Make 2024 the Year You Dance

I see you. You’re sitting on the couch, watching the New Year’s Eve ball drop. You’re laughing at Anderson and Andy. You see everyone dancing and swaying in Times Square and think, “I wish I could be that free.” And the ball drops, and you think, “This is it. This year is going to be different. This is going to be my year.”

The desire is there. The motivation is there. But the how? 

“How?” is that creeping question in your mind. At 12:01am, you ignore it. You say you’ll figure it out in the morning, but let’s be honest. You’ll wake up feeling the same as you did the day before. Last night’s motivation is gone, and those gym clothes you set out look like torture. 

Here’s the truth: you don’t want to run or go to a gym. 

You want to pole dance. 

Pole dance is sexy. It’s sassy. It’s sensual. It’s insane to watch. There’s something taboo about it that draws you in. And those people are STRONG. 

But it’s also scary. You are worried that you’re not flexible enough or strong enough or that people will judge you.

10 years ago, that was me. I thought all those things and worse about myself. I was terrified of anyone finding out what I was doing.

So when I tell you that everything you want out of pole dance is on the other side of those fears, please believe me. I went into that studio and never looked back. Not a single regret.

Here’s how I did it:

1) Start surrounding yourself with people who are already there.

Follow your favorite dancers on Instagram. There are plenty of pole coaches with some amazingly helpful content out there. The more you see it, the more normal it becomes.

2) Find a low-stakes class.

Google search pole dance studios in your area (use the private browsing feature if you want). See what beginner packages are offered, and for goodness sake, invite a trusted friend to join you.

Or try pole dancing out by taking a free intro class. Again, low stakes. You’re not committing to anything. You are going out, meeting people who have been doing this for a while, and asking questions.

3) Be honest with yourself. At Dakini, we take great care to be inclusive and sensitive to every soul who walks through our doors. That’s why we will ask how you feel before and after every class. Are there stresses or exhilarations you need to dance out? Are you feeling vulnerable and need a safe space to process? We have doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, and people from all walks of life who yearn to be free. Movement helps us feel that way.

I’ve been a student here for 10 years now. I promise you will never find a more positive, uplifting, empowering group of people anywhere else. 

I hope you make this the year you dance.

Manifestation isn’t magic; it looks like magic to people not involved in the planning

There is a viral video going around that reminded me of the Dakini vision board party last month. At the party, we created a visual representation of everything we wanted to manifest this year: planting the seeds of our dreams, ambitions, goals, both pole and personal.

If there is a pole move you want to do, you wouldn’t stop coming to class and just hope that you’ll get it the next time you decide to go. You would work on it. You know you have amazing instructors, grip, mats, and supplemental classes to improve strength and flexibility. And you have an incredible community cheering you on. But you still have to show up.

With spring right around the corner, keep this in mind: every “overnight” success took months, and sometimes years, of planning and practice. You will bloom in your own time, and change will come at you fast.

Keep showing up. Keep coming to class. Keep learning, keep growing. And trust in yourself to manifest whatever you desire.

-Steph

Defeat Winter Dryness!

It’s common knowledge that winter can be hell on your skin.

Pole dancers have a unique game they must play in the winter. Your skin can’t be too dry, or a) it will hurt, and b) you won’t have any grip.

But your skin can’t be overly moisturized because you’ll slide right off the chrome, steel, or brass pole.

What’s a pole dancer to do in the winter?

Here are three tips to help keep your skin healthy and moisturized without sacrificing your training or performing days.

1. Drink water. People forget that moisturizing doesn’t just happen on the outside. It starts with keeping your entire body properly hydrated. We all want warm drinks when it’s cold and tend to go wild with coffee, tea, cider, or hot cocoa. But plain old water, or flavored water, will help your skin retain moisture, curb hunger cravings (which increase in cold weather and longer periods of darkness), and improve your mood. The generally assumed bare minimum is 64 oz of water per day, but a better measure would be half your body weight in ounces per day. If you don’t do “plain” water, we love Stur water flavors, or just some lemon juice with a packet of stevia to make a lemonade.
2. Get more collagen in your diet. Collagen is a protein that directly helps your skin and joints retain elasticity. There’s a huge market out there, but collagen is easily found in bone broth or other homemade stocks if you don’t want to take a pill or a powder. Any excuse for soup season, right? And for our vegans and vegetarians, there are supplements available to help your body maximize it’s natural collagen production!
3. Be mindful when you moisturize. If you have a winter skincare routine that you love, don’t give it up. Instead, be aware of when you do it. Generally, do not moisturize within 24 hours of taking a pole class. That gives your skin time to absorb your products and build up a little epidermis, so your grip isn’t affected. If you take class two or three days per week, you can still moisturize daily; you’ll just have to adjust your timings. 

If you follow all these steps and still have issues, use grip. It’s not a cheat; during this time of year, grip can help you stay on track with your pole practice. Dry Hands or Dancing Dust are excellent if your hands get too sweaty or your skin is too dry. Lastly, a light moisturizer with arnica will help with any pole kisses you might get from your winter practice.

All of these are available at both studio boutiques, or we can order them for you!

We hope these tips help you feel fabulous in your winter skin, and we will see you in class!

A Better Way to Wake Up

I’m about to blow your mind:

Waking up can be easy.

And I’m not talking about having your coffee maker set to start brewing at exactly 7:07 am so that your hot cup is ready the moment you put your feet on the floor at 7:30 am.

According to research conducted by music psychologist David Greenberg in collaboration with Spotify, music can significantly affect your wake-up, provided specific criteria are met*.

According to the study, each song should have the following three elements:

1. It has to build. The song must start softly and climb to the morning crescendo of your personal anthem.

2. It has to have a positive message. Sorry emo kids, your music in the morning should be lifting you up and giving you hope for a fantastic day. (B.J. Fogg proved that this mindset “trick” does make a difference in how you experience your day in his book “Tiny Habits”).

3. There must be a strong beat. I’m not talking about the Lofi beats we move to during moving meditations. I’m talking a full-on, bass up, drums loud, beat you can not ignore.

With these elements combined, you can expect to be motivated, energized, and inspired to get out of bed and make the most of your day.

Want even more motivation for your day, your week, your month, or even your year?

Join us at the Princeton studio this Saturday, January 27th, for our Vision Board Social. We’ll be writing out our goals for 2024, creating stunning visuals, and ending with an energizing meditation. Register in the app to snag your spot!

*The study listed 20 of the best songs for this, and we went ahead and added 20 more that we thought fit the bill quite nicely.

You can listen on the Dakini Spotify here.