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Statues Can't Hoop and You Can't Hurt Jell-O
How Hoop Bruises Help Your Flow
How Hoop Bruises Help Your Flow
Beginning to hoop can sometimes make you feel like Sisyphus - getting that hoop up, over and over again, just to
watch it fall back down. And when persistence finally gets us past that hurdle, here come the bruises! Hoop-
bruising comes up a lot online and seems a near-universal rite of passage for new hoopers. So, what's
happening? And how do you get it to stop?
watch it fall back down. And when persistence finally gets us past that hurdle, here come the bruises! Hoop-
bruising comes up a lot online and seems a near-universal rite of passage for new hoopers. So, what's
happening? And how do you get it to stop?
| Hooposophy articles are written by Superhooper.org's Lara Eastburn All Rights Reserved |
Comments are updated nightly.
"Hi Lara. I think this is an awesome post and has profound implications for all of us who look for signposts in our lives. We have
been taught to cover pain instead of understanding its gifts and messages. In my work as a Chiropractor, I come across this every
day and I love how you use hooping as a springboard to greater understanding. Thanks." - Steven, 8/23/10
"I love this post!! I too experienced lots of bruising that first month or so. one big guy on my hip, I swear it turned every color in the
rainbow and everyone I showed it to said "a hula hoop did that??" little do they know!! I also had green knee, only it was more
purple and pink! but I completely agree that the bruises are an amazing teacher! they're also a rite of passage for the true
hooper!" - 8/23/10
"Oh, I remember the grand old lady who taught me how to foot hoop. Her name was Bloody Nose. And the teacher who taught me
a back lasso, black eyebrow." - 8/22/10
"My 8 year old step-daughter woke up the next day after her first real day of hooping and lifted her shirt to show me an enormous
black bruise on her hip. I was so proud. I told her it was official, she was a hooper. And like a good little hooper, out the door she
went for round 2!" - 8/20/10
"I was proud of my first bruises, but wow did they hurt! Now I try to avoid leg bruises but they still happen. Good idea to watch the
"wake" of the movement, very good point and a great way to describe it." - 8/17/10
"My personal favorite learning tools were the green clover shoulder, and the bleeding ear ;-)" - 8/17/10
"I love what you are doing! Thanks for helping to keep me motivated. I have found that one of the best parts of hooping is sharing it
with others! Other hoopers PLEASE friend me on FB!" - Bridget Wood, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 8/17/10
"Hi Lara. I think this is an awesome post and has profound implications for all of us who look for signposts in our lives. We have
been taught to cover pain instead of understanding its gifts and messages. In my work as a Chiropractor, I come across this every
day and I love how you use hooping as a springboard to greater understanding. Thanks." - Steven, 8/23/10
"I love this post!! I too experienced lots of bruising that first month or so. one big guy on my hip, I swear it turned every color in the
rainbow and everyone I showed it to said "a hula hoop did that??" little do they know!! I also had green knee, only it was more
purple and pink! but I completely agree that the bruises are an amazing teacher! they're also a rite of passage for the true
hooper!" - 8/23/10
"Oh, I remember the grand old lady who taught me how to foot hoop. Her name was Bloody Nose. And the teacher who taught me
a back lasso, black eyebrow." - 8/22/10
"My 8 year old step-daughter woke up the next day after her first real day of hooping and lifted her shirt to show me an enormous
black bruise on her hip. I was so proud. I told her it was official, she was a hooper. And like a good little hooper, out the door she
went for round 2!" - 8/20/10
"I was proud of my first bruises, but wow did they hurt! Now I try to avoid leg bruises but they still happen. Good idea to watch the
"wake" of the movement, very good point and a great way to describe it." - 8/17/10
"My personal favorite learning tools were the green clover shoulder, and the bleeding ear ;-)" - 8/17/10
"I love what you are doing! Thanks for helping to keep me motivated. I have found that one of the best parts of hooping is sharing it
with others! Other hoopers PLEASE friend me on FB!" - Bridget Wood, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 8/17/10
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Why You're Bruising. When we begin our hoop-journeys, it's natural to think
that this giant ring of plastic requires a lot of effort on our part to keep going. So
we push. Hard. That hoop swings around and we think, "You're not falling this
time, sucka!" And thwack! We forcefully send up our hip to meet, greet, and
propel that tricky devil around once more.
What You're Learning. In my experience, bruising is your body's not-so-subtle
way of teaching you how little force you actually need to keep your hoop
revolving. I like to think of hoop-bruises as phenomenal teachers of this
foundational lesson. They teach you to ease up, slow down, and trust your hoop
to maintain its orbit with very little help from you.
that this giant ring of plastic requires a lot of effort on our part to keep going. So
we push. Hard. That hoop swings around and we think, "You're not falling this
time, sucka!" And thwack! We forcefully send up our hip to meet, greet, and
propel that tricky devil around once more.
What You're Learning. In my experience, bruising is your body's not-so-subtle
way of teaching you how little force you actually need to keep your hoop
revolving. I like to think of hoop-bruises as phenomenal teachers of this
foundational lesson. They teach you to ease up, slow down, and trust your hoop
to maintain its orbit with very little help from you.
When you are bruised, but continue to hoop*, you gradually learn to move just before your hoop reaches your
sore spot(s). If you watch closely, you may notice that your hoop is beginning to follow effortlessly in the wake of
your movements, rather than a wobbly, unsure, and unpredictable reaction to brute force. As you intuitively adjust
your movements to avoid the pain of the hoop smacking your bruises, you introduce your body to its first glorious
experiences of "flow" in your hoop.
sore spot(s). If you watch closely, you may notice that your hoop is beginning to follow effortlessly in the wake of
your movements, rather than a wobbly, unsure, and unpredictable reaction to brute force. As you intuitively adjust
your movements to avoid the pain of the hoop smacking your bruises, you introduce your body to its first glorious
experiences of "flow" in your hoop.
| Try this! How much force does your hoop actually need to keep going? Try hand-hooping overhead with three fingers, then just two, and finally ... discover that the power from one solitary finger provides all the momentum your hoop requires to revolve. |
| *Many consider "Arnica" the herbal patron saint of bruised hoopers. I am among them. I used the take-by-mouth, pellet kind, but others swear by the topical gel. Some medical conditions and medications complicate bruising, and some bruises just shouldn't be trifled with. Use common sense and consult your doctor if you are concerned about your bruising. |
Round Two... And Three ... And More? If you're like me, the hip-bruises won't be your last. I personally
repeated the black, blue, and green learning process twice more. With waist-hooping firmly "under my belt," I took
on the challenge of learning to torso-hoop. And that's when I received the gift I came to call the "Black Boob,"
followed a couple months later by the incredibly instructive "Green Knee." I was a hard case, I guess. These early
lessons were hard-won, but well-learned. I remain grateful to those bruises for providing me with the kind of
tough-love tutelage I needed to soften my groove.
Statues Can't Hoop and You Can't Hurt Jell-o. Which brings me to my last point. When we come upon brick
walls in our hooping, that brick wall is usually us. In our culture as a whole, we tend to be stiff folk. Stiff necks, stiff
shoulders, stiff hips. It can take a lot for some of us to loosen up ... and let go. My hoop and my early bruises had
volumes to teach me about both. "Statues can't hoop and you can't hurt Jell-o" was a mantra I found myself
repeating to stiff muscles and my once stubborn belief that I had to always get everything "right" the first time.
Soothe those bruises, make your body and mind supple, and settle in for a long, delightful, joyous, hoop-ride!
repeated the black, blue, and green learning process twice more. With waist-hooping firmly "under my belt," I took
on the challenge of learning to torso-hoop. And that's when I received the gift I came to call the "Black Boob,"
followed a couple months later by the incredibly instructive "Green Knee." I was a hard case, I guess. These early
lessons were hard-won, but well-learned. I remain grateful to those bruises for providing me with the kind of
tough-love tutelage I needed to soften my groove.
Statues Can't Hoop and You Can't Hurt Jell-o. Which brings me to my last point. When we come upon brick
walls in our hooping, that brick wall is usually us. In our culture as a whole, we tend to be stiff folk. Stiff necks, stiff
shoulders, stiff hips. It can take a lot for some of us to loosen up ... and let go. My hoop and my early bruises had
volumes to teach me about both. "Statues can't hoop and you can't hurt Jell-o" was a mantra I found myself
repeating to stiff muscles and my once stubborn belief that I had to always get everything "right" the first time.
Soothe those bruises, make your body and mind supple, and settle in for a long, delightful, joyous, hoop-ride!
| Ride Your Hoop! Want to get the most out of the beginner's learning curve? When you feel your hoop begin to falter, ride it all the way to the ground. Keep hooping, even if your hoop keeps falling.Try not to panic, just ride it. Your body is learning what to do differently every single time. |
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