SPIN BLOG

Este es el primer “upa” yo hice de solomente material natural y organica! Estoy emocionada para mas exploracion en el construccion de upas sin plastico. Este upa linda es de Colihue (un primo de bamboo) y vid de la selva de Sur Chile , y es super funcional, tambien. Que vakan y divertido y bueno para nuestros cuerpos y el medio ambiente!

This is the first hoop I made of only natural and organic materials! I am very excited for more exploration in the construction of hoops without plastic. This pretty hoop is made of Colihue (a cousin of bamboo) and vine from the jungle of Southern Chile, and is super-functional also. How cool and fun and good for our bodies and the environment!

This past week I had the great pleasure of working with my talented friends Karin and Ricardo from Valparaiso on the creation of a new hoop-dance-music video piece about home; one of both documentation and art. At the end of the week, we’d traveled great distances with hoops and cameras in tow, through and around native trees of rainforest, homogenous pine plantations, paths big enough to hold trucks full of cut-down trees, and small enough to be fit for only the strongest of ferns and most agile of human passerby’s. We talked about home. I hooped about home. We thought many hours about how we define home, what we need in order to feel at home, and how we find and hoop our way home. I explained how my personal definition of home is a web of many special people in different places across the earth, and also- like the spider who spins a community around themselves, I am the most consistent and present definitions of home that I know. In turn, looking both outward towards connections, and also looking inward with true self-love, I can be the most present and positive as possible in my body. Additionally, aided by the constant hug and boundary-defining support of the hoop, I am aware that I hold in myself the greatest home that I can realize. Here’s a silouhoop shot captured by Ricardo on the final day of filming as the moon steadily gained attention in the darkening blue sky~ Muchas gracias Korin y Ricardo por todo. !Paz y luz a Ustedes!

Having recently increased my amount of time writing and therefore my general sitting-still time, I am realizing more each day how important the pure physical movement of hooping is in my everyday life. Our bodies are simply not designed to be so sedentary. How perfect an outlet is hooping for our modern day “sit-tense-and-staring” style of life that so many 9-5ers, computer users(!), factory-workers, writers, & students, etc. tend to employ on the daily. As children, we instinctively know the importance of play and movement. Youth who go into the average, western-style school system become fast-acculturated to the ways of sitting still and quiet in order to ‘learn properly.’ After years of this lifestyle, our bodies are typically prone to poor posture, inflexibility, tension you don’t even want to mention, and a host of other unpleasantries. Hooping is an easy and inexpensive way for people to feel comfortable to get up, stand up, and stretch up, inside our bodies that are carrying around so much stress and often many insecurities, and literally hoop the ‘nor-maladies’ out of you~ leaving much of the good stuff: the positive feelings, the utilized muscles, the neural pathways firing, the broad movement paths, as well as the more subtle, specific, and delicate movements paths, too. You can hoop yourself into your true height and body size and style of being in your particular skeleton. You can hoop yourself into the dancer that you already are~ as frequently the hoop acts rather magically like a security blanket for your inner movement artist to be born and to flourish forth. Loosen your hips and shoulder-tips more than you ever thought possible. Strengthen and increase flexibility anywhere you spin~ including around the commonly-overlooked hands and wrists, so often pained with carpal-tunnely ‘office-ness’ syndrome that many of us know all too well. The gifts just keep on giving as long as you keep on spinning… so do as the ol’ song says and don’t stop til you get enough! With your very own and very special Hooping Powers. It is truly a wondrous thing~

Hola Amigos Del Mundo~ While I usually write posts in the English language, right now I am finding home to be in the Southern part of Chile- where I will be holding my first hooping workshop in the coming weeks. Therefore, what follows is a description in the Spanish language for Chileans (or any other Spanish-speakers) who may be interested in learning a bit more about this joyful revolution before boldly venturing out to a workshop, or “taller” to experience great fun and wellness…

Ula~Ula, o “UPA”~ es un movimiento moderno, revolución de felicidad, y un nacimiento de paz. La gente en todo el mundo aprendan de la revolución de la oopa~ upando! Las ula ulas (o “upas”) que ocuparemos son mas grandes que las ula ulas del pasado y de la generación de nuestros padres. Entonces, estas upas son más fáciles para aprender y usar, y más personas pueden upar! Las personas que quieren buena salud usan la upa para sentirse muy bien, como niños, además para cuidar los kilos y desarrollar músculos fuertes. La upa también es muy buena para la salud porque estimula los dos lados del cerebro. Cuando upas en las dos direcciones (a la izquierda y a la derecha) mejoras tu equilibrio. Upar es como un abrazo constante, es una meditación en movimiento muy bello. Al practicar con la upa estarás rodeado de más paz, amor y compasión en tu vida. Entonces, ayuda con la ascensión del espíritu. Upar ayuda a tu cuerpo sentir todas las sensaciones y seguir el camino de tu alma. Puedes upar con todo tu cuerpo: el tronco, por supuesto, pero también con tus manos, tus brazos, tu cuello, tu pecho, tus piernas, y tus pies. Jóvenes o viejos, toda la gente puede upar! La revolución de la upa es como una mandala, un gran cambio social, como los ciclos de la vida y la historia del mundo. La upa conecta a toda la gente, los animales, las plantas, y el universo.

…Junto conmigo en este primero taller de “upa” (ula-ula) moderno en Valdivia. No es necesario tener experienca. Adultos son bienvenidos, y jovenes también. 3 mil para publico general, y 2 mil para estudiantes. Habrán “upas” grandes y pequeños para usar en clase, y podrán comprarlos también. Mas detalles del taller vendra pronto… ¡VIVA LA UPA!