Good question, Deanne Love.
It's Day 14 of 40 Days of Flow, and the more thought I put into that question, the deeper I dive into my own hoop journey and where (and WHY) it all began (I get the tingles just thinking about why all of this came to be in the first place):
Back in 2010 a friend of mine purchased a beginner hoop. It was black with bright lime green gaffer tape on it. Up until that point, I had really only ever seen hoopers at the only music festival I had ever gone to the previous summer...Motion Notion. But what I had seen sparked a keen interest in me. These magical creatures flowed with these beautiful, sometimes illuminated, circles around them. They were captivating.
This black and green hoop (that wasn't even mine) was far from the smaller plastic hoops I had seen used, but this is where I knew I had to start. I wanted to be one of those magical creatures, a hooping gypsy with jingles and flow and sparkles on my face. I wanted my body to move in ways I still had yet to understand, enamoring those around me. I wanted to manifest the flow that I understood came from within, bringing forth ecstatic movement.
With so many of us starting to live a more awakened lifestyle, the appeal of hooping comes from the eagerness to transcend our physical bodies by diving deep into a realm that seems ethereal. This seemingly lifeless prop allows us to channel our inner child and in some cases our higher consciousness'.
My first hurdle, and the first hurdle for most, was keeping the hoop around my waist. Present day beginner hoops are much bigger than the small and very light plastic ones we may have played with as kids. Generally made out of some type of irrigation tubing, beginner hoops have a weight to them that allows us to initially understand how our bodies have to move to maintain flow.
Without fail my first attempts were feeble and the hoop would fall to the ground. But my determination was bigger than those failures. Triumphant in keeping it up, I vividly remember that summer night in 2010, standing on the spot and hooping in my backyard. My arms hung awkwardly above the hoop. The smile on my face was unchanging. The grass was tall and the sun was setting. I had bounded over that first hurdle, and I think in that moment I had taken my first step on the brightly colored road of my hooping adventure.
The popularity of this budding activity has exploded as more people realize that it's not just a desire to become a hypnotic dancer. Hooping is first and foremost a basic form of exercise (albeit way more fun than doing crunches or going for a run, in my opinion!) We sometimes don't recognize it as such because it's also a great way to put a smile on your face. It promotes health and happiness in the most fundamental way. It de-stresses some and is a form of meditation for others. Hooping can help balance an unbalanced life, and will undoubtedly provide purpose for those who need it. It connects you to music in mystifying ways, and helps you understand the necessity of movement.
Beyond that, for me personally, it opens up my heart space to the grand vastness of the Universe. It's an ever-expanding form of movement for my body and soul. It blisses me out and challenges me, and reminds me that everything is in a perpetual state of change and movement...just the way me and the hoop flow.
Years later I now make and sell my own collapsible hula hoops. I am an ambassador for World Hoop Day and have goals to make and donate hoops to those less fortunate. I want to share this hooping revolution with the world, and recognize that this is how I will help change the world.
One hoop at a time.
Much love,
gypsy
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hoopsbygypsy
Instagram: @hoopsbygypsy
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| Me and my cherished illuminated circle |
Back in 2010 a friend of mine purchased a beginner hoop. It was black with bright lime green gaffer tape on it. Up until that point, I had really only ever seen hoopers at the only music festival I had ever gone to the previous summer...Motion Notion. But what I had seen sparked a keen interest in me. These magical creatures flowed with these beautiful, sometimes illuminated, circles around them. They were captivating.
This black and green hoop (that wasn't even mine) was far from the smaller plastic hoops I had seen used, but this is where I knew I had to start. I wanted to be one of those magical creatures, a hooping gypsy with jingles and flow and sparkles on my face. I wanted my body to move in ways I still had yet to understand, enamoring those around me. I wanted to manifest the flow that I understood came from within, bringing forth ecstatic movement.
With so many of us starting to live a more awakened lifestyle, the appeal of hooping comes from the eagerness to transcend our physical bodies by diving deep into a realm that seems ethereal. This seemingly lifeless prop allows us to channel our inner child and in some cases our higher consciousness'.
 |
| a Hoops by Gypsy original |
Without fail my first attempts were feeble and the hoop would fall to the ground. But my determination was bigger than those failures. Triumphant in keeping it up, I vividly remember that summer night in 2010, standing on the spot and hooping in my backyard. My arms hung awkwardly above the hoop. The smile on my face was unchanging. The grass was tall and the sun was setting. I had bounded over that first hurdle, and I think in that moment I had taken my first step on the brightly colored road of my hooping adventure.
The popularity of this budding activity has exploded as more people realize that it's not just a desire to become a hypnotic dancer. Hooping is first and foremost a basic form of exercise (albeit way more fun than doing crunches or going for a run, in my opinion!) We sometimes don't recognize it as such because it's also a great way to put a smile on your face. It promotes health and happiness in the most fundamental way. It de-stresses some and is a form of meditation for others. Hooping can help balance an unbalanced life, and will undoubtedly provide purpose for those who need it. It connects you to music in mystifying ways, and helps you understand the necessity of movement.
Beyond that, for me personally, it opens up my heart space to the grand vastness of the Universe. It's an ever-expanding form of movement for my body and soul. It blisses me out and challenges me, and reminds me that everything is in a perpetual state of change and movement...just the way me and the hoop flow.
 |
| Hoops by Gypsy |
One hoop at a time.
Much love,
gypsy
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hoopsbygypsy
Instagram: @hoopsbygypsy
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