Maxwellian Viessenberg
I was always an active kid growing up, I was involved in gymnastics and springboard diving for over ten years by the time I graduated high school. During my junior year of high school I was hospitalized for an illness. My muscles atrophied severely from my condition. I lost almost all of my muscle mass and needed physical therapy to build up stamina just to walk across a room without being out of breath and tired. My body no longer did what I wanted it to do and I felt very distraught. I made a mostly full recovery but my body never quite worked the same as it did when I was in acrobatic shape. I spent the next few years being underweight and not interested in physical activity. I avoided sports due to it reminding me of what I had lost. Eventually a friend introduced me to poi. 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.