A Journey of Self-Discovery
One of the best things about poling is that everyone is able to approach it in his or her own way. Over the past 12 months, PhysiPole Albury’s Lyndal Cherry has overcome obstacles with her mental and physical health and has found a way to adapt her training in ways that, at first, she didn’t think possible.
Lyndal’s medical condition causes swelling around the brain, and it can be aggravated by physical activity and being upside down in a straddle. Having been previously brushed off by another studio, her experience with PhysiPole has been the complete opposite. The Albury team has embraced Lyndal and have taken the time to better understand her condition’s symptoms and triggers and how to manage them in class, such as developing a code word when it’s time to take a break.
“Liz (a PhysiPole Albury teacher) has recently introduced ‘pickles,’ so when I get flushed, or a vague look on my face and I need to stop we just say ‘pickles.’ They’ve always adjusted any of the moves or skills I’ve had issues with to help me develop my ability to do the move while we figure out how my brain will deal with it,” said Lyndal.
Lyndal started with pole, hoop and aerials and has recently changed her training to private classes to focus on her health and building strength. While she loved the social aspect of the weekly classes, she was finding it too difficult to work on some of the more troublesome skills. Health issues also made it difficult for her to keep up the multiple weekly classes.
After undergoing hypnotherapy at the beginning of 2018, she joined the Transformation Challenge as a way to improve her mental health and self-confidence. “Every week I’d see all of the transformation photos flick up on the TV, and because for the first time in my life I was able to see 12 months ahead, I felt like I could set some goals and achieve them.”
While her goals have changed a lot over the year, she’s proud that she’s still been able to tick a few of them off so close to the end of the 2018 challenge. She’s planning on doing the challenge again next year with more specific goals and more confidence in her ability to reach goals she previously never thought she could.
Lyndal’s advice to anyone who is struggling with achieving their goals due to health issues is to look at it as their own journey and not compare themselves to anyone else.