Bellydance Bliss

2 Pamper the Senses- Gateways of Self-Fulfilment

To understand your body; to hear its subtle messages of pleasure and pain; to reclaim the intuitive knowing of what you need to heal and be well; you need to be intimate with your anatomy.
It is assumed you are familiar with the location of major organs involved in digestion and circulation such as stomach, liver, spleen, heart, lung, intestine, etc. If you are not, a quick visit to the library or the internet will provide you with this information. Whenever you have internal pain, it is worthwhile information to have.

For the purposes of dancing, this chapter will describe the sensory organs. The senses of seeing, hearing, touch, taste and smell are the keys to a woman’s sensuality. Once you know how to nourish your senses, you are on the path of fulfilment. The senses are the conduit between worlds. They are the receivers of impressions in the realm of spirit and earth.
In moving the body through bellydance, the senses come alive. The blood flows warmly to the skin. In dance, you radiate with life and happiness. There is no elixir more captivating than a happy and sensuous woman!
Studies show that people who are especially sensual have a tendency to be more ‘present’. They are not living in the past, projecting the future; they are in a state of ‘oneness’. There is opportunity in sensuality to slow down and pay full attention to the feeling at hand; an opportunity to bask in the actual moment of sensuality rather than rush through life.

Sensuality is not sexuality. It is the special ingredient of fulfilment in all life. It improves the sexual experience, but not because they are the same thing. Sensuality has to do with enjoying the pleasure of your senses: sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. It’s about being awakened and stimulated by things that activate these various senses.

To have sensuality is to be aware of, appreciate and take delight in our senses. It is to live a life felt through our senses. When we shift focus from thinking, into that which is felt, seen, smelled, touched, heard and tasted, it has a significant and positive bearing on how we experience life.
Giving special care and attention to the organs of sensation is a worthwhile activity any time of day. It is good preparation for your dancing practice. It is also a wonderful way to close your session and transition into the next part of your day. Schedule time to nourish and pamper at least one of your senses every day.

Smell

As human beings, we are emotionally impacted by scent. In fact, our sense of smell is considered the only sense that evokes a purely emotional response. Research indicates that smells are not filtered through the part of the brain that ruminates or analyzes, but rather though the part that responds and operates without conscious thought. It is reported that our responses to smell take place within ten seconds after exposure — with no thought process involved. We react, and then think.

Not only do certain smells affect how we feel emotionally, but they can also affect our energy level. When entering a room, we can either feel suffocated by a lingering perfume, or enticed by the aroma of delicious food being cooked.

Aromatherapy is a therapy which uses essential oils as remedies. (pure and natural essential oils only...synthetic scents are pollutants). They are used in massaging the skin, but their potency enters through the nose. Here are some common oils and their uses:

For calm: chamomile or lavender

To be more alert: rosemary, peppermint, eucalyptus or lemongrass

For amorous encounters: ylang-ylang, sandalwood, rose and jasmine are for a sensual bedroom; vanilla, neroli and lavender awakens your sensuality.

Try this:

Take yourself and a daughter, sister or friend
Go on a ‘sensual date’
find a shopping location where there will be lots of different smells; some kind of candle vendor,
food market
or body care shop are excellent choices.
Do a bit of sense exploration;
sample lotions and potions,
do some taste tests
gaze at the beauty
Discover what is pleasing to your senses.
When you are done walking around, find a cafe and have a treat!

Dance of Scent

Light a scented candle,
oil diffuser
or a stick of incense in a corner of the room
(aim for pure and natural essential oils for your health)
While gentle music plays, begin your dance in an opposite corner
Using beckoning gestures
Swaying
Swirling
Dance as the fragrance is wafting throughout the room
Use your movement to bring it into your body
through your sense of smell
Pay attention to when you can first smell it
As the smell intensifies, allow your dance to intensify
As the smell dissipates, allow your dance to ease