Free Fire Dancing Lessons for Poi Beginners

• Are you looking for change?
• Are you feeling stuck?
• Do you need a new hobby?
• Struggling with Empty Nest Syndrome?
• Looking for something unique?
• Do you doubt yourself and want to build more confidence?
• Are you day dreaming about being more empowered in your life?
• Are you looking to reduce stress?
• Do you need to find an expressive outlet?
• Does your body long for more movement away from your desk job?
• Do you wish you could find a physical activity that was more fun than a gym?
• Are you an adrenaline junkie seeking new excitement?
• Are you looking for a new moving meditation?
• Do you want a portable way to work on strengthening, conditioning, coordination and increased flexibility?
• Are you looking to impress your friends and family?
• Do you need a new party trick?
• Are you curious about unique outlets for creative self expression?
• Do you have a bit of a rebel streak that feels unfulfilled?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, consider embarking on a life altering course that will change your relationship to your self, body, posture and of the element of fire!

If you've never seen poi fire dancing before, check out this fire dancing video featuring Temple of Poi Founder, Isa "GlitterGirl" Isaacs doing it on fire, and here she is with her dance partner Zihni doing it with rhinestone covered poi indoors.

What do Student's Experience...?

It might be hard to imagine yourself as a fire dancer or taking fire dancing lessons if you're looking at vidoes of professionals who have studied this art for 6-14 years, as is the case for GlitterGirl & Zihni. You're absolutely right because it doesn't start there.

Here's a video of Horst, a married father of 2, the first night he spun fire and directly below, he shares a few words about his expeirence taking poi classes.

"I started my journey 6 months ago with the goal of spinning fire, and I just lit up two days ago. It was an amazing feeling, and I am happy that I chose Temple of Poi. After the first class I was hooked and signed up for boot camp which is the most amazing way of learning a very personalized curriculum at your own pace. I am not done yet, and I am looking forward to learning more skills with Temple of Poi.

Isa and her team at Temple of Poi are the best teachers you can possibly ask for. I have rarely seen anyone as dedicated to teaching people to reach the best of their abilities and to keep them excited and encouraged throughout their journey. They make classes fun and put a lot of emphasis on safety, which is important to learn upfront.
Isa is more than a teacher - she is a coach and helps with all aspects of learning from skills to personal struggles and she is always there to help and offer the optimal path for anyone.

If you are thinking about learning to spin fire or learning poi and you are looking for a class..., don't think twice. You won't find a better one."
~ Horst H., June, 2014

Can I REALLY Do This?

All too often, people look at fire dancing and think, "I could never do that!" or "I'm uncoordinated!" or "I'm too old!" or any number of statements that are really just limiting beliefs.

That's right: the world around you is limiting you with the constant reminders of what you "can't" do or "shouldn't" do and even things as simple as, "Don't play with fire!"

If you're ready to break through these limiting statements, act now and get your free Introduction to Poi Fire Dancing video class and get started on the journey, absolutely free. If you're not quite convinced, please watch this video interview where GlitterGirl speaks on the topic and shares stories of many lives that have been altered through the practice.

Still curious what learning poi is like? Read this blog review by Nicole Antoinette: Fire Dancing, My Crotch, and things that are simple but not easy. Particularly noteworthy is her summary of our message: practice, and to some degree life, are simple and not easy. And while we prefer to say "simple and not easy", Nicole wrote such a beautiful summary, it deserves sharing:

"...yet I keep reminding myself of the biggest take away from all of this, which was the point Isa kept making about how the moves in fire dancing are "simple, but not easy" and, um, HOW POIGNANT IS THAT?!

Like, think about it. Think about how many things in our lives seem simple and *are* simple but aren't at all easy. I mean, building up your savings account is simple: just spend less money on lattes and shoes and transfer that money to a savings account . Simple, right? But not easy. And getting over your ex is simple: just stop talking to your ex. And stop sleeping with your ex. And stop anything-ing with your ex. Simple, very simple, but not easy."

How do I start?

We created this very special Introduction to Poi Fire Dancing videos series available for download free after you sing up for our mailing list. After you've confirmed you're membership on the list, you'll get an email that provides a download link for our densely packed 22 mintue video lesson series to teach you the following moves:

• clockwise corkscrew, split time
• counter clockwise corkscrew, split time
• both directions in same time
• corkscrews with turns, both directions, both timings

And the following combos using these moves:

• same time corkscrew tap back reversal
• same time corkscrew tap back reversal with turns
• same time corkscrew tap back reversal with turns and jumps

In fact, here's a video of 15 students who performing in San Francisco's Union Square in front of 3500, many of whom were performing for the first time, while they are doing this very combination that you can see first at time code 2:09-2:221 and again at time code 2:52-3:04. Also noteworthy: this act had students artists, 3/4ths of whom had been studing less than a year and had never performed before, in a 32 year age range from 25 to 57.

What Will I Gain?

If you want any of the following, please, join our list, get your free lessons now and join the growing community having a blast experiencing this art form.

• Create something new in your life
• Change your self an dyour patterns
• Develop a new hobby
• Fill your empty nest
• Try something unique
• Build more confidence
• Increase coordination
• Reduce stress
• Find more connection with your body
• Cultivate a creative outlet for self expression
• Balance the static time at your desk
• Do you wish you could find a physical activity that was more fun than a gym?
• A thrilling hobby
• A moving meditation
• Accessible, portable exercise to work on strengthening, conditioning, coordination and increased flexibility as well as balance, agility and stamina.
• A fun party trick
• New form of creative expression?

Wondering Where to Get Poi?

Of course you can always order our practice poi which we sell for $30. But if you're eager to start your practice, we recommend you use some household items to get started, truly making this a zero cost investment in exploring fun!

To make your own poi, find a pair of equal length socks or stockings, ideally at least 18 inches. Make sure the sock does not have any holes in it as you will put rice or beans in it and don't want that spilling out. Fill the bottom of the sock with a small amount of weight of a dried beans or rice. We weigh our beginner poi at 3oz which works well for our small and medium sized clients and generally those that are much stronger/bigger than average tend to add a bit more weight. We use plastic pellets and 3oz is about 1/3 of a cup so we recommend beans or rice in the amount of something between 1/3 and 1/2 cup. Experiment with the weight until you find what feels good for you. Please note, this may very well change through time and that's just fine. Be sure to put a knot in the sock to keep the beans/rice inside.

You can also consider using a ball, hacky sack or other weight inside the sock. One thing to consider is that you will hit yourself with this object, so the better it feels, the more fun you'll have as you learn. Before begining practice in earnest with the poi you make, try slapping them against your leg to see how they feel. Don't be shy when doing this because dorkiness knows no limits in the learning process so you'll probably hit yourself sharply at some point.

Guess what? If you have kids, you can make kids sized poi and play with your children, too. This is a fun activity that encourages exercise and coordination -- for all generations. Here are some performance examples from students of varying ages:

• Neon Fire Balls, 2014 Fire Dancing Expo, artists from age 25-57
• The Golden Poisters, a 78 year old and 91 year old in the 2011 Union Square Fire Dancing Expo
• Mz Jan, a 59 year old mother of 3 with a double hip replacement in the 2013 Union Square Fire Dancing Expo
• FireFox, a 30 something soloist from the 2012 Fire Dancing Expo
• Anna, 13 year old in the 2012 Fire Dancing Expo, solo

Who's GlitterGirl?

Isa GlitterGirl Isaacs, is the founder of the world’s first poi fire dancing academy, Temple of Poi, and producer of the Union Square Fire Dancing Expo, the largest free, legal, public fire dancing show in the Western Hemisphere.

Through flow and fire dancing practice and performance, she helps client's seeking fun and transformation evolve past their limiting beliefs while stepping more confidently into their power. The team inspires and delights with classes and performances in an effort to ignite the fiery passion in all of us.

Having struggled for 3 decades to find a physical activity that both engaged and inspired her, GlitterGirl stumbled onto this niche art form and was instantly mesmerized after witnessing it the first time. While it looked beautiful, she claims, “my first attempts were laughably inept and the journey from ‘uncoordinated and insecure’ to ‘graceful and empowered’ continues to inspire me to practice daily.”

In 2002, GlitterGirl established Temple of Poi in response to her sense of ‘calling’ to help others find the same transformation, empowerment, exercise, meditation and fun she experienced through the practice. Temple of Poi has been honored with 3 Best of the Bay Awards: Best Dance Studio, 2006 & 2007 & Best Place to Learn to Fire Dance Before Burning Man, 2005. In addition, GlitterGirl has been a video finalist in the Home of Poi Video Compilation Competition, for Circle of Lights 4 & Circle of Lights 5.

GlitterGirl and her dance partners have performed for crowds from 1 to 85,000; been hired by hundreds of clients including Trip Flip, FIFA, Pioneer, Apple, Plantronics, the city of San Francisco and countless other clients and have shared their fire performances in fantastic venues including San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, San Francisco’s Union Square and on the USS Hornet.

I want more!

If you want to make a deeper committment, sign up for our special Summer Fun Package where you'll receive 3 20-minute live internet coaching sessions with GlitterGirl and experience in-the-moment coaching responsive to your needs in multiple dimensions through both somatic work and self reflexive dialog. Through these sessions, you will target trouble areas, work through sticking points in the videos training and GlitterGirl will help you integrate the material you have while creating a path to move you forward.

If you're located outside the USA, please contact GlitterGirl (FireDancing <that pretty little at symbol> GotFireDancing <daaaaaaauuuuuuugggghhhtt> com) to ensure you have overlapping schedules and can co-create appointment times that work for you both.

Local to San Francisco?

Look at our classes here, and if you're really motivated, consider our Beginner Poi Fire Dancing Boot Camp program.

If you're in the Bay Area and want to give poi a whirl, click the schedule button below to get started or join our local mailing list here.