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 epilepsy. I have been dealing with grand mal seizures since I was 18 years old, I'm 25 now. With my meds comes crazy side effects and my mind is not clear unless I'm doing stuff I love like poi or skateboarding. I went to the best neurologist around Knoxville TN area. We talked about things I like to do, like skateboarding, and I mentioned spinning fire. He said he was totally in support of fire spinning because of the benefits from exercise and the concentration, because it works the brain.
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.
The doctor/surgeon said I would never be able to spin poi again after they cut my sternum open for heart surgery but they were wrong. I started spinning as soon as my chest didn't hurt any more in the nursing home physical therapy room. The physical therapist there saw my progress and let the elderly spin bean bags as well if they wanted to try what I was doing. It greatly improved their progress because they were having fun. Some even came to my room outside of p.t. time to get lessons.
Poi was a way to give my brain a break and get my body moving in between writing sessions. They were small, compact, and easy to use (at first). Little did I know that Poi was going to completely alter my life. It has allowed me to openly express my emotions, heal from a number of mental scars, and live a happier life.
It was at a low point in my life that I discovered juggling, staff, and poi. Even with all my troubles, I still progressed. The motion and satisfaction of getting a move down filled my heart with joy. These skills came with powerful "magic", indeed. Playing with poi and the flow arts can make "magical" changes in you too, and I encourage all no matter where you are in life to give it a go.
Poi has had a great impact on my life. Because I am so hyperactive and have ADHD poi helps me focus and calms me down. Every time I spin I don’t think about anything else, just that moment in time. My hand and leg coordination has improved dramatically which is mostly noticeable in my sport life. Currently I am doing fire shows as much as I can. With my friend we do a lot of workshops, especially for kids and older people (we work with lots of senior homes and youth associations for gifted kids), because we love seeing the look on their face when they learn a move or two and they thought that this is impossible.