In this lesson, Phebe teaches a dynamic spin sequence built on a single radical idea: surrender to the heaviness. So much of pole is resistance, holding against the momentum, fighting the pull. Here, Phebe invites you to go with it instead, to let gravity and momentum carry you from upright to inverted rather than muscling your way there.

The sequence moves through a series of connected shapes on spin. You’ll grab the inside leg into a long extension, hook the leg and fall back into a straddle on the pole, then thread one leg behind you into a fake split. From there you draw the leg back in, gather into a cradle, and drop, opening through the torso to land on your forearm and settle into a straddle, before transitioning into a butterfly variation from the floor. It looks like falling. It’s actually controlled release.

The whole thing lives in a tension, and that tension is the lesson. Your legs and back stay engaged while your ribs release and expand. You keep enough control to stay safe while you let go of enough to let the movement happen. Phebe’s cue is to surrender to the gravitational pull, to expand through the torso and let your body go heavy, while breath keeps you connected to each transition. When you stop resisting and start riding the pull, upright-to-inverted stops being a fight and becomes a fall you’re in command of.

How to integrate this into your practice

Start by finding the tension between engaged and released on the ground before you take it to spin. Practice keeping your legs and back active while you let your ribs expand and your torso open, and let breath lead each shift. Don’t chase the full drop until the release feels controlled rather than loose. Return to this sequence whenever your movement feels like it’s always fighting gravity, and notice what opens up when you let the heaviness carry you instead.

A quick note on readiness: this sequence asks for a strong knee hook and a strong true grip on the pole. A confident knee hook or Jasmine will carry you through. Make sure both feel secure before you surrender your weight into the drop.

Ready to take it further? Open the Fluid Body Prompt Book, pull a prompt, and explore what else opens up when you stop resisting the momentum. Take one moment of the sequence, the drop, the expansion, the fall into the straddle, and follow it somewhere new.