I dont know...I can see your point but I think its great that people can take what they love to do in life and turn it into there life's work. I was told once that if you can do what you really love you will never have to work another day in you life. Also it really helps spread the love of the hoop, which is awesome. Why cant it be sacred to you, and popular at the same time? Also I think its great that people can find a way to exercise that they love, I know cause I was one of those people, that hooping helped me not only find myself, my inner happiness, but a great stomach. As for selling hoops, hey a hooper has to eat, and pay bills too ;)
HAPPY HOOPING SPREAD THE HOOP LOVE

I agree with all of the comments above. Inara - I respect your point of view. But had it not been for people like Christabel (HoopGirl) and Rayna (Hoopnotica), I don't know if I would have ever become so entranced with hooping. From a personal standpoint - it's provided so much positivity in my life. I'm feeling healthier, more confident and happier because I've discovered the hoop. I don't live on the West Coast, and I've only been to one music festival in my life. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't reap the benefits of this wonderful passtime. Sure, it started out as an underground thing. But it's evolving. And I'm happy for that. I want to share it with the world, in the hopes that more and more people can prosper from the hoop. I think heightening the awareness of hoop dance is a positive thing.

I rarely post/reply/network on Tribe, but I love to cruise when I have some precious free time and in cruising today I came across this post and have to reply. I am not a political/social activist in the way some might think of being an activist. I rarely go to marches or rally's and I'm terrible at writing letters to congress. How many of you are nodding sheepishly saying, yes that's me too? But if you are reading this, chances are you are hooper and know the power of the hoop so I don't need to expand on that.

I am a dedicated yoga teacher and therapist, hooper and hoop dance teacher. Want to talk about a beautiful tradition being packaged as a fitness regime......let's talk yoga. But we don't need to because it still remains that at some level the practice is having a positive affect on the practitioners. Yoga Journal and the like annoy me at times with all their ads selling a "perfect" look, but still.......the person reading it is still less likely to read a Yoga Journal and then turn on the Rush Limbaugh show and hoop and hollar their approval at the radio. I tell my yoga classes, "I'm changing the world one yoga class at a time" because if I teach the philosophies of this tradition and my students embrace those philosophies......how can they lead a hateful life and then what if they share that with someone else who shares it with someone else. This is all about the ripple effect. The same goes with the hoop. If someone knows the joy and experiences the community (we call it kula in yoga!) of hooping how can they want to contain that to themselves. HOOPING IS NOT ABOUT BEING THE COOLEST OR THE BEST or using it to create identity for yourself so you can feel unique compared to others ( and I say this because I learned this lesson with rock climbing) . Its about SHARING!!! Because it is a vibration that is contagious and it makes people happier, more joyful and at peace with themselves.

I took a Poi and Sacred Geometry workshop once with this fellow who said that he goes into the grocery store and spins poi with bags of avocados because he knows that it raises vibrations and consciousness even if people aren't aware of it. He said, "The fact that people are SMILING AND LAUGHING at this fool spinning bags of avocados is proof!" I wish I could find some edible hoop shaped object to spin around in the grocery!

SO WHAT if people come to a yoga class because they want yoga butt or whatever or come to a hoop class because they want to trim their tummy ( I mean come on......fitness IS good for the body and mind) The thing is, they are still working with vibration......a vibration which whether they realize it or not is contributing to the overall health of this planet and its inhabitants. So what if they went to WAL-MART to buy their hoop. (of course we hope they support all of the amazing grassroots crafters out there.......both big and small operations) but either way after they hoop how likely do you think they are to go out and commit a hate crime. The fact that they ARE hooping is SPECIAL AND SACRED! I wish our government officials knew how to hoop. I don't think they would make the same decisions they do now. And perhaps they will someday. So the more people we current hoopers can turn on to hooping the better.

It not just for oovy groovy Burners, Hipsters and whatevers any more. THIS IS A REVOLUTION!

Amen to that sista...we gotta spread the love internal, and then let it swirl external.

Peace, Luv and Hoopiness to all...
Jamie Luv