This year the retreat draws 10 of us together for an exciting week in beautiful Costa Rica. On the western Pacific side, Montezuma is located on the gulf of the Nicoya Peninsula. The weather has been spectacular and warm, day and night. Our two daily hoop session have proven to be great fun and the amount of progress that happens in this short period of time is astonishing. We are getting some major “flight time” in with our hoops. We have also been enjoying a lot of free time to wander the local jungle for hikes, canopy tour, horseback riding, dips in the water fall. the ocean and lots of lounging around in hammocks and comfy hangout spaces throughout the open air villa. Its quite wonderful and fun for anyone but especially for those who love to hoop. Its been fun to see the familiar faces of trainings past and last years retreat along with new comers from various places in the US. I love being able to share this magical space with the other adventurers who attend. Stay tuned for next years retreat dates and possibly added retreat locations.
Wow! Alongside, some of my favorite hoopers and inspirations, I am thrilled and honored to be nominated by Hooping.org for hooping instructor of 2009.
After teaching jr. high and elementary school for 10+ years, I decided to become a full time pro hooper in 2001, which led me to develop the BodyHoops Fitness curriculum and teach hooping for fitness and fun in spas, fitness centers and schools across America. Along with showing people how to hoop, I have led a number of Teacher trainings in the US, Costa Rica, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and the UK over the past 5 years. Our online distance training continues to reach many people and instructors worldwide which includes a comprehensive teacher pack with manual, hoops and online videos that I provide at Hooping University. I appreciate the recognition. Take a moment to vote for me and check out the other fun categories for the Hoopie Awards at Hooping.org. Vote for me HERE and Thank You!
I had to share this with you all out there…My friend Pam has been hooping for a couple of years and has gone through an amazing metamorphesis. Here she shares her video timeline so you can see how at age 50, she lost over 40 pounds with hooping. Hooping absolutely works for weight loss, slimming the waistline, strengthening of the core and toning of all the major muscle groups of the body, while experiencing a fun aerobic workout. Pam has gone through the BodyHoops Level 1 and 2 teacher training program and has gone on to share hooping with the local community inspiring women to get fit and have fun. I love Pam and her amazing story. Check it out.
Simple but effective….this ten minute workout targets the core and major muscle groups while helping you to develop better balance and coordination. Start out with ten minute sessions and then gradually work up to longer sessions. Always check with your physician when starting any new exercise routine. Enjoy!
Join us for World Hoop Day. Local hoopers are invited to join us for a sunset hoop jam at Libby Park, in Ojai, California. This year, Bodyhoops will be donating hoops to a local childrens organization that is to be decided. In the past we have donated hoops to the Rancho La Puerta Foundation, in Tecate, Mexico and After schools programs in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. Children from all of the local schools and orphanages visit the foundation for hands on fun and educational activities that teach environmental awareness and community building. Join us if you can, or create your own world hoop day event in your area. You can find out more about world hoop day and how to get involved here at the world hoop day site.
If you are unable to attend hooping classes then you will definitely want to check out Hooping University. Here you can subscribe to an extensive online library of videos, provided to you by some of the best hoopdance performers and instructors from around the world. Anah of HoopRevolution, Spiral of SpiralHoopDance, Julia of HoopDrum and myself, Diana of BodyHoops, are currently the contributing instructors. We each submit a new video monthly, so there is new stuff added to the library every week.
The BodyHoops video series starts off with a more indepth review of the basics that were presented on the Hoop Dance Fusion DVD and progresses from the basics to more advanced. These are in a workout format including a warm-up, lesson with 3-4 new skills, hoop jams and cool downs. The video series is also part of our teacher training program which gives teachers progressive lesson ideas including skills, coaching techniques and pacing of a class in abbreviated 30 minute sessions. This in addition to the teaching pack that includes hoops, manual, guide with activity ideas, terminology to know and more is part of the distance training, which is now the most comprehensive distance training available. The video series at Hooping University is an excellent way to learn hooping and how to teach hooping. Sign up to be a Bodyhoops trained Instructor here, and subscribe to our online videos at Hooping University. Enjoy!
My hoop journey began when I was an elementary school teacher some years ago at Oak Grove School. Teaching at a holistic and alternative based school enabled me to explore hooping with my students. It started out as just a fun way to wake up the body and move in the early morning, but then after a few weeks I began to observe how much more receptive to learning the students were after a short session of hooping! Hooping brought the group together in a fun way that removed the barriers of teacher and student and enabled us to be together as pals. We would laugh and play as the hoops spun around. It wasn’t too long before the students started putting together short routines with all the cool tricks they were learning. While the aspect of play is so important for all of us, its remarkable that hooping also stimulates the brain in preparation for better learning and working. I became aware of how the students were much more alert and ready to focus on their studies after our hooping sessions, verses the days where we didn’t.
Now several years later, I’m not in the school classroom anymore as grade school teacher, but much of my work with Bodyhoops continues to involve working with students in local schools and schools throughout the country. I still find great satisfaction and joy being with young people. Hooping provides an avenue to dance, exercise and play. My curriculum for hooping with kids includes a variety of activities that are not just about swinging the hips around. We play games, learn new skills, and explore using the hoops to challenge ourselves and have fun! While the objective of my hooping playshops is to have fun, the coordination, balance and strength the students develop over time, is something that is wonderful to observe and for the students to experience. Hooping playshops can be organized as a one time experience for a group of kids, but I also provide ongoing weekly sessions for 6-8 weeks, where we can really go deep into the hooping practice. I was thrilled when my work became of interest to local reporter Joseph Garcia, who came by to see what all the hoopla was about one afternoon, at a school where I was providing an ongoing series of hoop classes. Working with children is definitely one of my strengths and that combined with my passion of hooping is an exciting presentation for everyone involved! Check out this great article and photos of my experience with hooping at the local Pt. Hueneme schools.
In addition to providing these programs for schools, we also provide teacher training for those teachers who are interested in integrating a hoops program into their classrooms! Check out our teacher training schedule to see when our next training takes place!
My visit to New York was really great! It was wonderful to be in this area during the early part of May. I enjoyed driving around the Hudson Valley and passing through the towns along the winding highways. I started off in Kingston at the annual womens health expo. Certified Bodyhoops instructor, Carol Becker met with me and we demonstrated the benefits of hooping to everyone that came by. Next, I drove south towards Cold Springs and Mohegan Lake to hoop with the local schools. The children were so excited to hoop and play the fun games and activities that I share in these programs.
The Teacher Training in Kingston at the YMCA went by all too quickly. The group that came together from far and near enjoyed the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques for teaching in fitness centers, schools and for personal practice. Each time I facilitate, I bring more to the experience and it becomes that much more rich for everyone involved. We had a fun little hoop gathering at Elaines house and its always so nice to meet up with fellow hoopers that are as passionate about hooping as I am!
The Infinity Travel Hoop has become very popular since it came out over two years ago. This hoop is so cool in the way that it open and closes and with all the fun colors, I enjoy carrying one around as often as possible, knowing that I can hoop almost anywhere I go. Recently, we received this lovely photo from “Pika” who just returned from having a great trip to the Himalayas. She reported to us, “I absolutely loved having my Infinity Hoop with me” as she hiked the whole Annapurna Trail, up to Thorong La Pass, just shy of 18,000 feet, and then back down the other side. Here she is hooping at about 10,000 feet, enjoying the sunshine as she acclimatized to the altitude. Thanks for sharing this fun photo and story, Pika!
We love to hear your feedback and receive your fun stories, pictures and video of where our hoops land. Happy hooping wherever you go!!
Immersing myself into a 200 hour yoga teacher training became a reality during my stay in Costa Rica at the Nosara Yoga Institute. I was so thrilled to have this wonderful opportunity and time to go into the inquiry of my Yoga. Located in Nosara, Costa Rica the Institute is a beautiful place to study and go deep into daily practice. Don and Amba Stapleton and the NYI team are truly all very gifted teachers and inspired me on so many levels. I enjoyed sharing a BodyHoops introductory hooping class one afternoon, in the beautiful Rancho where we also met for our morning yoga practice. Now as a certified Yoga teacher, I am very excited to add this to my offerings and experience how it will continue to enhance my hooping practice and overall well-being. Namaste!
