Climbing higher

♫ Amaranthe – Afterlife

What is this I don't even... I guess I really didn't have much motivation to blog last year. I cannot even say I was so busy, although I was, but still I had the time for gaming and such.

It would be somewhat pointless to write a summary of the highlights of my 2014 since I didn't share that many details of it along the way either, but here's some insight into training and exercising.

A year ago I wrote how I would like to learn cool new tricks on the pole in 2014. Well, I'm not sure if I did, I should take another look at my actual exercise journal. Most of the time I felt like this though:

I haven't given up pole dancing. However, I haven't been doing it that much lately either, partly because the studio schedule wasn't very good for me in the autumn. I also hate to fight such things as dry skin, lack of friction and an extremely slippery home pole. I've also faced some sort of a wall with my progress since certain strength moves (and lifts in particular) have been too hard to tackle. However, I try to remind myself that however slowly I may be learning, I'm still climbing higher than anyone on the couch.

What I did in 2014, however, is something that had been haunting me for ages – no, I can say "always". I had never been able to do a handstand. In October I decided that I would try to narrow the gap between being unable and being terrified. That's right, I had been too afraid to even try (at least without a spotter). Ever since I started pole dancing, I had practised a bit by backing against a wall or a pole, but that doesn't yet put me in a perfectly upright position.

I practised handstands every day, and after 25 days, I managed to take off from the floor into a handstand against my pole. And after that, I've kept practising regularly.

(It looks like I hadn't shaved my left armpit, but I certainly have!)

I'm not yet thinking of doing a freestanding handstand, and with my shoulder structure, that may be a difficult and long journey. However, I feel quite confident going into a handstand against a wall or a pole, and it's already much, much more than I ever expected I could achieve in a few months.

And well, if you are like me and have never been able to stand on your hands, I can tell you something: if I can learn it, anyone can! Okay, not anyone, I wouldn't recommend trying if you have some problems with your wrists.

I've been slightly more excited about aerial silks lately. Soft fabrics can be much more comfortable than a cold, hard pole, and potential friction problems are quite different. This photo was obviously taken last summer, but on such a cold winter day as this, it's nice to look back on summery outdoor acrobatics sessions!