When is this going to feel natural?

 I was honored to sub for an fcbd class this week and the exchange of positive energy always wows me! Every good soul who walks through the door has something magnificent to offer fat chance belly dance.  This week in a beginner class I fielded the question “when is this going to feel natural to my body?”  

TOUCHE!  

FAT CHANCE BELLY DANCE posture definitely does NOT feel natural to the body,  HOWEVER. This is exactly the reason I was drawn to it in my 60s.  I will explain.

Growing up with my MOM and her 2 sisters, I remember them taunting each other….’ PUT YOUR SHOULDERS BACK!!! PUT YOUR SHOULDERS BACK~!!!  You see, their mama lived to the ripe old age of 96 (lucky me!). My mom and her sister lived till 92 so I do not think I will be leaving very soon and while I am here, I do not want to experience the spine that my grandma had to endure.  Today there is even more reason to fear the dreaded dowagers hump.  Some call it phone neck.

We value our spine these days.  Yoga has helped us to realize the energy that flows.  We are in such an improved state of mind when we think about our spine.  When I discovered yoga in my 40s I felt so much better than I ever had in my youth of teens, 20s and 30s.  Back pain went away, energy returned and I was thankful that all my abuse of heavy lifting had not previously given my vertebrae any major trouble.  If you know anyone with chronic back pain sometimes you can read their face.  They wish for an end to that pain at any price.  It is sad.

So how can we protect our spine?   THESE THINGS!!!  OUR MUSCLES!

YES! This we can do!  When we learn about dance posture we start from the ground up.  Our feet are pointed to 11 o’clock (performance angle) and comfortably apart.  Our knees are ALWAYS bent. This gives us the added benefit of working the largest and quickest calorie burning muscle of the body, the quadriceps.

Quadriceps include four large muscles located in the front of the thigh: vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris. 

We work up to our waist~we want to elongate the spine in back so we tuck the gluts but do not squeeze them.  This protects our spine. And now we reach the part of the body that defines the power, zest and proud carriage of the dance. Simply put, we raise our shoulders up , back and down.  We engage our traps at the bra line.  This raises our chest without using our shoulders.  It also makes carrying our arms straight out at ‘back of the couch’ level much more doable. It also allows you to set your shoulders free and not hunch them up to your ears. The beautiful long neck appears and it also elongates the mid torso.  All these elements contribute to the beauty of the dance.

SO!   my mom and her sisters as they touted tits up! Needed to think-shoulders up, back and down.  If our traps stay engaged our spines will thank us.  When we walk the dog down the street,  walk proud Ladies!  You are dancing !!!  And for this proud fierce posture, I will be ever grateful to fat chance belly dance.

And so, my Dearest new student, you hit it on the head.  It will never feel natural but it will make you feel just right AND keep you healthy.  You know exercise and you do something I have never done, running.  For this I salute you!!!!  If yoga kept me healthy in 40s, I credit fat chance belly dance for keeping me zestful in my 60s.  Thank you Carolena! I wonder if you ever knew in your wildest dreams the joy you would bring the world.  Blessings!