Confessions of a bodyrocker.

Hurting my arm has turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise. I haven't stopped hooping; but I have changed the way I hoop. I've become a bodyrocker!

In my hoop journey to date I've been - inspired by hoopers like Tiana Zoumer - an off-body hooper. By "off-body" I mean hooping that is driven mostly by the hands and arms, and incorporates jumps, throws, tosses, hand-spins, etc.

"On-body" - or bodyrocking - is the opposite. It's hooping that is propelled by the core: waist, hips, shoulder, chest, legs or head. Since I was over-using my arm by hooping off-body, it made sense to change my focus to on-body hooping.

Off-body hooping is definitely the fashion du jour, particularly for younger hoopers. And it looks incredibly cool. But, as I'm discovering, bodyrocking feels good ... and these days I am all about how hooping feels.

It's easy to get caught up in hooping's fancy tricks. There is so much to learn; the ways of the hoop are apparently infinite, and it's exciting to nail that move you've been practising for ages. I still get this feeling. But I'm also discovering the delight of a simple waist groove to a song I love - just me and the hoop in a perfect partnership.

What you don't get from all those fancy off-body tricks is the sensation of the hoop moving around the body. Isn't that what turned us all on to hooping in the first place? Do you remember that moment when the hoop rolled across your belly for the very first time and you thought, wow, I'm hooping, and it feels amazing? I'm re-discovering that feeling, and I love it.

As well as going back to the basics, I'm also learning some more difficult body grooves such as angled shoulder hooping. Wow. That stuff is hard! But it still involves spinning the hoop around the body ... oh, and it's giving me abs of steel, which I'm not complaining about.

More to come on bodyrocking soon!

Happy hooping,
Anne-Marie x

PS. Here's an incredible example of on-body hooping from the goddess of bodyrocking, Anah Reichenbach:

A cautionary tale for hoopers.

Hoopers can be an obsessive lot. Who can blame us? What's not to love about something that brings us joy, dance, community, fun, peace, and confidence? Certainly I have been obsessed with the hoop since I first picked it up in March 2012.

But now I am discovering the dark side of my hoop obsession.

I have a hooping injury. I’ve had low-level discomfort up and down my right arm for the past month, which has risen to pain, stiffness and tingling this week.

I’ve had repetitive strain injuries before – not uncommon for journalists and writers – but this is altogether different. This is not confined to pain in my lower arm; it’s the entire arm from the shoulder blade to the palm, and it’s a variety of different sensations.

And it gets worse, much worse, after I hoop.

It’s my own fault. I’ve always known I needed to look after my body. Hooping is great cardio exercise but it does not stretch your body or strengthen it. I was so obsessed with hooping that I had no interest in doing any other exercise. I’ve also neglected to hoop on both sides of my body, meaning that my dominant side has taken most of the strain.

Now I face the prospect of not being able to hoop for some time, which makes me very sad.

If you are a hooper, please look after your body. Do yoga, stretch, lift weights, and learn every move you possibly can in your non-dominant direction to keep your body balanced, strong and healthy for years to come.

Happy [and safe] hooping,

Anne-Marie x

Dizzy.

It’s hard for me to believe that once I suffered regularly from dizziness and nausea.

An apparently inherited condition – several female members of my family have it – it appeared to be brought on by stress and tiredness.

It was mild, but it was very unpleasant while it lasted.

When I began hoopdance two years ago I thought I may not be able to continue with it because of the nausea and dizziness. Turning and spinning with the hoop are essential skills, but they made me feel off-balance and sick. But my love for the hoop was so great that I couldn’t give it up. Not even for the sake of my balance. I kept pushing on through and tried to ride the unpleasant sensations rather than fighting them.

And then the day came when I realised I hadn’t had an attack of dizziness and nausea for weeks, then months. Not only that, I was enjoying the sensation making myself dizzy through spinning with my hoop. It’s a different sort of dizziness to the version I used to suffer from, although I can’t exactly explain how. But I do know that spinning in circles can be very focusing – your surroundings disappear and all that’s left are you and your hoop.

I’ve spun myself around for long enough now that I know my dizziness and my body’s reaction to it very well. I know where my edge is and when to stop, so I don’t cause myself harm. I know when the dizziness will kick in. I know what to do to ease the dizziness away.

One of my earliest and most dedicated students also had a problem with dizziness and nausea. She couldn’t do the slowest turn without her head spinning; but she loved to hoop. I shared with her my story. “I can’t guarantee the same thing will happen to you but you never know…”

At Monday night’s hoop jam I noticed this woman doing the most beautiful continuous vortex, which requires a lot of turning. Of course I had to remark on how far she’d come from the days when she was afraid to attempt that move.

She giggled like a girl. “It’s my favourite move. I love spinning in circles!”

Happy hooping,

Anne-Marie x

Hooping war wounds.

How's this for an impressive bruise? I got this bruise, plus a few other nice ones, from too much hooping at Under the Spinfluence. This is what happens when you learn arm breaks, then practise them non-stop for about three hours. True story.

Any way, I've just returned from Spinfluence ... happy, sleep-deprived, bruised and physically weary. [And a little freaked out from driving home during a very scary storm.]

More later when I've had some time to recover.

Happy hooping,
Anne-Marie x