Marya's Class Schedule

YOGA

River Valley YMCA, Prior Lake, MN (membership or day pass required, click here for website)

Tuesdays 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. (rm 162B, church)
Tuesdays 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. (rm A)
Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. (rm 162B, church)

Lifetime Fitness, Savage, MN (membership or day pass required, click here for website)

Sundays 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (Studio 2)

Note: Bring your own mat. Suggested props include blanket. Blocks and straps provided.

BELLY DANCE

Yoga Bella, Chanhassen, MN (click here for their website)

Tuesdays 7:15 - 8:15 p.m.

Note: Showing your belly is NOT required! Wear clothing appropriate for yoga, bring a scarf to tie around your waist if you have one. Scarves will be available for your use.

MEDITATION

Yoga Bella, Chanhassen, MN (click here for their website)

Sunday, June 27 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 25 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 29 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Note: Bring something comfortable to sit on such as a blanket or cushion.

Back in time

I had such a fabulous day! Our family went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival today and ate lots of food, watched some great shows and got a little bit dirty (dusty, really). I love the Renaissance Festival - it's fabulous people watching for one thing - and the kids love it too. This weekend I was really pumped to go because it was the Minnesota State Belly Dance Contest. (I think they just made that up) Regardless, they had more dance shows this weekend - including this one where they danced with snakes - and Dahlal Internationale had a booth where I spent too much money buying a couple new hip scarves. The kids brought their little wooden swords and Samzilla got challenged to a duel. As a side note, he has informed us that he officially wants to be called Samzilla.

Pink Baby gets the award for the first ever child to completely undress while on a ride (picture taken before she got naked).

And E found the Hookuh Bar.
The highlight was that Cassandra Shore of Jawaahir (where I take dance classes) was performing! I have been dancing for 2 years and had not yet had a chance to see her. I have read and heard that she is an amazing dancer. One teacher even described her as "the Baryshnikov of middle eastern dance" (except female, I suppose). She was incredible! It wasn't just her performance ability, it was also the way she engaged the crowd and made everything look so easy and just plain fun. I want to dance like that We were tired, we were full, we were dusty, we were happy.

Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy til the break of dawn...

...Yeah! As the song goes. Regular, not 3 quarter. I just got home from Belly Dancing class and I was just going to rave about how much I love belly dancing. But now that I wrote that I need a moment to rant about the 3 quarter shimmy. A basic shimmy is a small shake of the hips back and forth (right-left-right-left). A 3/4 shimmy is 2 times at each side (right-right, left-left). Anyway, I'm a little bottom heavy. Not in general, just in the bottom. I tend to carry most of my weight in my butt and thighs. I've gotten used to it, even grown to embrace it, but there are times when it does pose a problem. Jeans would be one (too big in the waist, can't get them up past said thighs). 3/4 shimmy would be another.
When it comes to belly dancing, as my first teacher once said: "It jiggles because it's supposed to." So I'm thinking, Hey Great! I can let me butt flap around as much as it wants to and no one will be offended! But that was before the 3/4 shimmy. The problem I have is that momentum tends to take my body one way and it never has time to catch up before I'm on to the next one. I always (yes always!) feel like my butt is just one too many steps behind. Like a bad celebrity ballroom dancer.
So if anyone has any great suggestions for how to lose a little of just my butt fat, or at least trim it up so that I can shimmy like everyone else, I'm up for it. :-)