Belly
Dance as Part of Life Balance
As Written by "Nizana"
Over
the years, I have come across, in different formats, the ideology of “life
balance” and I believe in it and strive to maintain it. For me, and I suspect
many others, belly dance is an important part of my life balance. There is so
much to the circle of life, and when one or more parts is disproportionate to
the others, it creates imbalance which can lead to negative stress and health
issues.
Everyone
can determine what is important to them and draw and fill in their own balance
wheel as everyone is different, but the components may include: family,
friends, health, career/work, hobbies, spirituality, exercise and time for
self. What would you add to or subtract from this list? Of course, some
components may be a bigger section of the wheel than others, but being mindful
of just how much bigger at the expense of other components is to one’s benefit.
It is definitely a balancing act.
To
test this concept visually, list out what are important parts of your life that
you must have to live a life worth living. Draw a circle and then “cut the pie”
and label with your respective areas according to which pieces are bigger and
which ones smaller based on what you currently are living. Are some sections
surprising to you as to how much of your life is spent in that area? Are you
comfortable with how your balance wheel looks? Are your “pie cuts”
disproportionate and are you ok with that?
Draw
another balance wheel and fill it in how you would like it to look Is it the
same? Are there some pieces you would cut differently? Would you add or take
away something else and re-distribute? Seeing it visually and processing the
“picture” of your life is the first step to determining if you have life
balance, or whether your life is out of balance and you can work at improving
your lot.
In
order to shift percentages of areas that you would like to re-balance, you have
to be mindful and conscientious about what needs to be changed and where you
can slice the pie differently elsewhere. You only have the one “pie” or life balance
wheel. Prioritize. There are some things you really need to have more than
others. Re-organize your time and energies to shift percentages. Take stock of
where you actually might be wasting time or efforts you can
eliminate.
How
does belly dance fit in your life? Belly dancing covers ”me time,” exercise,
health, friends, hobbies and perhaps even work, spirituality, and family! How
nice that this fabulous art form can span across your entire balance wheel! Do
you spend the amount of time you’d like to in order to gain the benefits across
your balance wheel? (You could even replicate this process with a “Belly”
Balance Wheel Comparison Analysis and look at how you’d like to re-distribute
percentages of your time in each of the sections just for belly dance.)
It’s
kind of like the quote “Everything in moderation.” If all of your sections are
well balanced, then you are more balanced. If you overdo one area, it is often
at the expense of another. Take a look at how you can bring your life, or your dancing,
in to better
balance.
Fill
in your wheels!
