People all over the world are experiencing the power of poi, from physical to mental to emotional benefits and everything in between! Check out the amazing stories below for some intimate truths about the positive influence of poi, or click the button to share your own story.
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I have a highly complex congenital heart defect called transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA). As a kid I was very clumsy, had a speech impediment and very poor fine motor skills. My hand eye coordination was pretty much nonexistent. Now after 16 years of flow arts I'm far less clumsy and my hand eye coordination is better than ever. If you get discouraged just remember it's all about taking baby steps, all those little victories will get you where you want to be.
I discovered retreats and other poi artists online and quickly picked up this incredible art. I noticed that my thinking had changed to a more positive tone and felt my depression, stress and anxiety disappear. I noticed my coordination improve, not to mention all the exercise I am getting on a regular basis. Poi has also helped greatly build up my self confidence - helping me channel away negativity.
I'm the type of person who enjoys movement and finds importance in it, so poi has been my number 1 influence to going outside to play and move more. It's help me become better with coordination, quick reaction, focus, mobility, serenity and so on. I believe it really is healthy for the mind, body and soul. If I had to choose just one tool to use for body movement, it would probably be poi. I find it to go hand in hand with a majority of my interests as I find a connection between them, and with that said, poi will always be something I do and share with the world.
A few years ago, in my early 50's, I had a horrid case of pneumonia that lasted for months; I'd also injured my knee, which took weeks to heal. I was getting very depressed. I believe that poi was an important healing force for me. It wasn't too physically demanding, yet it let me get range of motion and coordination at my own pace. It was always exciting to master a new weave. It got me off the couch without hurting me, it cheered me up, it gave me a chance to laugh at myself a lot, and it was great for my confidence and mood. And SO fun.
Poi is definitely helping me with my Multiple Sclerosis, as it keep my brain and body active. I have muscle weakness in both arms so a daily poi workout is helping loads. I also use it as a form of pain management as I know I can feel pain, but it becomes less of a priority when you're focusing on executing a certain poi move.
When I started to play poi, it created a new space within mommy space that I could claim while still having mainly my attention for the kids. But this space with poi gave me joy and enabled me to reconnect to myself and my body in a way that was not restricted by time nor space. And in the practise of poi I learned about my sensuality, about learning to learn, attachments, limitations of the mind and the list can go on. I strongly feel that learning the skill of poi flow changes people and therefor has a power to change the world.