The smooth undulating movements of 'Bellydanceforbirth' aid a woman's ability to deal with her labour in an opening rather than restrictive fashion. The soothing rocking motions of the circular and figure eight movements set the scene for a birthing woman to flow with the natural rhythms of her labouring body and become connected to Nature and the Universe.

Emotionally the birth dance opens up a well of feelings that cannot be easily locked away in pregnancy. A woman's birthing heart centre resides within the pelvis and hip area. This region is often fraught with locked up painful, sexual memory. Many women find that they are very tight and rigid here and when they begin to bellydance they may find it difficult to loosen up the area or even to make connection with this part of their body. It is as though the dance beckons a woman to stand in the light of her truth and feel her conscious presence within her birthing body. It is a wonderfully relevant birth preparation because of this dual acceptance of emotion and physicality.

'Bellydanceforbirth' can act as purposeful tool to help a woman before she steps into the gateway of birth. It can help bridge the gap between the primal brain (which knows how to give birth) and the modern woman (who may need to be reminded of her instinctual capacity) assisting her to claim back her most basic and inherent right as the deliverer of life.

It is not too late for any woman to take up 'bellydanceforbirth', if only for a few months at the end of her pregnancy. Any understanding and experience of the dance is advantageous. I have facilitated classes where women have only come at the latter stages of their pregnancy. They have recounted, after their birth experience, how pleased and grateful they were to have had the opportunity to practise the bellydance movements in a pre-natal setting. Being aware of the moves enabled them to effectively flow into the sensations and thus rhythm of labour with a strong sense of purpose rather than fear.

Maha Al Musa is a mother (of two gorgeous sons), writer, human rights activist, dancer and lover of all things connected to the divine 'feminine'. She is of Palestinian / Moslem and Lebanese / Christian background and was born in Kuwait and migrated to Australia in the early 60's. In 1996, whilst pregnant with her first son Kailash, she reconnected to her cultural roots through the "bellydance". When her son was six months old Maha began facilitating "Bellydanceforbirth" classes in Byron Bay, Australia after being introduced to the dance by a local midwife, Annie. The classes were extremely popular with pregnant women and Maha developed a keen rapport with many of her students and midwives. She began working as a doula (birth assistant) with local home birth midwives and encouraged women to embrace their pregnancy journey with strength, empowerment and courage. She realized many modern women were estranged from not only their physical but also their emotional and spiritual body in this most powerful feminine cycle. Through her classes, Maha presents "Bellydanceforbirth" as a means for women to explore these most primal movements, drawing on her cultural heritage for its wisdom, healing and ancient knowledge. She weaves together the 'old world' with the 'new world' through the bellydance creating a joyful and uplifting experience for the mothers to be.

People who bought this product, also bought...

Mother Nurture Yoga   Sitaram's Mother Nurture Yoga DVD set provides gentle yoga for the transition to motherhood, with fully integrated, practical instructions for the who... BUY NOW $64.95	Travel Size Wet Wipes Pkt 40   Baby Wipes – 40 count Travel Pack for times when you just need a small pack! Seventh Generation Baby Wipes are moistened with natural aloe vera, vi... BUY NOW $6.95
Tahitian Breeze   I've had some great feedback about this deodorant with several people saying they've switched to this one after trying many other natural brands becau... BUY NOW $11.95	Green to Grow Teats for Baby Bottle pkt3   Green to Grow Silicone Teats perfect for all types of Baby Bottles. These silicone teats are made from a transparent, medical grade silicone that i... BUY NOW $9.95
BPA Free Baby Bottle Green to Grow 300ml   Just the milk, please. Hold the chemicals. If you don't want glass, but nevertheless a baby bottle that is safe to use, then this is the one for yo... BUY NOW $19.95