Hottie Hoop Camp 2014, we hardly knew ye...

I've been hooping since 2010, since I moved to Houston. Hoopers here were pretty much my first friends in this town. Since then, I've become a different, better person,  in a way that is completely not explainable in words.

But I'll try.

Last Thursday until today was the annual Hottie Hoop Camp, a hoop retreat in Surfside Beach, Texas. That makes it sound so simple. But it's more than that. Yes, there are hoop classes, great ones, but also burlesque, yoga, altered couture, beading, photography, performance training, fire training, smoothie making, and even more than that. There are real connections being made. There aren't cliques. There is so much laughter that I feel like I did an ab workout for 4 days straight. There's a vintage Spirograph that blows your mind. It's body positive to the CORE! It's about loving yourself so much that that love spills out and you can't contain it, you gotta give it to everyone. It's a spontaneous twerk/Kanye West rap session. It's so far from false "blowing smoke up your ass" nonsense. It's so much TRUTH. It's learning things from people, more than you realized you could, and more than you knew you needed and craved it. This was my third year at HHC, my second year teaching at it, and easily the best for me.

I've never been so sad to not have that specific energy around. Luckily I have my amazing husband, my ridiculous pets, my ever supportive family, friends, my local hoop sisters, and last but not least, my fantastic students (who double as my hoop sisters!) who inspire me more than I could ever inspire them. I can't wait to see your beautiful faces Tuesday evening at class!!

Last morning at Hottie Hoop Camp, view from our front deck at Surfside Beach

My new favorite toy!

So, LED hoops. They are truly amazing. But last week my awesome husband gifted me something I didn't dream I'd get, a FutureHoop from MoodHoops! Check out these pictures we took this weekend!

Can you see now why I'm so hooked on this thing? The only problem...with the time change, night comes so much later :)

Do YOU have an LED? Show some photos!

Annual Benefit Betties Ball!

As you may or may not know, when I'm not teaching and performing hoop dance and burlesque, I'm also the Outreach Chairperson for a local non profit, The Benefit Betties! We work to support our soldiers, our furry friends, and women and children. Next month is our annual ball, and Circus is the theme! There will be side shows, fire eating, hooping, and of course burlesque! Tickets go on sale very soon, so save the date, April 19th!

No class next week!!

Hey guys, I'll be out of town next week, so no hoop or burlesque classes. Classes resume February 25th. . See y'all then, and make sure to get outside in the sun this weekend and hoop it up!

Make the world better

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everyone has busy lives, and it's hard to find time to do the things we need to do for our own families, much less for other people. Martin Luther King, Jr had a wife and children, and still became the father of the civil rights movement. Take a moment today to make someone's day better. A sweet smile to someone who needs it, a note to someone who needs some encouragement, a donation to a deserving charity. Or even grab your hoops and some neighbors and spread the hoop love.  Imagine the amazing world we would live in, if we did something extra for someone else, every single day. 

Burlesque Basics is BACK!

Yes, the winter session of Burlesque Basics starts tonight, 6pm, at Yoga Studio of The Woodlands (www.yogastudioofthewoodlands.com).

Have you thought about taking burlesque classes, only to convince yourself that you're not pretty enough or skinny enough or brave enough? Well, I've got something to tell you. You ARE enough. You've always been enough. We live in a world where every magazine and television show is ripping women apart, and I don't know about you,  but I'm DONE with it. Will burlesque classes change your life and change any negative ideas you have about yourself? Well you won't know until you try.

Burlesque Basics (6 week session)
6pm
Yoga Studio of The Woodlands
$12 per class (drop in), $60 for 6 weeks

What will you learn? All those moves you've seen, the gorgeous bumps and grinds, the struts, the showgirl pose, boa play, the glove peel, and new moves like the treasure chest, the broadway baby, the wind up and oh so much more! We'll also talk about choosing the perfect stage name, the right music, and everyone's favorite part, costumes and pasties!

What should bring/wear? Just come in regular work out clothes, bring a bottle of water, and an open mind! See ya soon! :)

When was the last time you saw someone laugh on an elliptical?

So here we are again, the 1st day of the new year. I, like so many, get wrapped up in the idea of losing weight as a resolution. But you know what I've found works even better? Just deciding to move more. Not for the weight loss, but because you will inevitably feel better. That's the funny thing about exercise, so many of us hate to do it, despite the fact that we KNOW we will feel good after. It's a cruel joke I tell ya. That's why I hoop and dance, and don't go to a gym. Do I have weight to lose? In my opinion, yes, absolutely. But my main concern is MOVING AROUND. Sitting down all day is no good. So instead of putting harsh deadlines and restrictions on yourself, that don't tend to work, just decide to move around a bit more. Run around with your pets or kids more, park further from entrances, take the stairs. Learn to hoop or belly dance or burlesque. Play basketball or tennis. Something FUN. When was the last time you saw someone laugh on an elliptical?