But – you must come to the Outdoor Retailer Show, Salt Lake, Utah, Jordanelle Lake, Aug 2nd.

And if you miss this event, I will be giving another one away when I start my online hoop contest this fall.

The Flex & Flow Method™

Over the years I realized how people could get injured by hooping the wrong way. I saw limited range of motion in hoop performers, spinal compression among yoga teachers and mass tension in the endurance muscles of athletes.

I fused physio therapy, yoga alignment & breathing, endurance training from extreme sports, keeping the focus on flexibility and flow during the body’s organic movement.

I created a cross training program with the hoop to set and break my world record of speed and distance hoop running each year.

I teach this in my 4 Rhythms Hoop Dance classes. Many think it is just a fun dance but I make sure that students can isolate and integrate the muscles from the bones to maximize their weight loss and total body conditioning.

The low impact moves increase range of motion, flexibility and sports performance. It also teaches mind body awareness while in motion to prevent injury in extreme sports.

Join me at this expo, Salt Lake: Demo Day Aug. 2nd! I will target and correct structural misalignments while in motion. Then try your shot at these fun cross training stations:

Core Dynos, Endurance, Belly Pump and Relays.

AND – my good friend and hooper Beth will be flying out from Connecticut to hoop and help.

*all hoop ambassadors will receive free merchandise and sessions prior to the show. I hope to get back with everyone who’s applied. Please contact me if you haven’t heard – been busy & might have skipped through some emails.

*Betty coined the term Hoop Dance & Hoop Warrior in 2001.

*In 1998 she designed one of the most effective systems to tone and heal the mind and body through way of the hoop.

*Betty’s classes and dvd’s burn 600 calories/hr. and are low impact. People lose 10 pounds and 4 inches off their waist in less than one month with her dvd because it isolates muscles and detoxes the organs.

*Hoops over 3 pounds and with knobs on the inside have created internal and externally bruising.

*There are hundreds of people using hula hoops to teach their fitness classes with. Most are not certified. Some take certifications which mainly teach performance tricks. This does not educate students to use their bodies efficiently. Always check what qualifications your teacher has. Make sure they teach modifications, contraindications, spinal alignment, safe core conditioning and some form of physical therapy.

*Bad posture is compression and misalignment of the spine and the muscles around it. This causes joint pain, sciatica, low back pain, knee injury and weak cardio-respiratory function.

*For all Hoopers! Body mechanics is the study of your body in motion. Lack of education in gravitational and rotational movement will pinch nerves and create long term pain and limit your dance performances.

*Poor stabilization and mobilization between the core and the upper and lower body will overly rotate your hips and ribcage.

*If you perform using others hoop tricks that you learned, the best way to look unique is to make the tricks and dance your own.

Hoop Dance Retreat

Sayulita Mexico
Santosa Retreat Center
Oct 15-21

Yoga, surf lessons, massage and spa, organic meals and more! Bus pick up at airport.
Early Bird: $1,870

$1,920  deadline ends Sept. 1st

Must sign waiver before payment. Email yogabetty@hotmail.com for waiver.

For more info:  http://www.santosa-retreat.com/Santosa/Hoop_Retreat.html

Register Now!

Hoop Dance Retreat & Certification

Sayulita Mexico
Santosa Retreat Center
Oct 21-27

Become a certified Betty Hoops Dance Therapy® Instructor. Learn to teach the Flex & Flow™ method for fitness training and learn to teach the 4 Rhythm Program through schools and fitness & yoga centers.  This is a popular workshop for those who might not want to teach. $399 of this price is for the certification. Yoga, surf lessons, massage and spa, organic meals and more! Bus pick up at airport.

Early Bird: $1,870
$1,920 deadline ends Sept. 1st

Must sign waiver before payment. Email yogabetty@hotmail.com for waiver.

For more info: http://www.santosa-retreat.com/Santosa/Hoop_Retreat.html

Register Now!

I will start adding these in each hoop package and am sorry for any inconveniences.

I will also post a video on how to connect as viewing will totally make more sense.

HOW TO CONNECT:

1.) there is a male & a female end on each segment.

2.) the male end has the button that needs to be pushed as you slide it into the female end.(make sure you line the ridges on one end, up with the track on the other.)

3.) When you hear a snap, that means the button has engaged inside & is connected.

HOW TO DETACH

1.) press firmly on the OM symbol. (this pushes on the button which is inside to release it from the hole it is resting in) you want to feel the button be pressed all the way down so that it is flush with the pipe. Once you feel this, just slide both ends apart.

2.) The majority of people make the same mistake. They twist the ends. This does nothing. Just push really hard on the button & keep firm pressure as you slide both ends apart.

You can lose some weight and feel your core working from other classes and dvds. I get calls each month on chronic pain that develops from taking others trainings, classes and dvds. In 2000, I started studying the effects of unilateral rotation and how to use the hoop the right way, to get maximum benefits.

I worked with chirporactors, physical therapists and sport trainers. I studied the body mechanics of belly dancers, hoop dancers, skiers, cyclists, golfers and how people stand. From this, I developed a method that targets and corrects bad posture. This proved to be an easy and effective way to prevent injury, increase range of motion, flexibility and strength between the musculoskelatal system.

I teach to many hoop performers and hoop ‘teachers’ who complain about twisted ribs & hips. This would not occur if they were really using their core. I then retrain their movements inside and outside of the hoop by isolating the muscles from the bones. We practice pushing the belly into the hoop without moving the hips. Then rocking the hips side to side or back and forth without using the belly. I target the top 5 mistakes due to bad posture.  Some will hyper extend in the knees which lock out the hips, some will have an S curve in the lower back which stresses the low back more and prevents them from engaging their core and some will propel the hoop’s motion by using the their whole torso rather than their core. This stressed the lower back and hips too.

I am shooting 3 new 30 minute DVDs this June which will educate the body on how to move safely and effectively.  Pro skiers, kayakers, yoga instructors and chiropractors will join me in teaching how to retrain the body to maximum health and fitness – from the inside out.

Since Gaiam decided to keep the terms I created Hoop Dance and The Dance Hoop, my new titles are this. My new collapsible, padded hoop is called The Betty Hoop – hip gear to go & my method is called Flex & Flow. This describes all my programs such as Hoop Warriors (for kids) & 4 Rhythm Hoop Dance! Flex & Flow retrains the body to isolate and integrate specific muscles. This develops core strength and muscle tone, burns fat quickly, increases range of motion and prevents injury. SO while looking for a fun, low impact Hoop Dance routine, make sure you choose one that offers a  few traditional moves from sport training, yoga or therapy.

This hoop is designed 2 sizes in 1. It fits people from 80-240 pounds. It is safely weighted at 2.3 pounds. It is also padded for a cushioned massage and the foam adds some grip as it spins, making it easier to stay up. The flame graphics on each segment, glow in the dark & the OM symbol, marks the point to press the internal button which detaches the 6 segments.

In 1999 I started hand sewing foam to my handmade hoops. People loved the cushion it provided. It took about 3 hours to tightly sew the foam around 10 feet circumference of the hoop. Then, I would use a hot glue gun to attach cow print and velvet fabrics.

In 2003 I designed the correct weight, length of segments, foam and total circumference of a collapsible hoop with Gaiam. This updated version is a bit more durable, plus has a flame on each segment which glows in the dark. The raw materials are different as well.

I am told that the other collapsibles on the market do not connect fully. They pinch the skin, are too light in weight and are hard to put together and take apart. You get what you pay for, so I made sure that my safely weighted hula hoop is easy to disassemble, provides the best spin possible, has  a layer of foam to prevent bruising and has features that are user friendly and effective for mind-body workouts.

If I understand correctly, shouldn’t a yoga company hire ones with certifications and experience in any of the 8 limbs of yoga such as Asanas (physical postures) Pranayama (breathwork) or Satya (truthfulness)

My intention is not to bash this company but merely to state some facts for all my customers who’ve asked with interest, frustration and support.

2003 – the VP of Gaiam called me, interested in signing me as a talent. I brought in my 4 Rhythm Hoop Dance dvd which was still in editing process.

The VP liked it, the other woman seemed sketchy but I sold them that the hoop trend was growing & soon would be like Pilates. We needed to set the standard of excellence. After talks with my TM lawyer & looking at the contract, I agreed to sign it. It stated that as long as I was working with them, they would not hire another hoop personality. I knew going in that I could not patent or own my design. But it seemed like a good opportunity to get my dvd & collapsible hoop out to the masses.

I was very specific about the hoop’s weight, circumference & it’s flex during spin. I expressed to them the importance of aggressive marketing and patience, as we were cutting edge. In 2003, when the hoop trend was building, noone knew that there’d be an amazing hoop offered in a box. I asked them to be patient, that if we kept it on the shelves & marketed properly, it would take off. We had good product placement but little marketing.

I explained that if sales were down, it wasn’t because the hoop workout was not popular. I think it was within the first year, they fired the VP (the guy who really was behind the program.) Within those 2 years one of the assistants emailed me to tell me they were dropping me & that the hoop was of no interest to them & did not fit in with their company. (not the exact words but to this effect)

I coined the term Ecstatic Hoop Dance in 2001 & another business started using that term. I emailed them to ask if they could be creative enough to find their own titles. I then changed my title to Hoop Dance. I looked into registering that but could not. I should have changed it to something I could own but did not. Same year, another business wanted me to teach them everything I knew for free. They wanted to start teaching. They got mad when I declined. In 2007 yet another business asked me to rush ship my Gaiam dvd as they were filming their first instructional dvd that week. I asked her not to copy my formatting & she said that I have the most information on mine. Seemed like she should know how the ins & outs about the hoop prior to filming and instructional video.  I kept my focus in the positive. Growing my business and helping others.

Then in 2008 I think, after volunteer teaching in New Orleans for VDay, (Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues – a fundraising event) I thought it appropriate for my inner city kids program to be called Hoop Warriors. Soon after, a business copied a version of this name.

2007-2009, I was interviewed by many health & fitness magazines about the benefits of Hoop Dance. I made it clear to them that one cannot get benefits from cheap store bought hoops. That you are only as good as your gear & that one needs to use proper alignment in motion in order to obtain mental or physical benefits. I asked to please educate readers on the weight & size of hoops, proportionate to their height, weight & range of motion. I gave medical documentation on the dangers of the “Heavy Hoop” This is a company that made it on Oprah & is now out of business due to injuries that occurred when people used their hoops which weigh from 3-8 pounds. NOTE TO ANYONE WHO GOES TO CURVES. These hoops are dangerous!

In the past few years I have gotten many calls from people paying top dollar to get certified in hoop dance. They complain to me that they learned tricks yet nothing of anatomy, injury prevention or how the body mechanics work let alone the fundamentals of movement in the hoop. Just because one is a brilliant performer it does not make them a good teacher.

Writers also told me that they would, absolutely, credit me. I was happy for all hoop teachers to benefit, just wanted to educate readers that a unilateral rotative workout could not be learned with a cheap light weight toy hoop. It could not be learned with a dangerously heavy hoop.  Most of these magazines placed my pix or credited me as they said they would. Prevention, Readers Digest & Conscious Dancer were some. They all used my medical research yet featured others pix & domain names.

I have made mistakes in business, can be offensive & upfront  and spent more money on donating hoops and time teaching than on marketing. These are some of my downfalls.

But the one thing that I have always kept pure are my teachings, program & product design. I have respect for others in this market & wish I could receive the same.