Certified HoopYogini™ Instructor Genevieve Mac of Warrior Woman Wellness loves to share the transformational tools of music, movement and breath to help people overcome anxiety and stress in Edmonton, Alberta.

How did you discover hooping?

I discovered hooping at a local show about 6 years ago. There was this beauty spinning around on the dance floor totally hypnotizing me and stealing the show. I knew I HAD to learn how to do that!

What do you love about hooping and what has it meant for you?

My favorite thing about hooping is the way it’s opened up my dance and then my life. My movement background is primarily highland dancing, aikido and cheerleading; very specific movements meant to be performed exactly the same way by each practitioner. Because of that I got reeeaaallly hung up on tricks and berated myself for not doing them as well as I perceived others to.

Then a funny thing happened in my hoop journey, even though my focus was tricks and I kept going to workshops with that intention, I incidentally was opened up to a number of other cool things like yoga, meditation and breathwork that ended up kicking off quite a journey of healing and facing my fears and insecurities. It turned out I didn’t think my dance (or myself for that matter) was worth any ones time without a lot of sparkle and razmataz, now I know that is not true! Hooping has helped me realize that I am enough just the way I am and so is my hoopdance. I love seeing what my body can do when I apply it.

What do you love about HoopYogini™?

I love that I get to combine my 3 favorite things (mindful movement, SWEAT and hooping) into one workout! HoopYogini™ has given me the structure and therefore the space needed to develop a daily hoop practice. That alone has made such a difference in my flow! The grounding, calming nature of the Spinal Awakening Series provides a depth to my flow and a comfort with moving more slowly, something I used to struggle with. From The Core has improved my core hooping so much I can chest hoop in my outflow without even trying!

What do you love most about teaching?

I love introducing people to the hoop for the first time. I love how their challenges challenge me to find new ways of communication. I LOVE giving people tools to help ground themselves into their bodies aiding them in stress/anxiety management.

Give us a sense of your background or approach with teaching.

My approach to teaching is to focus on wellness and maintaining a strong mind/body connection to my practice. I’m not interested in teaching hoop tricks as much as I am interested in giving people tools to calm their mind and work out their body while incidentally levelling up hoop skills.

Share your message, values, and aspirations as a teacher and hooper.

My intention with teaching is to help get people out of their heads, into their bodies and in LOVE with themselves. Like many I’ve dealt with mental illness: as a teen I was anorexic and bulimic and as an adult I struggle with anxiety and stress management. Throughout my life I have discovered one of my best tools in managing these challenges is movement, music and breath. I want people to have fun and get in touch with their bodies and will definitely focus on keeping a safe space for practitioners to do so.

Share three to six songs for a HoopYogini™ playlist

Personal Quote:

“Energy goes where awareness flows”