In Search of a better belly

Romantically and spiritually, the belly is the core of a woman’s being, her femininity, her center of power.  Historically, a soft, round womanly shape was considered beautiful, and a curving belly symbolized both wealth and position.  It seems most men still prefer a woman with those curves, but modern society has influenced the opinion of most women.  In the Western world, the least favorite part for most women is the lower abdominal, affectionately (?!) referred to as the belly. It is in that area of the body where you feel muscularly lazy and find it too easy to collect a pouch of fat. Most women give their bellies the evil eye, especially when they are in front of the mirror. I don’t know how many times I have seen this in dance class and can personally say I have felt the same way! I don’t know anyone who wants to look like the jolly Buddha.
 
Webster’s Dictionary states the noun “belly” is the abdomen. The verbs “bellied” or “bellying” mean to swell out or bulge. Well, that’s not exactly promising, is it?!
 
Here are some things you can do to define your midsection and slenderize your waistline:
 

1. Engage your lower abs to create proper body alignment. Your belly is made up of four layers of muscles. Because of this, the abdominals can stand a lot of toning exercises. They work together the back muscles to support the column of the spine. Your belly will sag forward if it is weak muscles and it will pull the lower spine into “swayback”, which can cause pain. The lower spine curves naturally, but should only form a slight curve. If you lengthen your spine and tighten the lower abs, you will automatically improve your shape. Consciously practice pulling in the lower abdominal muscles. It sounds simple enough, but will take repeated practice until it becomes a habit.
2. You definitely will improve your belly is you remove excess fat which lies over the belly. Removing fat means reducing the amount of goodies you consume, as well as adding cardiovascular exercise to burn the fat away. The good news is, if you take dance class three times a week, you are getting the workout you need. You can always supplement your dance classes with a brisk walk, taking a tone class at the gym, or using any kind of cardio equipment. You simply need to choose the ones you like the most, so it does not feel like a tedious chore.
3. Abdominals exercises are also something you can do to strengthen your core. The traditional Sit-Up comes to mind, but I know for fact that often people execute them incorrectly and end up hurting their necks instead of helping their abs. Please consider something else, like holding a plank position for 1-2 minutes, or using a Bosu ball.
4. There are specific belly dance movements that strengthen the abs and lower back muscles (your core). Within the realm of belly dance, the book The Belly Dancer in You, written by famous Turkish dancer Ozel Turkbas, claims that it was the Turks who added belly movements. Ozel states that the dance became a fixture in Turkish wedding celebrations as part of the awalem, a non-verbal dance that taught women which exercises to do to enjoy painless childbirth without stretch marks. Ozel feels that belly dancing brings women the closest to the status of goddess. The stomach symbolizes the center of all community, which is a very appropriate place for civilization to be based.  She even points out that the Japanese have a whole philosophy based on hara, a point just below the navel which must be kept loose and mobile if the individual is to have a spontaneous and fulfilled existence. That hara point is the belly dancer’s abdomen.

 
There are technically only two movements that the belly can perform, namely contraction and release. The entire abdominal wall can be used, or different parts in different series, to create various interesting and challenging dance movements.  The Stomach Flutter is a great movement that uses the entire abdominal wall. Release the control of the stomach as you let it out, then grab it back in. Do it at an even tempo, in-out in-out in-out without holding your breath. As you gain control, increase the speed to create a fluttering effect.
 
The second most common movement done with the belly is the Belly Roll.  First, try to separate your ab muscles in two parts, the upper portion above your belly button and the lower portion beneath the belly button. Practice contracting and releasing each half separately. The slower you practice, the better. Once you get confident with the separate movements, try this sequence: contract the upper half, then while holding it in contract the lower half (so the entire abdomen is held IN). Then release the upper half without releasing the lower (that’s hard but not impossible!). Finally, release the lower half (so the entire abdomen is relaxed OUT). Repeat many times. Once you have the Belly Roll, you can reverse it or build upon it by incorporating it into a roll that uses the whole torso and spine to make a full Undulation. Advance into a moving Undulation, called a Camelwalk. An excellent version of Camelwalk is what I call the "small Camelwalk", which is executed entirely on the balls of the feet. It challenges your balance, which automatically tones your core. Check out my short instructional video on how to execute a Small Camelwalk: https://youtu.be/ErSvUYmCZTs
 
Belly dance wouldn’t be belly dance without great belly movements. As you work to improve your dance technique, take special time to develop your abdominal muscles.  Not only will your dance technique improve, but you’ll love how your belly looks and will dramatically improve your long-term health. Go ahead, search for that better belly. It’s a win-win situation. You might find that Ozel was right, you are a goddess!