My Experience with Meditation The best way I can describe meditation is checking in with the very core of your being. On the surface, this involves moving inward and removing as much brain chatter as possible. This is easier said then done, of course, or the entire population would be full of shiny happy people. By getting back to our core we have heighten awareness of the world around us and feel more connected to life. Personally, the more consistent I am with meditation, t

When I teach beginning classes, students always asks what can they do at home to help get a stronger core on the pole or for any aerial endeavor. The major core muscles are the Rectus Abdominus, Obliques and Transverse Abdominus and the Low Back muscle complex. We want to strengthen all these areas and find balance as we build these muscles. It is easy to forget the low back or the obliques, but we want to always include them in core workout. There are so many core strengthen

As discussed last week, the mechanics of the aerial inversion an aerial mount can send new students into a a depressed funk becuase the movement is difficult and unforgiving for many new students. Understanding how to move the body is important but having the strength to perform the movement is equally important. When performing a basic aerial tuck inversion, the lattismus dorsi, shoulder girdle ( teres major, infraspinatus and teres minor), arms included the long heads of t

Many people battle with the inversion, whether in pole, aerial yoga, aerial hoop or any form of aerial apparatus. There are two major reasons for this struggle, one is not yet having the strength needed, the other reason is not engaging the correct muscles in the correct order, or the mechanics of the inversion. We will focus on the mechanics today and discuss strength next week. Mechanically the the inversion is a test because of the timing required to execute the move. The

Dynamic Tension is the idea of engaging the muscle and moving with purpose. It can also be describe as moving muscle against muscle to create slow and controlled movement. In aerial arts and pole we work with dance extension and muscular strength. Using the concept of dynamic tension and engagement applies for performance as it will create fluid and perfectly executed movement. Every student of aerial arts and pole should be using dynamic tension to create seamless transition

As discussed last week, it not helpful to jump cold into the splits and imagine you are helping yourself get the splits. If you are taking the time to stretch make it worth your while, make your body happy by stretching properly. The most effective time to stretch your splits is when you are warmed up and have stretched the involved muscle groups. Stretching before a workout does not help flexibility. Most Effective Plan for Stretching the Center Splits 1. Stretch when you ar

Let’s keep it simple when it comes to the splits. I see it it all the time where people hop into their splits without stretching. Stretching the involved muscles in a splits first is going get you more bang for your buck then hopping in cold. Even if you have your splits, you still need to stretch and why not stretch smarter instead of harder. Getting your splits or even if you have your splits still means you need to stretch. The most effective time to stretch your splits is

Pull-ups and pull-ups all done with pointed toes and controlled movement, right? Here we are again talking about overdeveloped muscles that come from repetitive movement and how injuries occur because of this over-development. Pole and aerial arts activate the pectorals and latissimus dorsi big time. We also work trapezius, rhomboids and the muscles of the shoulders. Plus we use everything involved in the core. However let’s break this down and focus on the lats and pecs and

The best way to train a sport is to do the sport and pole and aerial arts are prime examples. You will not get hard moves if you do not practice and work on them. However, cross training with activities that enhance your abilities on the apparatus can help you achieve moves or gain strength and endurance. We break our cross training into three categories based on the the three elements of fitness: cardio, strength and flexibility. It is super easy to overtrain and you definit

Some of the most common injuries in aerial arts and pole happen in the shoulders. The shoulder girdle in composed of lots of muscles that do amazing things like help us invert. These muscles can easily be neglected and can also become underdeveloped compared to larger back muscles like the lats and pecs. I have selected a set of exercises that come from physical therapy and can be used to strengthen the shoulder area. As I have said my workouts tend to be a combination of wei