[happystace]

I have these exact ones in medium and they fit fine!

[happystace]

Great! I get so overwhelmed by all of the yoga challenges since they all seem to have these crazy poses that are way beyond my abilities…it will be nice to have something that is just basics! I will give it a go!

[happystace]

I just use some diluted rubbing alcohol with no problems. If you have any glass cleaner like Windex, that works too.

[happystace]

I was looking at the yoga direct and pole o mat when I was shopping around. In the end, the yoga direct one worked out to be cheaper. I have the 5″ one and am happy with it, but I think the 4″ would have been fine.

[happystace]

Great goals! Here are mine so far!

Short term:
Hurdler
Ballerina or twisted ballerina
Consistent CAR
Improve jade attempts

Mid-term:
Spin dismount
Scorpio switches
Shoulder dismounts
Side superman
Advanced figurehead
Teddy
Half cartwheel or handspring mount

Long term:
Shoulder mount -> Brass monkey
Knee hold
Straight leg inverts
Split grip ayesha
Cartwheel or handspring mount
Greater flexibility
Improve my freestyle flow and transition repertoire

[happystace]

Glycerin and water in a spray bottle works wonders on dry skin – just make sure you don’t get it on your hands! You can usually buy glycerin at the pharmacy in the first aid section. Otherwise, you can buy lotions that have glycerin near the top of the ingredient list – I like the aloe Vaseline one. Shaving cream also works well for leg grip for the same reason. I was really frustrated until I started using these concoctions because I would literally slide right off the pole – and I knew it wasn’t a strength issue! Now I can literally spray on and stick!

[happystace]

Love this thread already! It’s so refreshing to see others who still have a ways to go. I didn’t join the Christmas tree challenge as it would definitely take me WAY longer than that to achieve anything that would even remotely resemble a split! I have never been able to do the splits in my life. My hip flexors are my worst enemy – I literally have zero degrees of hip extension due to my posture (sit all day, weak glutes). I know I need to work on this, but it’s just so hard to stay motivated when I don’t see improvement quickly (type A personality over here). As my boyfriend likes to say – it took your body a long time to get this way, and it will take a long time to fix it! Hopefully we can all motivate one another to keep at it!

[happystace]

I feel your pain…I still occasionally roll over my clavicle when I’m releasing the upper body into inverted crucifix. For me, I try and lift the hips up high while keeping a rounded spine so that the pole stays in contact with the trapezius on the way up – this helps me to establish a good grip with the legs. If the legs have a solid grip from knees through to toes, you should be be able to “unwind” your torso down the pole without exerting much pressure on the clavicle because you are already secure. I’m not an expert, but I’ve also found that if you don’t have a lot of hamstring flexibility it can be difficult to get a good leg wrap while keeping the pole against your trap – you tend to slide the pole against the top of the trap and onto the collarbone which hurts!

[happystace]

Also, if you are worried about coverage in the Mika tops that have the tie back, size up! The strings will be longer, but you will get more of the fabric band that wraps around the back. I’m a petite person, and I’m wearing a large! If I bought a small, I’m sure it would fit, but the back would be allllll strings.

[happystace]

@Lucca Valentine – The Mikaela’s are a bit on the cheeky side. I’m wearing them in black in these videos (along with the Tula tops):
https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/54050b08-a23c-4609-bac9-4fee0a9aa0eb
https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/53e2b035-cc60-425a-832b-3eb10a9aa0eb

Note that I have not pulled the strings to shrink them up in the videos! I find I never tie the strings because I’m more of a conservative pole short type of person.

The Meeko is about the same in back coverage – like the Mikaela’s with the strings pulled. They are lower in rise though. I think they look prettier on than the Mikaela style but they’re a bit more revealing obviously. You can see them on here: https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/540d25db-c404-43ab-b062-06000a9aa0eb

I think the Mika sparkle tops are super pretty for a performance. I honestly think if you’re worried about headlights that silicone petals should cover that issue. I’ve tried to use standard cup inserts tucked into the bra but they just slide all over the place and become visible.

[happystace]

For tops, I’ve tried and liked the Mika Yogawear tops in Tula and Lila for practice. There isn’t any built in padding though so headlights can be an issue. I am a big fan of Lululemon for bra tops but they can be a bit expensive.

For shorts, I’m a bit less picky. The TNA Solstice short from Aritzia is great, as are some of the Forever XII shorts from their activewear collection. Mika makes great bottoms as well, I’ve tried the Mikaela and Meeko styles and like them both. I wanted to try the Betty but they were out in the colour that I wanted. The are more expensive than the TNA and FXII ones though.

[happystace]

Mine’s the same as it is here, happystace. Mostly just pole vids (not advanced by any means) and pictures of my scottie dog.

[happystace]

I use my phone or my DSLR on a tripod if quality is important. I just lean my phone against something on my desk and use the front facing camera to capture footage. My videos automatically backup to Google Drive and I download them to my computer from there. I edit with Movie Maker or Adobe Elements. I’ve tried webcam but I wasn’t happy with the audio recording capabilities.

[happystace]

I think the most important things you can do are to focus on proper technique, build strength slowly, listen to your body and know when to stop. I’ve had a bulging disc with nerve root irritation since I was 15 year old, also, not related to sport but likely just due to the curvature of my spine. Core strength is very important to back health and pole requires a great deal of that! I find that poling helps me to have less back pain, and doesn’t require me to put myself in postures which would put myself at increased risk of low back injury. As Veena likes to say, not every move is right for every body. Will I ever be doing rainbow marchenkos? Probably not, but you know what? I don’t have to be to enjoy pole dancing!

[happystace]

In the middle of my living room…the only place I can’t see it is from my bathroom! I have to roll up the living room carpet to dance, but it’ll have to do for now as it’s the biggest space I have!