BuikdansFitness

Belly Dance HOW TO secrets:

How to do belly rolls

The famous muscle which is called “ 6 packs” is a long muscle in the front of the belly, which goes all the way from top to bottom of the belly. This muslce plays a big role in defecation and delivery process. Thanks to its intersections (there are four of them on each side), which form “6 packs”, this muscle can be contracted and bended on different levels, unlike other muscles which can be just contracted all in one stroke only. This muscle is called Rectus Abdominus (RA).

Let’s try to feel this muscle and contract it on different levels.

It will be easier if you bend forward, making your back round, and lean with your hands on your lap. Make sure you did not eat minimum 1,5 hour before you start doing this exercise!

In this position push belly out and get it in several times. Do it with muscles, not with making vacuum by diaphragm, or breathing. Try to do it also with some variations – you will feel that it is possible in this position to move your muscles not only in and out, but also a little bit up and down. Continue experiment in all possible ways you can. Day after day of exercising you will feel that you get more and more controle over movements. Soon you will be able to distinquish upper level and lower level. When you can get them in and out separately from eachother, you are ready for belly rolls.

Get upper level in. It feels and looks like a fold (like you close a book). Then move this fold down along the belly, till your pelvice. And then move it all the way upward. This is belly roll. First you do it in bended position, it is easier. Later you can do it when you stand straight up. Then, in order to get your belly in, you will naturally involve another important muscle (Transversus Abdomnius, TA), which plays the biggest role in stabilizing the lower back. This muscle gets activated first before you make any movement. This is an important function, and people who have lower back pain usually have delayed responses in the TA, which means their spine is less stable. When you do any belly dance exercise that pulls in the belly, you train the TA and help to increase your spine stability.