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I had seriously started learning dancing since the beginning of 2007. I have learnt many dances since then and one of these was Belly Dancing. The name 'Belly Dance' was given to this dance by the western world when this dance got introduced into the western world. In the middle east, it was know as the oriental dance etc. No-one knows as to the origins of this dance. It is a very ancient dance form and there are opinions that it may have come from ancient North India or Babylon. My interest grew in the dance when I was told that belly dancing was used for painless childbirth. I did a little research into it to gather information which I wanted to use for writing articles on it. I have not properly written these articles yet, based on the information I have found so far. It is my view that Belly dancing was used in the Golden and Silver Ages so as to assist the divine women of those 2 Ages to have painless childbirth. The belly dance can also be linked to the legendary stories about snakes (relating to spirituality) and the snake people of ancient time. During the Confluence Age, immortality is compared to how snakes shed their old skin and go on to use their new skin. The immortal soul is, thus, compared to a snake because the soul will shed the old corporeal body of the old world, go Home to the Soul World and then, take another new corporeal body in the new world. These concepts had influenced the people, at the beginning of the Copper Age, to link the childbirth dance to worship. I will be writing an article on this latter.
Some of the information I have found in the internet are below:
1. From the web-site addressed :
http://www.inthebellyofthegoddess.com/belly_dance_for_prenatal_fitness.htm :
“…belly dance was the original childbirth preparation exercise, dating back to pre-patriarchal times. In ancient times, dance was a regular part of everyday life, and was part of many rituals including birth. …
… Women who exercise regularly can expect to have overall shorter labors and less need for interventions such as C-section. Studies show placental blood flow is increased with moderate exercise. This means the growing baby gets more oxygen and nutrients delivered to it throughout its intra-uterine life.
For birthing, a woman needs muscles that are not only strong, but that are also flexible enough to expand and lengthen in order move the labor along, and to facilitate the birth. …
… Belly dance exercises all of the muscle groups specifically used for giving birth, including all of the muscles of the abdomen and torso, and all of the muscles of the pelvis and the pelvic floor, as well as the thigh muscles. The basic posture that we teach for belly dance involves standing with the knees slightly bent, soft and flexible, and the pelvis tucked under to line up with the spine. Simply standing in this posture for a few minutes, one becomes aware of the strengthening of the quadriceps muscles. This posture is used in all of the belly dance movements, so the thighs become very strong. Strong thigh muscles are important for anyone planning to give birth in an upright or squatting position.
All of the hip, torso, and chest movements of belly dance target the muscles of the abdomen and the pelvic floor involved in birthing. Women who belly dance can expect to reap benefit in both increased strength and improved flexibility of these muscles.
Having said that, there are several benefits that anyone can gain from belly dancing during pregnancy and labor. The slow hip movements, can facilitate the baby finding the optimal position for navigating through the pelvis and birth canal. This can mitigate the prolonged and painful labors associated with mal-position of the baby’s head, and in this way might lead to a shorter labor and more satisfying birth experience for the laboring woman, and an easier, less stressful birth for the baby. Some of the shimmies (gentle vibration movements of the hips, chest and entire body) are very useful in dispersing pain and tension during labor, and add a sense of calm that helps the laboring woman to counteract panic and work with her body during the birth process. Hip shimmies may be especially helpful with fetal descent through the birth canal in the second stage of labor.
The flowing undulations and circles, and the gentle vibrations of the shimmies all feel great as they softly stretch muscles and massage internal organs. I imagine that it must feel good to the baby too, as the movements are translated to a rhythmic cradle-like rocking of the womb. “
2. From the web-site addressed:
http://www.thegoddessdancing.com/dance_of_birth.htm
… stressed the importance of movement during labor and showed how the movements of this dance help in “moving the baby down” the birth canal.
In 1983, Wendy Buonaventura published a book, Belly Dancing, where she outlined the role of the dance throughout history in many cultures. She showed that the dance has always been a part of the birth process. The most exact comparative work was done by Morgana, in 1981. She compared specific movements of the dance to the phases of birth and the motion of the emergence of the baby. She has shown that the dance movements exercise all the birth muscles and the rhythms, in fact, match the birth process. Her work leaves the impression that the dance could be none other than a birth dance.
The circle is a Sacred Shape and is the very foundation of the dance. Moving the heart in a circle strengthens and flexes the upper abdominals. Moving the hips in a circle massages the internal organs, including the pelvic floor, and also conditions the lower abdominals. Tension is released by moving the wrists, shoulders and ankles in circles, and by rotating the spine in small circles. …
…Shimmies, all the different varieties, are the endurance of the dance. They require intense concentration and control of deep inner muscles. They loosen the back and hips and allow the focus to shift from pain to movement.
Body undulations are the flexibility of the dance. The movements mirror how a woman’s body stretches to allow a baby to grow, and at the same time prepares the birth muscles for the task. …
…All of these qualities - relaxation, focus, endurance, and flexibility are needed in the birth process. Belly dance can be done standing, kneeling, lying down or walking. Lastly, belly dancing while giving birth means movement in general is encouraged while trying to give birth. It gives the power back to the process and allows women to find their way through the pain and fear of giving birth.
3. From the web-site addressed:
http://www.suite101.com/discussion.cfm/middle_eastern_dance/79786/658641
i have been belly dancing for a couple of years and have always been aware of the connections between the dance and birth. when i became pregnant and attended ante natal classes i noticed that many of the exercises recommended by the midwives are actually belly dancing moves.
Also many of the movements that ease labour and help the birth process are belly dancing moves, mainly the hip circles.
4. From the web-site addressed:
http://www.pregnancytoday.com/articles/exercise-in-pregnancy/move-that-belly-1293/
"Midwives have pointed out to me that certain body postures and movements from bellydancing correspond to those used in prenatal preparation," says Oeftering, who eventually developed a bellydancing fitness program for pregnant women. …
… From a medical point of view, bellydancing addresses many of the same concepts that other prenatal preparations do. According to Oeftering, bellydancing can help prepare for childbirth. "During dancing, the pregnant woman adopts body postures which favor an optimum engagement of the fetus," says Oeftering. "The natural birth positions are standing, sitting and squatting because the baby's gravity can have its full effect. Through bellydancing, the pregnant woman arrives at the necessary mobility and strengthening of the pelvis, while developing the required awareness of the muscles used in the birth process." …
… "In my experience, dance and the emotions connected with it, make women feel a lot more autonomous and self-assured regarding birth. They have trained themselves through the dance. They know which movements are helpful for pregnancy complaints. They know what is of benefit to their babies. There are meditative elements to relax and release. Joyful music puts them in a serene, self-confident mood." …
… Also, my midwife thinks that my bellydancing is a major reason why my abdominal muscles are as good as they are at the 6th month of my pregnancy." …
… A pregnant woman can often perceive that her baby is cradled in her womb and lulled by soft, circling, rocking movements. These are the same movements that bellydancing mimics. However, there are movements of bellydancing that should not be practiced until the time is right.
"There are some movements that I call 'movements of expulsion,'" says Oeftering. "These movements include the hula circle, the pelvic tilt and soft shimmies. Where most movements result in a baby being lulled and calmed, these particular movements cause the babies to react with restlessness. These movements should never be danced continuously, as labor may be set off. These movements should be reserved for the birth process where they have a supporting and stimulating effect." …
5. From the web-site addressed:
http://www.achildbirth.com/belly-dance-childbirth.html
Depicted 5,000 years ago in a tomb in Saqqara, Egypt, Belly dance reveals its origins in the “the mystery of childbirth”. …
… Belly dance movements are coordinated with breathing, which brings oxygen and energy to every part of the body. The rib cage rotation can stimulate lactation and release tension. The horizontal pelvic rolls tone the pelvic floor muscles, which are essential and childbirth. Strengthening the legs and whole body prepares you in the best way for childbirth in an upright position which is reduces labor immensely and uses gravity in the best way. …
… Morocco, one of the gurus of Belly Dance, witnessed an original childbirth ritual of belly dance, where the woman …… and had a painless easy birth supported by the women community. …
…. … The vertical movements of the pelvis, which have become second nature in the dance, excite the pelvis, stimulate the uterus and usher the baby through the birthing cannel with ease and grace. The circular movements of the hips make a kind of massage to the baby through the waters while in uterus, and during childbirth help it to rotate in the right position in order to get out. No twisting from a birthing attendant is required; since the synchronicity of birthing mother and baby are perfect and natural ……
….. Guided from this sure source of intuitive knowledge both mother and baby are in the prefect position at each stage of delivery, in each second, and the most beautiful, painless, natural and ecstatic birth results. …
….I have found belly dance to be for me a wonderful preparation for birth, building stamina and agility …..
4. From the web-site addressed:
http://www.worldbellydance.com/pregnancy-prenatal.htm
Belly dance, or forms of dance that employed the same movements as modern belly dance, existed as a dances of fertility since the dawn of human civilisation. Experts consider hip rolls and circles to be good for strengthening the pelvic and abdominal muscles, which are involved in childbirth, while relaxing them at the same time.
Hip circles are not only used in Middle Eastern dance, but also in Hawaiian, Maori and other indigenous forms of dance. All these forms of dance, which use circular hip movements, have been linked to child birth rituals. …
… Some doctors encourage the practice of belly dance during pregnancy, which they think provides the following benefits:
Strengthening pelvic and deep abdominal muscles and all those muscles specifically used for giving birth, thus facilitating the process of delivering and of recovery
Relaxing the body
Improving self esteem
Promote good posture
Help maintain general fitness
Help maintain a god sense of balance
Relieve back ache
Promote socialisation, if performed in classes
…According to experts, the most suitable belly dance movements to be used by pregnant women are slow, undulating and rolling motions, such as hip circles and figures of eight. …
…Many movements in modern prenatal exercise classes are very similar to belly dance movements, such as the ‘camel’ or the ‘belly flutter’. Some midwives believe that these last two movements, in particular, are useful to encourage optimal foetal position and during labour.
The process of muscles isolation, which is so important in belly dance, is also considered to be very helpful during child birth. According to experts, if a woman is capable of contracting some parts of her body, while at the same time relaxing all the other muscles, she will be able to feel more relaxed overall, while focusing only on the muscles involved in delivering the baby.
However, belly dancing in pregnancy is not only about strong pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Some experts believe that some belly dance movements are good to relieve various symptoms. For example, they believe that belly rolls can help ease constipation; while heart shimmies can alleviate heartburn.
Belly dance rituals during childbirth in Northern Africa
The American belly dancer Morocco, in 1967, witnessed a child birth ritual in a Berber Tribe (probably nowadays these child birth rituals are less common). Morocco reports that the women gathered in a tent and danced around the mother to be, performing ‘camels’ and ‘belly flutters’.
The mother to be seemed relaxed and, while delivering her babies she was moving her body in a similar way to how the other women did. When Morocco asked if she did it on purpose or spontaneously, one of the women replied that it was natural and the only way in which she could have moved. For a full account of this interesting experience, you can check Morocco’s full article on http://www.casbahdance.org/GIVE2LIGHT.htm
Sewa Bilik ; Sewa Bilik di Bandar Sunway; Sewa Bilik di Bukit Jalil ; Sewa Bilik di Pandan Jaya ;
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