When life changes in painful ways our soul has a way of reaching up from the depths and sharing it’s purpose. Stephanie Walsh the founder of Just Flow Fun shares her powerful story of loss and how her hoop dance helped to find balance. She has gone on to be a shining leader in her community and a light in the global community. I am lucky enough to be connected with Stephanie through her Hoop Love Coach training and beyond; so it was extra sweet to get to do this interview with her.
What is your hoop story? We have a feeling there is divine magic at work!
After 9+ years of hula hooping in my home to stay fit as a single mom, and forever dreaming of one day learning the beautiful ways of hoop dance, tragedy and loss of self pushed me toward fulfilling my dream.
I lost my parents one right after the other in early 2013 and in turn, lost myself.
It was through hoop dance that I was able to bring myself back to center, shift my pain, and facilitate my own healing through flow and movement. In June of 2013, I traveled to Prague for Hoopurbia, the World’s first urban hoop conference. I had the pleasure of working with Hoopurbia Founder, Rebecca Halls, Chief Visionary Officer of Education at Hoopnotica, Jacqui Becker, Shakti Sunfire and Kiani DEL Valle, dance teacher and choreographer.
It was exactly what I needed and such a blessing to connect with myself again and a community that I couldn’t even begin to explain how perfect they were and needed in my life at that time.
For more of my story…
Was there a defining moment when you knew that you simply had to share the hoop love and start teaching hoop dance?
Oh absolutely. It was right there and then at Hoopurbia. The way I felt there with my tribe, the way I connected with myself and those around me was a feeling I never knew was accessible in this life.
I returned home with a fire and passion burning within and without hesitation, became a certified hoop instructor so that I could begin to share that passion, fun, community, love and healing, that hoop dance had given me within my community.
Not only did I create Just Flow Fun and begin teaching immediately, but I started making custom made-to-order hoops for my friends and students as a way to let my creative juices continue to flow in this new art form. You can see some of my creations HERE.
What was it like to teach your first hoop class?
I taught my first class in a tiny little yoga studio (Prenti Yoga Bristol) that could only fit FIVE hoopers in it. My first students were friends and co-workers and yet I was terrified! I can recall my notes looking like a novel that a crazy person wrote and feeling like I was going to vomit the entire time. I must have had them all fooled though because they kept coming back and even fighting over spaces in class.
Has much changed since your beginnings as a hoop teacher to now?
I still have the crazy person notes from time to time when I have far too much I want to teach, but the space at the community center where I’m teaching now isn’t an issue and holds 20 new and old students each week. We have beginners starting all the time and our community has gone from about 5 to 60 hoopers! My terror is long gone and I can proudly say that still have yet to vomit. Ha!
What excites you most about being part of the global hoop community?
The abundance of love, support, inspiration and knowledge. Each day I’m inspired and pushed by this community to look beyond not just what’s possible in the hoop but at life’s possibilities, questions and answers and in to something so very deep and essential to the World and our growth. It’s remarkable to think how much a little circle has changed my World and a daily delight thinking about what an impact this global hoop community can (and WILL) have on the entire world.
I can’t wait to see what we all create together!
Do you have any words of wisdom for hoop teachers around the world?
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” -Buddha
Share your hoop experiences and the joy hooping has brought to your life with coworkers, friends and heck, even strangers! Invite them over or meet up in parks to hoop and share the love. Sharing your happiness and love of hooping will cultivate your advocates and create your cheerleaders. These are the people who will help bring others in to share the hoop love and build your business. Be and share who you are and BREATH, you’ve got this! Not throwing up also helps.
What are your grand visions for the rest of the year and venturing into 2015?
Sooo many grand visions, especially after sharing in the Sacred Circularities Sedona retreat magic I was lucky enough to be involved in recently. My most grand vision for the rest of the year is to stay tuned in to my intuition and my hoop tribe and to continue to bring the hoop love to my CT community as much as possible. I feel so blessed to be able to share something so personal and important in a way that I believe can help others and change our community.
How do you describe that feeling when you are spinning in your hoop?
Connected, Joyous, Abundant, Healed, Inspired
Thank you Steph for sharing your powerful story of healing. Heart opening and humbling, you are a shining light for us all; an inspiration to teachers and students all over. Thank you.
Find Stephanie Walsh all over:
Just Flow Fun
Facebook
Instagram: @justflowfun
