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.
Poi helped me a lot with social anxiety. It helped me to feel more comfortable in my skin while people are looking at me, mainly because of practicing poi in public places and showing off my poi skills to friends. Now I don't get as clumsy as I used to when I feel I'm being watched. It also helped me gain confidence in speaking and explaining things, as people ask me to teach them some poi tricks.
Poi is my life companion for over 15 years now and it still brings me joy every day. I believe it is a unique form of meditation, a challenge for the brain, a dance partner for the body and a magic tool for group work - all in one! It also gives me total freedom in combining different art forms including visual arts and dance. Another very important reason is that it makes me feel good and relaxed.
I used poi to cope whenever I had a bad day. It freed my mind and allowed me to just exist with these two bits of fabric and bean bags. I had my own space and the more I moved the more the depression lifted. It makes me feel special that I can flow on the 'cosmic tides' that is life now. It allows me to discard my mood, worries, hunger, sadness, everything.
The low resistance and technical nature of poi spinning was perfect to complete my full rehabilitation from my illness, many years after my last physical therapy session. I drilled and drilled the basics, gaining fluency with my movements and regaining feeling of where my limbs were in relation to my body. I now use poi as a form of mindfulness meditation and as a reminder of how far you can come if you work diligently at something for a long time.
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.