you can do whatever is the most comfortable. for most, if not all, it is best to grasp the seat with the hand on the opposite side of the direction you are most comfortable hopping. for example, i hop with my right foot forward, holding on to the seat with my right hand, hopping towards the left. for me, this is the most comfortable, although it means when i mount (right foot back) i cannot begin hopping until i do half of a revolution forward or backward.
no, even if it is comfortable to hop to the side that your using your hand to hold the saddle, you must switch.
it’s bad form hopping in the direction you hold your saddle with. it will be detrimental to your hops, and you will most likely achieve basically nothing. it also increases chance of injury because your hand isn’t out there to take the impact if you fall.
so if it’s comfortable right now to hop in the direction you hold your saddle…you really need to change it. don’t get used to it. you need that arm out, for balance, and to swing downward when you’re hopping up providing a bit more height.
I used to hop towards the hand I help the uni with… Then I hurt said hand and how to switch. Pain is a good motivator, so my advice? Smack your hand on something really hard so that you have to switch. 