How to Learn Belly Dancing Warm Up

From building confidence to maintaining a level of fitness that improves things like pregnancy and childbirth, belly dance provides an array of benefits that is gaining wide appreciation. After you learn belly dance posture, your next step is to learn belly dancing warm up exercises so that you can get dancing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Workout space

1. Start with neck rolls. Gently roll your neck about eight times in each direction.

2. Continue to arm and leg rolls. Roll your arms at the shoulder and your legs at the hip.

3. Loosen your wrists and ankles by slowly rolling them in circles. Concentrate on one wrist or ankle at a time, and circle each one about eight times in each direction.

4. Finish the body rolls with hip rolls. When doing hip rolls, circle just your hips. Imagine a cord running through your body that prevents anything from moving but your hips and pelvic area.

5. Stretch your sides. This is best done by checking your posture (really remember to stay in belly dancing posture) and then raising both arms above your head. Bending just at the waist, stretch to one side and then the other.

Tips & Warnings

• Take your time. Warm-ups release a lot of stress, and signal chemicals in your body that you are getting ready for more strenuous activity.
• When doing arm and leg rolls, be careful not to twist your elbows or knees. This can cause nasty sprains and strains that will leave you in pain.

Resources

• Belly Dance at Home