The short answer is YES!
A longer answer will tell you that we believe our hula hoops are the best in New Zealand. I know that seems bold to say, but we've got facts and stats to back ourselves up:
Need more reasons? Check out our website to experience some of the magic of Pixie Hula Hoops, or get in touch with me directly to find your first, or your next custom hula hoop!
]]>Wondering what else your hula hoop is good for? I've been collecting all of these weird and wonderful ways to hoop without hooping, and here they are:
Set your Hoop on fire 🔥
This one isn't very beginner-friendly, I'll admit, but setting your hoop aflame is a great way to spice up your hooping if you've been practicing for a while.
Check our our dear friends at Flaming Caravan (above) for fire inspiration, and always keep yourself safe with these best practices. If fire isn't your thing, try a glow hoop instead!
Juggle-Jams! 🤹🏽♀️
Juggling hoops is so impressive, I've seen three, four, five + hoops get thrown around. Try it by yourself or with a friend. Check out The Catching Machine (above) to see what I'm talking about, an Auckland-based performer who makes juggling look easy.
Fly High on a Lyra ⭕️
Ok, so a Lyra isn't technically a hula hoop but I had to add it in because it's extremely wonderful and I wanted to shout out my two current faves: YoJellyBelly and Luna Blue (above).
Jump-through 🦘
Skipping or jumping through your hoop is a great way to get some cardio in your day! Want to level up? Get inspired (and mind-blown) by Jacob Acrobat (above), who is often using hoops in their amazing acrobatics. Big hoops work best for skipping and jump-throughs.
Hula Hoop x 200 🥇
Marawa the Amazing holds the record for most hoops hula'd at one time! If you're getting good at waist hooping why not add another one, two, three, or 200 hoops!
Got other ideas? Let us know!
]]>We know that as temperatures drop it’s so tempting to grab your slippers, hot chocolate, curl up by the fire and say “see you in spring!” If your’re finding it hard to get up, get out, and get your vitamin D for the day, then fear no more. We’ve got some simple solutions for getting you out of the house. They’re easy, free and fun! (We promise!)
Getting outside is so essential for our physical and mental wellbeing. We don’t have to be hitting the gym every day to work on our physical fitness goals. Walking to work, a stroll in the park or running after the kids at the playground are all valuable.
If you want to be well throughout winter (and who doesn’t?), it doesn't have to cost the earth. Being in New Zealand means we’re blessed with sunny winter days, and stunning views to be found all over the country if we’re getting out and about. What a shame to be sweating under the fluorescent lights in an expensive fitness club or gym. We love this NZ instagrammer for wilderness inspiration!
nz.nature.highlights on instagram
Here’s our top three tips for getting your butt (and the rest of you!) outside in the sunshine this winter:
There’s nothing better for our health than friends. Finding a buddy is such a great accountability tool. Worried that you’ll get lazy and give up on going for a walk? Commit to meeting a friend instead. Great exercise and great quality time - 2 for 1!
“Wait, I can get fit without moving!?” Mental and emotional wellbeing are such an important part of overall wellness. And you don’t have to be a meditation guru. Sitting quietly somewhere in nature for any period of time is proven to have benefits for us, including boosting mood, reducing stress and many others! (Thorpe, 2023)
Bonus points here if you find a beautiful spot somewhere near your house that you can walk to.
Finding a hobby that you love is such a great motivator. Remember the last time you were so excited to practise and learn a new skill? This should be something you feel energised by. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try, or be good at? The only catch - it’s got to be outside! Here’s our ideas:
Setting your hoop on fire is a great way to keep warm! Our friends at Flaming Caravan show us how.
Still scared of the cold? Did we mention how happy the sunshine will make you? Not only is sunshine proven to keep Seasonal Defective Disorder at bay, it’s also proven to reduce stress and anxiety (Tircitymed.org, 2023). And let’s face it, who couldn’t use an anxiety reduction in this crazy world?
Need another reason to get outside? It’s even possible that gyms and fitness clubs can cause increased stress and anxiety. Ever felt guilty about paying for a gym subscription and not using it am much as you’d like? We are getting stressed out just thinking about it!
Hopefully you’re putting your walking shoes on already and heading out the door! Don’t forget your jacket (just in case!) and maybe a water bottle. We hope you have a fun and magical time. Approach the world with a childish wonder- watch the clouds, don’t step on the cracks and say hi to all the birds you see.
Remember, that getting outside should be fun and easy (we know it doesn’t always feel like that). But like most things, practice makes perfect, and physical and emotional wellbeing is a habit that you can build over time.
Hula Hooping is a great activity that will boost your mood and physical fitness. It’s fabulous for movers and groovers of any age. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to move but isn’t able to walk or jog too much, because it is low impact. Start your search for your perfect hula hoop here.
]]>I saw so many inspiring flow artists this year at festivals and just floating around in the world. It's so energising to see magical folk come out of the woodwork in summer, juggling on the village green, spinning fire at the beach. Where do they all hide over winter?
I've been thinking about the past season and I am already dreaming of next spring (anyone else? ☀️) How can I take the memories and lesson from this past summer to make the next one even better? I have made an autumn resolution to practice my hula hooping through winter, so that next year I can flow and glow all summer long.
There are only 265 days until December 1st! I read recently that it can take 254 days to form a new behaviour- so it's time to start now! (everybody panic!) A behaviour can become automatic in 66 days, that's the average. That means I could master a new hula hoop trick every two months for the next 8 months- imagine how mind-blowing I'd be by Splore '24!
I wanted to do a little digging and I came across Harvard Business Review that a new skill takes 6 months to master- even more reason to start practicing one leg hooping (or insert your arch nemesis hoop trick here!) ASAP. Of course that article is all about getting ahead in the workplace, but I'm sure we can extrapolate to impressing a bunch of strangers in a paddock too...
Finding your flow when learning new tricks, or trying to solidify a new habit can be tiring and frustrating so remember to be kind to yourself, listen to your body. Whatever you do- is GOOD! Dropped the hoop? GOOD. Messed it up? GOOD. Well done you for getting off your butt. You're doing really GOOD!!
I love this trick list from Hoopsmiles to inspire me when I need a new challenge.
And heres a NYT article about forming habits.
Need a new hoop to get you started? Big autumn sale on selected hoops coming soon!
Stay sparkly!
(Blog photo from Hoopsmiles- check out their awesome website here.)
]]>Double hula hoop classes have started over on Hoop Dance Academy! Here you can access a huge range of classes which now include detailed break downs of double hoop tricks for those who are just starting with their multi-hoop journey.
To get involved, you'll need just 2 lightweight (polypro) hula hoops of the same size. These can be much smaller than your beginner single hoops and also much lighter, this is because we will mostly be using them off the body and lighter, smaller hoops can be easier to manipulate for hand-centric hula hoop tricks.
If you're excited to get started then I highly recommend checking out our beginner double hoop classes HERE.
We have heaps more double hoop and single hula hoop tutorials coming out soon! In fact, we have new classes every single week. That means that you will never run out of fresh inspiration and you can keep growing and flowing <3
]]>Ahni uses a range of beginner friendly tricks incorporated with belly dance, as well as some gymnastics! The effect is very mesmerising and graceful.
When I first watched Ahni's video, I could not fathom what was even going on! I can say now that I actually know most of these tricks now! But of course, everyone has their unique flare and for that I still gawp at Ahni's hoop flow and feel refreshed and inspired every time.
It looks like Ahni is using a 30 or 31inch polypro (intermediate hoop) in 3/4 standard thickness tubing.
To see our range of polypro hoops, take a peek here.
To try out some beginner and intermediate classes and learn full routines as well as fun new tricks, try out Hoop Dance Academy with a 2 week free trial!
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Hulahoop fitness is big right now with sales of weighted fitness hoops drastically rising this last couple of years. With so many people buying fitness hula hoops there must be something in it thats creating results that are inspiring others.
So let's look into it, how do you get fit from using weighted hoops?
1. Get The Right Hoop!!!
First and foremost you need to make sure you have got the right hoop that is going to give you the best experience as well as optimising your chance of real change!
We highly recommend getting a fitness weighted hula hoop between 300 to 550g. We recommend these hula hoops over much heavier ones due to heavy weighted hula hoops causing discomfort and bruising for many people, especially with regular or pro-longed use!
Its no good if you can only hoop for a couple of minutes because it causes you pain after such a short amount of time!! We want you to keep inspired and for hooping to feel good as well as give you good results!!
Our weighted hula hoops weigh around 450g at a standard size of 38Inches. Larges sizes will weigh slightly more. We tape our hoops using top quality grip tapes which add traction to the hoop making it easier to keep up around your body.
So you have dreams of being the graceful hooper you were mesmerised by in videos or at a festival somewhere but where on earth to start!?
Not to worry, here are our top 5 most important hula hoop tricks for beginners to learn:
1. Waist Hooping
Hooping around the waist is a key component to many hoop dance routines, it will also give you a great core workout as well as get your heart rate pumping.
If you're new to hooping you might find that waist hooping is harder than you expect!
If you need some help learning, I recommend firstly making sure you have a large weighted or slightly weighted hoop. Secondly, learn from the professionals:
Hoop Dance Academy has an in-depth tutorial on how to hoop around your waist, as well as follow along classes to practice and improve your waist hooping!
Weaves are a fairly simple trick but are the building blocks to so, so, so, so, so many hula hoop tricks and transitions! Learn weaves and you will be well on your way to being able to flow and dance with your hoop already!
Hoop dance academy teaches weaves as well as flow classes to teach you how to move & dance using weaves to create graceful & fun movement with your hoop.
3. The Isolation Illusion
The isolation illusion is one of our most requested beginner hula hoop tricks. Its an illusion trick that makes spectators gawp and it is a wonderful move for adding into dance routines.
The Beginner to Baddas Course at Hoop Dance Academy includes a great class teaching the Isolation Illusion.
4. The Escalator
The Escalator is another beginner favourite which takes a bit of trust! This trick involves flicking the hula hoop up the body and catching it again at the top. It looks impressive and is relatively simple.
Here is the Hoop Dance Academy tutorial for it! They also teach lots of beginner hula hoop dance routines so you can learn how to put tricks together into a dance!
5. The Lift Off
Getting the hula hoop off your body is an essential thing for beginners to learn. The lift-off is one of the most stunning ways to do so!
This trick can be learnt at Hoop Dance Academy along with many other ways to get the hoop off your body from waist hooping.
Save 20 % on Hoop Dance Academy Classes with discount code PIXIEPARTY!
2 week FREE TRIAL will still apply!
Happy Hooping!!
Let me introduce Hoop Dance Academy to you: An on-demand hub for hoopers of all levels to learn hula hooping from myself and from top International guest teachers.
This is a platform that will only continue to grow! With already several full courses to choose from, you can learn skills from being a complete newbie to hoop dance, to mastering new creative tricks as an advanced hooper!
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If you have a watch let me know if you get the movie reference at the end!
In this video I am using an intermediate 32 inch polypro (5/8 Skinny tubing) lime holographic hula hoop! It is my current favourite! I love the reactive, bounce tubing which is fast and flow for more advanced tricks.
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Our YouTube Channel is quite new and will be host to many free hula hoop tutorials, practical advice for using and caring for our hula hoops and plenty of creative hoop flow videos! Subscribe to make sure you get to see our latest content all for free!
If you love circus style hula hooping.. Here is a stunning circus act that has been blowing our minds! This act shows just how much we are capable of! The impossible is possible! I'll be taking inspiration from this to improve my multi-hooping this month.
So to celebrate multi-hoop month we are offering discounts on multiple hula hoop purchases!
Use these codes at the checkout to get discounts on your own set of multi-hoops handmade here in New Zealand!
Save 7% on a set of doubles with code DOUBLELUCKY7
Save on a set of 3 hoops with code TRIPPLEDAZZLE10
Save a whopping 15% on your own set of quads (4 hoops) with code 4MOREFUN15
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One way that hula hooping benefits the mind is the quieting of the mind as it concentrates on becoming more and more in tune with the body. Each new move builds and strengthens new neurological connections. Much like if you tried to write with your left hand but had been right handed your whole life. This new processing of information and development in physical ability enables new parts of the brain to fire up. So hula hoops literally help you build new brain cells!
Movement is also a key component of self-care when it comes to mental health. There are many studies linking consistent exercise to improvements in mental health. With hula hooping you can literally dance away your stresses! How epic is that! The studies on exercise include a profound reduction anxiety and depression from consistent exercise, need I give you any better excuse to grab your hula hoops and get dancing already!?
If that wasn't enough..I can not express enough the incredible transcendental state of flow. This state of flow is created through freestyle dance with the hoop, the act of moving almost seamlessly from one trick to another requires a meditative space of calm but concentrated. Everything but that moment and that movement melts away from existence! It’s mind and body freedom and it feels incredible! For me, this has been the game changer! I got quite hooked as soon as I was able to start dropping into hula hoop flow. Still to this day it is my meditation and my sanctuary. Here is an example of one of my favourite hula hoop flows from our Facebook page:
If you already know the basics of hula hooping and would like to experience more flow, I highly recommend using polypro hoops! These hoops are lighter and more reactive making them incredible for melding tricks and dance and getting lost in the movement!
Find our range of polypro hula hoops here.
If you're just getting started, our beginner hula hoops are available here! We even have an awesome online program to help you get started with learning to hula hoop, including a simple combo for you to use for your first flow session! All of our hula hoops are made in NZ and each is handmade to suit your needs!
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So how the F$&k do you hula hoop then?
#1 Get the right hula hoop!! If you're trying to learn as an adult but you're using a cheap, dollar-store hula hoop then you're going to struggle. Those cheap, nasty hula hoops are not designed for adults and are not made to last either. I highly recommend that you get a quality hula hoop that is designed for beginners and made specifically for adults. Make sure to also include grip tape! This is a type of tape that helps the hoop to stick to your body and clothing easier; The grippy-ness means it is less likely to keep slipping down your body, so more time having fun hula hooping and less time spent picking it up off the floor!
You can get a beginner hula hoop from us at Pixie Hula Hoop! We have heaps of designs and colours to choose from so you can look like a badass while you do spin that hoop!
#2 Get the right movement. Hula hooping around the waist is a movement that is a bit usual if our bodies are not used to it! Thats why many people try and give up after the first go (especially if they have the wrong hoop!). We have a video tutorial you can use to get a comprehensive understanding of waist hooping! Its the first video in our online beginner hoop course! You can get access the to full course if you'd like to keep learning more! Waist hooping is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the incredible world of learning hula hooping!
#3 Level up! Hooping doesn't stop with waist hooping! Its only the smallest fraction of a beginning! Hula hooping is such a complex and beautiful, full body, dance and fitness form of art! Here is an example of a hoop dance flow video! I teach many of these hoop moves in the beginner online hoop course! Keeping learning new trick will keep you inspired! You'll have a reason to get up and move your body, you'll keep feeling more connected to your body as well as getting stronger and loosening all of the body, leaving you feeling like dancing everywhere you go.
Featured: Un-taped polypro hula hoop (for intermediate hoopers)
#4 Practice! Practice! Practice! Defying the laws of gravity takes some time to master! So stick with it and practice regularly. Even if its just for 5 minutes a day! Have fun with it and see what seemingly impossible things you can achieve! You may be surprised.
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