Body longing.

I've been obsessed over the past few days with learning a series of spins in a video clip I watched on YouTube. You begin spinning within the hoop, then the hoop is lifted up at an angle and eventually comes to rest horizontally on the base of the spine, all the while continuing to spin. It's quite the optical illusion. I have watched that video clip over and over and over [some times even on my iPhone during my practice], trying to nail it down.

I think I've pretty much got it. I just need to iron out the kinks, as is usual when I learn a new move.

[And just as a side note, someone needs to write an encyclopaedia of hoop moves. I often have no words to describe the moves I'm doing within the hoop. It's frustrating.]

I've noticed that I often become obsessed with a move or combination of moves. It might be something I've seen on a video clip or it might be something that originated in my head. I get what I can only describe as a physical longing to execute that move, and the only thing that will ease the longing is to actually do it.

For example, a month ago I could not get the idea out of my head of describing circles with my hoop while spinning. I worked on this idea during my practice but still my body ached for that right move. Then one weekend, while doing the dishes with my stepdaughter, it suddenly popped into my head. I grabbed my hoop, ran outside, and began hooping - a series of circles alternating above my head and down by my knees, all the while spinning.

Perfect, said my body. And for the next week I did that combination of moves continuously, just because it felt good. Now my body has absorbed the combination and it's part of my hooping repertoire. It's a move I enjoy but don't think about too much these days.

Some days I'll be watching television and think, "I will self-combust if I don't pick up my hoop right now and do a J throw." Or I'm at work and I have to scoot off with my hoop for a few moments to do some elbow hooping. John is probably used to me jumping out of bed and hooping naked in the bedroom for a few minutes before I get dressed.

Just because I have to.

In other news, my participation in hoop30 is going really well. I'm hooping for between 30 and 60 minutes every day [ideally I'd like to get in 90 minutes but that's not always realistic]. I'm delighted I've had the motivation to be out hooping at 7am, or soon after, the past two mornings. The photo above is me hooping at 7am today. The hoop30 facebook book group is busy, lively and inspiring. It's so encouraging to hear about other people's experience of their hoop practice.