Belly Dance, a holistic approach to healing?

Soo I have a little saying that I mention to my students frequently; Shimmying is good for mind, body, and soul. Here is why...

Mind: Physical exercise promotes focus and calm, which can really help put any day into perspective. Exercise also releases endorphins that make you feel good. To top it all off, dancing in a group that promotes respect for others and to honor your body, does a lot to help ward off depression, and promote a positive self image due to higher self confidence.

Body: Belly Dancing is a form of exercise that has evolved from women dancing for thousands of years, so it is the perfect way to keep moving in joyous way. It keeps your heart strong, helps with weight maintenance, and promotes flexibility, and strength.

Soul: What a better way to celebrate being a woman, than creative and joyous movement with fellow women.

Many women choose to belly dance because they want to loose weight, I understand this, I really do being a plus size woman in a society where un-realistic expectations are often pushed upon it's populace. However we are also a society of instant gratification, where we want to see 20 pounds gone in a month. Because of this mind set, I see many women have a great deal of interest, and sign up for belly dance classes, but once they realize, that they will have to work, they can't even make it through four, one hour classes in a month. This is a sad reality, that I see every month.

However, if women could stick with this type of exercise, for 6 months or longer, they would be able to honor and respect their bodies, choosing to fuel their bodies with better food, and drink. Giving their bodies enough rest to think clearly, and just simply loving themselves for who they are, and what they are capable of. For one woman who may have started out as "wanting to loose weight to look good," 6 months later turned that goal into "wanting to loose weight so I can feel healthier, and live a long and beautiful life, because I love who I am."

It's pretty power stuff, truly, but that is how belly dance can be a holistic approach to healing our bodies, minds and soul.


On a side note, yes, I do teach Tribal Belly Dance, but I am also a woman who lives with bi-polar disorder, and Belly Dance has been very instrumental in my management of this mental disease.