OBJECT:

This exercise is particularly effective to assist in achieving synchronous rhythmic activity between the two cerebral hemispheres, and therefore, enhancing the ability to visualize what is said and to communicate ideas as they are thought. It also enhances differentiation.

MATERIALS:

The equipment required for this exercise is a hula hoop approximately thirty (30) inches in diameter. (Smaller hoops will spin faster, and larger hoops will spin more slowly. Different people may benefit from these features, depending on their own natural rhythms, and how much control over speed of movement is part of the individualized program.) The hula hoop should be a solid color (no stripes, dots, etc. to accommodate for persons with particular visual-perceptual deficits) and have no fluid or other material inside it, which would alter the sensation. If you have hula hoops with objects inside, you can carefully separate the hoop where it is joined, remove the objects, and rejoin it. The activity should be performed in an open space with no breakable objects in the immediate vicinity. Those with glasses should wear protective goggles or remove their glasses. These precautions are taken because the hoop may fly off the person's hand while s/he is learning to control it. It is also a good idea to remove watches and bangle bracelets before performing this activity.

PROCEDURES:

Stand in the middle of the open space, and place the hula hoop on the wrist of one arm. You will have to experiment to achieve enough momentum to have the hoop spin in a clockwise direction on your wrist and to maintain its spinning at a moderate pace. Your arm should be in front of your body, with the upper arm barely tensed, the elbow slightly bent, and the forearm extended straight in front of you. (If the upper arm is employed more than the forearm, and/or if the arm is raised, the hoop will travel on the arm toward the head.)

 

Once a steady motion can be sustained, you should move your other arm to join the first arm in the hoop, and continue spinning the hoop on both wrists, without breaking the rhythm of the movement. After several rotations, the first arm should be taken out, and the second arm should continue the activity for several rotations, maintaining the same pace. The first arm should now reenter, and the spinning should continue for approximately three (3) minutes.

 

If you cannot start the hoop spinning on your arm, have someone stand opposite you, and place the hoop on the your wrist, and then grasp your hand. S/he can move your arm to gain the necessary momentum and begin the spinning of the hoop. S/he should remain working with you until your arm seems to have internalized the rhythm necessary to keep the hoop spinning. With practice, s/he can learn to guide your second hand into coordinated activity, also, by first inserting his/her hand, and then drawing your second hand into the hoop.

Once a steady rhythm is maintained, you should try to keep the hoop moving in a pattern such as four revolutions on the right arm, then four with both, four with the left, four with both, four with the right, and so on.