Zara's Journey - Embracing the journey, and finding herself proud of doing things she never thought possible
This blog was written by one of our members, Zara, about her journey with pole dancing at Altitude...
I started pole dancing in July 2023. My son was away for a week in the school holidays, that's when I realized that he is getting older and more independent, and that it was time for me to think about doing something for myself. Full of panic and fear, living in a new town, not knowing what to do with myself in this world. I Googled pole dancing classes. This was the moment in my life when I took my very first step in breaking a vicious cycle of self-sabotage, self-doubt, and self-deprivation. BAM!, just like that.
On the day of my first class, I remember feeling so sick that I wanted to vomit before walking out the front door of my house. I'll never forget walking into my first class and another student came to me and said, "Man you look like doomsday".... HAHAHA and proceeded to tell me that it's okay and that everyone goes through the same feeling on their first class. She made me laugh, and my sickness faded away quickly, replaced with the pain of freshly bruised, burning skin! I instantly was filled with determination.
The thing that I love most about pole is how I absolutely thrive off the challenge. I love that no matter what kind of day or week I'm having, I always walk out of class feeling accomplished. Pole dancing is teaching me how to be gentle with myself while gaining the strength to hold grace, patience, and love myself in a safe environment. Being part of the community is bringing in a lot of love and support into my life. The studio has become a place that I really look forward to going into so I can make friends, watch us all grow together, and have fun!
The biggest challenge for me has been body awareness and the relationship I have with my body, which has made it an awkward journey to move around in front of other people. I have grown from being not able to look at myself to now adoring myself in the mirror and allowing others to see me too. The support from my incredible instructors and students during class has helped boost my confidence. I am happy, stronger, healthier, and willing to give things a go.
Some advice for anyone thinking of giving it a go is to please be gentle on yourself, embrace your journey, and you'll find yourself proud of doing things you never thought possible, both in class and outside of pole!
