The history of belly dancing is an interesting one. My husband and I were watching a television program where diners ate at a restaurant with belly dancers. To their horror and disbelief, one of the women was dancing pregnant. As the diners were criticizing and talking amongst each other, my husband also commented to me in shock, until I explained that belly dancing was meant for this exact purpose.
Originating in the Middle East, belly dancing was practiced primarily in a woman's private quarters as a birth dance to help relieve and ease contractions. The pelvic-centered dance which is highly sexualized in modern-day, was actually used as a way to strengthen abdominal muscles, and as a bonding experience for women and girls. Belly dancing lessons began following a girl's first menstruation, to prepare her for future natural birthing experiences. During labor, belly dance movements help distract mothers from contraction pain, and would aid in directing the baby down the birth canal. While many people in today's day-and-age are unfamiliar with its origin, belly dancing is not only a natural form of art, but delivers life.
-Leslie Osmond
Please visit our website ozzybaby.com
Photo taken courtesy of https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Shakira_Rio_02.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment