HoopPath:  Philadelphia 12/14-15/2008!

HoopPath: Philadelphia

Okay, okay, okay.  We know this is really short notice, yet sometimes things just work out that way.  We are excited to have this opportunity to come to Philly for our very first HP workshop in the “City of Brotherly Love.”  Because of scheduling we will be offering a rather unique structure for our two day workshop series.  Our first day, will be four hours long (we will have a short break in the middle) on Sunday afternoon from 3:00 pm to 7 pm at Studio 34 Yoga.  Part Two of our workshop will last two hours on Monday night from 8:30 to 10:30 pm.  and will also be at Studio 34 Yoga.  We realize these times are unconventional, but this is the HoopPath, you know.  

Every workshop we hold is different in every city and we’re excited to see what will happen in Philadelphia.  The first day should be rather physical and will essentially be a crash course in the HoopPath techniques and meditations.   Although our workshops are intended for all skill levels, we generally teach to the predominate skill level present in the studio.   Therefore, given Philly’s reputation for hooping, we doubt the first day will be very ‘beginner.’  If you are a beginner:  don’t worry.  We won’t leave you behind, but there will (most likely) be some material that you will find very challenging.  We believe in offering all our students techniques to help them with where they are at, as well as, where they are headed.

Our first day in Philly will be rigorous.  Please bring lots of water and comfortable, snug fitting (yoga-like) clothing.  If you show up in jeans, you will probably regret it.  Trust us, you will get a thorough working out.

All HP events are BYOH.  (Please:  no noisemaking hoops or noisemaking props.  Thanks.  I get easily distracted.)

We are offering two options as far as tickets go:  You can purchase the Sunday workshop (”One Day”) only or you can purchase Sunday and Monday together (this is the “2 Day” option).  Unfortunately, because the workshops build on each other, we are not offering Monday only tickets. (Just to be clear:  if you buy the one day pass that is for Sunday.)

Here are logistics:

WHERE:  Studio 34 Yoga, 4522 Baltimore Ave, West Philadelphia PA
(http://studio34yoga.com)

WHEN:  Sunday Dec. 14th, 3pm to 7pm
Monday Dec. 15th, 8:30pm to 10:30pm

HOW MUCH:  Sunday only:  $80
Sunday & Monday: $120

Thank you so much, Philly.  We can’t wait to see you there! Please feel free to email us any questions at ann@hooppath.com.

Buy tickets to HP: Philly here!

 Kevin Brock (1971-2008)

It is with great difficulty that my fingers transmit these words to all of you, near and far, that our Brother, Friend, and Drummer Kevin Brock passed from this place over the last weekend.  Kevin was the man who drummed for us on both of our Retreats.  He and his rhythms carried what is for most of us the most meaningful event of the whole weekend, the Ascension Fire.  It’s Kevin’s drumming that is the soundtrack for both of the videos Enrique Vega created documenting the Retreat and my work with the HPT.  The cause of his death has yet to be officially determined, it is believed that he died of natural causes in his sleep at his home.  There are so many reasons that his death is a tragedy:  he was just 37, he had married his longtime partner only two weeks ago, he told me the last time we spoke that his “path” was his music and that he shared it with us as a Service to a greater Beauty.  There are as many reasons to grieve as stars in the sky above.  I can only imagine the pain his friends and family are feeling.

Kevin and I were not close as chums who spoke regularly.  Yet, Kevin and I would openly discuss the “brotherly/Tribal” feeling we felt towards one another.  To be honest, and to his Glory, I think a lot of those who came upon Kevin in their journeys felt tribal with him, as well.  He was just that kind of guy.  While Kevin and I had a working relationship, I think we both felt that our collaborations were meant to be.  He told me how grateful he was to be a part of both of our HP retreats.  He told me, “Thank you for trusting me to hold this space for all of you.”  Can you imagine:  This instrument of Holy God thanking me for asking him to be a part of our gathering?

*** I’m going to pray here.***

Spirit Wind, this Living Earth, this celestial manifestation of your Divinity, returns to you your Channel, our Friend, Kevin Brock.  We do not hand him over without profound sadness and enormous loss in our breaking hearts.  He touched his drum, your great instrument here, and in so doing guided your tender touch to our needy hearts.   His hands created stillness in the flowing rhythms of your Glory, and between those blessed hands we tasted the delicious nectar of Hope, of Promise, of a Grace Eternal.  Humbly, I ask that you take care of our good friend, Kevin.   I have a feeling he’s missing his wife, his family, and his large group of friends left here behind him.  Will you cradle this Angel in your arms and reassure him that he is missed in so many ways beyond my earthly words can express?  Please, please, please carry these words to him, and I will ask no more of you today,

“Kevin, I am so touched to have known you.  You have no idea how honored I was that you joined me in my vision of creating positive rhythm generation two years ago.  So many of those who came to the Retreat the last two years wrote to me to thank me for your inclusion in our most special Fire ceremony.  When we went on top of that hill over the summer filming with Enrique, I thanked God for that moment.  I felt such a connection to you and yet I knew so little about your daily life here.  You went too soon for me, my Brother.  I know that you would ask me not to make sense of it all, but to accept the gift of your life from God and be Thankful.  My heart breaks.  The world has lost another artist too soon.  So, in your Honor, I thank God for you and your Work without restraint, and without hesitancy.  Thank you, Kevin, for your Sharing, your Teaching, and your Love.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  May God carry this hug, this kiss, and this Love to you, now.

Love!  Love!  Love!”

A Warrior bows to you.

Amen.

Hoop Camp Reflections

I’m back home in Carrboro, NC, this morning sitting with a cold, half-full, cup of coffee next to me trying to sort out my thoughts and feelings about my visit to northern California this past weekend for the first ever Hoop Camp. I’m still a little dizzy from the experience. Yet, I don’t want to let this moment pass without writing my thoughts and feelings down before day-to-day life takes back over. Forgive me for the lack of organization here, but I, too often, let moments like this pass while struggling to make written sense of it all. This event was important enough to me that I’m willing to ask for some forgiveness before this stream of consciousness begins its flow. My apologies to every English teacher I’ve ever had.

Before I get going with my thoughts on the weekend, I’ll set the stage for some of you who could not make it. Hoop Camp was held at a retreat center amongst tall redwood trees and a Sun that kept us warm most of the day. The event, organized by Heather Troy of Santa Cruz, CA, was a collection of workshops given by various teachers and performers over a very dense, tightly scheduled weekend. Each teacher was given 50 minutes (taught 3 times) to share some of their hoop knowledge/Flow with hoopers of all skill sets and backgrounds. With over ninety tickets sold (the event was sold-out), Heather organized a flow rotation of three groups moving between three workshops, one after the other. The system allowed for each student to take every workshop if they were so moved.

In order to teach all of my classes that week, Ann and I had to take a very early flight (5:30 a.m. boarding time) on Friday morning in order to be in Santa Cruz on time. Ann, Beth, and myself had asked Heather if we could combine our blocks so that we could present together. Heather complied by giving us the lone, opening workshop on Friday night. This was great for us because we were able to relax for the rest of the weekend, but it did present us with challenges. The biggest challenge was that the entire camp had the opportunity to be present which meant a workshop of possibly 95 hoopers (83 actually attended.)

I don’t want to spend too much time talking about our workshop effort, but it felt good to us. I’m always second guessing myself, but I felt good about my part when it was over. I was, admittedly, swept up in the emotion of standing in the middle of 83 hoopers, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. To be honest, I felt unusually at ease. My goal was to create a space for the entire weekend, and I believe that was achieved. It was my first time co-teaching with anyone else in a workshop, and it was a pleasure to share the space with two very special friends of mine. I thought Ann and Beth did a very good job, but I’ll save my thoughts on our workshop for another blog. I imagine most who are reading this are scanning by now, so I’ll skip ahead to my thoughts about the workshops I attended as a student.

On Saturday morning, I sleepily headed down to Bunny Hoopstar’s workshop on working with multiple hoops. I had overslept, so with coffee in hand, I watched from the fence the last ¾’s of her first section. Then, I stepped into the second one as a full participant. I found Bunny to be captivating, informative, and exceptionally smooth in her very matter-of-fact presentation style. Her lesson plan was aggressive, but very rewarding. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to take the same shop three times in row. I hated to break from the schedule, but I enjoyed the moment so much, I just decided to stay there. Bunny is a really bright light in Australia and I am honored to call her my friend.

The second workshop set after lunch included Spiral, Sharna Rose, and Shredder. Sharna’s workshop was a lot of fun. Her emphasis was on play as a muse. She created an open, safe space for us to push ourselves into new territories of exploration. Sharna’s hooping is ridiculously excellent. I have never, ever, seen such a repertoire of moves. I don’t like to rank hoopers, but I believe she is one of the leading hoop talents in the world and she deserves every bit of praise that she receives.

Shredder’s workshop was more a performance than a workshop for me. I love Shredder. We have known each other a while, and in that time she has really stepped into herself. Her workshop was a chance for me to be inspired by her strength and flexibility. I tried to keep up, but when we got to the backbends and headstands, I just sat back and watched. Her point that our bodies needed to be loose in order to be strong hit home for me and I hope to work more stretching into my practice.

Spiral’s workshop was my most anticipated. Spiral and I go way back. She and I are forever linked and being with her this weekend I realized again how strong my Love for her still is. Spiral was my first hoop buddy and her Belief in my teaching has always been a Wind at my back. She executed her workshop flawlessly and thoroughly. She was mobbed at the end of her workshop with students asking questions and lavishing praises on her. I have seen that happen everywhere she goes. I used to joke that Spiral was my personal cloak of invisibility. Nothing has changed. Without much effort, when Spiral starts to spin I (and just about everyone else) fade into the background. Having said that, I still found Spiral very well balanced between humility and honesty. One of the weeds that grows in our collective Garden, is the “I’m gonna tell you how bad I am, so you call tell me how good I am” dandelion. Spiral owned her experience as a known hoop performer and teacher and taught confidently from that vantage point. She didn’t apologize once for being good or admired by others, and I think it made us all feel better about ourselves. Everyone knows Spiral is my favorite hooper and Sister, but my Love for her is not the sole source of my praise. She was just that good, and I have one more reason to brag about knowing her.

That night’s workshops were sewing and fire hooping.  I’m not as into fire hooping as most of the community, so I took the time to head down to the Great Field that night for a very, very rare “guys only + Beth and Erica” hoop jam. Yes, my fellow males, it happened! We unapologetically listened to Dead Prez, P.E., Paris, Tool, Rage, and anything else I could dust off in my collection that was full of angst. It was great, but none of us complained when the girls finally showed up. Patrick showed up later with 25 of his PSY hoops and the sky was lit up with spinning LED’s. It was quite stunning. Well… I’m guessing it was. I was blind most of the time. (Crowds make me nervous.)

The next morning we had three workshops scheduled. My first was Christabel’s. For those of you who do not know Christabel, she is the owner of the hoop company, HoopGirl. If we were to imagine hoop instruction courses as martial art “Dojo’s” [a Kimowan McClain concept], then I would say that I truly realized the power and influence of the HoopGirl Dojo this weekend. Christabel has created a language that is so widely used it is astonishing. I feel as though the entire hoop Community has something for which to thank her. I certainly do feel an enormous sense of Gratitude. As I looked around and saw so many she has taught or taught how to teach, I realized, though she and I are good friends, that I have (unknowingly) underestimated her impact. As a member of this Community, I would like to thank her for all of the hard work she has done in building Hooping into what it is today. Her workshop was so far outside of my box, that I found myself wonderfully, pleasantly, hopelessly lost in her Method. If Anah’s workshop had not been next, I would have stayed for two more.

Anah’s workshop was focused on core techniques and “yumminess.” For you HP out there, Yumminess is most closely akin to the Maidan idea of “Inclination.” Doing what feels goods will create a very powerful momentum according to Anah. I, wholeheartedly, agree. My experience of taking Anah’s workshop was really about saying, “amen” a lot. Anah and I also go back a ways. It was good to hear from another “gray-Feather” within the hooping world. She emphasized Flow and personal attraction to moves and techniques, rather than mastery and stature and I found myself sitting right in the middle of her proverbial choir. She let us know she is working on a DVD and I look forward to its eventual release.

The last workshop for me that day was a discussion facilitated by Shakti (sp?) and AliCat of the Boulder hoop tribe. I was exhausted after the two previous workshops, so I had NO problem relaxing in a circle of Hoopers as they discussed the road ahead for hoop entrepreneurs. There was lots of good advice amongst the participants in the circle. I really enjoyed Marjorie and Rob’s advice, but that is for another blog. Shakti and AliCat held the group loosely and I thought that was a smart and helpful tactic. The conversation turned many times, but was always healthy.

And then, it was over. Those participants who could still move without aching, hooped one last time and then we scattered back to our corners of the country.

The weekend felt good, and I hope I’ll find the motivation to write more about it. I’m still processing what went on, and I’m sure that I have left information out.

Thank you to Heather for the amazing job she did herding cats and creating space for so many of us. Thank you to all the presenters who came and gave so generously of their gifts. Thank you to all the participants who made this weekend beautiful by sharing their beauty and voice.

This is a short video shot, edited, and produced by a man named, Enrique Vega.  He has a website called creatorsdream.tv through which he intends to showcase those persons who are creating and developing their own, unique “realities.”  He is just getting started with this project, but we are very grateful for his interest in the HoopPath and the community it inspires.  (Enrique Vega and the Creator’s Dream website are not a part of the HoopPath company.)  If you have any questions for Enrique, or if you would like to inquire about his talents and services, please feel free to contact him through his website.   If you like the video, please feel free to comment and share some Love.  

Hello, Raleigh Hoopers,I just wanted to drop a quick note and let everyone know how excited I am to be entering my second session teaching hooping in Raleigh at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio (www.movingmantrayoga.com). Last session we offered two classes at 5:45 and 7:30. For this session, we have moved the start of our first class back to 6:00 pm and our second class will begin at 7:30 as always. Each class runs for 1.5 hours.Moving Mantra Yoga Studio200 Sawmill Rd # 101Raleigh, NC 27615(919) 449-0530For this session, we have also designated our 6:00 class as our “Advanced” class and our 7:30 as our Foundations class. If you are new to hooping, the second class is for you. We are already have students registered for both classes and I’m excited to have new faces joining us.(If you have not been to a HoopPath class, you can find out more by clicking the “Classes” tab at the bottom of this page.)***Just so you know, Moving Mantra while beautiful, is pretty small for hooping. We are going to limit the number of students to 10 for each class. If you want to secure yourself a place, please register with Cyndi at MovingMantra.com. Should we have open spots, they will be “first come, first served.” If you are registered we will guarantee you a spot.Thank you, Raleigh Hoop Community for giving me a chance to meet and hoop with you.Baxter

The following is an excerpt from a response of mine on an online forum. You can read to entire exchange by clicking here. The initial poster, Sharna Rose, asked for feelings and thoughts regarding the practice of hooping blindfolded.

You have asked about a technique that has meant so much to me on this path, that I feel compelled to add my thoughts to this discussion. Reading these posts is very funny for me, because all of the reasons that have been mentioned have at one time or the other been a reason for me to go blind. Eventually, all the reasons grew together into a very solid acceptance of the blindfold’s place and importance in my Training.

My ancestors of the Hoop have said to me repeatedly, “There are many Winds.” It certainly applies to the use of blindfolds in one’s Practice. It’s not for everybody. Each of us takes hold of this world in different ways. For some, their eyes are essential in finding and moving about holds on the proverbial climbing wall. Without sight, some have told me it feels as though they are in ‘freefall.’ To have these types of Hoopers blindfold themselves is equivalent to spinning them around until dizzy and asking them to then run as fast as they can. I have had the honor of hooping with other ‘Madres’ and I can say that each of them had different relationships to being blindfolded: some of them used blindfolds a lot, some not so much.

My own experience with the blindfold has honestly been life changing. There are two main reasons I started hooping blind: the first reason, was that I was tired of worrying about witnessing someone’s reaction to my hooping in my backyard, the second reason was that I (later) did not want to be witness to anything other than the pe*A*ce (rhythmic balance) between my hoop and myself. As time has gone on, I have pulled further and further away from the outside world when I am Within no matter what or where the setting.

It was at Burning Man in 2006, when I first started hooping Blind in public spaces. It was weird at first, but I remember being nervous and thinking the blind would calm my nerves. It did. I think I might have only hooped ten minutes or less when I came out. A woman came up to me and hugged me and said, “Thank you for your gift.” I am so grateful she was the first person I saw for I took it to Heart. (I had gone that year to ‘give’ my hooping prayers to the Playa.)

One of the biggest reasons I used the blindfold early on is that, unfortunately, for most of my life, demons (insecurities) have used the gateways of my eyes to infiltrate my consciousness. Like mosquitoes, they come inside and bite me again and again, breaking my concentration and creating a chaotic discomfort within which I can find no peace. Demons have a way of needling me with useless questions regarding my appearance to others and mocking my replies. At the end of most days, I think these conversations are more destructive than helpful, and I find my participation in these exchanges to be moments of life not fully lived. So I go blind, thus, denying an entry to these triggers of insecurity. Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t have insecure feelings when hooping blind. Rather, it means there are fewer and therefore, I am not as overwhelmed and I am able to be more present within the Current of that moment. Subsequently, those moments of real connection and presence strengthen my resolve to work on the weaknesses upon which these demons feed. Going blind is not a denial of insecurity, but of its triggers. Wrestling with one insecurity can be enough to inhibit one’s expression, but taking on many insecurities at once can flat out destroy it. A Warrior understands that the isolated foe is more easily defeated than when in the company of his allies. By going blind, I am able to have greater control of when and how I deal with my weaknesses and insecurities. The result of this training, for me, is that it now takes much more nasty and vicious demons, to break me from Calm than it once did (both in and out of my hoop.)

As a teacher of Hooping, I think there is much to learn from being blindfolded away from the reasons I just mentioned. Sometimes, hoopers are more connected to what move they are going to pull off next, than to what rhythms are happening in the now. “Next. Next. Next.” As a hoop mantra can create a “hurry up” tempo and disrupt a natural Flow from forming. From what I have experienced, Flow gathers itself like winds do. I have seen in many of my students and in my own practice, that the blindfold seems to awaken a Patience in hoopers. Whatever the reason may be, there is, very often, a noticeable difference in the way someone moves the moment the blindfold is put on. Many, many times the difference is that their hooping looks smoother and more organic. Again, this does not apply to everyone, but I have seen it happen a lot since I began teaching.
If asked, I would probably say that I am a better hooper when I am not blind, but my best hoop feelings have almost all come when I was blindfolded. Probably for that reason more than any other these days, I spend about 70 percent of my practices hooping blind. I think it definitely is worth a try for everyone once.

[The teacher in me won’t let me get out of here without saying that I think it is good to condition yourself to hooping blind. For me, the initial feeling of disorientation and dizziness went away as I worked my way into longer and longer sessions.]

I love reading this tribe. Thanks to all of you who post here.

It was about two years ago that I had adopted the motto of “Without Hope or Fear.” I adopted it from a book called “M”, which was an excellent book about the life of one of my favorite artists. He was, and is, known in the art world today as Carvaggio (this was actually the name of the town that he was from.) He was a violent and conflicted man, but also an artistic Channel. Brooding and tortured by vice in his daily life, “M” was a master of light rendering and emotional indexing with a brush in his hand. His paintings and his life were both so dimly lit, that he remains almost as much a mystery today as he did to his contemporaries back then.

“Without Hope or Fear” developed into a mindset for me after reading “M”. I felt free of the “wishing” taught to me in Sunday school. I felt, then, that Hope and Fear were two sides of the same coin. While letting go of fear was easy to understand, letting go of Hope felt almost controversial to this preacher’s kid. Inside of me, there was push and pull over the usefulness of Hope. Ultimately, I let go of Hope and fear because I believed they were concepts based on “what is not” rather than “what is.”

It wasn’t easy to do, however.

I spent my first eighteen years in Church. Hope is such a big concept in the Church. So much so, that I had an unexpected conversation (I was super-enthused about this approach) with my Father when I explained my new (latest) attitude to him.

“If that’s where you’re at, then I guess that’s where you’re at.” he said. “That’s not where I would wanna be, though.”

‘Weakness!’ I decried internally.

He went on to say, “I just can’t imagine wanting to live without Hope.” Now, two years later, I can’t imagine it either, Dad. We spend so much time focusing on our physical losses as we get older, that sometimes we forget that most of us are wiser than we have ever been before. I like to think that my recent re-embracement of Hope is a fruit of this new Wisdom.

Without Hope this world is dying. Without Hope, our partners may never ‘get’ us. Without Hope, our children may never appreciate us. Without Hope, we may be doomed to a life of isolation. Without Hope, all we are today may be all we will ever be. Without Hope, we begin dying. With it, we begin living.

I say this to you, knowingly over-stepping my position as your hoop instructor, Hope is optimism. Hope is Belief. Hope is Love’s enduring presence. Hope is that we will reach points Higher. Hope is that there is still mystery and beauty beyond what our eyes record. Hope is that there IS a way out, through, or over. Hope, I say to you, is not a “wish” but a belief in making the most of what is at hand. Hope is a nutrient for the Spirit self. Hope. Hope. Hope. To each their own, but I can not live a life without Hope any longer. I, understand, the finite nature of the Earth’s resources, I understand the increased levels of violence in this world, I understand that there are more cancers than ever before, I understand that capitalism is killing us, I understand that biofuels may not be the best idea, I understand that one man isn’t going to change all that is wrong with this country, I understand that many are without food, I understand that the Earth is cooking, I understand that health care is too expensive, I understand that I can’t spend my whole life hooping, I understand that one day I will die. I get it. I know that Life has an ugly side. I know that there are those who hate me. I know it. I see it. I don’t deny any of it.

“That’s not where I wanna be, though.”

I choose to live in a world of Hope. I choose to live in a world of Promise. I choose to live in a world of laughter. I choose to live in a world of young children with big, uncorrupted eyes looking back up at me. I choose to live in world of brothers who walk again, of sons who come home again. I choose to live in a world where scorched Earth grows green again. I choose to live in a world where Life is precious because it is fleeting. I choose to live in world where “you mean a lot to me” means a lot to me. I choose to live in the world of Hope. I choose to live in a world where permanence has nothing to do with Beauty. I choose to live in a world where I see all things, but live with Hope for the unseen.

April 12th, 2008

Day two out here in Santa Cruz, California, was terrific. I am very encouraged by the response I received from my class of students here on the first day of our two part series. Everyone here has been so nice to Ann and me. I feel so blessed to meet so many wonderful people through the work that I do. Santa Cruz is experiencing what locals here are calling a “heat wave.” Temperatures yesterday reached into the upper 80’s/low 90’s. According to our amazing host, Heather, air conditioning systems are unnecessary up here because temperatures rarely hover for long above 80 degrees. When we arrived at the studio before the workshop began, the temperature inside the studio was in the high seventies. By the time we were into our third or fourth exercise, the temperature was well into the eighties. It was interesting to me that no one complained. Heather explained to us that it is so rarely this hot here, that she and, most likely, the others embraced the heat that they so infrequently experience. I might feel differently later on, but right now I am looking forward to the summer temperatures of my native North Carolina in the upcoming months.

I love the feeling of breaking a good sweat. In truth, sweat is one of my favorite ingredients for making a good hoop (experience.) My body needs this kind of detoxification. I’m not the health nut I should be, but my body isn’t a toxic wasteland, either. However, some of the toxins I think sweat carries out of my body are not just chemical. Old locked up memories, subterranean anxieties, and internal destabilizing insecurities flow like water from me and are carried off into the wind, cooling my whole body and purifying my chemistry. Sweat is part of my stabilizing process. I have hooped so much in climate controlled spaces over the last year that I have not experienced temperatures high enough to create a good sweat Flow. Today, when I woke up, I actually felt lighter. I look forward to more experiences of this kind of cleansing. With temperatures already in the mid-eighties today (4/13), I’m sure to be even lighter tomorrow morning.

I kept true to my intent to “testify” on behalf of the HPT in the workshop yesterday. I don’t know if I referenced my notes once in my opening talk. Everyone stayed engaged with me as best they could and it helped me to stay focused. As my teaching flight time increases, I find that I am able to read and react to moments more subconsciously and accurately. This is a skill I have always wanted to develop in me and it seems as though some growth in this area is occurring. I used to find myself knocked off track when students in Circle would look down at the ground or off into space as I was speaking. These days, however, I realize that my words, like the hoop’s rotation, are intended to carry people away. Indeed, it is not my intent to build cubicles, but to open cages. I see an image of an old man untethering a bird, clapping his hands, and smiling as his pet becomes its own, liberated being: wild and free, again. This image is a powerful motivation for me in my teaching. In essence, I teach hoopers to walk their own path towards the nourishment they need to thrive. If all goes to plan, my role as their teacher becomes de-emphasized over time. My authority over my students is designed to decay. It’s tough to let go, but that is the part of the process of teaching a Practice that is meant to develop sustainable freedom.

After the workshop, we came home and napped, then went to the beach for a dinner and a fire. It was a nice way to end the day. The temperature dropped fairly quickly as the sun set into the Pacific Ocean, and the fire kept us warm and close to each other. So many metaphors are present here, but the one I am feeling most deeply as I write these words now is the idea of building heat sources amidst coldness. Is this not what we do every time we set out with our hoops? Is light not the path out of darkness? If we seek and do not find, then we must create. This is what I have done for myself with the story of the Maidan. In their story, I find a warmth, a light, and a Way. I dream of living in moments now, rather than living in mansions. I am free because I walk the Way of Free Beings.

Blessings to each of you, and to the Spirit of Ascension.

April 11th, 2008

Nothing much to report at this point. I’m 30,000 miles above the heartland, speeding towards my most aggressive workshop trip so far. In the next ten days, Ann and I will be teaching in Santa Cruz, Ojai, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. I have never been to Santa Cruz or Ojai, so I’m excited to see these two new places. Everyone who has been to these two cities tells me that both are very beautiful cities. I sure that they are. Everywhere that I have been in California has been tremendously rich with beauty. Even in Los Angeles, I am struck by the visual power of the landscape on top of which this sprawling city has been built.

In the South, our mountains are many hours from our beaches. In North Carolina, there are beach communities and there are mountain communities. On California’s coast, there are both within one community. It’s a type of topographical integration that seems to me to set a tone for all the cities I have visited there so far. Racially, economically, culturally, and musically there is an integration that just isn’t present, at least with the same force and vitality, in my home state of North Carolina. I’m not making a judgement here, it is what it is, but traveling to California provides an opportunity for me to be reminded just how some of America truly is. I find it refreshing and, at an almost cellular level, I find it replenishing.

In this way, my perception of California and its struggle to be diverse, but not divided, reminds of me of the HoopPath Community and Tribe and issues we will face as our flock grows in number.
We are a group of many individuals who (until now) have never joined groups. Indeed, most of us have avoided groups just because they are.. well.. groups. There are as many reasons for this as raindrops, but I think for many of us, we avoid groups in order to avoid homogeny and the freedoms of expression it inevitably strips away. Though our HP tenets are yet to be written, one tenet has clearly been formulated over the last three years: We are a group of Individuals. We respect each others boundaries, opinions, and Ways. As the Maidan would say, We are all birds in flight: each with our own relation to the Sky above and the Earth below. When we gather together, we fly as one flock, casting our one shadow on the ground beneath until that time when our own, individual flights, once again, take us in directions away from each other. We are always who we are whether it be as one or as many.

As we descend into SFO, I am reminded to be true to this spirit.

Here is an article written recently about us on a local website by a woman named Laura Oleniacz. I love the pictures she took of HoopPathers, Ann and Natalie.

(Laura’s article is great, but I don’t think I was clear about one thing in my interview. What I was trying to say is not that everyone hoops like me, but that a unique style of hooping has emerged out of our connection to each other and to the weekly class. I apologize for not making that more clear to Laura.)

Thank you, Laura, for your interest in the HoopPath!

    The hoop is challenging me to trust my own body to learn. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to learn anything deeply. I can’t recall when I’ve had to step off from square one.I can’t even remember learning how to make art. It came naturally. Over the years I’ve practiced to become better, but I had the basic knowledge, it seems, without the progressive struggle that comes with learning.

I think hooping now is the first time I’ve had to start at the beginning. With hooping, I can’t fake knowing. Either the hoop moves well or it doesn’t.

My friend Baxter has a neat way of teaching the hoop. All he asks is for me to feel the groove, to relax into a zone and be present. I’ve been doing that for a few months now and I’ve reached a plateau.Baxter says its like taking a long, spiral path up and around a mountain. Most of the climb is smooth, but now and then we come to an obstacle and need to take the steep terrain. That’s where I’m at now.

I’m learning how to lift the hoop up and down, over my head, back onto my torso. It’s a new skill and it has to be learned and practiced. At first I was afraid to leave the comfort of my known territory, but with some practice and risk, I’ve learned how to move to the next stage.Learning is exhilarating. I’ve often heard myself say that I am most happy when I am learning something. So I’m really grateful for the hoop as a site where learning can occur. How much is there to learn? What can my body do? I don’t know and it’s exciting to think about where this path is taking me.

To read more of Kimowan’s blogs please click here.

    The Hoop Path is to me a place of spiritual exploration in a safe and loving environment. In this grounding, present-centered dance, I have been able to let down my defenses, be vulnerable and finally connect with my own glow…this glow that represents my true essence, my soul, my inner divinity, my primal nature. I have found the Hoop Path classes and community a place that has fostered this growth and these revelations in me. I am so grateful to be a part of this tribe, so grateful to have found each of you, to have found this path.

We speak of point of contact with the hoop, and it just occurred to me today that each of you represents a new and wonderful point of contact for me. Contact with authenticity, contact with love, contact with integrity, contact with acceptance, contact with passion, contact with expression, contact with freedom…I could go on and on. What wonderful contacts to have found…

There is a philosophy that holds that our pain is not from what we haven’t received, but from what we are unwilling to give…In all my experience so far, this Hoop Path is all about giving…learning to give to ourselves –freedom and the vulnerability to explore, and growing through this, and then, in turn, giving to others from our fuller self.

When I first started going to Baxter’s class I was in search of a sense of community that I felt was lacking in my life. Beth had been encouraging me to come to class since its inception…but I was pregnant at the time and then spent the first seven months post partum trying to figure out my new role in life.  Finally in the summer of 2006 I was able to start going. All of Beth’s comments about the amazing group of people in class were more than true.For me, first and foremost, when I think of a “hoop pather” I think of community…those who are looking to build a peaceful, harmonious community with the aid of the hoop. For me, Baxter’s stories have helped me build this community.