Belly Dance: Fire and Breath of the Goddess
By Laura L. Pauly, Ph.D.
262 789 7100
Belly Dancing or Dance Orientale, it is said, originated in the Cradle of Civilization. The Dance is a way of
connecting to the Divine in our deepest memory…..from the very core cellular depth level of memory of
our civilization on this planet.
Belly Dancing since time immemorial has been an activity practiced by women among women as a means
of expressing emotion, sharing life, healing the body, preparing it for childbirth and connecting with the
Goddess through ritual.
Dance practiced in this way, with a deeper level of meaning is a moving meditation. Many cultures around
the world have used and use to this day, dance as a form of ritual, prayer and healing.
God or Spirit is often depicted as the Breath of Life. Breath enlivens the body. Prana is Sanskrit for
Breath. In Prana yogic practice we can bring breath or life force energy into our body for healing,
cleansing, and nourishing.
Both Dance and Breath allow for change to take place. Used together, they make the movement of
energy more powerful.
A simple Breath meditation involves imagining releasing negativity and fear with each exhalation and
bringing in positivity, love and joy with each inhalation. When we breathe correctly and deeply while
dancing, we enhance our chance to create emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual change.
With the breath enters oxygen. Oxygen flames up a fire. Oxygen in our blood gives us life energy. Moving
in Dance while breathing deeply can deepen and further the oxygen flow into our bodies, for our highest
and best good.
Dance combined with breath/energy work and conscious intent can be much more than a fun pleasurable
activity. Joy itself is a worthy pursuit. Yet, when this joy is focused with movement, breath, and intent in our
dance, the dance can birth a greater strength and empowerment in our lives. Belly dance done with
conscious awareness can be a tool for greater transformation and change.
The Dance practiced with highest intent and focus is a crucible of life. Dance is a way of Being in our
bodies. It is a way of bringing the Divine to bear on the physical. It can help us heal emotional ly and
physically. It can help us develop insight. It can help us release emotional and energetic pain from the
past that has been stored in our bodies. It can be the fire that brings the energy of new things into form in
our lives. It becomes even more powerful when we consciously focus our intent while dancing. We can
work to release pain on all levels of our mind, body and spirit. We can ground a sense of joy and
awareness. We can move the energetic blocks around us and within us that are holding us back.
Life and the body have their own innate and natural movement toward healing. If we align ourselves with
Life, with God or the Goddess, or whatever we consider the Highest and Best Intention, true healing can
occur.
In belly dancing we are moving our bodies in ways perhaps different from our ordinary activities. We are
stimulating all the nerves along our spine, massaging our internal organs and glands, arousing our energy
centers (chakras) and awakening our consciousness.
I have often said that dance was my therapy of youth. Moving my body in dance helped me to release
tension and anxiety. While it was fun for me, it also provided an avenue for raising my self confidence
through self expression. Dance also offered an opportunity to deepen personal awareness and to The
Dance practiced with highest intent and focus is a crucible of life. Dance is a way of Being in our bodies. It
is a way of bring the Divine to bear on the physical. It can help us heal emotional ly and physically. It can
help us develop insight. It can help us release emotional and energetic pain from the past that has been
stored in our bodies. It can be the fire that brings the energy of new things into form in our lives. It
becomes even more powerful when we consciously focus our intent while dancing. We can work to release
pain on all levels of our mind, body and spirit. We can ground a sense of joy and awareness. We can
move the energetic blocks around us and within us that are holding us back.
develop a deeper sense of connectedness to the Divine.
Today I am using the dance to help heal my body from a car accident. It is helping me to strengthen
muscles that are often under used in daily activity. It is helping me release internal scar tissue. And, It is
helping me maintain a better postural alignment.
More than simply exercise or a performance for others, dance can be a sacred and useful tool in
stimulating physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth and healing.
So, Dance, Dance with breathing and energy and conscious intent. And, one critical piece, Dance with the
Heart.
Laura L. Pauly, Ph.D. Copyright 2009
Stefanie Masters combines her training in yoga, birthing, and dance to promote deeper self awareness,
expression and healing through dance. Stefanie teaches Oriental Dance with an emphasis on breath and
includes aspects of Sufi mystic ritual.