CIRCUS

I’ve always loved Cirque du Soleil and similar shows, but I never imagined myself hanging upside down from ropes and swinging in the air. I adore watching the artists—their precision, elegance, synchronicity, courage, and that touch of showmanship. How effortless it looks when professionals perform. So natural, like Germans doing agility.

Testing my limits and kicking myself out of my comfort zone somehow led me to trapeze training last winter. I affectionately call it “Circus.” Believe me, it felt completely unnatural at first. During my first training, I felt like an elephant in a crystal shop. Someone told me then that I have a heavy lower body and a light upper part—”and it will be like this forever.”

You know those offhand comments—whether from family, friends, or even random strangers—that get lodged in your brain, shaping your beliefs without you even questioning them? How could I ever pull myself up on my tiny shoulders, get closer to the bar, and then flip my supposedly heavy self over my head? What?!

And here we are. After a few months of training, I really can! Yes, the training is tough. I still remember those nights after training during the first month when I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. Other “enjoyable” parts of this adventure include the fear of standing too high on the trapeze doing balance tricks, the terror of falling, hands aching from gripping the bar so firmly, broken blisters, and blue marks covering my body—what I lovingly call my “Circus souvenirs.”

Then there’s the pride when you finally master something you couldn’t even imagine a few weeks ago. The ego boost when you’re falling but have everything under control and land softly. The amazement at watching others, cheering them on, encouraging them, seeing them suffer and push through the pain—yet still keep going.

I’ll probably never be hired by Cirque du Soleil, but I’m absolutely loving it. Like agility, some days, it feels impossible, and other days everything flows naturally. That magical “KLIK” moment when a sequence finally comes together – priceless. It’s a process. A process we cherish so much. A journey of self-exploration, adrenaline, and fun.

It’s kind of magic.

With love,
Vendula

PS: I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to Martin, our Circus trainer, who makes it feel like a piece of cake and who’s always there when I’m hanging upside down, finding myself in positions with hands or legs crossed in ways that leave me immobile. Legend has it that if he hadn’t been there to untangle me, I’d still be up there, hanging like an overripe apple.