The benefits of belly dance are not only applicable to the physical aspect of health, but also to our emotional and mental well-being. Here is why.
Why belly dance as a form of exercise?
Many of us struggle to stick to an exercise routine, either because it is too boring, too intense, too slow, not challenging or engaging enough. Exercise should be fun, not a chore. So why not make it fun?
Let’s face it, dancing is fun. When dancing, it does not feel like exercise and you are not looking at the clock to see how much longer your torment will last 🙂 The benefits of belly dance as a form of exercise are many. You get to lose yourself in music, sway to the sounds of the drums, feel the emotions generated by different rhythms and just allow some time for your body to relax and just be. Oh, and you also get a workout!
Belly Dancers can look effortless in their movements. Do not be deceived! For the motions to be so smooth and graceful you need to employ a lot of muscular strength, precision and balance. You will need to engage your core muscles to be able to isolate different parts of your body while you are moving others. Belly dance is an exercise that not only challenges the body but also the mind. The mind undergoes memory training to remember choreography, coordination of arms and legs and also send instructions to the whole body on how to move.
Benefits of Belly Dance Exercise
 Physical health benefits
- Promotes weight loss.
- Increases bone density: the risk of osteoporosis or ‘brittle bones’ is decreased.
- Muscle strength.
- Endurance.
- Cardiovascular fitness.
- Coordination & synchronisation.
- Strong abdominals.
- Strong back muscles.
- Agility.
- Flexibility.
- Balance.
- Elegance.
- Posture.
- More energy.
- Increased awareness of body.
- Have fun dancing to exotic and mesmerizing tunes!
Emotional health benefits
- Increases self-confidence & self-esteem.
- Dancers learn to fill more at ease with their bodies.
- Dancers are more assured with their appearance, hence happier.
- People who dance are less likely to feel depressed.
- Dancing connects body and soul.
- Many people find belly dance soothing and relaxing for the mind.
- You feel a sense of achievement.
- You smile more.
Who can belly dance?
Everyone can, no matter your level of fitness, age or gender! Have a question? Drop us an email.
Pregnancy
As with any exercise when pregnant, you should always get approval from your doctor beforehand. It is fine to bellydance if you are pregnant and many expectant mothers will bellydance well into their third trimester (myself included). However, your body will be producing the hormone relaxin to prepare your body for birth and your joints will become more flexible, therefore you need to be more controlled when doing sharp movements (i.e. locks and pops) to avoid over-stretching your joints. Your instructor will be able to guide you on this.
Physical and Mental Wellbeing
Wellbeing is a combination of a healthy body and mind. Daily stress, anxiety, sedentary office job, unhealthy food and lack of time or motivation to look after ourselves are some of the factors that can contribute to a negative environment for our emotional and physical wellbeing. We may be so caught up with our daily lives that we forget to tune in with our bodies. The welfare and awareness of both the mind and body are vital if we want to achieve a good quality lifestyle.
