One of the most basic moves in belly dancing is the hip shimmy. You rhythmically bend and straighten your knees, causing your thighs, buttocks and belly to shake. The move requires a high level of muscle control; you must be able isolate and move each part of the body independently. This takes lots of practice --- and certain exercises can help, too.
Yoga
Several yoga poses can help improve your hip shimmies. The bound angle posture opens up the groin area and the hips and stretches the spine, the YogaWiz website reports. It is particularly good for body undulations through the spine, hip figure-eights and isolations. Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Exhale, bend your knees and pull your heels toward your pelvis. Drop your knees to the sides, pressing the soles of your feet together. Keeping the outer edges of your feet on the floor, bring your heels as close to the pelvis as you can.
The foot-and-big-toe posture/hand-to-foot posture combination, meanwhile, stretches the hamstrings and calves. To do this combination, stand up straight with your feet parallel and about 6 inches apart. Lift your kneecaps by contracting the front thigh muscles. With your legs completely straight, exhale and bend forward from the hips. Slide the first and second fingers of each hand between the big toes of each foot. Bring your forehead towards your shins. Do not force or bounce. Release the toes and, while inhaling, straighten the body.
Dance Moves
Several dance moves can strengthen the abdominal muscles, which will improve your hip shimmies. The BellaOnline website suggests the camel which is done by pushing your chest forward, lifting, then pulling the chest in. Next, circle the buttocks down and around by pushing your pelvis down, back and around. (This is also great cardiovascular exercise.)
Start the reverse camel by tucking in your abdomen. Push the pelvis forward, then back and round it down.
Stand up straight for the belly rolls. Squeeze your abdominal muscles, push the upper part out, then bring it back in, at the same time pushing the lower abs out then bringing them back in. Then reverse the order.
The final move is about hip tucks and pops. Tilt your pelvis forward and tuck in the abdominal muscles hard, repeating several times. Then switch to the pops --- pushing your pelvis out, creating the pop; repeat.
Abdominal Exercises
To improve your hip shimmy, you want to do exercises that affect both the lower and upper abdominal muscles. Pelvic lifts and tilts do the former. Crunches do the latter. Side crunches strengthen the muscles on the sides of the abdomen. Pelvic lifts and tilts can be done together with crunches.
Conclusion
Given the types of exercises that can help your hip shimmy, whether you do yoga, dance moves or plain old abdominal moves. Strengthening the core muscles gives you more control over those areas of the body, which are particularly important in belly dancing. Having strong core muscles helps with posture, reduces fatigue when standing and reduces health risks from visceral fat, the Mayo Clinic reports.
Member Comments