Frequently I turn to my eternally damned pals in my Dictionary of Demons to lighten my own mood when I can't effing deal with my own effing demons- along the lines of "I'm freaking the fuck out and need unholy guidance." Then I pick a demon, find out what makes him such a baddie, and feel better that I don't have three heads (tee hee, head. I'm 14. And a boy.) or reek of death (usually) or command legions of lesser spirits (I'm a micromanager, my head would explode.)
Today is opposite day! I'm not freaking out! I've had a fantastic day doing fantastic things with fantastic people! I love my life!
This is not to say any of my circumstances have changed. I'm still unemployed, have a dwindling savings account, and only feel comfortable being in a committed relationship with my cat. However, tonight I taught an Intro to Pole class.
I'm teaching this class more often, which makes me blissfully happy because it's my most favorite thing to teach. The thing about Intro is you take a group of women who are nervous, excited, and terrified and introduce them to a way of life and expression that has the potential to change everything about their world. Am I still talking about pole dancing? You bet your ass.
(Isn't this supposed to be about demons?)
The bonus? We're confronting demons together. (Aaah, see what I did there?)
The most obvious and benign, albeit still a real dick, demon that I confront with my students is YOUR GODDAMN HEAD or, as I'll pinpoint, The Overthink. The Overthink curses eeeeeveryone in an Intro (to anything) class. It makes you sweat, dries your mouth, and strips your skin off leaving only meat and raw nerves. (Sorry, I saw 127 Hours today. BRILLIANT!) You fidget and do things at high speed, you obsess about what your body (or mouth because I'm picturing an Italian class for some reason. Maybe because of James Franco? Hmm...) is doing, but there are so many things to think about that your mind is mostly blank. That is, except for your ego's incessant chant of "That's wrrrong. You're doooooing it wrrrong."
The Overthink is conjured by a magic spell called "Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone." The Overthink is combatted by teachers (like me!) who reassure you with love, sensitivity and terrible jokes. It's ultimately conquered by not giving a shit and having fun. It is actually worth experiencing The Overthink just for the rush of warm fuzzy accomplishment that comes when you've beat the bastard.
Just to pair this with a demon friend, tonight I picked SOBEL. Sobel only exists because of written errors. In various manuscripts the name appears as Sobel, Cobel or Lobel. Lobel doesn't even have an entry in my demon guide, and all Cobel says is he serves the infernal ruler Magoth. Big woop.
Lots of bluster being A DEMON and all, and yet they can't even get his name set? Like The Overthink, a lot of noise for nothing.
So yes, teaching Intro is a fun way to share my passion for pole and expression; but moreover, helping students overcome their fears and watching their demons vanish in fits of laughter is the real magic.
*Thanks to "Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned" by Michelle Belanger. Llewellyn Publications, 2010
*Thanks to Heart & Pole for employing me
Today is opposite day! I'm not freaking out! I've had a fantastic day doing fantastic things with fantastic people! I love my life!
This is not to say any of my circumstances have changed. I'm still unemployed, have a dwindling savings account, and only feel comfortable being in a committed relationship with my cat. However, tonight I taught an Intro to Pole class.
I'm teaching this class more often, which makes me blissfully happy because it's my most favorite thing to teach. The thing about Intro is you take a group of women who are nervous, excited, and terrified and introduce them to a way of life and expression that has the potential to change everything about their world. Am I still talking about pole dancing? You bet your ass.
(Isn't this supposed to be about demons?)
The bonus? We're confronting demons together. (Aaah, see what I did there?)
The most obvious and benign, albeit still a real dick, demon that I confront with my students is YOUR GODDAMN HEAD or, as I'll pinpoint, The Overthink. The Overthink curses eeeeeveryone in an Intro (to anything) class. It makes you sweat, dries your mouth, and strips your skin off leaving only meat and raw nerves. (Sorry, I saw 127 Hours today. BRILLIANT!) You fidget and do things at high speed, you obsess about what your body (or mouth because I'm picturing an Italian class for some reason. Maybe because of James Franco? Hmm...) is doing, but there are so many things to think about that your mind is mostly blank. That is, except for your ego's incessant chant of "That's wrrrong. You're doooooing it wrrrong."
The Overthink is conjured by a magic spell called "Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone." The Overthink is combatted by teachers (like me!) who reassure you with love, sensitivity and terrible jokes. It's ultimately conquered by not giving a shit and having fun. It is actually worth experiencing The Overthink just for the rush of warm fuzzy accomplishment that comes when you've beat the bastard.
Just to pair this with a demon friend, tonight I picked SOBEL. Sobel only exists because of written errors. In various manuscripts the name appears as Sobel, Cobel or Lobel. Lobel doesn't even have an entry in my demon guide, and all Cobel says is he serves the infernal ruler Magoth. Big woop.
Lots of bluster being A DEMON and all, and yet they can't even get his name set? Like The Overthink, a lot of noise for nothing.
So yes, teaching Intro is a fun way to share my passion for pole and expression; but moreover, helping students overcome their fears and watching their demons vanish in fits of laughter is the real magic.
*Thanks to "Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned" by Michelle Belanger. Llewellyn Publications, 2010
*Thanks to Heart & Pole for employing me
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