Trapeze

So...lyra class last night was FULL! I've never seen that happen. It's January. There are resolutioners about at nearly every gym. But I was all set to do some kind of aerials. Should I go to lyra practice again, two days in a row? Should I go to silks class? Oh wait, I've been wanting to try trapeze. I think the universe is telling me it's a good day to try.

The teacher says this is the scariest move. She teaches it on the first class and then makes it part of the warmup, to diminish the fear. Smart. But it is a little scary. I refused to let go with both hands.


I tried ball. I couldn't flex my feet to get under, so I had similar awkwardness to ball on lyra. Check that dismount, though. I bring my feet to the outside of the bar and hold that tuck for a moment.

Opposite

Funny how opposites attract. If Saturday's practice was one of the worst ever, Monday's was one of the best. Everything was just clicking and going well. I'd give this one a 5.

I did some work to the top. I don't like ball to the top nor do I like using my usual momentum up into arrow to the top way up here because the hoop swings too much. Not yet, anyway.

Worked on ball. It's easier on a super high hoop. But it's coming along with the medium height hoop. I'm still super awkward trying to fit. I think it's because my ankles aren't crossing properly in time. My shins are super bruised.

More timed single knee cinches. I'm counting in my head, one-one thousand, two...by 10, I'm done and need floor assist to get back in.

I stood up! Way up high! I'm trying to baby steps into sail. I'm not ready for sail that high. I've only ever done it in the low hoop. But if I can get comfortable with the view up there, trust I won't fall, maybe one day, I'll turn around in the straps.

Break Battle

I've met both these ladies...they're awesome!

#breakbattle with the best 👑 @rachael_lust ❤️ 🔈sound on 🔈 Getting to know Rachael was one of my favorite parts of @hawaiihoopretreats ❤️ I have so much love and respect for this incredible woman! Counting the days until we see each other again at both @spinsanityflowdown and @hawaiihoopretreats 2019 🌈🤙👯 #youcanhoopwithus #doyouevenhoopbro #hoopfriends #britneyhandbeyoncehand #indepthhoopretreat #hoopers

A post shared by Morgan Jenkins (@missmojangles) on Jan 29, 2018 at 10:42am PST

Oops

Yesterday was full of bad emotions, melancholy, catastrophic thinking. And I think I know why. Unfortunately, due to uncontrollable circumstances (i.e., I'm an idiot), I only got in two runs this past week. I have learned, painfully, that I need at least three. Four might only be needed during shark week. Five is not necessary. But three is the minimum.

So...I did a run today. And some hooping, shoulder breaks/paddles drills. And some L-sits with my pullup bar. Take that, depression!

How was practice?

Gonna start ranking my lyra sessions, on an emotional scale.

1. Worst ever. Want to quit altogether. Nothing, and I mean nothing, went well.
2. Bad session, not much went well, but can acknowledge that it's just one bad practice.
3. Neither good nor bad, just a workout.
4. Good session, lots went well, feeling decent about my skills.
5. Best session ever! I ♥ Lyra!

Today...was a 1. I'd give it a zero, if I could.

Lyra Class

So...I just didn't feel like going to silks last night. Instead, I thought, hey, I'll go to lyra class. There's a relatively new teacher at the uptown studio. I know her, I've been in practice time with her, but never taken a class with her. I may have anxiety at the idea of taking silks with any other teacher besides the one I currently take with. But lyra? I kinda like that I've taken classes with all the lyra teachers they've had. There have been three. This is the fourth. (and she was awesome!)

And I'm so glad I went! Seriously, I know I'm not supposed to compare. But my skills have dramatically improved since summer, when I sort of realized that classes were bad for my mental health. And I wasn't the worst! (That sounds terrible of me. But when you're constantly the worst, it's distracting. When I'm not the worst, I can buckle down and focus on my shit.)

Class was no picnic, either. I'm hella sore today. Even my elbows are a little achy. I've been doing a lot of pullup bar work at home. I think I might skip today. I wouldn't want to risk an overuse injury. I've never had achy elbows before. (It's achy in the pit, not in the knob, so it definitely just feels like muscle soreness.)

Toward the end of class, I had been paired with a former silks teacher, ergo, she's super strong. Since our sheets were pretty much marked off, the teacher gave us a sequence to work on. It was long, too. I wish I'd held each position longer, but I was just trying to remember what came next. It was nice having a fellow student's support. Even in single hip hang, which is my personal favorite, she hates it. When it was her turn, she's hanging here, looks over at me, and says, I do it for you. Then the face. The face of, wow this hurts. Yea, single hip hang can really hurt. I've done it so much, I feel nothing anymore. I don't have to grit through the pain because there is none. Anymore. I should stress anymore. Because it used to really fucking hurt.

hashtagtruth

Breathtaking

le sigh....

On Top

My private lesson went awesome. Did all the hard things. Even got to show my teacher my ball inversion. I was actually able to cross my ankles and look less awkward pushing through. Even still, I was tucked for awhile getting my legs through, and my teacher commented that I was up there awhile. It's tough to hold that tucked position whilst shoving my legs through the tiny space.

We worked on clock splits and inverted prow splits, without knee cinch. I can't do the splits. So my top leg can't straighten. I felt awkward. But the angle from the video looks nice. She also showed me lean out. Not an exciting name. But it's pretty.

Sound of Silence

Holy shit. Chills. I got literal chills. This is quite possibly the best cover ever made. And I just adore this pair.

Ball!

I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?

I'll choose. First, the bad news. That kids' dance troupe was occupying way too much of the atrium space. I bailed on hooping today.

The good news? The greatest news. I did a ball inversion (under)! Like sorta proper. Not catching my foot. Except I don't fit so well in the space. It was a little awkward trying to figure out how to fit through, but I did it! (and really banged up the top of my left foot in the process...it's bruised and tender.)

Do the Thing

I do love me some caviar. Wish me luck, y'all. I'm heading to the atrium tomorrow for more hooping in public! It's really the only way to get over my fear. oy

Tribe

I've met many friendlies at my aerial studio. Friendlies is a word I came up with in therapy. The English language doesn't seem to have a word for someone who's not quite a friend but not quite an acquaintance, either. I meet a lot of people who are friendly with me. And a lot of pain in my life has come because I assumed they were friends.

I hear a lot of folks at my studio refer to the people as their tribe. Thus far, I haven't felt that. There is no tribe for me. But maybe one day. So far, no one has been able to handle even my lightest dark moments. They immediately shut me down with something pollyanna positive. It's typical of most humans. Most people cannot handle the dark. I live in it. So I know they couldn't really handle my truth.

Painful Beauty

I had the day off today. What do I like to do on my day off? Lyra, of course. I also did a bit of hooping.

Behold, the ugliest ball ever. BUT while I've recently been able to catch my foot on the super high hoop, I hadn't yet been able to on the medium-height hoop. Something about the height making it harder to catch my foot. But I did it today.

And then a bit of ball to the top, with some splits under the top, into clock splits. Very pretty. Too bad the sun was shining directly on the spot.

To end session, I tried ankle hang. I was wearing thick socks due to the cold. It just hurts so damn much. This is the quickest of screen grabs. It looks so cool, but it hurts so much. The painful beauty of lyra.

Additionally, my timed single knee cinches are 10 and 12 seconds, bad leg and good leg, respectively. I can hold a double straight arm hang for 60 seconds. And I even attempted a single arm hang. Could hold with either arm for a few beats.

Afterwards, I went over to that atrium space to try some hooping. I felt SO EXPOSED, so self-conscious. I hooped for a short bit then bailed. That is not an option when I'm by myself. It's a great space. But I need privacy. I felt so nervous, and when I'm nervous, I'm more clumsy.

Saturday Lyra

I had a great lyra session yesterday. Packed, too. There were four of us with four hoops. Bit like musical hoops. But it was still awesome. I worked on poses for my upcoming photo shoot. I dare say, ball to the top felt a bit better, was easier catching my foot. And by the end, I realized that yet again, I hadn't gotten any video. (No video Thursday, either.) So I grabbed this sequence. It's not really choreographed, it's more flow. I was pooped!

Also, part of my goals this year is to obsess less about promoting to intermediate. Who cares, right? I thought I wanted to go to intermediate classes. But I've looked at the schedule. 10am on Sundays, meh that's early, it's a 45min drive to the studio. 4pm on Mondays, I'd have to skip out of work early. 5:45on Tuesdays, hello traffic! And 7:30pm on Wednesdays. I'm a creature of habit, and Wed is grocery day. I don't go anywhere else.

It's time to enjoy Lyra for what it is, what I can do. Practice time is more fun. Be proud of my begintermediate status.

PIC skates

I don't think I ever posted this. This was from 2014, in my garage. I never really did much with these skates because I went back into derby shortly after. I wonder if I could make this happen again...

The problem is access to practice space. There's a roller rink nearby, but skating in a circle is torture.

Ashley Wagner

This a beautiful shoot, showcasing her strength, her beauty, her muscles. It's art for me.
And a little naughty.

Stairs

I mean, this looks like a fabulous, indoor workout.

@haleyshevener is a queen of finding ways to move that work for her in any moment. Love her philosophy! . #Repost @haleyshevener (@get_repost) ・・・ While many women with #pelvicorganprolapse feel fine running, or find running a priority, it’s not something I feel strongly about and so I don’t include much running in my training, currently. I do, however, sometimes miss the feeling I would have during a moderately paced run; running was more of a mental interest than a physical one. When the mood strikes (which is, honestly, almost never 🙃), a long walk up and down the hills in my neighborhood tends to do the trick, but sometimes, going outside isn’t an option. If you have access to stairs, doing some light-to-moderately weighted carries up and down the stairs can be a nice way to get some movement without having to think too much. You have a little bit more time and control to pinpoint and troubleshoot (if you’re managing symptoms) and you can regress/progress easily. . I first alternated between variations (shown here) and eventually settled on going up and down “normally” with both weights and then dropping them to go up and down while skipping a stair before going to back to the weights, etc. You could, of course, do any combination for a duration of time and play with your pacing for more or less of a challenge. . Gyms are cool, but you probably have plenty of ways to move within your personal space already!

A post shared by Girls Gone Strong (@thegirlsgonestrong) on Jan 9, 2018 at 5:07pm PST

One Lone Hoop

It's the end of an era. A short one but still an era. No more lyra classes at Pineville studio. However, my lyra teacher decided to leave one hoop there for practice time. This feels like it's special for me mostly...since I'm the primary person who was using the practice times there.

With only one hoop, that means one height. No varying heights. No low hoop to work on scarier stuff. My hope was it would be a good thing, no more being lazy and sitting in the low hoop to work on stuff that isn't still in that scary category, simply because I'm tired and don't want to mount a higher hoop.

And I was right. This is going to make me stronger. Whenever I want to work on something, I have to mount in some way. I was using my side mount a lot, which will mean vine climb gets stronger. And my other inversions should get stronger too. Because I'll just get stronger in general. Except ball. I don't think I'll ever get ball.

Something my teacher wants me to work on, to make single knee cinches harder. She's always challenging me, and I like it...even though I grumble. My single knee cinches are fairly solid, in that I can do them. But I can't hold them for very long. She wants me to simply increase the time I can hold it. I'm counting in my head, one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three one-thousand...and I'm done. She wants me holding it right up until about failure, so I sort of need my hands on the mat to assist me back in. My knee pits are super raw today. I did two rounds each side last night.

And then this! The scary thing! Clock splits. When that hoops starts to tilt upward, you feel it in your grip. Eep! And I've only ever tried this in a low hoop. And my favorite thing about this hoop is the easy dismount...negative pullup! I'm going to work on so many negative pullups this way. I mean, I should also work on proper dismounts. But negative pullups are something I need to work on too. (I also got a foot cramp...I'm really trying to keep my toes pointed in all things, even when I'm just goofing off. And my foot was feeling it by the end of the session.)

Et voila! Me and my hoop...

Clock Transition

Look what I learned! A cool new pose and a neat transition.

This is called clock splits. But of course, learning it, you just leave your knee in a cinch. I can only imagine what mine would look like if I tried to do splits...like a large V. I'm not even sure I'd be able to straighten both legs! But the knee cinch gazelle-like pose is pretty. AND it's a graceful way for me to get to the top, until my ball stops being so ugly. Yayness!

And this transition is reverse lion into hip hang. It was a tiny bit tricky to learn at first. But way cool.

Starfish

Silks last night. It went super! The heat was still broken in the studio (from Lyra on Saturday), so it was painfully cold. I managed to get sweaty but still felt cold; it wasn't exactly pleasant. But I worked hard. I feel like single leg roll up is getting better. I won't bother with a double again until that single feels solid.

Biggest part of the night was pushing through the pain of flamingo arabesque. My teacher just told me to keep my hips open if I wanted, whatever felt right. It definitely hurt less and also I was able to pull myself up a bit to settle into the fabric rather than it pinching my inner thighs. It's still a bit awkward but coming along. So the next move from flamingo arabesque is called starfish. My best friend is visiting from out of town. She came to class with me, to watch from the couch. She likes to keep both feet on the ground. But she was available to take a picture. Better than the screenshots I take from video on my phone propped up on the floor.