From the Brain of Dr. Nicki: Getting High

You probably think this is a blog about smoking pot. It's not. Sorry to disappoint. Actually it's a conversation about courage and trying new out-of-the-box things. In this case I'm talking about Aerial art -- you know, that beautiful in the air dancing where lithe lovelies fly high on streaming silk fabrics! They do it in Cirque de Soleil. And, as it turns out, they do it in North Hollywood.

This gorgeous ex-model acquaintance of mine introduced me to the idea, telling me how it stretched her out. Though I couldn't imagine what part of her needed further stretching I like to push myself so thought I'd give it a try. First time I laughed (mostly to myself) the whole ninety minutes.  It was like being part of a living breathing version of one of those tests where you’re asked which one of these objects doesn't belong! Hi, that would be me.

Let me set the scene: As I enter the small but completely professional space where the beginner's class gathers, I see three luxurious ropes of silk hanging from the ceiling - two red & one white. Beautiful. There I find the teacher -- a small, feisty late 20’s-early 30’s character, plus 5 other tights & tee-shirt, or leotard clad "girls". No really …girls. Two of them are talking about how they'd gotten carded in a bar over the weekend.  The others look just about as young. Get it? Five kinda kids (six if you count teacher) and me - not so much a kid.

We begin to stretch (note: I work out 4-6 hours a week, but this right away feels quite different]. Teacher: "So Nicki, when's the last time you did a split?" Me: "Uh...1922. Oh...or never!" Laugh.

Twenty minutes later we begin to "climb". Well, when I say we I mean they. I’m instructed to merely reach up, wind the silks around my arms, and lickety-split hoist myself up ‘til my legs suspend away from my body and off the ground. Now maybe that sounds simple. It's not. The right leg must be held in an upward bend until stretching out quick as a yard-darting bunny while the left leg rushes up to join it and settles awkwardly on the suddenly outstretched foot. At that point I'M HOLDING UP MY ENTIRE BODY WEIGHT BY MY POOR POOR ARMS. Uh huh. I did it over and over. Or tried anyway. It was haaarrrddd. And scary. But not quite as scary as later when I was asked to drop over backwards into a hanging position with my legs up in the air and head on the ground.

Baby steps, they implied. It takes a good while to get it. Early stages are difficult. And I could see it as I watched the beautiful upward climbs, hangs, drops and air-dancing of others in the class. The ones who'd been working the silks for a year – all calling themselves beginners!

I felt like I did almost nothing that day, but I promise the week-long ache in my entire upper body was monumental. Truly I felt ridiculous but I was proud of myself. I'd done nothing like it ever. And I knew as I was stretching my body, I was stretching my spirit and growing my life perspective as well. Because that's the way it works. The more we step out of the familiar -- test our metal by doing what we think we can't or won't -- the more we grow ourselves.

I tried again the next week and then signed up for more sessions. I committed. I'm thinking I'll do it until I'm not afraid...’til I can climb higher than a few inches off the ground. Why? Because walking the talk is important to me and the talk I'm always pushing is: Be brave; take action; explore; honor your body; honor your heart; honor your spirit. Fly high.