body Archives - The Pole Room

How pole dance restored Sarah’s ability to love who she was, and her body.

The minute Sarah walked into The Pole Room, she fell instantly in love and has never looked back. Within a year of starting pole dance classes, the young mum improved her upper body strength and flexibility, which enabled her to perform in the studio competition, Shine. “The TPR environment is nothing like I have ever experienced. I can walk into any class and feel at home. Even if I suck, even if I don’t know anyone, no-one judges and everyone supports each other.”

But her journey to find the TPR family wasn’t an easy one. At only 15, Sarah fell pregnant with her beautiful daughter. The experience of pregnancy and childbirth proved life-threatening to both Sarah and her daughter. It left the teen mum suffering Post Traumatic Stress, Post Natal Depression and anxiety. Self hatred soon set in and Sarah found it hard to get out of bed every day.

“Pregnancy destroyed my body, externally and internally. We barely survived the birth which left me with PTSD, PND and anxiety” she said. Alone and isolated at home with a baby, Sarah said her self esteem dropped to zero. “I hated myself, my body, my inability to fit in,” Sarah said. That was, until she found The Pole Room…

“Early last year my friend Ash mentioned she’d signed up at The Pole Room and loved it. I hated the gym and was struggling to get out of bed and get moving. She convinced me to join her for a week…she had to call and sign me up because I couldn’t even do that.”

Today, everything has changed.

“I love my body and everything it can do. TPR (The Pole Room) turned my life around. When I’m having a bad day I still make sure I get to class and it pushes me to fight through it. I really can’t put into words what my friends and teachers at pole have done for me.”

Lauren speaks about how The Pole Room family and Pole rekindled her love of dance

Lauren’s love for dance had dwindled to the point where she no longer enjoyed what had previously been a great passion. The 23-year-old had been dancing at a toxic school, for most of her life before discovering aerial fitness – both Lyra and Pole dancing. “Pole honestly saved me, gave me confidence, showed me love and gave me a whole new life. Pole helped restore my love of health and fitness because it really doesn’t feel like exercise.” she said.

Before finding The Pole Room, the young dancer felt like she hit rock bottom. “Even when I started going to the gym I felt judged. I didn’t feel confident. I felt weak, fat and out of place. I hated that. Because of all this happening around me on a constant basis, I eventually got such a negative association with fitness”. It was after Lauren travelled overseas, she decided she needed a new challenge. That’s when she decided to look into The Pole Room studio in Kilsyth, which she had driven past so many times. “I thought, maybe this could be fun,” she said.

The young dancer tried lyra – aerial hoops – which she instantly loved. “I thought this studio is going to be the same, I’m going to hate it. But that was not the case,” she said.
“I looked forward to going back to the studio each week. I felt so included, which I wasn’t used to.” Soon, Lauren decided to try out pole dancing. “After being encouraged by numerous new friends and a few teachers, I decided to start pole,” she said. “I didn’t feel 100 per cent confident for months. It took a lot for me to get the courage to wear booty shorts and just a crop.

“But everyone was amazing. I didn’t feel judged, get evil looks or anything. I was being loved and supported. It was amazing”. What went from one class a week, turned into three, which turned into five and soon Lauren was at the studio almost every day. “I’ve gained so much strength without even knowing,” she said. “I look forward to exercising, I look forward to going to pole each day, every week.” “Pole even gave me the courage to compete in Shine – the studio competition – and most recently I performed a solo dance, which I thought was never possible.”

Rock Bottom To Stronger Than Ever – Sarah’s Story

From Bullied To Built-Up – Lauren’s Story

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