It has been so wonderful to make laughing a daily intentional practice... last night Candice and I were watching Ellen Degeneres do stand up comedy on youtube and just laughing and laughing and laughing. What is so amazing is that I am starting to laugh much easier now and in these long flowing, yummy feeling currents. I am also randomly gigling more throughout the day. It makes my spirits so light and relaxes my whole body. Also, it feels so nice to be breathing so deeply. Yesterday in the training, my mom Athena who was attending was asking about integrating laughter into the HoopGirl Workout... I am still happy just exploring this as a personal practice at the moment. I don't feel I need to make everything about hooping ... it feels just fundamental to being human to let those peals of laughter roll.

The last couple days before the training began, I started taking my personal practice outside for the first time in a *long* time since it was finally in the 70's or high 60's here. I went down to Kezar, where the joggers and skateboarders do their thing, bring my i-pod fusion speakers and set my wristwatch for one hour. There is such a diffrent quality of hooping that emerges from me outside. First of all, I can do tosses (even if the wind blow them) which is fun. But overall, I just feel a bit more amped. Something about being in the open air makes me concentrate and focus inward more, so I find myself doing lots of drill based repititions which unlocks some great mysterious places in my body.

Of particular breakthrough quality for me were two things... I noticed my shadow while the sun was setting and as I hit a break, I would lift the opposite leg up in the air, until it just became this repititious dance of break and lift, break and lift, break and lift, over and over again. I liked how it felt. It had a cross crawl quality... brain stimulating and also just plain cool.

I was also was hooping in my outflow direction in barrell roll and doing vertical floats. Also variations like vertical float to a moment of vertical isolation and back on the body. I had to keep breaking directions because there was something about my left wrist that wasn't working to be able to float off vertically, but consistantly doing it with my right hand entrained my mind about how I could apply it to the left. Also quite fun was trying a move a saw in one of Ann's videos... upon doing a vertical float from an outflow barrell roll, creating more of a backbend and keeping direct eye contact through the hoop so if someone was standing on the other side, they could completely see my face. What a twisty, loopy sensation! But lots of fun.

So yesterday was the first day of the San Francisco level one teacher training. Somehow, each one one of these events always feels liek an epiphany.... there are always so many people with inspiring unique backgrounds who bring so much to the table! Unique alchemy every time.

One fascinating I realize about this time is that so many of the attendees are in the fitness world! Very interesting that since my own interests have moved in that direction, more students with those interests have gravitated towards the training. It feels affirming. Yet at the same time, the empowerment and transformative aspects are still rich. I love that both can be there.. it can be physical, emotional, mental and spiritual at the same time. Fully integrative!

So who is here?

LJ is a spinning instructor and group fitness instructor from CRUNCH in San Francisco
Melanie works with mentally challenged adults on a group farm in North Carolina
Brenda is a personal trainer in Redwood City
Lisa works with preschoolers in San Francisco
Slyie is a hospice nurse and yoga teacher in San Francisco
Athena is my mom! she lives here in san francisco and is taking the training so she can learn more about what I do
Claudia is a writer here in San Francisco
Kecia is doing work with sexual psychology
Heidi is a personal trainer in Campbell (I think that is where she lives)
Rosie is a personal trainer at CRUNCH in San Francisco
and Candice of course! Holding space with me as a master trainer, with her Shine coaching practice and Nia expertise

Everyone had lots of energy and stories to share about how their backgrounds have involved hooping. As usual, much of the foruming has been on issues of personal empowerment and how to hold space as a teacher in a confident way. It is beautiful to see some students who expressed being nervous about being there in the beginning settle right in and be at ease and relaxed. Funny how many seem to wonder if "they have enough expereince hooping" to hold space for hoopers. The reality is that anyone can hold a valuable space for another person, as long as they move from their center and share their own unique insights in a sincere way. The structure we give in the training definately helps organize delivery of that information!

The introduction of the newer concepts of "inflow" and "outflow" continue to be enthusiastically embraced. It is a languaging of experience which has been a long time coming! Thank you Baxter for inspiring this! It really is shifting the entire flow of our clases to have a continual emphasis on both directions for everything. It is such a pleasure to teach with Candice and feel how we mesh together to hold space in a seamless way. So inspiring to co-teach! I cherish every opportunity to facilitate to with her.

Well, I have to go get ready for today. This is when lots of the hands-on fun begins when students are leading mock teaching sessions.

Yea for the gift of my wondeful life! I feel so blessed to be able to work with such amazing, talented people who share the same passion for hooping and wellbeing. Thank you for the gift of wonderful students who really are my teachers. I trust that the evolution of this program is on track with a divine plan! I see the HoopGirl teacher certification program being shared with more and more people in a powerful, concise way.

I am excited to have a wonderful, insightful day of training. :) Thank you!