Just took the first half of my Dancing For Birth training workshop today. It was incredible! It was so empowering to be gaining so much knowledge about the physiology of birth and how dance can play such a vital role in reducing pain and increasing a more heathful delivery and postpartum recovery.

On Monday, the postcard ad came to the Aby Dance Center where I teach belly dance. By Tuesday, I was scrambling to free up my weekend for it, and digging as deep as possible to try and find the finances for it. Wednesday, I began to question myself. Was this just another crazy spur of the moment want? Something that I needed only now that I had seen it? Should I give up the struggle and pretend I'd never heard about it? Thursday afternoon, a few more puzzle pieces fell into place which made the weekend more financially viable and I registered!

This morning, I found myself in the company of nine other women, all whom are either doulas or midwives ... one dance studio owner... one gal is here all the way from Venezuela. A few have taken some bellydance or other dance forms. Some of them will incorporate this knowledge into their doula or midwifery practice. Some of them will go on to certification as Dancing for Birth instructors and will start offering Dancing for Birth casses. Having them all there, with their immense breadth of knowledge, was the icing on the cake in addition to Setphanie and her knowledge.

After today, I am reassured of my own research into how bellydance movements help for a better birth. All of my own fears of what I can and can't do as I continue to perform and teach intermediate and advanced bellydance have been vanquished. I have so much more incredible information to add to my prenatal/postpartum bellydance classes. Information that no woman should be without... knowledge that used to be common... or which is there in our bodies if we could just listen to them. I am inspired and hope to eventually offer Dancing for Birth classes in addition to my prenatal/postpartum bellydance class... and who knows where else this path leads!

My affirmation for the weekend, created by drawing two random separate cards from a pile and then contemplating how I might put together an affirmation with them:

I will continue to let bliss inform my actions.

... can't wait for tomorrow's workshop!