Circular sensations a big hoopla
YOU may have had one as a kid.
A hula hoop - a circular object designed for fun and immortalised in the Coen Brothers movie The Hudsucker Proxy.
You put it around your waist, start rotating your hips wildly and you're off!
Now pelvic floor strength instructor Lara Eardley is bringing back the hoop with her gorgeous handmade models.
She started making them for her students she teaches pelvic floor strength with the intention of eradicating incontinence and for improved sexual function.
But her hoops have become so popular that she is now selling them at markets on the Northern Rivers.
The Lennox Head mum uses blue line pipe, upholstery fabric and sand to make the hoops.
"The heavier the sand, the stronger the core workout," she said.
Listen closely, and you'll also hear a swish of sand, a sound Ms Eardley said can become meditative.
The colours are bright or exotic, and the hoops come in different sizes for different heights.
When you buy a hoop from Ms Eardley, you'll also get a bit of instruction - keep the upper body still and move only the hips and pelvis and smile!
"It's about making a perfect, meditative orb with our hips and pelvis; bringing awareness to what is typically a "dead zone" in our bodies," she said.
"Think of Egyptian belly dancers or gyrating African dancers."
To get really proficient at it, Ms Eardley suggested practising every day or just grab the hoop every time you are a bit stressed and need to unwind, literally.
Get your hula hooping right and you'll unlock the hips/femurs and pelvis, increasing primal (or sexual) energy, rebalance your body and, of course, have a few laughs, she said.
"Hula hooping does produce joy and happiness."
"Because it is innately connected with ritual dance, it also regenerates energy and heightens your sense of vitality."
Hooping history
- Hula hooping has been a type of exercise and play from as early as the 5th century in ancient Greece.
- In 13th century Scotland, hoops were extended to adult audiences.
- In the 1950s, a plastic version of the hoop gained international popularity.
- The past few years have seen a re-emergence in hooping or hoopdance.
- Modern hula hoopers can be found among fans of jambands like Disco Biscuits and Phish.
- An early record for hooping was set by some 11-year-olds in Mississippi in 1960 who lasted 11 hours and 34 minutes.
Source: Wikipedia
