Picking a fitness routine or regimen that interests you is one thing, but sticking to it is another. Your workouts fall prey to many blocks — from lack of time due to busy schedules, to injuries, harsh weather, and finally, boredom and jadedness.
While some people may be motivated enough to do something to kill boredom, many may not enjoy sweating it out in a gym. The ideal activity for them would be fun time — an act of unwinding and exercise.
Enter the world of flow arts
As forms of meditative movement, the flow arts encompass diverse movement- based activities such as hula hooping, juggling, poi, staff spinning, fan dancing, buugeng, and more. Practising them can induce a state of focused and harmonious action known as “flow” — a joyous physical state that demands concentration. They can also be full body workouts. Flow artiste couple Yacobeh and Sarena Beri quit an engineering and a law job respectively to found Indie Flow, a flow arts community organisation based in Bengaluru. Yacobeh says that the most beautiful aspect of flow arts is that it brings back the element of play in our lives. “Children tend to be always cheerful and curious,” he says. “That kind of innocence and curiosity fades as one becomes older. Adults may find that life has taken certain directions, and they no longer have time to unwind, play, and relax. As a result, people usually end their day bingeing on a TV show or going out with friends for drinks after a long day at work. Flow arts let you play, reconnect with your inner child and create wellness through it.”
EXTENSIONS OF THE BODY
Flow artistes use simple objects called props. They manipulate and use a prop as an instrument to express their imagination and creativity. Some common props used by flow artistes are hoops, poi (a small ball tied to a thin rope), juggling balls, fans, and staff.
Flow practitioners tend to be versatile — they swap one prop with another and make a creative routine out of it. The reason is that props or objects are seen as an extension of the body. The movements while using them are well-defined and rehearsed while training.
Just as movements in dance styles have names, there are names for all the tricks and moves in flow arts.
Sarena says, “I can probably adapt what I can do with poi to fans and hula hoops. There are numerous recognised tricks used in flow arts that people follow. At the same time, we have the freedom to experiment, learn, grow, and acquire new skills.”
MOVEMENT MEDITATION
Through flow arts, Bengaluru-based artiste couple KA Nishitha and Swaroop Shetty connected with like-minded people from across the world. But more importantly, it helped the duo to strengthen their bond with each other.
“We discovered each other’s shortcomings by performing and practising flow arts together, says Nishitha.” Flow arts assisted them in evolving their relationship by learning new skills together, appreciating each other’s contributions, and offering helpful critiques.
Every prop used in flow arts induces a state of absorption, focus, and a natural euphoria. Here the props themselves become the object of meditation, which gives flow arts the title ‘movement meditation.’
HULA HOOPING
Hula hooping is arguably the most popular flow arts discipline. It offers numerous health rewards including improved heart health, muscle activation, core strengthening and body flexibility.
“Hula hooping is my refuge where I can nurture myself, my body, and my soul,” says Sessi Gianoglio, a hula hooper and trainer from Italy who is currently based in Bengaluru.
She uses video games as a metaphor to explain the journey in hula hooping.
“Video game players gradually unlock each level and keep on playing to unlock more. A similar thing happens with hula hooping. Day by day you see yourself growing, achieving, and becoming more confident. Once you get into the habit, hooping discourages you from going back. It makes you understand yourself better,” she says.
While hooping and spinning, one works on the tiniest details of the body and engages many muscle groups. Over time, the performer fully focuses on the activity and gains complete control over the movement as well as the body.
POI AND STAFF
Poi and staff are prominent props in the universe of flow arts, used by artistes to produce dazzling displays of movement and rhythm. Originating from the Māori tribe of New Zealand, poi is any weight that is attached to a rope or string.
“Both poi and staff have very distinct physical effects on one’s body,” says Swaroop Shetty. “Once you get the hang of it, poi evolves into the realm of dance with complete freedom of movement.”
Poi is a meditative practice for Javed Hassan, a flow artiste from Malappuram, Kerala. As someone who struggled with maintaining focus for an extended period, daily poi practice over the past three years helped him improve his focus, attention span, dexterity, and reflexes. “Poi is a low-impact physical exercise and a high-impact mental exercise,” he says.
People use one side of the brain to channel imagery while moving the poi with the other side. It enhances the brain’s nervous tissue, which oversees directing and coordinating a variety of bodily activities. This turns out to be one of the reasons why balance and coordination are in place after practising poi.
Staff spinning is physically demanding. It almost resembles martial arts.
“The staff variety called contact staff uses the entire body and produces creative techniques to move the staff all over the body,” says Shetty. “It simultaneously seems very artistic and physical.”
THE FAN EXPERIENCE
Handheld fans are used by flow artistes to express themselves creatively through complex moves. “Trying to figure out a move always seems to me a complex maths problem that must be solved. The fans keep me on my toes, [as I should be] constantly thinking of ways to make it smoother. This practice has given me stronger wrists, arms, and fluid mobility,” says Nishitha. Fans differ from other props in their level of sophistication. Spatial and movement limitations make it challenging but also more enjoyable to learn.
JUGGLING
For Arjun Krishna Kishore, a juggler and object manipulator from Bengaluru, juggling began as a fun hobby. But eventually, it became a serious pursuit. “I saw my whole life in it,” says Kishore.
An amusing act to watch, juggling is an energy-intensive activity. When a 100- gram ball is tossed up and caught while juggling, gravity adds additional load to it, making the ball weigh more than 100 grams. Juggling with more than one ball becomes increasingly challenging, physically. “Juggling is an overall workout which primarily builds the upper body, majorly the bicep, core, and shoulders,” says Kishore. “It also requires a lot of focus. I cannot randomly throw something in the air and expect it to fall in my hand. By completely focusing on the activity, juggling makes people forget everything else and enter a state of meditation.”
Over time, the artiste starts to understand that juggling is deeply connected with life. “Whatever I have learned from it, I use it in my day-to-day life.”
THE IDEAL PROP
Each prop is distinct and can be used in numerous ways to produce visually pleasing imagery. While most of the props complement one another and basic movements are shared by most of them, the ideal prop for a person depends upon their level of personal satisfaction after playing with it.
This article was first published in the May 2023 issue of the Happiest Health magazine. To read more such stories subscribe to the magazine
