Oh boy - Poi!
Jun. 18th, 2005 11:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ambericaI just ordered a pair of beginner's poi. I had been playing around with spinning long socks that had smaller socks balled up inside the ends (DON'T LAUGH!), and it's really not that hard, even for a clumsy girl like me! So I did some poking around on Home of Poi, and found some not-too-expensive but still decent cloth ones so I can start trying to get more serious about this. I went with a pair that have tails, so I can keep better track of where I am twisting my hands in the wrong directions or making mistakes, and they will also look more neat when I am doing it right!
For those of you who are wondering, the poi I am referring to is not the gooey purple starchy Hawaiian food made from smashed taro root. "Poi" is also the Maori (natives of New Zealand) word for "ball (on a cord)." They are twirled and spun in the hands, often lit on fire for an amazing performance.
Last year at Burning Man, I was very impressed with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nicotinequeen's poi spinning (she even used fire!) I told her that I wished I could learn how to do it, but that I felt I was too clumsy and uncoordinated. She told me that anyone could do it, that she had only started doing it AFTER the previous year's Burning Man, and that it could actually help build coordination. I always remembered that, and even looked at the Home of Poi website a few times since then, but I never really bothered trying it with a beginner's set or even socks like I am doing right now. However, now that I have actually tried a few basic moves, I am seeing just how quickly I am able to learn, and how this could really help me get in better touch with my body and become at least a little more coordinated. (Plus, it's actually a nice little cardio workout! I never realized how it can get your heart pumping!)
So today I am being brave, I am doing something new and physically challenging, which is typically outside my comfort level. And right after I ordered the poi, I noticed that they are being shipped out of New Zealand! This might take a few weeks.... ;)
For those of you who are wondering, the poi I am referring to is not the gooey purple starchy Hawaiian food made from smashed taro root. "Poi" is also the Maori (natives of New Zealand) word for "ball (on a cord)." They are twirled and spun in the hands, often lit on fire for an amazing performance.
Last year at Burning Man, I was very impressed with
nicotinequeen's poi spinning (she even used fire!) I told her that I wished I could learn how to do it, but that I felt I was too clumsy and uncoordinated. She told me that anyone could do it, that she had only started doing it AFTER the previous year's Burning Man, and that it could actually help build coordination. I always remembered that, and even looked at the Home of Poi website a few times since then, but I never really bothered trying it with a beginner's set or even socks like I am doing right now. However, now that I have actually tried a few basic moves, I am seeing just how quickly I am able to learn, and how this could really help me get in better touch with my body and become at least a little more coordinated. (Plus, it's actually a nice little cardio workout! I never realized how it can get your heart pumping!)So today I am being brave, I am doing something new and physically challenging, which is typically outside my comfort level. And right after I ordered the poi, I noticed that they are being shipped out of New Zealand! This might take a few weeks.... ;)
