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Hooping The Other Way
Non-Dominant Direction Illusions and the Psychology of Going Against the Grain
Non-Dominant Direction Illusions and the Psychology of Going Against the Grain
The vast majority of us feel that we have a dominant direction when hooping. We picked
up the hoop and our body instinctively made its preference known. We hoop to the left
(counter-clockwise) or we hoop to the right.
By the time it occurs to many of us to try hooping the "other" way, or in our
non-dominant directions, it appears a monumental task. The other side of our bodies
seems to go dumb. But, of course, we haven't taught it anything yet! Some folks think
our marked preferences have something to do with the hemisphere of the brain we
favor. But we quickly learn that with practice we can improve our non-dominant direction
hooping, even to the point that we can no longer discern a difference. Read Caroleeena's
excellent 2008 article on the physical side of evening things out.
For me, however, there was always more to it than practice. I was terrified of hooping
in my non-dominant direction. Not apprehensive about doing the work, not bummed
that I had to start over from the beginning. Honestly, mentally scared of the unknown.
up the hoop and our body instinctively made its preference known. We hoop to the left
(counter-clockwise) or we hoop to the right.
By the time it occurs to many of us to try hooping the "other" way, or in our
non-dominant directions, it appears a monumental task. The other side of our bodies
seems to go dumb. But, of course, we haven't taught it anything yet! Some folks think
our marked preferences have something to do with the hemisphere of the brain we
favor. But we quickly learn that with practice we can improve our non-dominant direction
hooping, even to the point that we can no longer discern a difference. Read Caroleeena's
excellent 2008 article on the physical side of evening things out.
For me, however, there was always more to it than practice. I was terrified of hooping
in my non-dominant direction. Not apprehensive about doing the work, not bummed
that I had to start over from the beginning. Honestly, mentally scared of the unknown.
| Hooposophy articles are written by Superhooper.org's Lara Eastburn All Rights Reserved |
| . |
Comments are updated nightly.
"Oh, yes! Have you read "the witch of portabello" by Paulo coehlo? The main character enters a meditative trance by dancing off beat. at first it feels foreign and
strange,then something spectacular happens." -9/20/10
"Another inspiring post Lara...I have to say that I REALLY dislike going in my "AC" :) But I recognize that it's something that is necessary for complete development.
Thanks for the reminder." - Sara www.thehappyhoop.com, 8/9/10
"I love this! I refer to "the other way" as my current of humility. Recently listening to the poet; David Whyte, he spoke of humility as being returned to the ground of your
being- literally from the word "humus" which means soil. Hooping the currents, allows us to be feel skilled, yet, still touch the beginners mind almost simultaneously.
When playing with my currents, in my minds eye, I see the spiral going up into the heavens where all is possible and then-switch, the spiral going down into the earth,
connecting me to this sweet planet. thanks for sharing your thoughts".- proudmari 7/24/10
"I feel very blessed that my first hooping experience was at a Hoop Path workshop with Baxter so I started out hooping in both currents. It still takes some mental
discipline to practice new or difficult core moves (alternate name for second current: the current of humility :) so I guess I hoop 60/40 overall in my practice first/second
current." - 7/23/10
"I just started trying to hoop the "other" way last week! It was a very scary thought for me, too, but once I actually tried it it's not so bad after all! All of my hooping buddys
spin counter clock wise (as well as the chick on the videos I've been watching) and I spin to the right. It makes it a little difficult for me to watch and learn since I have to
change everything around in my head first! I saw a girl at a festival a while back that would change the direction her hoop was going mid-spin and I was in love :) That's
one of my main goals right now! Good luck with yours!" - 7/14/10
"Hey Lara, In Cola town we call it "AC" or Alternate Current. No negative connotations attached. Just something that's an alternative to what you are already doing. :)"
-6/30/10
"Absolutely fascinating! I was originally inclined to begin hooping to the right (clockwise) However, at the time I started hooping most of the tutorials seemed to be
geared towards hooping to the left. So I forced myself to go left first. And this is my dominate direction as far as flow is concerned, but there is something about hooping
in my non dominate direction that just feels better. Interesting since it was my inclination to go that direction originally. As a side note I also and "goofy footed" when it
comes to snowboarding and skateboarding. Meaning I use my right foot forward where it is more common to put your left foot forward.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I'm still working on seeing her go counter clockwise." -6/30/10
"That was awesome Lara! And so true. Namaste, -Gypsy, 6/30/10
"Sorry to be a contrary, but your dancer graphic is a poor example. Her right arm and leg are lifted to the front, you can see this the profiles, as you observe her to the
observers right, ponytail precedes arm which precedes leg she spins clockwise from above counter clockwise from below from our perspective it would be antispin, a
negative vector. I'm a huge proponent of hooping in both directions and my practice involves a significant focus on both directions and has been from the start. However
in my case I certainly did have a dominant side from the very beginning. We tend to be one hand dominant from an early age, this affects how we lift and carry and
delegate tasks throughout our life. As time goes on you build up more muscle on one side and usually more flexibility on the opposing side. hooping in your opposite
direction helps break that down and gain both strength and mobility on both sides. It is I think one of the more healing aspects of hooping particularly for back and neck
pain. by the time we hit our twenties we've usually been rough on one half of our body and gentle to the other and the whole process twists us. restoring balance and
mobility goes a long way to improving things immediately and in the future." -Anonymous, 6/30/10 (*Author's Note: The dancer illusion is intended as an illustration of
our abilities to change perspective, and see what was once not visible to us at all. It does take some time to get the hang of it - but it's possible!) Click on the .gif to be
taken to the illusion's source and explanation..
"Oh, yes! Have you read "the witch of portabello" by Paulo coehlo? The main character enters a meditative trance by dancing off beat. at first it feels foreign and
strange,then something spectacular happens." -9/20/10
"Another inspiring post Lara...I have to say that I REALLY dislike going in my "AC" :) But I recognize that it's something that is necessary for complete development.
Thanks for the reminder." - Sara www.thehappyhoop.com, 8/9/10
"I love this! I refer to "the other way" as my current of humility. Recently listening to the poet; David Whyte, he spoke of humility as being returned to the ground of your
being- literally from the word "humus" which means soil. Hooping the currents, allows us to be feel skilled, yet, still touch the beginners mind almost simultaneously.
When playing with my currents, in my minds eye, I see the spiral going up into the heavens where all is possible and then-switch, the spiral going down into the earth,
connecting me to this sweet planet. thanks for sharing your thoughts".- proudmari 7/24/10
"I feel very blessed that my first hooping experience was at a Hoop Path workshop with Baxter so I started out hooping in both currents. It still takes some mental
discipline to practice new or difficult core moves (alternate name for second current: the current of humility :) so I guess I hoop 60/40 overall in my practice first/second
current." - 7/23/10
"I just started trying to hoop the "other" way last week! It was a very scary thought for me, too, but once I actually tried it it's not so bad after all! All of my hooping buddys
spin counter clock wise (as well as the chick on the videos I've been watching) and I spin to the right. It makes it a little difficult for me to watch and learn since I have to
change everything around in my head first! I saw a girl at a festival a while back that would change the direction her hoop was going mid-spin and I was in love :) That's
one of my main goals right now! Good luck with yours!" - 7/14/10
"Hey Lara, In Cola town we call it "AC" or Alternate Current. No negative connotations attached. Just something that's an alternative to what you are already doing. :)"
-6/30/10
"Absolutely fascinating! I was originally inclined to begin hooping to the right (clockwise) However, at the time I started hooping most of the tutorials seemed to be
geared towards hooping to the left. So I forced myself to go left first. And this is my dominate direction as far as flow is concerned, but there is something about hooping
in my non dominate direction that just feels better. Interesting since it was my inclination to go that direction originally. As a side note I also and "goofy footed" when it
comes to snowboarding and skateboarding. Meaning I use my right foot forward where it is more common to put your left foot forward.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I'm still working on seeing her go counter clockwise." -6/30/10
"That was awesome Lara! And so true. Namaste, -Gypsy, 6/30/10
"Sorry to be a contrary, but your dancer graphic is a poor example. Her right arm and leg are lifted to the front, you can see this the profiles, as you observe her to the
observers right, ponytail precedes arm which precedes leg she spins clockwise from above counter clockwise from below from our perspective it would be antispin, a
negative vector. I'm a huge proponent of hooping in both directions and my practice involves a significant focus on both directions and has been from the start. However
in my case I certainly did have a dominant side from the very beginning. We tend to be one hand dominant from an early age, this affects how we lift and carry and
delegate tasks throughout our life. As time goes on you build up more muscle on one side and usually more flexibility on the opposing side. hooping in your opposite
direction helps break that down and gain both strength and mobility on both sides. It is I think one of the more healing aspects of hooping particularly for back and neck
pain. by the time we hit our twenties we've usually been rough on one half of our body and gentle to the other and the whole process twists us. restoring balance and
mobility goes a long way to improving things immediately and in the future." -Anonymous, 6/30/10 (*Author's Note: The dancer illusion is intended as an illustration of
our abilities to change perspective, and see what was once not visible to us at all. It does take some time to get the hang of it - but it's possible!) Click on the .gif to be
taken to the illusion's source and explanation..
hooping
hoopdance
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Which way does the
dancer turn? You can train
yourself to see it both ways.
dancer turn? You can train
yourself to see it both ways.
Each time, I began to hoop the "other" way, I felt as though I were losing control -- and not just control of the hoop.
Knowing that each of us stores memories and knowledge in our muscles, I reasoned that I had hidden away some
intense stuff over on that side of the body that I use less often. For seven and a half years, I avoided it with a
vengeance, insisting that I kept that side hooping-ignorant so that I could remember in my teaching what it was like
Knowing that each of us stores memories and knowledge in our muscles, I reasoned that I had hidden away some
intense stuff over on that side of the body that I use less often. For seven and a half years, I avoided it with a
vengeance, insisting that I kept that side hooping-ignorant so that I could remember in my teaching what it was like
to learn. When I finally gave it a serious go at Ann Humphrey's Hoop Path workshop in
Atlanta, I joked that I would need a week and a very good shrink on hand if I were going
to go there in earnest. Except I wasn't exactly joking.
Ann explained to me hooping the "other" way in a way that sounded enticing. Invoking
the mind-body connection, she suggested that by working my weaker side I could also
bring out less-practiced parts of my personality. If I was a good talker, for instance, I
could learn to be a better listener -- just by exercising the other side of my body and the
hemisphere of my brain that controls it. Cool. I can't say the idea completely erased my
fears, but it certainly got me interested.
I took this a little further (and made it less scary) by imagining that the data stored in the
left side of my body contained everything I might have been if my life had taken a
different path. Every possibility, still there, waiting to be tapped. All the childhood
innocence, curiosity, and unconditional love that had been unwittingly dampened by the
inevitable cruelties of life. A clean slate, a blank page on which to create myself all over
again.
I tested this theory in Ann's workshop at the Hoop Path retreat a couple weeks ago, and
was simply stunned by what happened. I found myself hooping! And I was hooping well!
Atlanta, I joked that I would need a week and a very good shrink on hand if I were going
to go there in earnest. Except I wasn't exactly joking.
Ann explained to me hooping the "other" way in a way that sounded enticing. Invoking
the mind-body connection, she suggested that by working my weaker side I could also
bring out less-practiced parts of my personality. If I was a good talker, for instance, I
could learn to be a better listener -- just by exercising the other side of my body and the
hemisphere of my brain that controls it. Cool. I can't say the idea completely erased my
fears, but it certainly got me interested.
I took this a little further (and made it less scary) by imagining that the data stored in the
left side of my body contained everything I might have been if my life had taken a
different path. Every possibility, still there, waiting to be tapped. All the childhood
innocence, curiosity, and unconditional love that had been unwittingly dampened by the
inevitable cruelties of life. A clean slate, a blank page on which to create myself all over
again.
I tested this theory in Ann's workshop at the Hoop Path retreat a couple weeks ago, and
was simply stunned by what happened. I found myself hooping! And I was hooping well!
| Ah, the Coriolois effect! Try this exercise in shifting perspectives. With your finger pointing upward above your head, circle your finger in one direction. Lower your finger and look from above - now it appears to be turning the other way. |
But most importantly, I was hooping completely differently. My body felt unknown, but fluid. My movements were
unfamiliar, but intensely pleasant. And all I had done was change my mind about what I was attempting (and the
blindfold probably didn't hurt). Now, my non-dominant direction has shifted for me from a skill I should master to an
entire world of me that I get to explore.
Now I just need a better phrase for hooping the "other" way. Or, as the concept of non-dominant hooping fades
away for me, perhaps I'll have no need to call it anything at all.
unfamiliar, but intensely pleasant. And all I had done was change my mind about what I was attempting (and the
blindfold probably didn't hurt). Now, my non-dominant direction has shifted for me from a skill I should master to an
entire world of me that I get to explore.
Now I just need a better phrase for hooping the "other" way. Or, as the concept of non-dominant hooping fades
away for me, perhaps I'll have no need to call it anything at all.