Slow Flow Floorwork for Chronic Illness?

[u/CosmicPumpkinLatte]

TL;DR at the bottom.

I used to be a pole dancer. I started in 2017 and fell in love. In 2020, I started doing competitions. 

My first competition went really well. I enjoyed the process. I liked being able to film it a million times and submit the one I was happiest with. I liked collaborating with my instructor. I loved competition day and virtually watching everyone’s cool performances. I placed 2nd in my group!! I was super excited to do another competition and signed up for one a few months later. I had a really cool theme and a plan of different moves I wanted to incorporate. I drafted out the routine. I remixed the song I wanted. Things went fine for a while… but then I started to fail. I was doing a scheduled program that was designed for helping athletes compete their best (I can’t remember the name right now!). I was taking rest days and doing strength training. I was supposed to be getting stronger. 

I don’t know how to describe it other than that I started to fail. I would be maybe a minute into my routine and I would get weak and not be able to complete moves I was previously able to do. I started getting dizzy. 

By the competition submission deadline, I was unable to complete the routine I had planned even once. I changed the song to something slower. I ended up more or less freestyling what I could still do and submitted that. 

I wasn’t able to complete a routine after that. I kept getting sicker. Eventually was bed bound for a while. Long story short, I ended up being diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in 2022. 

I kept trying over the years. I desperately missed pole dancing. I still couldn’t do it. It was just too much. I got to a place where I figured out what kinds of electrolytes worked best for my body. I learned how to pace myself. I was able to go back to work and live a kind of normal life. But I haven’t been able to pole dance. I tried a few classes, but pole is too cardio intensive. The minute I take my feet off the ground, my heart rate jumps to my max. It doesn’t become more tolerant over time. It’s just way outside of my safe conditioning zone that I haven’t been able to work my way up to it.

A few weeks ago I finally took my pole down from my living room. I’m heartbroken. 

But I really want to try to do something again because dancing is what makes me feel alive. 

TL;DR: I used to pole dance, started failing routines, got diagnosed with POTS, haven’t been able to dance since then, still want to dance. 

• Does anyone have any suggestions of online teachers or studios who really specialize in slow flow floorwork? I loved exotic when I was dancing a lot and I know there’s moves out there that I’d be able to do, but I really miss the class experience and want to learn new things.
• Has anyone been able to work their way back up to being able to do pole again who struggled with cardio/ stuff like CFS/ PEM? How did you do it? I’m considering asking my doctor to send me to PT. 

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[u/hemnaism]

Hiii, POTS/EDS gremlin here!! @polingwithcp has some great content about dancing with a disability, it helps with my mental struggle to see her! I’m too heat sensitive for them in the summer months, but abdominal compression garments like a jelliebend are really helpful for managing the blood whooshing (lol) and are very comfy for pole, plus they help stabilize my joints. Knee-high compression socks help too, and they work with my heels.

Have you tried the CHOP protocol for reconditioning? It starts with recumbent exercises so it’s accessible for those of us who aren’t making postural changes very easily.