*SUMMER Hoop SALE*
Discounted Prices!
Fancy sparkle hoops as low as $25!
Email MeGzz directly to get your hoop today!
A good friend, Shellie White, is now posting a wonderful new blog called The Healthy Hooper, please take a moment to check it out! :)
Megzz is back in SCHOOL! To become a Sports Massage Therapist! Graduation is July 2011!
NEW HOOP CLASS in South East Portland!
Check her classes tab for more details!
MeGzz is offering PRIVATE hoop lessons to maximize your hoop dancing potential! and She will come to YOU! Privates are $30/hr
Megzz is working with Recess Wellness offering her Hoop Dance classes through Health Immersion in August!
Hoop Technique is coming to Portland! Rich Porter and Vivan "Spiral" are making their way up the coast and teaching a 2 day workshop in October!! Stay Tuned!
Megzz is bursting at the seams about teaching at Hoop Camp Retreat 2010 (http://www.hoopcampretreats.com/)! Sept 30th-October 3rd.
GroovinMegzz grew up in Virginia and always had a passion for artistic expression through music and dance. She approached these practices with a bright personality and positive attitude. When she discovered her passion for the hoop during the winter of 2005, she immediately felt the connection and knew she belonged inside the circle.
Since arriving in Portland, she has expanded her hoop practices by attending workshops from traveling HoopStars and hoop jams around town. Eventually she felt the urge to share the bliss the hoop has brought her so she began teaching classes within the community. Incorporating elements of Yoga and aerobic rhythmic exercises to create an extremely unique, centering, and fun style of dance. She always focuses on inspiring those around her.
Megzz works as a Corrective Exercise Specialist, a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor and has founded The Hooping Body to educate hoopers on proper hooping practices.The concept is about embracing the fact that we are athletes of the circle. It's a practice that requires time and dedication. Her goal is to inspire all Hoop Dancers to work on their physical conditioning outside of the hoop by strengthening and focusing on flexiblity and in turn feel the benefits of this inside the hoop.
GroovinMegzz has been fortunate enough to perform with Kaivalya Hoop Dancers and around the country with EOTO, (Michael Travis and Jason Hann from String Cheese Incident), Shpongle, Random Rab, Beats Antique, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams and the WMD's, Vibesquad, Surrounded by Ninjas, as well as at many private events. She is constantly pursuing performance opportunities where she can push the boundaries to create exciting new visual productions. She performs locally with her new performance group, Elemental Flow-Portland's HoopDance Collective.
Inspiration Behind the Project
Ahh yes, my dear sweet hoopers we all know how hot and sweaty we get during our hoop practice. Hearts are pounding, sweat is dripping, WE ARE athletes of the Hula-Hoop. Getting caught up in the music, losing ourselves and feeling the beat. We are not really thinking about the stresses we are placing on our bodies... this is why I am so dedicated to teaching proper hooping technique to the Hoop Community! We are not aware of the potential injuries awaiting us from our vigorous practice.
January 2008 was a major wake-up call. My hip pain hit me like a bag of bricks... throbbing, stinging, jabbing, grinding pain in my right hip joint. I hadn't felt anything like this before. I knew I had to do something FAST! I was unemployed and uninsured and felt like my options were limited. I started seeing a chiropractor friend which slightly helped the pain. After having x-rays taken, I learned I have several posture issues in my upper and lower body. I tried Yoga, exercise and lots of stretching but I was in so much pain nothing was tolerable. Nothing helped the pain. Over the next year, I tried various massage therapists and chiropractors, but no one could tell me exactly what was wrong or why I was in so much pain. I felt helpless and depressed. At this point, I had to severely limit my hooping, no longer able to hoop for pleasure, I could only manage to hoop for classes or performances. My heart was breaking. I had to sit and watch my friends hoop while, my hoops leaned against the wall collecting dust.
Naturally, I was deconditioned after more than a year of minimal physical activity. But, I knew if I gained strength my posture would improve and my pain would ease. Luckily, I was hired as a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness in early 2009 which meant I had full access to the gym. I began exercising six days a week, targeting my glutes and upper back muscles, and worked on my flexibility. To make things worse, I developed tendinitis in my knees in March 2009, which was really painful. I was conscious of the fact that I was training my lower body really hard, but I didn't consider how exercising with static malalignments (poor posture) would affect my body. My pelvis was out of alignment, one leg was longer than the other, my shoulders were rounded, head forward... these issues severely affected my body's performance while exercising, even though I wasn't fully aware at the time. This was my first major realization. My second realization came in April while I was at FLOW-The Northwest Hoop Gathering in Bend, OR. It was my birthday and I had been looking forward to this weekend for months, but I couldn't even enjoy the workshops to their fullest extent due to my pain. This is where I first heard the phrase "Hooper's Hip," which really struck a chord with me. For my first two years hooping, I only spun in ONE DIRECTION for two full years which caused my entire right side to be seriously overtrained. I realized this was the cause of all my pain!
In May 2009, some co-workers recommended a physical therapist who had worked wonders for them, named Tony Rocklin. I had a really good feeling when I met with him and hoped I had finally found the right healer for me! I brought my hoop to my first visit so I could show him how hard we work inside our hoops and explain my thoughts on my problems. After he examined me and performed some assessments, he looked at me and says, "Oh, you are an easy fix!" My heart SKIPPED a BEAT! Really? Really!? Could this be true? I worked closely with Tony over the next few months, visiting his office twice a week. He used several innovative techniques which relieved the pressure in my hip joint and taught me many basic exercises to strengthen my glutes and core. My pain was reducing, my hip was healing, and I was getting stronger! Summer 2009 was not totally pain-free, but I was feeling a lot better and could hoop much more often, even though sometimes it would still haunt me for days afterward.
By Winter 2010, my hip pain was barely present and I am in the best shape of my life. I've been using a foam roller twice a day for over six months and I strongly suggest every hooper incorporates this into their flexibility routines as well. The only time my pain flares back up is when I slack on doing my exercises and on foam rolling.
Overcoming my injuries was a long and painful struggle and illuminated my desire to educate hoopers about the effects of their practice on their bodies and how they can PROTECT themselves against overuse injuries.
Remember...
WE ARE ATHLETES OF THE HOOP!
GroovinMeGzz was hooping.org's female hooper of the year and is a certified and licensed Hoopnotica Instructor who has been teaching in Portland
for over two years.
NEW! Hoop Fusion at Refuge PDX in SE Portland
Four week HoopDance classes! Series begins Oct 7th-28th!
All Levels of Hoopers welcome!
Beginner/early intermediate Series
These classes will be great for new hoopers to gain the skills needed to dance with the hoop! These basic moves will help you trim your waistline and gain self confidence while doing it! Find yourself through hoopdance!
Tuesdays 7:15-8:15pm
Intermediate/advanced Series
We will be going over dynamic movements with the hoop, conceptual exercises to help you find your flow, beat punctuation, and small bits of choreography!
Tuesdays 8:15-9:15pm
Price: $45 for the series $12 for drop in
Refuge 116 SE Yamhill Portland, OR
Spots are going fast! Sign up ASAP!
Sign up & Pay online here through my blog!
Hoop Fusion at Diva Den Studios in SW Portland
[IMPORTANT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE!]
Mixed level Drop-in HoopDance
Thursdays 7:30-8:30pm
This class is perfect for the first time hooper, or for those who are hoping to freshen up their moves! You will learn the basic moves of hoop dance that will become your foundation to dance from! You will losen up your body, build strength and self confidence! Discover self expression through hoop dancing!
Hoops are available for use and for purchase! :)
Sign up online at www.pdxpoledivas.com
$10 drop in
Intermediate/advanced HoopFusion
This class is geared for the higher intermediate to advanced hoopers! We will be going over how to develope "flow", complicated single hoop tricks that are on and off body plus working with two hoops and mini hoops :)
CLASS IS postponed until FALL 2010
Is Diva Den Studios too far of a commute for you?
Want a class offered in your area?
Go to the contact page and let me know! :)
Strength & Flexibility Training
Questionnaire & Program
::Words from My Hoop Students::
"Megz' workshop challenged me in conceptual as well as physical ways. I became very aware that I could express myself through my arms (birds) in ways I hadn't fathomed. I appreciated her creative concepts. I had never tried to get 'squoshy' or 'squishy' before. It worked, though! Basically, I laughed and learned for a solid 90 minutes and was a better hooper for it!"
"Not only has coming to Hoop Class with Megz helped me in coming out of my shell, but I move less awkward through life now that I've found her and the hoop. "
"It stood out to me that from the very first class I took with MeGzz she remembered my name. She is so personable, even while taking group classes with her, she gives feedback and encouragement to us individually. I think MeGzz classes are both dynamic and effective because she is flexible in her teaching style and she believes in her students! I always leave her classes feeling positive and energized!"
"I loved your class tonight! You are so down to earth and easy to learn from, thanks for bringing the hoop LOVE! "
"I just want to tell you how happy I am to have met you. I can't believe how much I have already learned in just 3 classes! I look forward to seeing you every week for class and always leave inspired and even more motivated. I thank you and thought you should know that."
"I have taken hoop classes before but never succeeded so quickly until I came to Megzz class! There is so much one-on-one attention and positive encouragement from the other students! Its the most fun I have all week!"
"Hooping is my favorite form of exercise! Megzz is an amazing teacher and inspiration for All!! I recommend her to all people who want to get introduced into hooping & the community!"
"I've never had so much fun in an exercise class! Megzz vibrant energy and positive attitude makes class the best night of my week!"
"I've been working on some new moves for WEEKS and coming into her class just once and I get them all within a few minutes! Her trouble-shooting is remarkable!"
"I wholeheartedly endorse Megan Abernathy as an instructor and trainer. Megan worked with me individually to teach me techniques in hoop dancing. Megan explained each move, breaking it down into components, and had me executing moves that I couldn’t do before despite prior instruction. Besides her in-depth knowledge of the kinetics of the movements, she is undoubtedly warm and enthusiastic. Megan acts responsibly and honors her schedule. Megan is a wonderful teacher!"
Have any words you'd like to share about your experiences in Hoop Class?
Please share them with us!
