I have always been fascinated with belly dancing, in awe of how belly dancers move their hips, and the beauty and fluidity of their movement. And Intuitively I knew that moving your hips like that had to be good for healthy menstrual cycles.
So I decided to take a belly dancing class a couple of months ago.
Every Tuesday evening I go to my teacher Aisha Ali’s dancing studio at her home. No matter how tired or down I feel before I go to her class, I always come out feeling energetic, sexy, and in a happy mood.
Aisha is a really good teacher. She doesn’t break down the steps like an instruction manual. Instead she plays the music and lets us move with her. Honestly, I’ve never thrust my hips so hard.
It was a little awkward, initially, because I wasn’t used to moving my hip muscles so rigorously and continuously. But after a couple of classes my hips began to loosen up, and I started to enjoy the natural and fluid movement of my body with the rhythms of the music.
Later, Aisha told me how old she was. I never would have guessed. She looks at least 20 years younger, and so vibrant. Her skin is radiant and supple with a luminous pink glow. She laughs a lot, and is always in for a good time.
When I told Aisha about Cycle Harmony, she smiled and said, “I never had PMS or menopause.” Of course! This makes perfect sense to me. When you move your pelvis and hips so regularly and rigorously, energy must be flowing pretty openly and freely down there. And all those natural endorphins that make you happy and high must keep you young and vibrant as well.
So I’m in, both rationally and emotionally. To me, belly dancing is a wonderful cure for depression and PMS. Several other girls in the class seem to agree with me on this point.
If you’re so moved, take a belly dancing class, or simply move your hips regularly. Here are a few simple belly dancing moves you can practice at home:
– Sway your hips in a figure eight position.
– Thrust your pelvis front and back, left and right rigorously.
– Or simply mimic a dog wagging its tail.
If you have the right music on, the music will move you… Just let go, shake your body, and fill it up with juicy and delicious life energy.
Check out Amira’s Bellydance 101 Belly Dancing Basics For Beginners, and start having some fun at home 🙂
I tried belly dancing through pregnancy for the first time and I had a very pain free 10 months… However that all went out the window when labor hit for 26 hours straight! I’m going to try it for my cycles.
Ladii, a great idea to get back on belly dancing! I’ve stopped for a while and I really miss it.