Backbends

Last summer, my lyra teacher recommended a fitandbendy video called stretch and strengthen. I was pretty diligent with it for many months, doing it once a week for a bit, then twice a week. Then three times a week for a few months. I burnt out on it. You can only listen to the same woman say the same things for so long before you crack. The last time I did this video in full was back in February. Since then, I have been doing some modified moves from the video but not the video in full.

Yesterday, I wasn't feeling well due to period issues. I decided the only workout I would do would be this video. I dunno, can you see improvement?

12/27/17

4/24/18

Yay, Flag!

Saturdays are for lyra.

Played around with this fun sequence, I was on the low hoop though. And I love the compliment a friend of mine says as she sees me in shoulder stand pike. Warms my dark heart...

I totally should use this pose in my next photo shoot...so pretty! 

Cruel Summer

I have been training hard for a few months, shoulder hooping and breaks, with my 32" hoop. It's a touch too small for my frame. But good for a challenge. Switching back to my 37" today, suddenly everything was so much easier. Had a fun session, got good and sweaty. Decided to film a bit at the end, totally freestyle. And except for a few sloppy bits, I'm pretty pleased with the performance. I wish I looked as good as I feel while hooping. Cuz I feel pretty fucking fantastic!

Flow

When lyra is cancelled, and the day is beautiful, one hoops. Some clumsy emo freestyle here. I can't tell if I look totally awkward or totally cool.

Having a Ball

Last night's lyra class was AWESOME!

Highlight of the evening was momentum to ball, without cheating. Check it, I did not catch my foot on the hoop. I wonder if the size of this hoop helped. It's a 38" single tab.

And then a new transition. I've been working on monkey rolls but can't quite get them. The teacher had me do momentum to stag seated directly into a "half" monkey roll (single hip hang). It was quite fun.

Also worked on gazelle in stag position. It's weird keeping that front bent leg, but check out my ball inversion. I'm getting more consistent with crossing my feet...but I still don't fit all that well under the hoop.

Finally, some free time. I did an "easy" sequence that turned out rather pretty.

Fundamediate Class

Lyra class last night was....interesting. The fundamentals teacher had an emergency. Instead of cancelling class, the intermediate teacher combined the two. There were four of us there for fundamentals and five for intermediate. The teacher lumped me in with the intermediate students. I basically had my first intermediate class.

New warmup. I rocked it. I mean, it has a pullover mount, and mine is still cheated. And then the dismount to shoulder lockoff, I cannot do. But otherwise, I did everything, I didn't do fewer reps of each exercise to make it easier. I rocked it.

This unit is about rolls. So we worked on mill circles and monkey rolls. Mill circles, I'm OK at. But how to make them more difficult, more fluid, by not looking down during the drop and keeping the legs straight. The aim is to flip back to seated in one motion, without much of a knee cinch at the bottom.

And then monkey roll. I literally just learned this last week at my private lesson. And by learned, I mean, was shown how to do it. I couldn't actually do it. This one is gonna take some practice. I couldn't get it last night, either. But inversions are the only thing I get upset over. Another student was struggling to get monkey roll, a legit intermediate student, she's promoted officially, and she's actually cussing and crying because she can't get this. Monkey roll. I shouldn't criticize someone upset over not getting a move, but I just can't see what the fuss is about. You've promoted. You can do your inversions. Everything else is just gravy. She looked young, tho, early 20s. Me and my 40 year old self.

Flag

Again, not much was going well for me at lyra last night. Performance prep took the hoop I was planning to use, my favorite. So I was left with a much higher, much bigger hoop (38"). I have short limbs, which makes the 38" awkward. And I found out another student I know promoted. Every student I know or have been friendly with has promoted in a year or less. I guess aerials IS easy. I'm just the dud for whom it's hard.

One thing went a bit well. Flag. I've seen this move done differently online with an overhand grip, but this is how my studio teaches it and thus, this is how I practice it. It's the first time I've been able to drop without touching the ground. A few more successful tries with the low hoop, and I'll be ready to try this on a regular hoop.

When nothing goes well, do the pretty

Nothing seemed to go well today. Ball. Pullover. Ball to top.

Here are some new things I've learned that are pretty. Shoulder stand pike. In this sequence. Video too large for blogger, so I loaded to youtube.

And splits behind with one hand. I meant to keep going in the above video but realized my hands were way too sweaty to attempt a one-handed anything. So I got down, re-chalked, and made this.

Monday Lyra

Monday lyra. I got video of the warmup. It changes with every intermediate unit (~14 weeks). I'm finally starting to like it, and it'll change next week. I liked the last one, too. Then it changed, and I didn't like this one and preferred to do the old one. I guess the next one, I'll hate it at first. Probably.

I think this warmup was instrumental in improving my profile straddle.

And then ball. This is the much higher hoop, so it's easier for me to get into position. Although this was the only successful attempt of the night. Others were the usual uncrossed feet and that awkward struggle to get one leg through then the next.

And then, some improvement on straddle back balance, felt more secure. I like the transition from shoulder stand into straddle back balance, but it felt even less secure than just sliding into it from seated. If ankle hang taught me anything, I'll get it eventually. I'm not so sure about inversions. But anything else, it'll just take awhile.