Hooping is a modern movement art that combines the arts of dance, yoga, meditation, fitness, play, bodywork, and sacred geometry. Hooping is a popular movement art across the globe with classes, workshops, retreats, hoop gatherings, hoop jams, and in countries all across the planet.
The spiraling movement of the hoop massages your body as the pressure point of contact with the hoop cycles around the core. The dynamic movement of rocking the core creates fluid undulation the spine. The rhythmic and spiraling movements generated by the spine to keep the hoop going facilitate the natural movements of the healthy spine.
Spin + E (energy) = Spine
Our spines are happy and healthy when we are spinning the hoop and moving the energy in our bodies!
The rocking motion of the sacrum (the tailbone – the name sacrum is derived from sacred) stimulates the sacral plexus, a large mass of nerves stemming from the spinal cord to enervate the pelvis. This rocking stimulates a full-body relaxation, release of endorphins, calming of the nervous system, increases circulation to the pelvis, pumps the craniosacral fluid, and clears the energy centers of the body.
Moving and stretching with the hoop is a holistic workout for the integration of the body, mind, heart, and spirit. Hoop yoga fusion flows are wonderful ways to energize your yoga practice.
The hoop is an ancient tool for movement play. Art from over 4,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt depicts a man with a hoop. People have crafted hoops from bamboo, rattan, stiff grass, and reeds for thousands of years. Native Americans have used rolling hoops for target practice and hunting games. Today Native American Hoop Dance is a beautiful and elaborate expression of the story of creation through intricate combining and dancing with multiple small hoops.
Hoops are also key tools in the Olympic sport of rhythmic gymnastics. Hoops are also a symbol of the Olympics as the logo in made from five hoops. Vancouver sold out of hula-hoops during the last Winter Olympics as people rushed to make hoop logos in the snow in front of their homes and businesses.
Hooping was a popular sport in England in the 1800’s. People spun hoops around their bodies as well as rolling hoops with sticks. In the 1950’s, the inventors of the modern plastic hula-hoop traveled to Australia and saw school children using wooden hoops in gymnastics class. So the idea for the toy hula-hoop was launched by Wham-O.
The release of the hula-hoop toy in 1957 spread the hoop craze across the planet, becoming the first global fad and spawning the word fad itself. There is something universally compelling about the hoop.
Sales of the hula-hoop astonished the world. Japan even directed the hula-hoop for a while, because of the concern over suggestive pelvic gyrations in public. However now Japan has a thriving modern hooping culture, classes, and an annual hoop conference.
Today’s modern hoopers prefer custom handmade hoops with heavier and stronger tubing spiraling with colorful and sparkling tapes for grip, friction, and beauty. Hooping is about enjoying the flow of being in the spiral. Hoopers may use one, two, three, or even four hoops, but it’s not about how many hoops can you spin or how long can you keep it going.
Hooping is about flow and being present in the whirl. It is an enjoyable energizing and balancing activity that is great for personal health, fitness, and fun, as well as getting together with groups of friends and community to hoop, dance, and play.
Dance and play with the hoop mimics the spiraling motions of all the dynamics of life, from the cells within our body, our DNA spirals, and the motors of the planets, galaxies, and universe. Spiraling and flowing is also the motion of water, and we energize the water that is 70% of our bodies by vortexing it while dancing in the hoop.
Hooping activates our bodies, massaging our muscles and stimulating our meridians, energy centers, and acupressure points. The spiraling energy clears and charges our chakras. Through conscious hoop dance we can step into the flow of the universal dance, strengthen our core, and find peace in the whirling world.