The EmbodyBirth™ Workshop

BellydanceBirth® is not about being a professional dancer or remembering a certain choreography or dance steps.  In this program, it is a safe space for the pregnant woman to listen and surrender to her body’s rhythms. She can move in freedom in what she feels best at each moment. Using breath, improvised and unstructured movements, and voice, she can have the opportunity to release, relax, and move in the way her body needs to.

This is a 3-hour session for expectant mothers to help them enter into an inner process of embodying birth and motherhood. Through Bellydancebirth, we help mothers to listen to their bodies and connect with their babies. This transformative session encourages deep listening and intuitive responses through gentle belly dance movements, breath, and voice. It is a moving meditation and inner dance that supports a pregnant woman in powerfully navigating the emotional and physical changes of pregnancy and birth.

This prepares her for her unique labor and birthing journey, regardless of the outcome – whether it is an unmedicated birth, medicated birth, or cesarean birth.

The flow of the class:

• Time of self-inquiry, reflection, meditation, and journaling

• Holding a safe and loving space for sharing your fears and anxieties about birth and motherhood and being received in a circle of love and support

• Introducing EmbodyBirth BellydanceBirth philosophies through breath, voice, positions, belly dance movements

• A time of doing one’s dance of the womb, connecting with her body, and her baby

Philosophies

• The Mother and the Baby are the experts. They are at the center of the birth experience. This is at the core of the EmbodyBirth™ philosophy.

• The Mother’s body has the innate capacity and wisdom to give birth. This is where BellydanceBirth® comes in. The intuitive, meditative dance that BellyDanceBirth is, allows the mother to be in tune with her entire being and her Baby.

• Being at the center of the experience also means Mothers can make informed choices for their birth. This means communicating her deepest desire for her birth and being listened to. 

• We need to let Mothers claim their rightful place which is at the center of the experience. It is to let her birth in a space where she is honored, respected, loved, and cared for. As Maha Al Musa would say: “A woman in labor does not need to be saved. She needs to be loved”

Benefits

• Prenatally, the Bellydancebirth movements of circling, spiraling, rolling, curving, figure 8’s, rocking, swaying, and other movements prepare the specific birthing area of the body, which is between the upper chest and the upper thighs.

• These movements open the pelvis, release tension and constrictions in the body, and relax the pelvic floor. 

• This also helps increase circulation in the mother’s body, which is beneficial for oxygen to reach both Mother and baby.

• The BellydanceBirth® movements are intuitive movements that can be accessed using the primal brain.  In labor and birthing, the mother can express herself freely, taking cues from her body and her baby through releasing, relaxing, and moving to what feels right.

• These movements can ease labor pains and loosen the body to give birth naturally and powerfully.

Facilitators

Alongside Doula Betty, one of Birthing is a Blessing’s primary Childbirth Mentors, EmbodyBirth™ will be co-facilitated by her former Doula client and colleague, Doula Ria.

Doula Ria Pangan discovered the life-changing power of giving birth after her experience of gentle birth. She started to share this empowering experience with other mothers through gatherings called Birthing Circles. She later earned her certification as a childbirth doula under Childbirth International.

Believing in the importance of being one with the body and trusting its wisdom, Ria also trained as a prenatal & postpartum yoga teacher and is certified under the Poppy Perinatal Yoga Approach. She also earned her certification as an educator under the EmbodyBirth philosophy and teaches BellydanceBirth both as a means to prepare the body for birth and as a healing modality for mothers willing to do inner work, before, during, and after pregnancy.

Testimonials

“The belly dance birth helped me to connect deeply with my baby. We danced together I could feel he was moving and enjoyed it. It is also a great environment to share with other mommies your experience and what you are going through during pregnancy. Thank you Doula Betty and Doula Ria for this beautiful memory!” – Ferlyn D.G.

“Attending the EmbodyBirth class hosted by Doula Ria and Doula Betty was an absolute blessing! The nurturing and supportive environment they have prepared, coupled with their insightful guidance, allowed me to connect with my inner strength and approach childbirth with confidence. It was calming and transformative, empowering me for the journey ahead and creating intimate bonding with my fellow expectant mothers, our doulas, and our babies. I encourage all mothers to attend future embodybirth classes for a worthwhile experience.” – Glhaiza V.

Read more here.