A turn for the better
4 min read . Updated: 04 May 2019, 09:50 AM ISTHula hooping has gone from being a happy childhood throwback to a serious means to get healthy—both mentally and physically
Four years ago, a Russian woman challenged Supriya Srivastav, 32, to hoop in Goa. “Because she was so condescending towards Indians, I was like, I will beat you at that, but that was the first time I had ever seen a hoop," she recalls. Somehow, it worked.
“I just started spinning, and, to my own surprise, I was able to hoop for almost a minute back then." Soon, Srivastav was hooked to the hoop. When she returned to Bengaluru, she ordered one online and it became her escape and obsession—she would hoop to beat stress and anxiety, hoop when she was happy, sad, angry or bored. She says it’s made her more confident and helped her shed 10kg. She learnt techniques by watching tutorials online and consulting her “hoop mentor", Gunjan Saraf.
Today, Srivastav shuffles between her social media consultancy, Purple Filter, and taking hooping classes at The Artery, an art space created by actor Samyukta Hornad in JP Nagar, and The Green Pocket, a children’s activity centre in Indiranagar, Bengaluru.
Hula hooping has gone from being a happy childhood throwback to a serious means to get healthy—both mentally and physically. With workshops and classes across cities in the country, people of all ages are learning how to hoop with trainers who are mostly self-taught and for whom hooping has also been personally transformative.
A class apart
Rajni Ramachandran from Delhi has close to 10,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts hooping videos. They are a mix of her hooping to popular tunes, at different venues or on TV shows, using one or more hoops in incredible routines that she both creates and then flawlessly executes. “The transition from a dancer to a freelancer to a hula-hoop artist happened within the span of a couple of years, somewhere around 2012-2015, during which I was more convinced that this is what I would want to do," says Ramachandran.
In 2015, she travelled to Egypt, Russia and China as part of a Bollywood musical. “I recall dancing through the entire musical, and, at the back of my mind, waiting for the 2 minutes where I get to hoop!"
Ramachandran makes it clear that she is not a certified fitness trainer and says the effects of hooping may vary from person to person. Her classes typically begin with a warm-up, such as stretching or running. So too do Srivastav’s, who likes to start with Surya Namaskars.
“In a beginners’ class or workshop, I would break down the basics of hooping on different parts of your body and explain the outcome of using different-sized hoops," says Ramachandran. “For hoop-technique and choreography-specific workshops and classes, I combine different hoop techniques and create a sequence that involves some use of a single hoop, twin hoops and so forth depending on the level of the attending students." Her go-to music choices also vary depending on the type of class. She opts for instrumental music—Lindsey Stirling and Bougie Belgique being favourites—for performances. At other workshops, she prefers to teach in silence, focusing on technique.
Spin into shape
Hooping is an effective low-impact workout, and a great way to get into both a cardio routine and tone up different parts of the body. A weighted hoop ups the intensity and caloric burn. It’s no surprise then that celebrities such as former US first lady Michelle Obama and actor Zooey Deschanel are avid hoopers.
Closer home, trainers are clear that hooping is great for overall fitness. Ramachandran teaches hooping as a performing art more than a fitness regime, but says one breaks into a sweat within a few minutes of hooping since “the heart gets pumping", just as it does after a session of running or Zumba. “It is a full-body workout where every part from head to toe is involved in hooping. Even basic waist-hooping requires the whole body and your core to be involved," she says.
“Moving on to hooping on different body parts, one could specifically work on hooping on the neck, palms, arms, knees, and work on transitions and flow, also adding a number of hoops which requires different parts of the body to work with each other in harmony, coordinating and balancing all at the same time," she adds. Srivastav says that depending on the intensity, an hour at one of her classes can help burn 400-500 calories.
Hooping is good for more than just cutting fat though. Eshna Kutty, 22, who conducts hooping workshops in the Capital, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is trained in dance therapy. “I want to find a way to bring hoops into my therapy and bring the safe space of therapy in hooping," she says. “Other than it being a great tool for hand-eye coordination and toning your muscles, especially around the waist, it is such a feel-good toy. It makes me sharper and more aware and creates challenges I am motivated to overcome."
So for a fun fight against those extra kilos, a quick tone-up or just mental and physical strength, you could give hooping a shot.