Pole-asana

I have now successfully completed two pole dancing classes, and I have the sore muscles and bruises to show for it, which I admit, I love...nothing like some war wounds from a good workout. I learned a lot in this class, but it was more challenging than the first. There were more girls, most of whom were friends, and one has to be a super model in real life and had no place in a beginner pole class. Damn she was good! Even though the class was hard and in both classes I've had moments where I wonder what the hell I'm doing there, there's something about it that keeps me wanting more.

I don't walk around telling everyone that I've taken up pole dancing, but I have had quite a few conversations about it with friends and acquaintances. Every male is inevitably intrigued and wants to know if there will ever be a recital of some sort, and almost every female wants to try it, which I think is great (the female response, that is). As Kim mentioned in her previous post, walking around being proud of the chest God gave you is a good thing, and these classes teach you just that, and much, much more. But beyond the intrigue, two guys recently asked what the real interest is. For me, its the new physical challenge (I've barely climbed trees, let alone a metal pole with my bare skin), its the acrobatics (I did gymnastics as a kid but had to accept I was too tall for the sport when I did a cartwheel off the end of the balance beam and my toes hit the ceiling), its the mental challenge of looking yourself dead in the face, being sexy and not caring who else is in the room and might be watching, and its the hope that maybe this will be the thing that finally gets me to look like I've always wanted. That last reason is vague in nature because I don't really know what that is, and its not like I've walked around for almost 28 years feeling unhappy with my appearance, but I think there's always something more to strive for.

Despite my sore muscles and slightly pulled hip muscle from doing too many flying fan kicks, I managed to make it to yoga the next day. Yoga felt great. Certain poses were harder than usual but being challenged in a completely different way and stretching made for a perfect combination.

So here is my goal, and I can use all the help I can get to stick with it: I want to take one pole class and at least 3 yoga classes a week. Ideally 4, but I think 3 is a more realistic goal. We'll see how it goes...