This month’s Unconditional Body Beautiful is all about showing love to the center of your body– our fabulous belly.
Our belly is the core of our body. It keeps us centered. It’s our first connection to life. After all, it’s where our belly button lies and before we were individual beings on this planet, that button was our umbilical cord. That cord served as a bridge between us and our mothers. It was the connection that supplied us with nourishment for growth and development. So our bellies deserve a lot of love and adoration on our part.
My belly is my core. It centers me and it’s the place where my happiness begins its travel and erupts as laughter from my body.
And when I think belly-love, I think of belly dancing.
What’s belly dancing? Belly dancing (known in Arabic as Raqs Sharqi, or Eastern dance) is a Middle Eastern dance “with movements emanating from the torso rather than in the legs and feet. The dance often focuses upon isolating different parts of the body, moving them independently in sensuous patterns, weaving together the entire feminine form. Belly dancing is generally performed barefoot, thought by many to emphasize the intimate physical connection between the dancer, her expression, and Mother Earth.“
Unlike the way it’s portrayed in a lot of western media, belly dancing is not a dance for male enticement or seduction. Belly dancing is a celebration of womanhood, of the female body and the connection to both herself and nature. It’s empowering, vibrant and sensual.
Belly dance, in its purest form, is a dance for women by women. In ancient times it was considered sacred and not intended to be seen by men at all. It was a fertility ritual dance, a type of Lamaze in which the mother-to-be’s female friends and relatives would gather and dance in order to help her with breathing and increase the chances of a healthy birth. The dance was performed barefoot in order to celebrate and maintain the connection to the fertility of Mother Earth.
There’s magic in being a part of such an empowering dance. Being in tune with your body as it sways and moves in its natural rhythm is definitely food for your soul.
I took belly dancing about 10 years ago, and I have to admit that I was intimidated at first. I went in thinking that it was only for certain body types, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s a true celebration of womanhood that embraces ALL women, regardless of body type or age. And once I finally got out of my head, I began to enjoy myself. And I loved every single part of it, from the flowing undulations of the arms and upper body, the hip shimmies, the figure 8’s. I felt connected to my body through the movements and music– and it was absolutely glorious!
Belly dancing is much more than gauzy customs and pelvic thrusts. It’s a form of female empowerment. And when it comes to self-love, it’s the perfect way of showing your beautiful belly some well deserved TLC.
If you’re intrigued and would like to find a dance class near you drop by www.bellydanceclasses.net— they have an extensive list of belly dancing teachers broken down by country/city. If you’re not ready to take your belly dancing on the road, but want to get your belly lovin’ groove on drop by YouTube. They have lots belly dance videos for beginners, so you can practice at your own pace at home.
Until next time my lovelies– remember to be kind and loving to yourselves,
Unconditional Body Beautiful is a self-love series created by Rebequita Rose — “It is a year-long collaboration which I created-slash-founded, and I will be doing this with many other bloggers…We will focus mostly on discussing our bodies more than on fashion, but at the same time we will fuse the two together.”
Missed any of these #UnconditionalBodyBeautiful series posts?
Part 1: My Body and I from the Beginning
Part 2: The Heart (Bust)
Part 3: My Journey on My Legs
I am crazy for belly dancing! I’ve taught myself a bit, but really want to take classes. Thanks for that link, I’ll check it out for sure!
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It’s so fun! They were my favorite classes ever! Oooh let me know if you do 🙂
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My neighbor, a WOC who is larger then me performs belly dance for hire at cultural events often. Sooooo cooool! What a lovely take on the Belly! Belly Dance of course! I took a class once and it was WORK but also got me WERKIN it! Such a sensual and fun thing to do and has similar benefits to yoga! I think I need to return to it. Thanks for the reminder and for making me identify another incentive to love my belly. A lifelong struggle. ❤
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These are the moments I wish we all lived closer! Imagine how fun taking a belly dancing class would be? AWESOME I say. You should definitely return to it, it would be a wonderful compliment to your yoga. ❤
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This is great! I love rethinking body parts and reflecting on their symbolism and the inspiring ways they function and move us through life. This reflection on the belly and the beauty, sex appeal, and movement of belly dancing is such a nice, inspiring piece!
❤ Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
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Awww Liz, I’m so happy you enjoyed reading it. I actually reminded myself what an amazing experience it was to be part of a dance that celebrated your body.
By the way I love your blog! ❤
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Reblogged this on Her Breaking Point and commented:
Pretty dope! ❤
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Thanks for sharing sugar muffin! ❤
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Hey Zadry! As usual I am in love with your spirit and blog posts sis!!! I tried belly dancing a few years ago off of youtube and loved it, actually it was part of a a core workout vid I had “stumbled” on. I say stumbled on because I don’t believe in coincidences that class was everything! I need to get back on that as I am looking for more fun ways to get and stay active since I get bored fast. I love that you shared bellydancing is not really about seducing a man as it is often portrayed yet a celebration of womanhood!!! Dope Dope Dope!!!
Soooo anyways I got invited to a party & was told I could bring a friend! My response? “PS: I’m inviting Danie, Zadry, Olga & Curves Become Her but ssshhh it’s a surprise!” Hope to see ya there!
😉
Invite:
https://princesskickass.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/blogging-coachella-join-the-party/
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I feel the same way I need new activities to get me moving. I love dancing as exercise the music -those drums will definitely get your hips moving! That should be a hashtag #blameitonthedrums Lol.
Oh! that party sounds fun, I’m headed over now.
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Yeaaaa I love that hashtag let’s go! 😉
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Awesomeness
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Thank you e!
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Absolutely…you nailed it!
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I wish I can say I was a graceful bellydancer but I’m not. However, I felt very beautiful and free learning. I was completely unbothered by the fullness of my belly. This is a great post. Thanks for sharing.
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Lol girl I wasn’t coordinated at the beginning, and as a matter of fact probably not that much by the end either. But I felt wonderful and that’s what matters.
I’m happy you enjoyed it. ❤
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Hi Zadry. Great blog entry , love it 🙂
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Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂
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