Benefits of Belly Dancing by New York Belly Dancer

Belly dancing is one of the oldest dance forms in the world. The moment someone thinks about belly dancing, it brings to mind the images of women rolling their body to the call of music. People have been debating for years as to the origins of the belly dance. While almost everyone will agree that it was developed in the Middle East, it has not been determined what country gave this gift to the world. It could have been a gift of Persian countries, by maybe Egypt, possibly even from the Romans.

Belly dance represents the spoken language. Before communicating with words we used our bodies to 'speak', in the present day human communication is still primarily through the body. Primal belly dance encapsulated the spiritual and metaphysical processes associated with creation and procreation.

These days belly dancing is perceived as a way of celebrating myriad cultures, which seeks to incorporate the best of all the cultures that have laid a claim on belly dancing. Belly Dancing is not only an art of dance, but it also has several health benefits. Most of the people think that belly dance is only a form of dance and nothing more than that. However, you can gain several benefits from this form of dancing.

Belly dancing is one of the best ways to keep fit and stay healthy. There may be several forms of dances but belly dance can really help to improve the state of health. Belly dance is bit difficult dance as compared to other forms of dancing. It requires many forces and many workouts. However, belly dancing can help you lose significant quantity of excess weight if you have such problem. Today the problem of losing weight is of current interest and that's why classes of belly dancing also gain popularity

Some of the other benefits include:-

Stress reduction - The repetitive movements of the dance and the concentration needed to do them can help a mind filled with daily stress to "let go" for a while and relax.

Improved posture and muscle toning - During the belly dance, the movements of hip drops, circles, figure eights, and shimmies put the joints and ligaments in the lower back and hip through a full range of gentle, repetitive motion. This repetitive movement further helps increase the flow of synovial fluid (nature's lubricant) in these joints.

Aiding digestion - Exercising the abdominal area, not just by rolling the belly, but also by swaying the torso, helps food move along the digestive system.

Source: New York Belly Dancer.