In February, it will be two years now that I have been hooping. Therefore, I feel it's high time to reflect on the past couple of years, and to offer a heartfelt shout out to some extraordinary hoop colleagues and friends.

I want to express my gratitude to Jasmine, my soul sister and friend who first introduced me to the hoop. She also inducted me into the world of teaching hoopdance, and the conception of HoopShine is owed to her. Jasmine, because of you, I am a better friend. Thank you for teaching me about truth, radiance, and integrity daily. You are like no other.

Also, to the whirlyGirlz (Jasmine, Holly, Keri, and Cara), who are an amazing group of women that I have had the pleasure of hanging with in and out of spin time. Thank you for your endless inspiration, creativity, and sharing of brilliance.

Christabel Zamor, a powerful and radiant angel in the flesh who is one of my many life guides in disguise. Thank you for inviting me into the world of HoopGirl to add what I have to bring. I have gained so much from our time spent together. Together, we have created a new paradigm that I hope we can bring to life in more of the world - what is it to collaborate fully without diluting any part of oneself. It is pure magic teaching with you. I look forward to future adventures facilitating together in and outside of the hoop.

Jonathan Baxter, you are the hoop shaman that made me realize what was missing. Thank you (and Ann) for all that The HoopPath brings to life in so many of us. You are a messenger of the highest, for you have allowed your uniqueness to create something unparalleled. May you experience the sense of freedom that you gift to so many.

HoopShine students, agents, and friends... YOU are truly what it is all about for me. Serving you is my joy. It is you that get me into the hoop on a regular basis. It is through your presence that the hoop speaks through me. Thank you for trusting me to hold the larger hoop around us all.

For some time, I did internal battle with the fact that I was a hooper didn't really fit in the hooping world. As a hoopdance performer, I experimented. I adorned myself in costumes that didn't resonate with my being. I attended festivals and events that I felt should excite me more than they did. It has been a bit confusing really. Paradoxically, I am extremely drawn to inspiring people (many of those listed above) who have interests so different from my own. I fought the urge to become something I am not... but in the end, I chose to accept my variance in desires and do only what moves me. It has worked beautifully, for it instills a sense of self-love that is honorable to my heart. And, these inspiring individuals are all the more inspiring for the ways in which they respect and honor my uniqueness. I appreciate having such healthy and balanced relationships all around me.

I have come to understand that I am a Teacher and Guide above all else. The hoop is one of many glorious vehicles through which I can learn about (and share) the messages that come through me. And it is likely that the hoop's presence will likely wax and wane in my life. I am willing to be present to the now, as the hoop constantly urges me to be. And I am no longer anxious to be other than that which I am... or to echo someone else's practice.

I share all this to remind you to always follow the path of your own heart.
Make your practice personal. Do what moves you.
Hoop for you! After all, it's built for one, yes?

Hoop Dancer DeGrazia

Today, I was gifted this stunning, limited-edition print by DeGrazia. I can hardly wait to get home and frame it... it so wonderfully captures the magic of the hoop. The DeGrazia Gallery was home to Ted and his wife Marion. Both created exceptional art within the walls of the studio. Yet, what stuck me as most precious was the love and creativity that they put into the grounds in which they lived. Touring the place is like walking in a desert painting, alive with color and the native american spirit of serving the whole.

I was reminded how the hoop is a symbol for that wholeness... of unity... this weekend. Our Thanksgiving celebration was at Daniel's uncle's home in Scottsdale. This was my first time meeting this side of the family. They were all so warm and welcoming. One of the highlights of the evening was after dinner. I had a hoop in the rental car. Upon the urging of the group, we brought it out for a demonstration. I made sure that everyone else had a chance in the hoop first. Daniel's younger brother, Nathan, is a good sport. He jumped in first... followed by Daniel... his stepmom... then aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was immediate joy bursting from the seams! I gazed around in awe as the entire family was bathed in contagious laughter. And I remembered why this simple service that I offer is so potent.

The Circle.
It brings people together.
By its very nature, it unites.
And for its simple teachings, I am grateful.

When I was searching for an image of the above print to share with you, I ran across this poem. I hope you enjoy it as I did. And I hope that you find yourself in a circle dance of your own, sometime soon.

Hoop Dancer
(Based on the painting by Ted De Grazia)

A stream of light flows in circles around me.
Hoops and halos surround my body,
as I reach through each center with a dancing limb.
My pointed foot draws a blue circle
while my outstretched hand
paints a swirl of bright yellow.

I am the hoop dancer.
I carve a story into the night air,
as I move in rhythms,
that make my heart pump stronger
and my skin tremble with pure knowledge.

The lyrical notes fall all at once
from the dark, speckled sky.
They come crashing in waves,
and jingle at my beaded, fringed ankles.
Movement creates a limitless space between
my feet and the dry, crumbled earth beneath.
The hoops are as light as the air itself.
They raise me up and I am in flight.
Each circle is a galaxy –
each waving feather in my headdress
creates the stardust that lights up the world around me
so that my body is the bonfire –
aglow with a story.
It is the narrative of the hoop.

Cristina M. R. Norcross
August 2, 2006

HoopGirl Teacher Training - Portland, OR
September 21 - September 23

I am continually inspired and grateful to be a part of the HoopGirl Network. It's really about so much more than hoopdance. Christabel (HoopGirl Founder) and I just completed a three-day teacher training here in Portland. It was a rich experience... facilitating 14 talented individuals in their discovery of their path as teachers.

There is so much to comment on, that I won't do it justice here. Let me just speak to the power of potential recognized. Each and every person in the training has something significant to offer. Again and again, I am reminded that the SHiNE philosophy is reflected all around me. It is such an honor to be a part of the unleashing of personal power. I feel a responsibility as a trainer: to do everything within my power to encourage (in-courage... instill courage) by reminding each person of the uniqueness that is their birthright. It feels so rewarding to deliver a message that resonates through every cell of my being... what you bring matters!

Facilitating with Christabel is an utter joy... she and I came together only a few months ago with such grace. Our styles compliment one another brilliantly. And she always amazes me with her evermore radiant presence, articulate presentation, and authenticity. She is a true pioneer - not only in the hooping world - but as a paradigm-shifter at the cutting edge of conscious business and co-creation. It is truly an honor to work alongside her. She has offered me a platform to exercise my gifts... without her faith in me, it would be a few paces behind where I am now. I am grateful for the ways that she has held up a mirror to me, as a colleague and as a friend.

And Miss Taj... ah, what can I say? She is a Licensed HoopGirl Teacher who participated in a teacher training we held in LA a few months ago. She has since jumped on board to join the team as a Master Trainer and was present throughout the week to assist - and did she ever! Her silent service was such a blessing. She is a powerhouse of presence, with a silent potency I find intoxicating. I look forward to many more opportunities to work with her on various levels.

I will save time by keeping my comments general regarding the attendees (although I could quite easily post at length about each trainee and his or her unique brand of magic). It is the mock teaching practicums and feedback sessions that light me up... this is always my favorite aspect of the trainings. To witness the evolution of each trainee - in just three short days - is pure inspiration. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to do what they do... jumping in with both feet and being receptive to feedback from the group. I celebrate those raw moments, and express my gratitude at being able to be a part of it.

Congratulations to all of you... Lacye, Erika, Nathan, Nicole, Ali, Lynn, Sabine, Karly, Tia, Leslie, Yvette, Anne, Jennifer, & Lori Lynn. You are all uniquely gifted... it was a joy to be a part of your unfolding.

Master the Flow of Brilliance

Hoopdance for me has very little to do with perfecting hoop tricks or enhancing physical conditioning. The primary reason that I am drawn into the hoop is for the ways in which it teaches me to reflect the flow of life.

Much like life, the hoop has a spiraling, elevating rhythm. This rhythm is one that invites us to merge with it - neither controlling nor neglecting our place in it. When we lack trust in this rhythm, we attempt to strong-arm life...pushing with too much force. At other times, we fall into the despair of inertia...no longer giving ourselves to the life all around us.

The experience of flow - of which the hoop is a perfect mirror - can teach us much about the laws of energy. While hooping, I must learn to reside in the middle. The center point, where my axis is grounded with integrity. I travel around this center, while meeting my relationship with the hoop in healthy balance. I push just enough - equally on all sides - to participate and bring myself to the relationship. When I attempt to control (or bully) the hoop, it lets me know by resisting my force. Likewise, when I neglect its inherent rhythm by refusing to meet it, it lets me know by weakly fumbling along. On both occasions, the hoop can be counted on to fall with a crash! - in that joyful resonance that announces an opportunity to learn... and return to the sensation of harmony.

The hoop teaches me how to find and maintain center. And it is from the core of me that I find and express my power.

The hoop shows me what it is to be in relationship where co-dependence immediately reveals its dysfunction... inviting me to instead differentiate in order to unite and create harmony.

The hoop offers me a safe container in which to reach my brilliance forth, while held in a space that cannot be penetrated.

And the hoop reminds me that I am capable of more than I ever imagined when I surrender to the flow of life... directing and yielding, smiling and laughing, spiraling ever higher.

Visit HoopShine.com to experience flow in your life.

Tonight was the first session in the HoopSHiNE BODY class series. The intention of this new offering is to integrate the various facets of my work. Hoop... an avenue for learning about the nature of energy in and around us. SHiNE... my passion for assisting others in activating their unique genius. And BODY... the vehicle that is our most powerful ally in vesseling our brilliance through this world in which we live.

In short, we learn to use the Hoop - the master teacher of energetic flow - to activate the SHiNE BODY. The SHiNE BODY is a high resonance sensation from which ultimate joy and creativity can emerge.

Tonight our focus was Presence. We established our anchors to ground us in Presence as a sensation. Our physical anchors included breath and the sensation of touch. We used these tools to then harness the mind, tying it to the present via the now moment. I consider the now moment to be the key to unlocking the potential in our hoop practice. The nature of the hoop is that it relies on our connection to now. It is through continual presence with the now (via contact points) that the hoop knows harmony. When we disconnect - and are no longer Present - the hoop lets us know. It falls. And we learn to smile down as we pick up the hoop with a grateful heart. Thank you for reminding me to be present, we say. Your love for me is real.

If only this degree of truth were present in each and every relationship in our lives. What clarity! The good news is... the hoop is here to show you the way to doing just that.

That's why they call it practice.

SHiNE On!

On Sunday, I had the extreme pleasure of attending a workshop with Jonathon Baxter. He is a hooper who has taken his teaching to a place that far transcends the medium. I am so drawn to the work he calls The Hoop Path as it reaches in and touches the warrior within my body and soul.

Attending this event illuminated something within my heart and mind. I have been feeling a sense of ambivalence towards my teaching in the hoop recently. There is so much that I love about sharing the joy of the hoop with others; yet, I have felt a hunger inside of me to approach the work from a more conscious place. To truly begin to share how hoopdance can be about so much more than hoop tricks and self-expression. The hoop is a messenger of so much wisdom. It teaches me about what it is to be in relationship, how yin and yang merge to create harmony, and the rare of gifts of truth and humility found each time the hoop falls. Hooping is a practice. I know this... and Baxter helped me to remember that it is possible to share this work from a deeper place.

And so, I am ever-more inspired to co-create and develop HoopSHiNE BODY with the community of hoopers in Portland. So much is unknown about this class series, coming up July 9th. Nevertheless, I am committed to creating a space where each hooper walks away a visceral experience of the harmony and wisdom that the hoop imparts... in the body, and in relationship to self.

More on this as the vision develops...