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Alisha Smith

@its.alisha.smith

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Wherever you go, be the soul of that place ✨

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I still get scared. If you do, too, this might help.

For someone who has been practicing aerial silks (on and off) for the better part of 14 years, I have never felt comfortable in a one-handed hang.

After watching a stupid amount of videos, I can see it’s not a courage deficit or a strength deficit either.

• Lateral wrist flexion puts the hand at a mechanical disadvantage and reduces grip strength before I even allow my full weight to attempt to hang from it.
 • When force can’t transmit straight through the wrist and forearm, stress concentrates instead of distributing along the arm line. (Fascia loves spirals and this is like a 90 degree bend.)
 • Joints near end-range under load trigger neural down-regulation. My brain is sensing instability and so it shuts off the output.
 • Shifting to a diagonal (like in this Ornament Spin), you can see my wrist moves closer to neutral, load is better shared through shoulder and torso, and I can hold it without falling to my death.

I’m loading it from different angles, and letting my nervous system experience “this is ok” instead of “this is a threat”.
 Building tolerance, acceptance, and confidence where my body already feels more organised.

Not forcing my way through the same shape (like I usually would) and instead re-teaching my nervous system safety through smarter alignment.

It’s still a little scary (see how I hurry through that part), but definitely more possible. by @its.alisha.smith

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8 months ago

Climbing and Falling: A Memoir. by @its.alisha.smith

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a year ago

I’m usually more of a ‘roll-up-my-sleeves-and-help’ supporter than a ‘shout-it-from-the-rooftops’ supporter, but this brilliant woman is kicking off her 21 Days of Devotion program tomorrow.

Anything @ema_masters touches turns to gold. I’ve signed up for this nervous system reset and recommend you do, too, if you could benefit from some slowness or mindfulness.

Check out her bio for the link. by @its.alisha.smith

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a year ago

In my pink era.
Also in my brain-derived neurotrophic factor era. 💅🏼 by @its.alisha.smith

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a year ago

Two of the best pool hussies I’ve ever met. 🫶🏼
@freyja_spence and @dainwallis by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

Who makes you better?

Not just who makes you feel better about yourself but who actually helps you be a better version of you?

Where every interaction leaves you better than before?

Where they ask for more of you, but in a way that’s about you and not about them?

Who makes you better?
______________________
@pocketrocketyogi: let’s do yoga then a 10km hike
Me: fuck yes by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

One of my favourite parts of training at different aerial studios around the world is the language.

There is no one universally accepted naming convention and that leads to so much creativity.

What one studio calls ‘Tick Tock’, another calls ‘Fish Hook’.

My ‘2-and-a-half’ is your ‘Double Star’.

It makes it infinitely confusing at times but that is overridden by the most beautiful curiosity that ultimately comes down to: ‘Do you see the world as I do?’ by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

Sometimes I forget how much I love this.
My everything hurts and I have no sequence endurance but it’s just total joy from up here. by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

Not shown here: 30 seconds-long, squeezy set up that requires me to dislocate my hip to get into position at the top.

But all worth it for the 4 seconds on the way down. by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

Spent half my time feeling liberated and the other half getting stuck in the tail. Not sure which part I enjoyed more, tbqh. by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

When you need to get out of your head, get into your body.

I wasn’t sure I’d remember how to perform this practice but I switched off my brain, turned down the lights and let my body take over.

Feeling grateful for the love and support that has surrounded me this week and a healthy body that allowed me to take a movement break to recalibrate. by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago

The devastation that lies in the wake of your passing is eclipsed only by the explosion of love that filled the ether as you breathed your last breath.

You died as you lived—with grace, strength, poise, care and determination, knowing we were right by your side.

What an ineffable privilege to have been your granddaughter. And equally, what an honour to have been your friend. Though my heart is shattered, it is shattered wide open with a love and gratitude I have never experienced before.

You are free.
You are loved.
You mattered.
And I will never forget you.

Marjorie Fay Cruickshanks 🦋 by @its.alisha.smith

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2 years ago