100% Honest Statement – I am not sexy. That is a word that will never be used in the way that I describe myself. Fun? Sure! Adventurous? Definitely! Sexy? Ummmmm… not so much. In an effort to become more comfortable in my own skin, I needed to venture far from my comfort zone; and this is about as far as I could get. I took a pole dancing lesson.
Emma Ridley created Goddess Fitness and Dance. She lost over 100 lbs by connecting with her body, having fun and enjoying herself. Emma encourages women to simply let go and not worry about what they look like. She has no mirrors in her studio, soft lighting and an ambiance that makes you feel like you are dancing in someone’s home vs an exercise room.
I was terribly intimidated by the thought of pole dancing. TERRIBLY INTIMIDATED! I can jump from buildings and fly on a trapeze but the idea of me letting loose and pole dancing was really terrifying to me. Emma started slow with a warm up and stressed the idea of “feeling” the movement. We worked together on the ground stretching and doing some basic yoga moves. Gradually we progressed to some simply belly dancing and eventually we approached the dreaded pole.
The key to making this work was to let go of my inhibition. Emma seriously is so without judgement and so positive that she made it easy for me to give it a go. My body is not used to moving in this way and either is my mind. I listened to her instruction and encouragement and was able to surrender. This was definitely a challenging workout – physically, mentally and emotionally. Another amazing experience 🙂
