Conscious gatherings, like Lucidity, help open our eyes to the boundless beauty and potential of humanity. They help us to discover our flow.

---

Together our vibrating bodies, open hearts, sun-kissed souls, and eyes bright with anticipation form a hub of creation – a collaborative environment rooted in compassion, abundance, and exploration.

We join hands to celebrate, to grieve, to empower one another, to create magic, to step into our gifts, and to embrace our humanness.

With our hearts leading the way, we explore what it means to be in flow. We embody union with ourselves, with one another, with our surroundings.

Whether it’s fostered by creating shapes in the Movement Lab, expressing visions at the Art Temple, reading under a tree at the Lucid Landing, or immersing yourself in the wisdom of the Lucid University – flow is a state of complete focus, connection of mind, body, and spirit.

Finding Your Flow

I picked up poi for the first time at Lucidity in 2019. Before then, I had never considered myself a dancer, let alone a performer. The thought of being on a stage made me uncomfortable and having eyes on me made my heart race.

I spent many years trapped by an unwillingness to be seen failing, falling and trying again. Lucidity was just the container and I needed to be willing to play. I embraced my inner child, allowed myself to dance, and discovered my flow state inside of Lucidity’s magical Flow Zone.

For many, flow arts are a way to achieve a meditative state of union. I felt mesmerized time and time again as I witnessed individuals dance with fire; transforming sound into elemental expression. And now, I experience that transformation through my own dance, my own flow.

And now, I experience that transformation through my own dance, my own flow.

Maybe you’ve witnessed flow arts at fire circles, in backyards, or at music festivals, but you’re not so sure where to begin your personal journey.

To help you heartstorm some ideas of where to start, here are 3 common flow styles to explore as you journey into the world of fire flow!

Poi

Poi is a form of dance where weighted balls are attached to tethers and swung in rhythmical, geometric patterns. The word “poi” comes from the Maori people of New Zealand.

The ancient forms of Maori Poi continue to evolve into variations off of the original poi, now including Fire Poi and LED Poi.

Spinning poi is a skillful, beautiful expression to witness. I suggest starting with sock poi and most importantly, remember to have fun and embrace those inevitable whacks to the face!

Staff

Staff has been spun for hundreds of years in places like Polynesia and Hawaii. A staff is usually made of wood or metal, and has a kevlar wick on each end.

The staff is held in one or two hands and spun through the air and around the body. Some main types of fire staff flow include contact fire staff, double fire staff, and fire staff juggling.

They can be manipulated in different ways depending on the style: rotated, twisted, and turned around the body, rolled over the body while staying in contact, or thrown into the air and caught for juggling.

Staff spinning is a beautiful teacher of coordination, concentration, timing, and patience. If you have a broom lying around, why not pick it up and begin exploring!?

Fans

There are a wide range of different types of fire fans with varying grips, shapes, and sizes. Typically, one fan is held in each hand and they can be a playful tool to further explore movement.

Fire fans started as a belly dancing prop, but expanded to other styles of dance. With belly dancing, fans are moved, swayed and turned slowly with the movement of the body. With tech fan spinning, the fans are often moved faster and with more intricate tricks.

As you explore the different props, you’ll see that many poi and hoop tricks can be translated into movement with the fans. Fire fans are a great first prop for people interested in fire dancing. Have fun and be aware that when all the wicks are lit, it can feel like a lot of fire!

All The Rest

Other popular flow arts include hooping, devil sticks, rope dart, and juggling! Which one calls to you the most? If you already flow with fire, is there a new expression that you want to explore? Whatever it may be, we encourage you to begin playing!

Fire dancing often starts as a handful of variations on a few simple moves. Learn the basics first (ie. sans fire perhaps…), then move onto more advanced moves. You can do this!

And remember to honor your journey and celebrate progress, however small it may seem. It is medicine to learn something new, to embrace being a total beginner, to witness progress in action, to set goals rooted in creativity, expression and collaboration.

We’re already counting down the days until we’re playing together at Lucidity. Happy flowing!

---

Cover photo by Underground Exposure