East Nashville’s Hooprama has no sign over its door, but students filled nearly every class in August. Owner (and aptly-named) Sunny Becks teaches the hula hooping classes, and for her, few activities contribute to the development of the whole person like hooping.

“Probably 80 percent of the people who come to class say they can’t hoop,” says Becks, who began hooping three-and-a-half years ago. “Beginner I class is a whole bunch of fresh faces; they’re all discovering hoops for the first time.” Once students learn the fundamental skill of keeping the hoop going, Becks introduces moves like the Limbo, the Booty Bump and the Slinky. She finds that most women “are very constricted in their movement, especially their hips. I get to teach them how to find their ‘boom-boom.’”

Beginner II adds more moves. By then, the class becomes more intimate because the women know each other. “I want people to learn names, to encourage each other individually.” By the time her HoopStars (those who have completed the first two classes) take Hoop Aerobix, they’re incorporating moves into a stamina-stretching, body-toning, heart-strengthening routine.

Many people will recognize Becks and her HoopStars from the 2008 Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. She and nine other women, including her newly hired second teacher, Yvonne, hooped the half-marathon to inspire others by raising awareness of her nonprofit, Hooping for Hope. The program, created to offer breast cancer patients and survivors free hooping classes, is intended to encourage a sense of community. “This is a group of women that really needs to connect with their bodies.” Becks is also traveling to Washington, D.C., in October to hoop the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, a 60-mile walk to raise money for breast cancer research.

Becks is the mother of three daughters, two of whom hoop. Her 15-year-old, Fiona, is a petite, blonde sprite with Hepburn-esque poise. “I don’t really remember how I was when I started hooping,” she muses. “I’ve got, I guess, more self-esteem.”

Becks beams. “It makes her comfortable with her body. She’s able to move; it really created a sense of ownership and security.” Fiona has witnessed the same self-confidence in younger girls who hoop, like her 9-year-old sister. “She has her entire hoop community of her best girlfriends.” Becks delights in her youngest converts: “There’s a hooper born every second.” Even her littlest daughter at 1 year old sways her hips back and forth.

Becks proclaims, “I want my kids to take away a passion for life. I tell them, ‘Don’t ever, ever do anything that takes the ‘boom-boom’ out of your body. Live life. Help others.’ I try to look at everybody and think, ‘What can I do to make their day better?’”

With her effusive energy, Becks has realized her many passions. Her classes dissolve barriers, build confidence and ownership, and strengthen relationships. She spends her days and evenings helping women release their sensuality in a fun and carefree way. Reflecting on her hooping  accomplishments over the past three years, Becks says, “When you’re in the right spot, things just unfold.”

To learn more about Hooprama, visit hooprama.com.

HER HINT:
Modern hoops for adults weigh more for better balance and momentum and come in larger diameters. Hooprama provides hoops in class and sells hoops in different sizes, weights and colors each custom-made for the customer.
 

HER HINT:
Becks’s Hoopjams gather hoopers in an open public space to encourage the sport, encourage experimentation and expression, and encourage the community to play together. Hooprama usually hosts hoopjams once a month in East Nashville.
 

HER HINT:
For new moms, Becks offers post-partum hooping to help them get back in touch with their bodies and ease the transition from being entirely baby-focused to returning to a more balanced state.