I Am So Popular: I Got Me A Big Sparkly Ring for Christmas!

I kicked myself for not buying a hoop then, but determined to track Laura down and make up for this goof. For me, obtaining one would be—do pardon the pun—coming sort of full circle. For it was fully a decade ago when—as a poor, starving-artist/single-mother that wished to get in shape but could not afford the gym—I purchased a store-bought Hula Hoop and a copy of Abba Gold. The plan was I’d swing my hips to Mamma Mia and Take a Chance on Me and, in no time, be a slender-waisted hottie.

That time hooping didn’t “take” for me and while I dug having it, I didn’t use it with any consistency. This time around, I have taken a vow to hoop every day for at least 30 consecutive days, hopefully for a full 365. To get motivated to follow through, I took a free, introductory hoop class with Laura.

A dozen hoopers of all ages and skill sets showed up at the studio. We had a blast. Early on in the class, I noticed something pink on the floor. I wondered who’d dropped something. I looked closer. The pink thing looked familiar. Then it dawned on me: that was my underwear! In truth, it wasn’t the underwear I’d entered the studio wearing—it was a pair of pantalones that had arrived inside the leg of my yoga pants courtesy of static cling. But for a moment it did appear that, as in the Pants Off competition in Zoolander, I had hooped my skivvies right off my ass. Which, now that I’m nearly a week into hooping, I can assure you seems entirely possible.

Laura is leading a couple of First Night Activities on New Year’s Eve. For starters, she’ll be on the First Street Bridge from 3 til 5:30 p.m. with a bunch of hoops for folks to play with. Then she’ll hoop through the parade with a big group (you’re welcome to join) up Congress Avenue.

I asked Laura some hoop questions and here is what she had to say for her bright, sparkly self:

Me: How'd you get into hooping?
Laura: My friends Gabi and Julie came to a show I was playing at Ruta Maya with hoops about 4 1/2 years ago. They had been hanging with some circus performers and were getting into hooping and partner acrobatics. It looked so fun - so I tried a hoop on after the show. I was flailing around like mad (not having much success) but was so determined. I wanted to get it! Gabi let me take a hoop home with me so I could work on it. I took the hoop hostage for 4 months – and hooped everyday. I wanted to take something I was terrible at and become a master at it. If I could do that anything was possible. That began my amazing transformative hoop journey.

Me: You're also a musician?
Laura: I've performed music in Austin since 1998. I play piano / sing with a jazz trio called the Mingtones – but am deep into laptop and Ableton music software for processing my voice, doing on-the-fly sampling, and running beats. I play vibraphone, accordion, and synthesizer with Suzanna Choffel locally and work with a dance / multi media performance group called Quixotic based out of Kansas City.

Me: At what point did you decide to go to the next level and teach hooping?
Laura: In the Spring of this year 2008. I went to Santa Barbara and did some teacher training certification with HoopGirl Christabel Zamor. I consider myself a hoop advocate. Hooping has been so transformative and healing for me over the last 4 years – I want others to experience the wonderful empowerment and joy the hoop brings. I feel that now I've arrived at a point in my experience and skill that I can share a bit more and hopefully inspire and motivate others to keep a regular hoop routine.

Me: What are the biggest changes you've experienced since you started hooping? Laura: Confidence – discovering my body opening and becoming stronger and more flexible. I've discovered how to move my body. I've experienced emotional and physical transformation – toning in the arms and back and much more endurance and strength. I feel joy and light. I'm generally sharper and more inspired with other aspects in my life – It makes me feel soooo good. The hoop transformed my general outlook to a much more positive perspective.

Me: When you are out at places like Maker Faire, do folks instantly connect with the element of fun? Or are there some cynics that dismiss the whole hoop thing?
Laura: I think most people thinks its rad and connect with the element of fun. Some people are just shy - especially about moving their bodies in a public space - but surprisingly most people get past their initial shyness and give it a whirl because it looks so fun – many times they have friends (and me) encouraging them. When they find success in their initial hooping experience they light up with joy. I love it!!

Me: Who is hooping for?
Laura: Hooping is for the one inside it. It's about you being the center of rotation. Feeling the rhythm of the hoop with the rhythm of your body.
Experiencing the amazing massaging feeling of love around you and in you. Hooping teaches you how to listen and love yourself. It makes you feel youthful and empowered. I've seen every type of person in a hoop— men, women, grandmas, little / medium / big kids, babies. I've seen a 2 year-old play with a hoop and introduced a 90 year-old to the hoop in Germany.
The circle is timeless.

Me: What are the benefits of hooping?
Laura: Countless good things for the mind and body. To name a few—it’s a low impact exercise, it builds core strength, it burns fat and speeds weight loss, it’s aerobic, it builds neurological pathways, it reduces stress, and it generates feelings of sexiness and radiance.

Me: Is hooping really the next yoga?
Laura: Hooping is exploding in a wave just like yoga, pilates, and Nia because of the great things it provides for the body and mind. I've never been disciplined enough to attend regular yoga classes, or go to the gym, or have a personal trainer. Hooping is this AWESOME thing you can do whenever, almost wherever, and for however long you want. I'll hoop for 5-10 minutes just to get my blood flow going or I'll just get in a groove and practice 30 minutes – 2 hours. I hoop to warm up before gigs, I use it to massage my arms if I've been doing too much computer geeking, and I use it to stimulate my brain and move my blood. I do it when I'm bored. I do it if I need to massage my back. I do it on a phone calls. It's the best short attention span work out. You can burn up to 100 calories in 10 minutes with vigorous high energy hooping!

Spike Gillespie is totally sold on hooping. She blogs regularly at LaunchPad Coworking and www.spikeg.com. She is also head mistress for the Dick Monologues. Email her if you want to reserve tickets the Frontera Fest shows: spike@spikeg.com.