Embracing the Moment with my Pole
Embracing the moment with my Pole – fitness at it’s finest
Gliding through the air upside down on the pole, I free fall, dropping head first. I stop inches above the studio floor. A lot of people would freak out at this point. For those familiar with pole dancing, they know I’m completely safe and in control. Pole requires not only concentration and appreciation of what our bodies enable us to do, but also a mindfulness to live in the moment as we lose ourselves in the music.
It’s when I’m on the pole – with complete focus – that I feel the happiest. I don’t have time to worry about life’s little problems and being completely in the moment brings me to a state of true presence and joy. It’s been a long journey for me running a Pole Dancing Studio which I’m very proud of. Never in my wildest dreams I thought I would be doing this form of fitness. But here I am and very proud of it.
For the ladies out there if you haven’t tried Pole Dancing give it try. I guarantee it you would not regret it. The body transformation is very visible.
The Standard Pole Dancing Workout
The standard pole dancing workout
The basic pole dancing class starts with 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, then 40 minutes of cardio exercises, followed by 10 minutes of cool-down stretches.
You’ll start out as a beginner by learning how to grip the pole. You’ll work on strengthening your arm muscles to be able to lift your whole body weight onto the pole.
As you become more comfortable doing the exercises, you’ll move on to using your legs as support, then your stomach. Later, a combination of two or more of these in more complex routines.
If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of pole dancing at first, just think of the pole as your dance partner.
Any shyness you may have will quickly be cast away as you get into it and enjoy the good feelings the workout gives you, and as you see other women in the class doing the same things.
www.kittykatpoledancing.com
There’s a Pole Dancing Class for Kids in Miami
Cynthia Muniz opened her pole-dancing studio in 2010. Back then, the activity was still stigmatized as a stripper’s sport. But over the next six years, she says, pole dancing has become recognized as a form of exercise, and her KittyKat Pole Dancing studio in Midtown Miami functions more like a gym (albeit one very sexy gym).
Now Muniz is looking to break the pole-dancing paradigm again, this time by offering a class at her studio for children and teens. She got the idea last year after learning of children’s pole-dancing classes in Europe. But it hasn’t caught too much traction on this side of the Atlantic. So far, Muniz has held only one class.
“There’s a big pushback because of the pole,” Muniz says. “It’s the acrobatic side we want to teach, not little girls in high heels wearing tutus and sexy dancing.”
For adults, pole dancing has been accepted as a form of exercise in recent years. It’s been shown to help coordination and flexibility and relieve stress. Muniz believes children can reap the same benefits.
“I don’t have to tell you that children are overweight,” Muniz says. “This is a great form of fitness. The pole for kids is no different than a barre for ballet. It’s just inverted.”
Kids pole dancing
Muniz says she noticed children who accompany their moms to class take naturally to the pole. “Kids love it,” she says. “They climb up and down and hang upside down. They just go for it.”
Last year, Muniz sent an email to her customers advertising the new class. But praise was limited. “Parents would say ‘I love it, but the business is called KittyKat Pole Dancing,’ and they’d have doubts. She still managed to gather four children to attend her first and only pole-dancing class for kids last year.
Muniz reports that four girls, ages 8 to 10, attended the class. Muniz started the class with children’s music while the girls stretched. Then the kids hung on silk ropes and hung upside down, like monkeys. They hung on a hoop and spun around. They also played with Hula-Hoops. Then they climbed up and down the down the pole, learning different spins.
“I really liked it, and the kids really enjoyed it,” Muniz says. “I think people don’t give pole dancing a chance, and they really should.”
Muniz used to work as a pharmaceutical representative. Then she started taking pole-dancing classes at Crunch gym in South Beach. She loved it. When the instructor left, Muniz says she took her spot. That’s how she got the idea for her own business. In 2006, she started it off as entertainment for bachelorette parties. By 2010, she figured she’d open her own studio. Now she offers chair dancing, pole dancing, stretching, and choreography.
The children’s pole-dancing class is Muniz’s latest idea. She says that just last week, a mother and daughter walked into the studio after seeing an ad for a “pole party.” Muniz was disappointed because she saw the little girl’s face light up but, she says, the little girl’s mother quickly escorted her out after noticing the poles when they walked in.
Even though no one has signed up, Muniz keeps the class on line
hoping one parent will be open-minded enough to give her studio a shot.
“Ten years ago, no one thought pole dancing could be exercise,” Muniz says. “And in ten years, pole dancing for kids will be a thing.”