Aug. 4—A yoga follower has incorporated a pastime from the 1960s and '70s into her sessions.

Rebecca Fairchild will lead a class called Yoga and Hula Hooping from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12 at Valley of Hope Farm.

"I went to a festival about four years ago and saw hula hooping and I haven't stopped hooping since," Fairchild said.

Of course, the fad began decades ago, after Wham-O toy company founders Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin learned children in Australia twirled bamboo hoops around their waists in gym class. A year later, in 1958, Wham-O had created a hollow hoop out of Phillips Petroleum's newly developed plastic Marlex.

Fairchild's hoops aren't those hoops.

"These are different from the type you find at a department store," she explained. "The tubing is better. ... The others are fine to play with, but there are things you can't do with them."

The class at the farm will be part yoga, part hoops.

"It will be a good 30 minutes of yoga and hoop stretching, mostly on and off-body hula hooping," she said, noting different kinds of hoops are used for different movement. Plus, she does tricks and illusions with the hoops.

Benefits of hula hooping, she said, including burning calories, building a strong core, better balance and posture, full-body workout, weight loss with consistent practice, cardio workout which supports brain health, reduction of stress and anxiety, better focus and healthy fun.

"It's a great way to get grounded, forget your problems and smile," Fairchild said.

Valley of Hope farm is at 866 Joe Branch.

Cost of the class is $25, which includes refreshments from products on the farm. For more about Yoga and Hula Hooping, call Fairchild at (606) 831-5408.

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