Originating in ancient dances and rituals related to fertility, family, life
cycle and childbirth, bellydance is based on movements that come naturally to
the female body. Some bellydance movements mimic natural intuitive motions associated
with pregnancy and childbirth, others have been traditionally used to move the
baby into the best position or relieve the discomfort of labor. Read a recent
articles about prenatal bellydance, mentioning Naia's "Prenatal Bellydance"
DVD:
Wall
Street Journal article
Time
article
This
unique dance/workout program has been designed to be safe
and effective for pregnancy and follows the guidelines of
the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.
Organic, flowing, energizing movement of bellydance helps
to improve abdominal control and awareness, relieve aches
and discomfort associated with pregnancy, promote better
circulation, avoid swelling and cramping and prevent excessive
weight gain. Bellydance hip movements will tone the muscles
of your pelvic floor, whose strength is all-important for
the birth, as well as for your postnatal recovery.
And, beyond all these benefits, it offers a fantastic motivation
to stay beautiful and graceful throughout the pregnancy
- in touch with your inner goddess!
| WATER |
Warmup and stretches; slow, meditative section; opens
by building dance Combination 1 |
| EARTH |
Movements
focused on the abdomen and lower body; medium-paced
rhythmic section; the section culminates in building
dance Combination 2 |
| AIR |
Upper
body movements; medium-paced rhythmic section, introducing
Combination 3 |
| FIRE |
Travel
steps; medium-to-fast-paced dance section; in this section
we build and practice Combination 4 |
| DANCE |
Slow-to-medium-paced
section: we put together Combinations 1,
2, 3 & 4 into a graceful flowing dance;
|
| LIGHT |
Cooldown,
slow, meditative section |
