Spin City Newbury Blog

© The Image Cella Name: Mandy Foster Age: Over 40 What do you teach? At the studio only stretch regularly. But I also teach Sultry Pole at Brimpton. I teach aerial hoop, yoga, pilates, barre and Zumba! How long have you been in your respective discipline(s)? Pole 11 years Hoop 7 years What inspired you to become an instructor? I have a teaching degree and decided teaching in school wasn't for me but I do love teaching. I started teaching dance and enjoyed it so much I added on other disciplines. What's the most important thing about instructing for you? That the students enjoy and feel accomplished in their class even if they are silently cursing me. What's a favourite move of yours that might be seen as underrated to others? Gargoyle How do you get out of a funk or get your mojo back? Usually eat lots of cake and then I train with some of the awesome Spin City instructors. What are your best tips and tricks for putting together a routine? I pu...

As so many of you appreciated the post on our instagram regarding wrist strengthening , we thought we'd share a few more things to help you continue that journey! As aerialists / pole dancers, we use our wrists and forearms constantly so they're very easy to injure and they're often overlooked during our training. Strengthening our wrists and forearms can help to avoid having trouble with things like tendonitis and carpel tunnel syndrome but it's also an important part of ensuring we have a long, healthy relationship with our discipline.  Cross training from hoop to silks to pole can be a really great way of becoming more aware of your grip strength and what is in it's comfort zone and what isn't. If you think of the positioning of your hand, wrist and forearm in the grip used in each one of these disciplines, due to the varying size of equipment diameter, you'll notice the different muscles you're working. Personally I notice that my grip s...

Name: Catherine Jane Swan Age: 28 What do you teach? Beginners Pole Fitness How long have you been in your respective discipline (s)? I took my first pole class back in… 2009? But only really stuck with pole for the last 3 or 4 years. Rock climbing was my thing back then! Did you have any prior experience in dance or sport before you started? As mentioned, I was a climber, I also had done a some yoga but absolutely no dance whatsoever. Having said that, I do think my Mum tried to get me to do ballet when I was about four but I don't think I made it through the first class. What inspired you to become an instructor? My pole instructor Stef inspired me to become a p ole fitness instructor because I wanted to give people the same feeling of confidence I felt when leaving her classes. What’s the most important thing about instructing for you? The most important thing about instructing for me is to understand everyone is built differently, wants different t...

Anxiety On the back of Mental Health Awareness Week a few months ago, this blog post is going to signpost to some helpful resources and techniques to help deal with anxiety. As MHFA England states in their manual "Everybody experiences anxiety at some time. Anxiety is a natural response, useful in helping us to avoid dangerous situations and motivating us to solve everyday problems." But what happens when that anxiety becomes more long-lasting, more severe or hinders our relationships or our day to day activities? At the point where you feel like it may be damaging your enjoyment of life, it may be time to consider seeking some help. Here are some of the general symptoms one might experience with anxiety. These range from everything you might be able to feel happening, like shortness of breath, to things that might not be so obvious, like avoidance behaviours. Physical Heart - Racing heart, pain in the chest, palpitations Chest / Breath - Hyperventilation or shortn...

© Ben Ripley Photography Technically, Yasmin no longer has a scheduled class with us anymore  but don't worry, she's not actually going anywhere! We're lucky enough that Yas will stay with us as a student, occasional instructor and all round wonderful human.  Name: Yasmin Age: 27 What do you teach? Aerial Hoop, Aerial Yoga (lots of other non aerial stuff too like Childrens Yoga & Acro!) How long have you been in your respective discipline(s)? Since 2014 What inspired you to become an instructor? A few different things.. From a young age, I loved performing and would charge my parents to watch my homemade shows with songs, dance routines and gymnastic style tricks. This was my kind of fun. Fast forward 20 years and my sense of fun has not changed too much! Thankfully (for my parents) I have stopped torturing them with my living room shows, but I do occasionally ask them to watch me on a stage. My first love was performing arts, later gr...