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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

Inside Leandra Harrison's Hoop: A Path to Bliss for Local Hooping Instructor

Aug 01, 2010 12:00AM ● By Linda Seachrist

Was it the beat of the music, the beauty of synchronized movement, the costumes or the poetic fluidity of spinning hoops? Leandra Harrison, owner of Pure Magic Hoops, is still trying to figure out what put her in a mesmerized state when she watched her first Internet video of women hooping together. “What I did know for certain was that I wanted to see more videos and learn how to hoop,” recalls Harrison, who is now a certified hoop instructor and gifted hoop maker. “I originally wanted to be a teacher, but discovered that I so much enjoy the artistic part of creating customized hoops for those who are just beginning their journey into hooping.”

Harrison loves to talk about the spiritual journey she’s been on since taking up hooping. “While each person’s experience is different, they all seem to begin on the same inspiring high note of whirling a hoop to some upbeat piece of music, but then drop down the scale to intimidating thoughts that are ignited by tricks that appear too difficult,” says Harrison, whose sense of self-esteem and fiery passion for hooping get stoked every time she masters a new trick or makes just the right hoop for a client. “Thoughts like, ‘I can’t do that,’ are quickly replaced by a state of euphoria whenever someone masters what they thought they couldn’t do; the result is an instant boost to self-esteem,” she advises.

Much of what once seemed impossible for Harrison before hooping became possible after. For this artistic sprite, the story of synchronistic events is a little like the space inside her hoop—hard to tell where it begins and ends. For example, during her hooping certification, someone recommended that she read Abraham-Hicks’ material on the Law of Attraction. Only a few whirls, loops and tricks later, she found an Abraham-Hicks meetup group, kindred hoopers, a hoop convergence program and workshops—and a sense of well-being which led her to notice that many of the things she once considered bothersome in her in life had dropped away while she wasn’t looking. “I awoke to a sense of knowing that with every revolution of my hoop, I was unwinding things inside that no longer served me,” reflects Harrison, who relishes the level of freedom she experiences inside her hoop.

Discovering a thoroughly enjoyable form of exercise was the icing on the cake for Harrison. “It was a bonus to lose weight and inches that I didn’t need,” she quips. Whether she’s teaching a one-on-one hoop lesson on her back porch, inside her home studio, with its padded floor, three huge mirrors, industrial-sized fans and upbeat music, or in a dynamic group setting like the drum circles that meet regularly at Cambier Park and in Bonita Springs, Harrison hoops it up whenever she gets the chance. “It’s my bliss,” says Harrison, “and anyone who runs would describe it as their runner’s high. Whatever you want to call it, I say it’s pure fun!”


For more info, call 239-777-5157, visit Naples Hoola Hoopers's Facebook page or email
[email protected].