is so long ok thats it. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_bounce.gif

[azriel]

I felt a bit inflexible in my arms too when i first tried this the pencil/iguana mount. i think the best stretch for this move is to reach your arms behind you, clasp your hands together, and while bending down with a straight back, pull your arms towards your head as far as you can, but gently. It’s also a good idea to warm up your shoulders and arms before doing this stretch so you dont strain yourself.

Then after you’ve done this stretch, try gettin into the position on pole. I found that having my legs at a certain distance from the pole, and at a certain distance apart from each other helped me reach the pole better with my arms. I just moved my legs around till i found the "ideal" spot.. then it was just a matter of gettin the courage to go for it! don’t forget to put a cushion under your head! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_dwarf.gif

[azriel]

I totally know what you mean about feeling weird after- its happened to me lots of times for other stuff (i’ve never poled outside my house cause no clubs here have them!). But seriously, i bet the only reason why you felt that way is cause it was probably the first time you did that, so it was something new and a bit more "risky" than other stuff you’d do.. Also keep in mind that everything we do, ALWAYS seems like a bigger deal to us than it does to other people! So no need to worry about it.. Plus, they wanted you to go and do it again!!!!!!! i bet you were awesome! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

[azriel]

Hi lisa.. i had the same problem when i first started.. i felt like i had to vomit all the time, but the other girls here gave me some good advice: first of all, don’t do spin after spin after spin. do some dancing or stretching in between spins, and try to spin in both directions. Also, chewing on peppermint gum or drinking gingerale helps. Treepoles also suggested putting a ginger root in your water, and sip on that occassionally. And don’t worry, after a while your body adjusts to it, and you will soon feel less and less sick every time you pole.
About your pole- if you’ve aligned the little x’s at the bottom with the holes, then you just need to tighten it at the bottom (where you change it for spinning mode). that happens to me occassionally too, and tightening it fixes the problem. it shouldn’t rotate while on static. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif

[azriel]

i love the new look veena!!! so cool that we can upload vids here now! i’m assuming there’s no problem with the music we choose like there is on youtube? so excited about the clothes too!!!!

[azriel]

Yay skivvies that’s awesome! you should post some pics of your no-handed moves!!!