Belly Dance Day!

Today the P90X schedule said to do yoga, but thanks to my friend Timothy, I did a belly dance DVD instead.

Words like 'graceful' and 'lithe' have never been used to describe me.  Words more like 'klutz' are much more appropriate.  I've told the story before on this blog about how my mother took me to the doctor when I was little thinking I must have inner ear trouble because I was so clumsy.  So, I entered in to the belly dance workout with no delusions of being able to do the moves.  I was right.  I think rather than being a self fulfilling prophecy, it was a realistic acknowledgement of my abilities.  I have never moved my body some of those ways, at least not on purpose.

I was pleasantly surprised by the video.  She was good at breaking down the moves in a slow step by step way and then speeding them up.  I could just about get the moves in the slow methodical way but no way was I doing it a full speed.  That was totally fine with me.  As I said, my body had not moved in those ways before, so it will take some practice to feel natural and then get it right. 

The one thing I could do, was shimmy.  I was a shimmying machine!  I can and will use that success to learn the other moves in time.  My intention was to use this DVD in the place of yoga each week, but I'm already thinking of incorporating it more often.

I was very surprised as to how quickly the time went.  The workout was peaceful and I actually enjoyed it.  Who is this woman living inside me that voluntarily exercises 6 days per week for an hour and then uses words like 'enjoy' to describe it?  I don't know, but I hope she sticks around for a while.  I like her!

The only thing I would change about the DVD is some of the camera angles.  I was a little disappointed sometimes because as she would be explaining a certain movement, the camera would be on her face rather than that part of her body. So, I couldn't actually see the movement.  I'm sure once I get more familiar with the workout that won't really matter.  It just made things a little more difficult for me initially.

The belly dance is here to stay.  Thanks Timothy!!!