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Poi and Flow Arts

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xantho

xantho

Rising Star
Any Nexians spin poi or practice any flow arts such as hoop, staff etc.?

I attended Summercamp Music Festival in May and spent one of the days in walking meditation with Lucy. One of the subjects I meditated on was the transience of material possessions and the suffering derived from worldly attachments (a rather fitting line of thought since I felt somewhat akin to a Buddhist Christ at the time). At that stage in my life I was in the process of giving away most of my possessions since I was soon to move to a new country and was unable to take much more than my clothes along with me. This led me to think about non-material things that I could carry with me throughout my life, and perhaps across the threshold into the after-life - whatever there may lie.

It was during the meditation that I decided that a skill was the thing I needed in my life. A simple skill, not requiring complex material possessions, or any possessions at all, that I could hold in my mind and give birth to with my body. A skill which would require discipline, patience, and perseverance. The answer I arrived at for my own life was movement, flow, dance.

Approximately 2 months later, after a wonderful trip to Electric Forest with my best friend and his companions, as well as many hours spent over the course of Scamp and EF gazing in awe at fire spinners, I decided to begin learning to spin poi. Almost 7 months have passed since the day I made my first pair out of dress socks and sushi rice and poi has become a passionate component of my daily life. Each time I spin, I am able to express myself through my movement and set aside the constant activity of my mind; melting into the now and transcending the boundaries of space-time. I feel an empowering sense of freedom knowing that I can carry this skill with me, even without physical poi, no matter where I go. In addition, poi has allowed me to fill a gap in my life that I have felt for some time: to create works of beauty for others to behold.

I'm really looking forward to meeting more members of the flow community, advancing my skill, and melting some faces :)

P.S. Here's a link to a video if you're unfamiliar with poi:
 
Agreed! Yeah I know a little about the Flow Temple and Burning Dan. I'd love to be involved in a group like that one day soon. Thanks for sharing the video, I hadn't seen that one but really enjoyed it. All the guys and girls over at the Vulcan are seriously talented and seem very down-to-earth. Which props do you play with?
 
xantho said:
Agreed! Yeah I know a little about the Flow Temple and Burning Dan. I'd love to be involved in a group like that one day soon. Thanks for sharing the video, I hadn't seen that one but really enjoyed it. All the guys and girls over at the Vulcan are seriously talented and seem very down-to-earth. Which props do you play with?
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I haven't personally gotten into it... yet. But in the near future. :)

Do you know if any good resources for beginners?
 
I sure do! I'll give you a few links that helped me out a lot when I was starting. Feel free to PM me at any time in the future if you need help with anything.

Poi are the only prop I play with for now so the links below are poi-related.

The HomeOfPoi website has a nicely organized library of videos which cover most beginner and intermediate aspects of poi spinning, including videos by Nick and Derek mentioned below (Learn POI). This is probably the best place to start out.

Nick Woolsey has an incredible series of instructional videos starting with the absolute basics and progressing from there, all in a fun and easy-to-follow style. (How to hold your poi -
; Directions of spin -
: Getting your bearings -
). Start with these basics and once you are comfortable spinning the poi in all directions you can begin learning patterns such as the 2-beat and 3-beat weaves.

Derek also has a great collection of tutorial videos on YouTube. He has taught me just about everything I know :) (http://www.youtube.com/user/derekjf85/videos?sort=da&view=u).

Take it one step at a time and remember to have fun! Part of the beauty of poi is that each person develops at their own rate and in their own unique direction. Things will get frustrating along the way but the incredible sense of satisfaction that comes with hard-earned progress is well worth the time and effort. :D
 
Simple LED lights tied to a shoestring on my middle finger on 500 micrograms LSD has ejected my consciousness out of my body while dancing and I was able to observe myself still dancing and everyone else around me from about 15ft above.

Dreamer042 has also had this happen to him.

Poi is cool ;]
 
۩ said:
Simple LED lights tied to a shoestring on my middle finger on 500 micrograms LSD has ejected my consciousness out of my body while dancing and I was able to observe myself still dancing and everyone else around me from about 15ft above.

Dreamer042 has also had this happen to him.

Poi is cool ;]
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That sounds absolutely incredible house! Dance is such a powerful means of pushing beyond the ego. I think most of us in western society, myself included, don't dance nearly enough.

Kookaburra: You're welcome! Glad I could help :) Be sure to keep me updated on how things go if you end up getting into it.
 
I'm a juggler. I've juggled on and off since high school. About a year ago I got back into it and decided to take my three ball juggling to the next level, which has become a lot easier with the advent of YouTube instructional videos. I juggle flaming torches from time to time, always popular at the summer barbecues!

I can get into a pretty deep flow state with juggling, but it is inevitably interrupted by a drop. I'm interested in poi because it looks like it provides a more flow-y and uninterrupted access to the flow state and has a stronger relationship to dance, which I find very liberating. Have never tried it but it is on my list.
 
The thicker your wicks and the moar you can saturate them with fuel, the longer your burn time will be.

Just don't forget to spin off really well or you'll be shooting flaming fuel streams at people. :twisted:

Fuel choice makes a difference too, limonine for example is longer and cooler burning than white gas or kerosine, albiet significantly moar expensive. It is a great way to dispose of your used limo.
 
dreamer042 said:
The thicker your wicks and the moar you can saturate them with fuel, the longer your burn time will be.

Just don't forget to spin off really well or you'll be shooting flaming fuel streams at people. :twisted:

Fuel choice makes a difference too, limonine for example is longer and cooler burning than white gas or kerosine, albiet significantly moar expensive. It is a great way to dispose of your used limo.
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Not to mention fuel mixtures that don't put off as much soot that makes contact spinning so slippery, will have to try limonine :∆
 
I’m an amateur staff spinner at best. I have about 5 or 6 moves. And I have also never done it with fire. Only led lights. Some day I will have the kahonies to try.
 
100%. My wife has done poi for about 5 years now, and in the beginning she would have welts on her thighs and arms. Smacked her face all the time. Dosnt really happen anymore.
 
when i was starting 5 or so years ago, i would take a bunch of harmalas, smoke cannabis, and spin poi in the woods at night with headphones after spending a while looking up new moves. Twas a great way to learn
 
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