The divine feminine resides within us all, but for many of us it has been suppressed, leaving us feeling uncomfortable to express the beauty, sensuality and attraction we all possess. The good news is we don’t have to keep our inner goddess cast to the shadows, there are many ways to tap into her power. My favorite way is dance and movement, more specifically, bellydance.
What is the divine feminine?
It is the existence of the empowered goddess energy within us. The energy also relates to healing, intuition, softness, nurturing, and the subtle wisdom of the body. It is wild, free and untamed, inspiration and creativity, peace and harmony. Even if overshadowed, the divine feminine is inside all of us just waiting to be released. To awaken this energy, you are giving yourself permission to be who you are, as you are, and love every bit of yourself, but you must also want to be the recipient of this loving presence.
We are creative creatures, and there are many ways to tap into that part of our being. We can paint, sing, write, and of course, dance. Dance has been around since ancient times. It was used as rites of passage, ritual, worshiping gods, play, social interaction and so much more. Today dance is part of so many of our lives in one way or another. For many of us, dance is an essential form of expression. Dance is meditative, healing and empowering and bridges the sexual/spiritual gap that most women have lost.
Bellydance is believed to be around 6000 years old, and is still around today, becoming more and more popular. There are many forms of bellydance, from Egyptian to Fusion and everything in between, but no matter what style, they are all rooted in femininity. Bellydance can be an exquisite pathway to awaken the divine feminine. Bellydance is not just a style of dance but an expression of tradition and culture that has been passed down for centuries. In its origins, it was not meant for entertainment, but rather a dance accessible for all women to enjoy, used in childbirth and fertility ceremonies. At the essence of bellydance is a desire to be connected to feminine expression. It can help women connect to the creative and sacred parts of themselves.
Most women bellydance just for the fun of it, which is a really great reason. Much of the focus of movement is in the stomach and hips, or your womb, which is the location of your sacral chakra. Your sacral chakra is your center of joy, so dancing from your center of joy can only bring an uplifting outcome. Dancing from this place lets you connect to your essential “femaleness” and every beautiful bit of the female form, which is very liberating.
There are endless stories of how women’s lives were changed when they began bellydancing, and many women were in their 40’s when they began. At that time we are consciously ready to reconnect to spiritual and sexual energies, and dance is a natural way to do this. Keep in mind, it doesn’t matter if you’ve danced your whole life or never danced before, when you begin bellydance, the movement feels very foreign to our bodies. You’re asking your body to access muscles we wouldn’t otherwise use on a daily basis. But when you keep with it, through practice and repetition, you begin to feel that this is the way our bodies were actually meant to move, we have just been so programmed to hold still and be contained. We all have different bodies, which all move in different ways, so this dance will be uniquely you and you make it your dance. No one’s dance or movement will be exactly the same and there is no stereotypical type of bellydancer. This dance really is for everyone.
There are so many benefits to bellydance. Physically it’s great exercise, but it doesn’t feel like exercise. It’s not meant to build, but tone muscle, and it increases flexibility, especially in the spine. Its low impact and easy on the joints, making it restorative and rehabilitating as well. You decide how you want your dance to be, whether it’s focused and technical, blissed out and spiritual, sensual and womanly and so on. It can even change from day to day depending on your mood or energy. Although, embracing the sensuality of the movement is key to awakening the divine feminine. Sensuality isn’t just about sex. It’s being present, comfortable and allowing your body to be in a pleasurable state. It can help you understand the deeper, more sacred layers to dance.
Anything you do with passion and intention is sacred. Dancing this way, feeling the energy move through you and connecting with it, makes it a very spiritual experience. This dance will change the body, creating your perfect goddess body type just by the nature of the movements. It shows a woman why she is built the way she is, and getting to know and accept your body is extremely empowering.
I encourage everyone to try to awaken their divine feminine through whatever medium calls to them most. But if bellydance has piqued your interest, or you’re even just a little curious, I highly recommend giving it a try. You will be in a welcoming, supportive environment of dancing goddesses. Who wouldn’t want that?
If you are interested in giving bellydance a try, I teach a couple classes a week at Bittersweet Studios. I hope to see your devi faces there!
~Michelle
