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Thanks all! ❤️

StrangeFox – welcome! The class went well. It took a bit for my body to remember what to do, but I retained a surprising amount of skill all in all. I didn’t attempt everything, but I was able to do some stuff that I didn’t anticipate being able to do again due a few weeks at least, so that was encouraging 🙂 I actually didn’t bruise, but I definitely had some pretty intense skin soreness after the class. I think I regrew some nerve endings, lol.

As for sexy… I started to, but boy do I have some mental blocks around this! I’ve absorbed a great deal of shame around expressing my sexuality on my own terms – which is exactly why I need to do sexy pole right now. Because the depths of shame is no place to live, and even if sexy pole is emotionally challenging sometimes, it feels *right* in my body to do it. And that’s damn priceless. But yeah it’s going to be one hell of a journey to unwind myself from my mental blocks o__o

[kittyface]

I just recently started going to L’Ru Studio in northern Denver. Only took one class so far, but I like it. I also have a friend who went/goes to Tease Studio, though I heard that one moved recently and I’m not sure exactly where it’s located now.

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I had an experience similar to this, with my right adductor (the one you can see a bit on the top of the inner thigh). I had been experiencing twinges on and off, mainly in one particular move/combo: the apprentice, especially going into it from a cradle spin. I asked another woman in class if that was normal, and she said it was a bit unusual, and asked me if I had injured it before. I was a bit baffled, as I hadn’t remembered doing anything to injure it and told her so, and she suggested the muscle might just be sensitive from overuse (I do some form of pole 5 days a week most weeks). Later (a few months later maybe), I did pull that same muscle from going too far in a pancake stretch. I still feel that twinge in the apprentice sometimes, and I would attribute it to past injury if it weren’t for the fact that that was going on even beforehand.

How often do you pole, and do you do something else that works that muscle a lot on your days when you don’t pole? I definitely want to know the answer to this question too, if it really is just overuse or if it’s maybe something else that I completely missed. I empathize with how frustrating that is, I’m sorry you’re dealing with this right now. I hope you feel better soon!

[kittyface]

I’ve never tried poling in a public park – though I’d love to – but this does remind me of a conversation I had with a former cashier at the neighborhood grocery store. We chatted quite a bit when I was still shopping there a lot, and eventually the conversation went to pole dancing. Turns out he had done it before! Either his sister or his cousin (I don’t remember which) had been an exotic dancer, had a home pole, and had showed him how to do quite a bit on the pole. He also said that she lived in California, where there weren’t many studios and most poles had a home pole, because the “stripper!” stigma against pole dancing is much stronger on the West coast than where I live.

This makes me suspect that the response you’d get poling in a public park would depend a lot on where you live – which country, which area of the country, which area of the city. Are you poling in a liberal city, a conservative town, in a park in the suburbs? In the state where I live (Colorado), I’d imagine most places in Boulder or Denver (especially Boulder) would be good places to pole publicly, the smaller towns not so much. If I were on the West coast, based on what the cashier said, I probably wouldn’t risk it unless I knew the area really well.

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I’m really glad you’re asking for input from polers before making the product!

Personally, I really just want functionality, comfort, and modesty (while still showing enough skin to grip the pole of course) from my pole clothes. While it would be neat for my pole clothes to somewhat coordinate with each other, it’s not that important to me. I agree with everyone about preferring synthetics over cotton.
Also, though I’m happy having fewer sports bras than pole shorts, it’s definitely just as important to me to have good sports bras.

What I want out of sports bras:
– Cups, cups are more supportive than traditional compression sports bras
– Not too restrictive, I hate feeling suffocated by a too-tight sports bra and I don’t like looking in the mirror and feeling like my breasts have disappeared
– Minimal (and ideally no) fabric covering my traps so I don’t slip in shoulder mounts
– No metal or plastic pieces, I’ve bruised my back from doing rolls/shoulder stands wearing basic bras with a plastic clasp (also, while I understand why a lot of women would want a front zipper or clasp, I personally would dislike it as I do a few tricks that involve my sternum on the pole and I don’t want to scratch the pole or myself)

I’m a fairly small-breasted woman (34B), so I haven’t had too much issue putting on and taking off sports bras.

What I want out of pole shorts:
– Full coverage in the butt
– Wide (preferably diamond) gusset, no front seam
– Side tie would be really nice so I can adjust how much “side booty” is exposed for things like brass monkey
– No pucker-butt, that’s an instant wedgie for me!
– No fold-over waistband, it will only ride up my waist and I end up adjusting a lot while I’m on the pole

Also, even if it says hand-wash I’m going to end up machine washing it on a delicate cycle and possibly machine drying it on low heat.

[kittyface]

These could be useful. I’ve found that disposable pads or liners don’t really stick that well once I start sweating, so I’ve always used tampons to work out. I really don’t like tampons, though, they dry me out too much and I’ll avoid them if possible. I like the DivaCup (I’ve also tried the Mooncup but it’s too small for my heavy flow), but it always leaks at least a little bit for me. And yes, I know I’m using it right, but it still does that. Maybe I wouldn’t have to use tampons if I had period panties with a cup?

What really kills me about that article is that the male advertising board told her not to make it a “women’s issue.” Really? It’s INHERENTLY a women’s issue, it directly has to do with WOMEN’S BODIES. But of course, anything that makes us feel disgusted by our own bodies is allowed, anything that helps bring us into alignment with our own bodies’ needs “seems inappropriate.” It’s inappropriate for us to be anything but self-hating servants of men – but we already knew that. Really lays their misogyny bare.

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God, I have the same problem with leg extensions! A number of my tricks end up looking kind of weird because I don’t have good extensions OR pointed toes. It’s like a zigzag where there should be a straight line =P Even if I end up with straight legs, I almost always go into a trick with bent legs and have to straighten them once I get into position. I would definitely be interested to know how you get your beautiful leg extensions as well.

I don’t really understand Periscope, though. Do you have to download something to use it? Is it a website? I may be young, but I’m a social media dummy for sure!

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Hi Cheryl, welcome to StudioVeena! Bear with me, I have a lot of thoughts.

Don’t let size discourage you from doing pole! One thing I love about the pole community is the variety of body types. You have thinner ladies who seemingly dance around the pole like pixies, you have plus-size ladies who dance with equal grace and strength to the thinner ladies. There’s a woman at my studio who usually takes the same classes I do (our schedules are different so she can’t always make it), Novice and Acro-pole. She’s a plus-size lady with quite a lot of strength – I saw her doing straight-leg shoulder mounts recently – and a very good dancer, she won her most recent pole competition and even when she’s practicing spins in class I always stop and notice the grace and style that she moves with. Every body has her own strengths and weaknesses, but being a plus-size lady doesn’t mean you can’t have the strength and flexibility that the thinner ladies have!

If your goal is to lose body fat and build some muscle, pole will certainly help you do that. It’s basically cardio, weights (you’re lifting and carrying your own body weight on the pole), and flexibility all in one exercise! If at a certain point your fitness goal is no longer loss of body fat, but rather staying in shape and just feeling good in the body you have, pole will certainly help you do that too. While I am a thinner lady, I certainly don’t have a gymnast’s body and I’ve had my share of insecurities through the years. Since starting pole dancing, I feel so much more present in my body than I used to, and so much more proud of my body – not just for how it looks, although wearing a sports bra and booty shorts can certainly force you to come to terms with your body’s appearance – but for what it can DO. I never thought I’d be able to do half of what I can now do on a pole! I always used to think of myself as an average girl with slightly below-average physical ability. Now I know how strong, flexible, and capable I really am, and it grows by the day.

Also, I used to have the same problem you do – getting bored of normal exercise. I could not hold a fitness routine for long, and as a result I never really made any gains. I’ve never had that problem with pole! If anything I wish I could do it more than I do now, but if I did I wouldn’t have any rest days =P

Pole really has changed my life, I very much encourage you to try it out if you’re curious about it 🙂 Runemist said everything I would want to say on which type of pole to get. One good thing about home poling is that it’s less expensive than a studio in the end. You may pay more up front than in a studio, but you’ll save quite a bit over time – the amount Veena charges for a year of lessons, I pay in a month at the studio I go to. There’s videos on YouTube as well, but they’re usually not explained as thoroughly and can at times be misleading and overwhelming. I would use YouTube videos sparingly, once you have your feet on the ground (or rather, off the ground) and have a good basic knowledge of pole tricks and spins 🙂

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I’ve never choreographed a routine, but I do a lot of freestyle and have worked out some combos.

Brass Monkey – My novice-level teacher recently showed me how you can go from a brass monkey directly into a Remi sit, which I thought was pretty cool (but will be torture on your ankles if you aren’t used to the Remi). Lift your upper body, hook the knee of your outside leg around the ankle of your inside leg and hook your outside ankle around the pole. Remi! Totally blew my mind, I never connected that before.
I like to go from a brass monkey into a brass bridge, or I also like to go into a brass monkey split that my acro instructor showed me: grab onto the pole (outside hand just above your inside leg, inside hand pretty much just below your butt), extend your inside (hooked) leg up and your outside (unhooked) leg down. I don’t know if I’m explaining this very well, but I can’t find any videos showing what I want to describe =/
I would do Janeiro if I had it, but I’m still working on that one.

Gemini – My favorite thing ever to do from a Gemini is go into a Jade and then drop. You have to make sure you’re high up enough to do this, though, someone in my studio recently got injured doing a Jade drop too far down the pole o.o
I also like to go Gemini -> hip flip -> Superman, and recently, into a Titanic from there. I don’t really know pretty ways out of Superman other than Superman -> Titanic -> shoulder mount, though. Maybe a Superman drop if you have one?

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Thanks for the replies and the encouragement everyone! There’s two classes I attend on the day I go to lessons, the first is a novice-level class and there’s a 15-minute break between that and the acro-pole class. I’ll probably talk to him (or her – my main instructor travels a lot and there’s a woman who fills in for him when he does) in the 15-minute window between classes. I imagine he’ll respond pretty well and accommodate me, since it’s technically a beginner acro-pole class (although we do often do more advanced things depending on the strength/flexibility of the students present that day) and not everyone is at a point where they could really use twisted grip much. I hope so; my schedule doesn’t really allow for me to take many different classes right now and I’ve settled into a weekly routine that’s comfortable for me, so it would be hard for me to take a different class right now.

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I’m sorry that you hit your head! 🙁 Do you have a crash pad or some thick cushions to put up the next time you work with something you aren’t sure of yet?

Do you think maybe you were putting your hands up too high the first time you tried it? I could see that potentially causing some issues with your shoulder slipping and would explain your hands getting in the way of your knees when you go into your brass monkey. It’s also possible the pole was just too slippery at first and you slipped down to the point where you couldn’t reach your legs up past your hands? If you didn’t have any issues with hand/leg position the second time I’d say maybe it was just a grip issue.

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I use a pumice stone in the shower after I pole (though not always if my calluses don’t feel any bigger/rougher) as well as a little salicylic acid to smooth things over a bit more. It’s possible that’s bad for you because it takes off too much of the callus, but I’ve always noticed my calluses are still there, just smoother. *shrugs* I don’t let it sit long, though.

I also moisturize my hands multiple times throughout the day. I’ve never had a problem with hand moisturizer messing up my grip unless I use it *right* before poling. Then again, I have super dry skin and my skin just drinks that stuff up, so it could be different on more oily/sweaty skin than mine. If you’ve used moisturizer and your hands do feel too slick to pole, try using Dry Hands and/or washing with a very drying hand soap before doing anything on the pole.

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I’m glad it came back!

After I first got my shoulder mount, it came and went for a solid month at least, maybe two. It was SO frustrating, since I got a taste and loved shoulder-mounting but just couldn’t do it most of the time! Fatigue is definitely part of it, they’ll certainly go when your body is tired. Don’t be too hard on yourself if a pole move comes and goes sometimes 🙂

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I take classes and don’t have Veena’s lessons, but I had some thoughts about this I wanted to share.

Yes, there are downsides to learning on your own with online lessons – like not having a spot when you need one – but there’s downsides to learning in studios as well, especially for people who are more shy or introverted. I’ve read a number of women here who have had horrible experiences in studios with hierarchical, “keep up or keep out” mentalities, women who have been injured from instructors pushing them too hard (inverts and shoulder mounts on the first day!), and women who just know they don’t learn well in groups. I go to a decent pole studio that doesn’t do these things, but there are still some things about my studio that wouldn’t be for everyone. I’ve gotten new techniques I’ve wanted for ages only to hear someone yell at me to point my toes =P I have the kind of personality where I can laugh at that and brush it off, but I could see that hurting the confidence of someone more shy and introverted.

I feel like some pole studios… well, are frankly really full of themselves, and they think learning from studios is the ONLY way. I’m sorry, but that’s bull$&@#, especially with the amount you would be paying at a pole studio. I pay more for an hour lesson than I would for a month for unlimited lessons on StudioVeena! Why pay large amounts of money for something that just makes you feel self-conscious and doesn’t even help you that much?

Personally, I take lessons in a studio because I know they’re beneficial to me for a number of reasons. I tend to be more extroverted and like the social aspect of studios, I don’t have a viable camera or home pole right now so I know I’ll miss some mistakes I’m making, I tend to be a bit more clumsy and confused anyways and it really helps me to have an instructor talk me through moves I don’t understand. I’m not always aware of what my body is doing. That said, if you don’t have the issues that I do, are more introverted, and have the self-knowledge that you learn better on your own than in a studio… like you said, why not take lessons at home? You’ll have a lot more fun and learn a lot faster that way. I do understand the concerns that your “friends” might have, like you not having a spot when you need one or missing any mistakes you might make without an instructor pointing them out, but those issues can be mitigated with the right steps (like filming yourself and comparing it to the lesson video, posting it here and asking for advice, using a mirror when you need one). It sounds like you know yourself well and know what you’re doing, so their aloofness really isn’t fair.

Oh, and about being taught sexual moves in class – I empathize completely. I would feel unbearably awkward in that situation, since that’s not my style at all and I hate feeling like I’m being made to participate in it. These days I mostly take acro classes so it doesn’t really come up, but you’re not alone in being uncomfortable with that.

tl;dr – you know what you’re doing, so keep doing your thing 🙂

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Honestly, Veena, I was thinking that your prices are an absolute steal for what you offer. I spend more at my studio in a month than you charge for a year of unlimited lessons, especially considering how many sales you run. Makes me wish I had room for a home pole! You are an incredibly dedicated woman and I am so glad SV exists 🙂