Egyptian-style bellydance artist and Pilates instructor Rachael Borek discusses her thoughts about body shape and our society's obsession with it in this short commentary It might seem weird that I'm saying this, when my whole job is about moving bodies, understanding bodies, and using my own body to create art. But I'm saying it anyway. The shape of my body does not matter. The shape of your body does not matter. And the amount and distribution of each of our body fat most especially does not matter. It matters that your body is strong enough to support you in living the life you want to live, to the best of its ability - and that will shape how your body looks, to some extent. It matters that your posture and alignment bring you comfort and freedom of movement, and protect you from injury, and yes this will also affect the outward shape of your body. But the outward shape itself? It's a distraction from the things that really matter. As a dancer, it's a distraction from technique, expression, musicality, stagecraft... And as a human being living life, it's a huge distraction from actually living and enjoying life. And also a distraction from all the incredible things the people around us (women especially) are doing, if the first thing we see when we look at them is how well their body shape matches, or doesn't, some ideal beauty standard. So next time you find yourself thinking about someone else's body shape, see if you can change that thought. Think about who they are, or might be, as a person - their skills, their passions, their friendships... Practice the skill of seeing everyone, yourself included, as a fully rounded beautiful human being, not just a body. About Today's Guest Author Rachael Borek is an Egyptian style bellydance performer and teacher in Manchester, UK. She has been studying, performing and teaching Egyptian dance since 2008, having trained with many top instructors from Egypt and the UK. Her mission as a teacher is to make bellydance classes an accessible and uplifting experience for everyone, including those who feel they are not natural dancers. Rachael offers Egyptian dance courses and one-to-one lessons both in Manchester UK and online. You can follow her work on https://rachaelbellydance.co.uk/ or https://www.instagram.com/rachaelborek Was This Post Helpful?If you liked this article, you can visit our blog map to find other posts about body image, self-acceptance, or belly dance and related topics. Or subscribe to our newsletter, YouTube channel, Facebook and Instagram pages to be the first to see more content from us!
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On this International Women's Day I am reflecting on my feminine relationships: my relationships with other women, my relationship with femininity, my relationship with myself. I am surrounded by strong, talented, kind-hearted, genuine, incredible women of all ages and from all walks of life. I am in awe of all the things these women have survived, overcome, and achieved in their lives, and they inspire me every day. I, too, have survived and overcome many difficulties in life, and I consider myself to be a strong and passionate woman with so much to contribute to this world. But I didn't always feel this way. And if belly dance hadn't come into my life, I am not sure that I ever would. Like nearly all of us, I grew up in a culture that taught me that, as women, our physical appearance is the most important thing about us, while always pointing out all the ways in which our appearance falls short of the impossible ideals it imposes. My culture also taught me that other women are my competition, that life is a zero sum game, and that I "win" by being better than the woman next to me. It taught me that women are toxic, that women gossip and are always out to get each other. I grew up learning these things, and became a teenager with very few female friends. Most of my hobbies and interests were in male-dominated fields, and I prided myself in my lack of stereotypically feminine interests, having internalized the unspoken societal views that things women like are inherently inferior. That all began to shift when I took up belly dance. Over these last 15 years since belly dance came into my life, the ways that I view other women--and myself--have completely transformed. I now see feminine beauty not with the judging eyes of our society, but in the same way that I see the beauty of the trees in a forest: each is so different and beautiful in its unique ways, no matter how tall, how thick, how green or how old. How boring would it be if all trees in a forest looked the same... I try to look at myself the same way. We all have bad days, though. Days when it's difficult to see ourselves in a positive light. On days like that, belly dance itself offers me so much relief. Never underestimate the power of physical movement, especially coupled with music, to help us move and release painful emotions! Most importantly, I am now surrounded by so many incredible women, doing such beautiful work in this world. The vast majority of these women, I met through belly dance: as my teachers, classmates, colleagues, students, clients, acquaintances. So many of these relationships have grown into lasting bonds. Through these relationships and through this dance, I have experienced so much healing of these painful old wounds. I've come to realize that those old beliefs were lies, imposed upon us to suppress and to oppress us, and that there is a universal truth that we can all choose to tap into at any given moment: When we support other women, we empower ourselves as well. When we make life better for some women, we make life better for all women. There is nothing more empowering for a woman, than being surrounded by women who care about you and want to see you succeed! Was This Post Useful? Did you find this post useful? Would you like to see more like it? If so, comment below letting us know!
You can also visit our blog map to find more of our articles, or subscribe to our newsletter or Facebook page to be the first to find out about our next post. And you'd like to learn belly dance online, check out our available classes here. I was thrilled to wake up this morning to a post from one of my dear students, linking to a spineuniverse.com article named Belly Dance Your Back Pain Away. Call me a pessimist, but I don't usually expect much from articles written about belly dance in the mainstream. They tend to be, at best, just fluff pieces that totally minimize what belly dance really is, or at worst they could be full of stereotypes and misinformation. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised. For once, an accurate and informative take on the dance form we love so much - and from a medical source, at that! So let's break down the many benefits of belly dance as listed on the article, and why I love them so much:
That just about covers the benefits mentioned in the article (if you haven't checked it out by now, you can read it here.) Belly dance offers countless other benefits as well, which you may have noticed if you already practice it. What positive impact has belly dance had in your life, health, or well-being? What are the benefits you've personally experienced from it? Was This Post Helpful?Was this post helpful? Would you like to learn more about belly dance? Hit "like" below, share, and leave a comment with your feedback!
You can also visit our blog map to find more posts like this, or subscribe to our newsletter, YouTube channel, or Facebook page to be the first to find out about our next post. If you'd like to learn belly dance online with us, check out our available classes here. Dance is a way to honor our bodies and celebrate our lives. But to truly honor and celebrate something, we must first become conscious of its value. Our bodies carry us through our entire life, supporting us and enabling us to do the things we love. Our bodies are our only true home from the moment we are born until the moment we die, growing and changing and transforming with us. Our bodies even have the capacity for creating life and bringing it forth into this world... yet how do we treat those bodies of ours?
How often do we speak about our bodies with shame, how often do we talk to our bodies with disdain, how often do we think about our bodies with sadness? How often do we feel frustrated for the things our bodies "can't" do or for the way our bodies look? How rarely do we take the time to appreciate all the amazing things our bodies already enable us to do? How rarely do we marvel at the perfect balance of our automatic bodily functions that keep us alive and healthy in every moment? Most of us think and speak about our bodies only with frustration and negativity and rarely if ever with appreciation and positivity. We take for granted all the amazing things we have to be grateful to our own bodies for. And then maybe we learn to appreciate our body's ability to function, to move freely without pain, only after an accident or illness impairs that ability. Only then do we tend to learn how precious our bodies are and have always been, and how insignificant the criticisms over the way our bodies look or the things we think our bodies can't do really are. It's time to start shifting the way we think and talk about our bodies every day. Let's move away from the frustration and move towards more love and appreciation. Let's try replacing criticisms of our bodies with wonder and gratitude, today and every day. I like to end all of my belly dance classes guiding my students to give themselves a hug and thank their bodies for everything they do; all the functions we take for granted that keep us alive, healthy and in balance and free from pain. And I'm not the only one. In one of her online classes, Brazilian belly dancer Ju Marconato spoke about the importance of expressing gratitude to our bodies for those very things. She talked about not waiting until we become sick to see the value in our health. She expressed this so beautifully that I decided to translate her message into English and share it with you today: "Today I am thankful for the air that I breathe deeply through my lungs. I am thankful for my skin, my hair, my nails. Have you ever stopped to thank your kidneys? Imagine life without your kidneys working. How much are your kidneys worth? How hard would you work to have kidneys that are perfectly healthy and whole? Is there a price for that? That is true wealth! I am thankful for my kidneys. I am thankful for my intestines, my spleen, my liver, and the perfect synchronized functioning of my internal organs. I am thankful for each cell of my body, each one perfect and healthy. How I am richly blessed... I am thankful for my eyes. How wonderful it is to see colors, lights, to see the faces of the people I love. How important it is to have this channel of communication with the world. Do you see it? Try putting a blindfold over your eyes for a day or just a few hours, and go about your daily activities or try to go outside. When you take off the blindfold your perception will be more accurate, and will show you the grandiosity of being able to see. This way a feeling of pure gratitude is installed in your heart, so you don't have to lose your health to be thankful for it. I am thankful for my ears. How wonderful it is to be able to hear songs. Do you understand the magnitude of that? Cover your ears for just 24 hours. When you uncover them you will be jumping in gratitude for the gift of hearing. I am thankful for my legs that take me where I need to go. I'm thankful for my arms that hug and do work. I'm thankful for my hands that caress, nurture and cook. I'm thankful for my metabolism. I am thankful for my heart. So much gratitude for my heart. This perfect and tireless machine that works 24 hours in my favor. Atria and ventricles working in perfect synchrony. It's a miracle. My heart is truly precious, it's invaluable. I am thankful for my brain, my nervous system, my endocrine glands, my defense sells. I am thankful because I am a magnificent expression of life. I am nature manifested in all its wisdom. I love my body. It is home to my spirit. I love my temple. Today I am grateful." You are a magnificent expression of life. Your body is a marvel, a microcosm of nature, a unique and beautiful temple that deserves to be honored and respected. Cherish the wonderful things your body does for you today and every day, and observe how much more easily the dance of life begins to flow. To get what you want, you have to want what you get. -Paraphrased from an unknown author There is so much truth and wisdom in this short yet powerful sentence. It is, in a nutshell, the best advice I can give regarding acquiring new skills, building your goal body, becoming healthier, attracting great relationships, progressing in your career, making more money, or just in general creating the life of your dreams! Appreciating what we already have opens our eyes to notice opportunities that are already available to us... opportunities which are impossible to detect when we are spending our time focused on what we don't have. That attitude of gratitude then goes on to attract more new outcomes that bring us the same feeling, resulting in a beautiful cycle of awesomeness. As it relates specifically to raqs sharqi (belly dance), this means that if you want to become a better dancer or achieve specific dance goals, the best way to go about it is to not be frustrated by the level you currently find yourself at, not to look at other dancers who are "better" than you and compare yourself to them in a way that puts you down, but instead to fully appreciate where you are at right now, all while keeping your goals in the back of your mind as you enjoy every moment of your journey towards achieving them. Look at me, your dear author, fully appreciating the fact that I am dancing to this incredible live band on a stage in LA ;) Does this seem vague, abstract, or too "woo woo" for you?
Then let me put it a bit differently... I'll give you two scenarios, and you tell me which one will lead to more progress for the dancer in question. Dancer A took up belly dancing classes because she was enchanted by the gracefulness, elegance and femininity of raqs sharqi. But every time she comes to class, she can't help but look around the room and feel horrible about herself. She hates the way her body looks, and she struggles with new steps and movements. When she looks around, she sees that other students are "getting it," which only adds to her frustration. When she sees a professional dancer, there is a nagging voice inside her head that says things like "You'll never be able to dance like that," "you started way too late to ever be any good," or "you're too ugly to perform in public." Dancer B also took up belly dance because of its feminine elegance and gracefulness. But when she comes to class, she does not focus on what anyone else is doing; she only focuses on herself and her own learning. She appreciates her body and the fact that it is healthy and functional and able to learn this amazing art form. If she does look around the room, it's to appreciate how wonderful it is that all these people are gathered together to learn new ways to move their body and express themselves to complex, poetic music. When she sees a professional dancer, she thinks "I'm so lucky that I get to see this performance" "that'll be me some day," or "I'm so inspired by this dancer!" If both these dancers take the same exact class, practice the same amount of time, and take the same actions to improve, which one do you think will see more visible progress? Which one will be happier in their journey? Which one is most likely to stick with it longer? I think the answer is so obvious I don't even need to say it! Still skeptical? Then I'll leave you with this: why not give this whole attitude of gratitude thing a try, starting now? It is Thanksgiving week, after all! Jot down a couple of positive things belly dance has brought into your life. Note a couple of positive things about your own dancing, as it is right now. Lastly, write about the dancers you love the most, and then visualize yourself embodying all those characteristics you just wrote about. Feel like sharing what you wrote? Post it in the comments below! If you do this regularly and consistently, you will notice a visible difference in both your attitude and your dancing, and you won't want to stop that beautiful cycle of awesomeness. Bring that gratitude attitude into every aspect of your life, and you will reap the rewards as you see yourself flourishing in every possible way. I hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving this week. Happy Dancing! Read this mantra if you want to develop love and admiration for your own body
This is my body There are many kinda like it (and none just quite like it) But this one is mine My body is my temple My body is my home This body, the only one I can call my own My body gives me life! I must master it as I must master my mind If I am to master my art As well as my life Without me, my body is useless Without my body, I am useless I must use my body true I must work on it each day Love it, respect and cherish it In every possible way And use it to overcome life’s challenges Dancing through difficulty Turning life into play Through depression, stress or anxiety I will dance If I feel anger, sadness, or pain I will dance When I am tired, bored, uninspired I will dance Through rejection, disappointment or betrayal I will dance In sickness and in health I will always dance I will learn my body’s weaknesses, its strengths, its parts Its flaws, its quirks and everything that it loves and hates And I will nourish and maintain my body For utmost health and function As long as I live I am one with my body Before the Universe I swear this creed My body and I are the vessels for our art We are more than survivors of life We are the masters of our life We are the saviors of our life So be it, until the day we die (This Creed is an adaptation of the USMC's "Rifleman's Creed") Has the idea of joining a belly dance class been nagging you for some time, but every time you get the chance, you back out at the last minute because you are afraid of the unknown?
If so, it sounds like you are suffering from a case of "cold belly!" Like cold feet, cold belly is a doubt strong enough to prevent you from doing something you were planning on doing, in this case, going to that belly dance class you've been wanting to try! And believe it or not, this "cold belly" phenomenon is is more common than you think! Maybe you're afraid of having to bare your belly, or you think the class will be packed with young, mean women who will make you feel bad about yourself. Or maybe you're insecure about your lack of dance experience and you picture a class full of experienced dancers, making you think you won't be able to keep up with everyone else. Maybe you think you're not fit enough to try out this dance, or maybe you just don't feel like getting up and going out after you've already settled in at home for the night... Regardless of the reasons behind your apprehension and inaction, the fact of the matter is that you are not alone in feeling this way! In fact, the majority of women who show interest in belly dance classes never actually end up showing up for one! But isn't that a shame? Because the reality of most belly dance classes in the US (and certainly the reality for our belly dance classes at SharqiDance in New Jersey) is that they are a gentle, friendly and fun environment for women (and sometimes men and non-gender binary folks) of all ages, levels, shapes, and sizes to learn how to move their bodies in incredible ways and how to express themselves artistically through dance all while falling in love with Middle Eastern music and culture! Most people start belly dancing because they think it will be a fun way to exercise. But most people stick with belly dancing because of the amazing connections they make with the incredible people they meet in class and in their local community, all while challenging themselves--inside a supportive environment--to keep getting better and better at this rich and evolving art form! There is nothing to fear. You don't even need to show your belly to belly dance! In fact, most people in class actually don't. You also don't need prior dance experience to start belly dancing, and there is no age too young or too old to start. And guess what, you can become quite good even if you start late in life without any prior dance experience, because belly dance is low-impact and easy on your body! This also means you do not need to be fit to start belly dance, and you might be glad to learn that the belly dance community embraces a much wider range of looks, body types and sizes than society at large! That doesn't mean the dance is easy, it just means that with guidance from a good teacher and practice, consistency, and time, it can be done well no matter who you are or what you look like! Does that sound like something you should be scared of? We think not! It's time to stop letting the weeks, months and years go by, and just give belly dance a shot already! Just imagine where you could be in one, five, or ten years if you just take that chance and get started today! You might discover a fun new thing to do every week, or you might uncover a lifelong passion. Or maybe you'll find that belly dance is not for you, but you won't know until you've tried! So, are you ready to try out a class? Are you overwhelmed by expectations of what your body should look like? Are you bogged down by feelings of not being attractive enough? Does your displeasure with your body cause you to miss out on things in life that should be enjoyable? Are you unhappy with your shape, size, or weight? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are among something like 90% of women, who feel unhappy with their bodies and want to change them. But before you go and start trying to “fix” your body, why not work to change your mindset? Here are some steps you can take to start loving your body and developing a healthier body image, starting right now! 1.Realize that you are more than just the sum of your parts, and you are worthy of happiness The most important thing to work towards when trying to develop a more positive body image is the attitude that your value as a human being is not tied to your physical appearance. That can be difficult to realize when you live in a society that might constantly be telling you otherwise, but it is the truth. You are as worthy of happiness as the next person, and you are valuable for the simple fact that you are a human being with a unique set of genes and experiences that have shaped you into who you are. If you do not feel valuable as you are right now, try tapping into your existing talents and abilities to make someone else happy or lend a helping hand. Do more of the things that make you happy, and surround yourself with people who love and value you as much as you can. If you are able to love yourself in broader terms, it will be much easier overcome the negative perceptions you have of your body. 2.Focus on the positives and compliment yourself You already know there is a lot of power in a compliment. A few nice words can totally make a person’s day! But are you applying that knowledge to the way you treat yourself? It is easy to look in the mirror and see only flaws… after all most women are surrounded by messages that tell us all about these flaws and what we can do to “fix” them (hint: it usually involves buying their products or services). Don’t let any person or entity who is financially vested in making you feel flawed so they can sell you stuff get the best of you! Make the active choice to see your physical qualities over your perceived flaws, every time! This might be difficult for some, but with regular “practice,” it can be done. Pick a few of your favorite things about your body, write them down if you need to, and go over them regularly until you start seeing yourself in a more balanced way. 3.Nip those negative thoughts in the bud! We all know that “practice makes perfect,” right? The more we practice something, the better we get at it. But have you ever thought about how much this applies to your own thoughts? If you are constantly thinking negative things about your body, what you are essentially doing is getting better at telling yourself those bad things about your body. It is a vicious cycle, and endless loop of self-disrespect and you are the only one with the power to end it. How can you ever love your body when you are constantly practicing ways to hate it? You may not be fully in control of your thoughts, but you can choose to take charge and say “No!” to that voice in your head saying you look ugly. Interrupt that nasty thought pattern and consciously replace it with a positive one. At first it might seem difficult to control, but the more you do this, the better you will get at doing it, until your thought patterns become more positive, and therefore healthier! 4.Tune out the noise It will be easier to control negative thoughts when you are able to turn off or tune out the very sources of those ideas that have gotten in your head. Maybe it’s TV or magazines, maybe it’s a friend or family member, maybe it’s things you see on the internet… Whatever it is, you can get rid of it altogether, distance yourself from it, or simply tune it out. If the beauty magazines you read are constantly showing you unrealistic images of photoshopped, well-posed, and professionally-photographed models and holding that up as the ideal you and all women should strive for at all times, ask yourself if you really need to continue reading these magazines. If you have toxic people in your life who make you feel awful about the way you look, try to address it with them and see if it improves. If not, you can distance yourself from them or cut them off, depending on the particular situation. You can take charge of your happiness by controlling how much negative input is getting into your head in the first place! 5.Find body positive role models Seek out some positive role models. These can be people who are body positive and whose attitudes and philosophies you can emulate… people who have the same “flaws” as you but have a healthy mindset about them and are out there living their lives and just generally being awesome without letting these things hold them back… or just people who have a similar body type to yours that you can look at and find the beauty in, to help you find that same beauty within yourself! 6.But Remember that comparison is the thief of joy As you find role models, remember never to get caught up comparing yourself to them, or anyone else for that matter. It is great to find inspiration in others, but comparison and jealousy will absolutely steal away your happiness and self-love! No matter how perfect you think someone else might be, they go through struggles just like you. You really have no idea how hard they may have worked for that thing about them you envy, or the challenges they face in life, or the kinds of thoughts that go through their heads that they have to deal with every day. Focus on yourself, the things you can do to better yourself, and keep your progress in perspective. As you progress towards your goals, don’t let your pride and joy be taken away by jealousy because you perceive someone else as having gotten there more quickly or more easily than you. Give yourself kudos for overcoming your own struggles, compare yourself only to yourself, and give yourself realistic expectations that are based on your own situation and needs so that you can avoid the pitfalls of jealousy. 7.Stop gossiping/talking trash about other women’s bodies The practice of trash talking about other women’s bodies—including celebrities’—is not only cruel to the women who are being talked about, it is also self-destructive to the people doing the talking. It is very unfortunate that this seems to be a common practice among many women, a form of bonding even… If this is how you bond with other women, stop. Just, stop… you are creating an entire culture where it is acceptable to say things about other people’s appearance that you would be devastated to hear said about yourself, you are projecting your insecurities onto others instead of taking care of them, and you are creating or contributing to a toxic environment that will only backfire on you and potentially your loved ones in the form of more negative attitudes and body issues. You can quit this practice by changing the subject when other people bring it up, or choosing to say something nice instead, or saying nothing at all and just avoiding these conversations altogether. You can choose to surround yourself with kinder and more positive people, or continue to surround yourself with the same people but tune out these topics. Either way, you are in control of the things you do and say, so choose wisely! 8.Support and empower other women instead I truly believe that the more supportive you are of other women, the more supportive you are able to be to yourself. It’s a bit of a case of “the chicken or the egg” here… many women are able to support and empower other women because they already have a healthy relationship with themselves. But even if you are not totally on board with the body positive, self-acceptance bandwagon, you will find that as you project positive attitudes onto other women in your praise and support of them, as you see other women being empowered by your beautiful words and actions towards them, you will begin feeling empowered as well. In this case, you are creating a positive environment that will foster growth for all involved! 9.Exercise! Exercise not because you hate your body and need to “improve” it, but because it feels good physically and mentally and will help your longevity and quality of life. Taking up a form of exercise that takes away the focus from how your body looks to what your body can do is one of the best ways to battle insecurities and develop a more positive body image. As you begin to appreciate your body for its newfound abilities, you will put less focus on how it looks and more focus on how it functions, which is what really should matter the most! You will also begin to treat your body better, as you figure out that healthier foods, habits, and thoughts will lead to improved performance in your chosen activity. It’s a much better motivator than exercising for the sole purpose of looking a certain way. Regular exercise also has the added benefit of enhancing serotonin production and release, so it should make you feel happier, too! 10.If all else fails, do seek therapy! There is no shame in talking to a professional who can help you if your body image issues are more serious and you can’t work through them on your own. In fact, even if you can work through them on your own, it can still be beneficial to speak to a therapist! Even individuals who are perfectly mentally healthy can benefit from therapy. By talking about what you think and do, you will discover things about yourself you wouldn’t otherwise have, which can help you set your life in the right direction for you. And if your body image issues are keeping you from doing things you enjoy, negatively affecting your relationships and interactions with others, or otherwise hampering you in your daily life, then it is definitely time to consider therapy. Therapy can help get to the root causes of your issues and send you on a path to healing. Remember you are not alone… someone can help! Good luck on your journey to a more positive and healthy body image. If you find yourself sinking back into old habits, come back to this list or read other advice like it to find some grounding and get back to work on fixing your thought patterns. You can do it! |
AuthorYamê is a Brazilian-American View Posts By CategoryIf you'd like to read more articles by Yamê or SharqiDance's guest authors, please view our blog map here.
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