Musings on Hoop Dance

One day, I would really like to create an introduction to hooping video, so I can capture the imagination of those with idle curiosity (and to refer people to it). Everything else that comes once you get into the hoop is part of the journey.

There is a junior high class that will be joining me for one day in December over at Trico, which I am pretty excited about. 18 kids plus teachers.

Understandably, the teacher asked for a description of hooping. I really should write one. Till then, I passed along 3 videos that I feel describe it fairly well as far as the way I see it. Enjoy!

The Hoop Revolution - a Ted Talk

Cristabel discovers Hoop Dance for Fitness

Monday Morning Hoop Flow

Uptight but Everything's Alright

Its been awhile since my last post. I must admit that the flood impacted my momentuum, but with autumn on its way, hopefully more opportunities will fall my way. (Yes, I do think I'm witty).

Tonight I have a demo HULA HOOP class at the Acadia Aquatic & Rec Center which is right up the road from where I live - I am SUPER excited about it! I made a great "feel good" playlist to keep us dancing.

Here it is!

Harry Belafonte - Man Smart (Woman Smarter)
Delerium - Silence
Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart  
Imogen Heap - have you got it in you
Sonique - It Feels So Good
Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Daft Punk - Around The World
Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights, Bigger City
Calvin Harris - Sweet Nothing feat. Florence Welch
Imogen Heap - Bad Body Double
Destiny's Child - Bootylicious
Huey Lewis & The News - Hip To Be Square
Parov Stelar - Libella Swing
Stevie Wonder - I Wish
Jully Black - Seven Day Fool
Gabin - doo_uap_doo_uap_doo_uap
Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting
ANGELIQUE KIDJO feat. PETER GABRIEL - SALALA
Master Cylinder - Jung At Heart (from Volkswagon Commercial)
Maxwell - Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)

I'm going to do my best to keep you posted on how things go!
Have fun out there!

~J

Fruit Salad Popcicles

Looking for a treat to cool you down?

Fruit Salad Popcicles
1 Peach, cored & diced
1 Kiwis, peeled & diced
1 handful Blueberries
2 handfuls Strawberries, hulled & diced
350-500ml white grape juice

Snugly arrange some of each fruit into your popcicle molds.
Pour just enough juice in to cover the fruit.
Insert the sticks or holder portion of the mold
Freeze till solid.

Watermelon Breeze

 

A fresh, light and low calorie summer drink that is an easy breezy treat! All you need is a blender.

Fill your blender about 3/4 full of seedless cubed chilled watermelon,
Squeeze in some fresh lime
Add a sprig of mint
Ice cubes if desired
Add in about 1/2 cup - 1 cup coconut water to your your preference.

Blend till smooth and enjoy!

Roughly 90 calories per serving

Astonishing Thirst Quenching Smoothie

Okay I just made the most thirst quenching smoothie ever.
You HAVE to try this!

1 cube** of Celery
1 cube of Spinach
1 cube of Cranberry
1 frozen apple***, thawed (only take about 15/20minutes!) cut in half, cored & squeezed into cup
1/4 cup lemonade flavored Gatorade (leftover from yesterday's workout)
~Blend really well. Its going to look disgusting and somewhat frothy but give it a try. I was surprised enough by it to tell YOU about it!

**I pre-prep most of my smoothie ingredients so I can throw them into my Bullet and go.
To prep fruit & veggies into cubes you will need an ice cube tray you don't want to use for ice anymore. This is because once you use it for spinach or kale or anything green, there will forever be a green malady on the tray even though you will scrub and scrub... anyhoo...

Trim away any parts of the veggies/fruit you deem unworthy for consumption and wash thoroughly, then chop up roughly. Shove it into your Bullet or blender, add a teensy bit of water to get the whole thing going. I usually get a tray of cubes using about 3/4 of my Bullet cup worth of blended veggies/fruit. Freeze! I store the cubes in an old mixed nuts container in the freezer so I can use the tray for the next batch.

***I mostly make cubes out of veggies - mostly because I dislike chopping, but fiberous items like Rhubarb need the extra effort and are SO worth adding to your smoothies!  Other items like apples and bananas are great to freeze whole. There is something miraculous about the freeze/thaw process that mushes the fruit pulp and releases every ounce of liquid goodness. More than you expect, I bet!
Banana Bread & Apple Crisp is so much less work with this!

The Heart Moving - a poem by Neal Goshal

The Heart Moving - a poem by Neal Goshal

Scratch your left ear with your right foot by all means

But show me how your heart moves
Stand on your head til the cows come home
Or show me a thousand different points of view
Flip flop and drop back
Another 108 sun salutes just like that,
But I’d rather know if you can meet every edge in your body with kindness
If you have the courage to uncover and tolerate the truth about yourself
And lift your neighbor across fields of muddy waters
Bending over backwards to offer out whatever you have left.

The absolute gift of breath flowing with consumate ease through every joint
The moment to moment knowledge of how each beautiful step initiates, transfers and completes
Gliding quietly and smoothly, transition after transition
The quiet grace of the wild cat
Each dawn awakening fresh and vibrant
And the night, not a collapse in a heap, but a presence to the wonderful art of resting
Liquid pouring onto the earth
Facing the end with a breathing center
And be held with great love

And turn and wonder, “My beloved, how does kindness move here?”

Neal Goshal of Sacred Moves, a New Zealand-based yoga, dance and bodywork center hosting yoga teacher trainings at Kawaipurapura in north Auckland.