Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 21

'Hula Empress'
Georgians AT WORK By Rosalyn Dunn
Meet Lauren Porchia,
I
n 2019, Lauren Porchia found herself in a lonely space, moving back to
her childhood home in South Carolina to recover from a difficult divorce
and a long illness. She was surfing the internet one day when she came
across a video of someone happily hula-hooping.
" I thought, 'I'll give that a try,' " she says. " I needed something to pull
me out of that dark time. "
She bought herself a hula hoop and bumped into the wall on her first
attempt. Once she got the hoop steadily looping around her midsection,
" I started dancing, " she says.
Three months later, Porchia moved to Atlanta and founded her own
mobile wellness company, SOulDIVINE, incorporating hula-hooping with
her experience in alternative-health practices such as yoga, reiki and
sound vibrational therapy. Daily sessions of hula-hooping, combined with
healthy food choices, helped her to build muscle and gain some needed
healthy weight. The biggest improvement she saw, however, was in her
mental health.
" [Hooping] keeps you focused and grounded, " Porchia says. " It
releases the 'happy endorphins' in your brain and is like meditation.
Plus, it's just fun. "
According to the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, hula-hooping is an
aerobic activity equivalent to swing or salsa dancing in terms of burning
calories. One study shows that women who used a weighted hula hoop
in a six-week regimen shaved 3.4 centimeters from their waists and
1.4 centimeters from their hips. The exercise builds core muscle strength
and balance, and it is easy on ankle and knee joints.
As Porchia began to reach out to friends and family about hooping,
she discovered that one of the biggest challenges to the exercise was the
hoop itself.
" You can't just run out to Walmart and grab a hoop; those are not for
adults, " she says. " So I began to make my own. "
In 2021, Porchia brought her hula hoops to the Atlanta Beltline and
taught a pop-up class that drew about 50 people. She returned weekend
after weekend, earning the nickname " The Hula Empress " as more and
more people showed up to hoop.
" I thought, 'What if I take this on the road?' " Porchia says.
She traveled to seven states, hooping with more than 1,500 people.
Porchia-who now splits her time among Atlanta; Tampa, Fla.; and
her hometown of Moncks Corner, S.C.-kicked off a self-funded " Hula Heal
Dance Tour " in Atlanta at the Juneteenth celebration in Piedmont Park on
June 22. She plans to teach in cities nationwide-including Los Angeles,
New Orleans and New York-and dreams of a first international visit
to Ghana.
She will be traveling extensively, but she also is available to schedule
group lessons and events.
Her own experience of better health pushes her to win new converts
and gives her quick responses for those who doubt themselves.
" People would sometimes tell me, 'I can't do that,' and I would tell
Lauren Porchia's four-hour drop-in classes help students
build core strength, work on mindfulness and have fun.
them that I had just started, " she says. " I didn't have
a hula hoop as a child, and my family says I couldn't
do it when I did play with one. "
And for those who tell her they don't have the
time to hoop?
" One song a day will keep the stress away, "
Porchia says.
Rosalyn Dunn is a freelance writer who lives in
Atlanta.
Tips for hula-hooping success
* Wear stretchy, form-fi tting clothes. Loose material
can keep the hoop from gripping your body.
* Stand up straight and keep your legs as still as
possible.
* Keep one foot slightly in front of the other and
move your body in a front-to-back or side-to-side
motion, rather than circular.
Learn more at Porchia's website, iamlaurendanielle.com,
or follow her on Instagram at instagram.com/
souldivinevibes.
www.georgiamagazine.org
21
ELLIS VENER PHOTOGRAPHY
http://www.iamlaurendanielle.com http://www.instagram.com/souldivinevibes http://www.instagram.com/souldivinevibes http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Georgia Magazine - July 2024

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