Anyone do Belly Dancing?

Belly dancing is awesome. I am actually wanting to get started myself. I've done quite a bit of research on it and I have learned a few moves already. It kicks booty! :) I feel so free and in control of my body when I dance. It is a great feeling I must say. Belly dancing manipulates so many muscles in your abdomen, hips, thighs, arms...almost every muscle in your body. There are networks of intructors who teach classes, but for the less fortunate, like myself, we have to learn via instructional videos. www.amazon.com has some great videos and at very affordable prices. They are very informative and pretty easy to follow along. Good luck with it! I definetly think it is worth it.

I have taken bellydancing classes and can't wait to be able to start them up again. More then anything it is fun and it works alot of your muscles! I personally do not think it is difficult to learn as long as you get the right teacher. Someone who knows what they are doing and have being doing it for a decent amount of time. The Teacher a friend and I have is Nashwa Cahill(I think I spelled her lastname right) She is from Egypt and resides here in the united states. She has opened shows for many egyptian bands by dancing.

I do a belly dance workout, and I can tell you, I work a lot harder in 20 minutes doing that than I ever will on a treadmill, if sweat is the indicator! You're using all the major muscle groups, for one thing. You'll also learn to use muscles you might not have realized you even had. I love the way the workout makes me feel - it's not a bunch of silly bouncing and jumping around. Rather, it's a workout that taps into the feminine, and I come away from it feeling good about my body, no matter what it looks like, mostly because I've been moving it in sensual ways. The workout DVD I use is "Temple of Jehan: Ultimate Bellydance Fitness", and I love the music! I've been known to put the DVD in just to listen to it (and then, of course, it makes you want to dance, so you end up working out anyway - great motivator!). No other workout I've found leaves me with this positive of a self-image, and I find that's at least as important as the physical benefits, if not more!

Belly dancing isn't really hard to learn, though it is hard to really master. I know that it is good for toning your body, so I suspect that combined with lifestyle changes to help you lose weight, it can help you get your body into better shape as you lose weight.