Pole

Pole 
 
If ever there was a physical activity that engages the entirety of my body, this is it. I mean, I had no idea the strength involved in doing this.
 
This is back strength. A lot of back strength. And this is arm strength. And leg and core and glute and hip flexor strength. For everything that I am doing. Whether I am climbing this pole (can you believe I am climbing this pole), turning around this pole, going upside down on this pole, flowing on the floor around this pole, whatever I am doing, my body is engaged. 
 
And what I love about this is that this strengthening of every part of my body is secondary to the act of this movement that I am learning to do. I have reached this place in my life where I don’t want to “work out.” I have no interest in the rote and routine exercise that I once so loved to do. Pushing weight, just not happening. But this, lifting the weight of my body as I flip backwards while my arms hold strong to this pole—while this is movement, this is flow. 
 
And this flow--
 
This flow is the grounding into the sensuality of this movement practice around this pole. This is the most beautiful part of this dance that I get to do. Pole is a celebration of the movement and the power of the feminine. I have done many kinds of movement before and many types of dance and many journeys into strength and speed and stamina. But nothing taps into this Shakti power. 
 
This is creation energy. 
 
It’s the figure eight sway of my hips, the way I roll my body up and down my spine, the bend and the curve of my legs and my back and my stomach and thighs.  It’s primordial cosmic feminine energy. It’s the feminine coming out unapologetically. 
 
It’s occasionally triggering. And it is always enlightening. And it’s why I love this so much.