By Nadirah R . Bray
Photos provided by Nadirah
There is strength , joy , and peace that take place inside of us when we focus on our passion .
I find when I think about myself and what I am not able to do or what I have lost , I experience depression . Literally , I am deflated and life feels so heavy , and the weight of everything has , on many days during this pandemic , made it hard to get up and get going . I had a reason daily to get up and get going and in March , within two days , that reason was gone . Or so I thought .
I taught dance and / or performed five to seven days a week for the past sixteen years .
I ’ ve shared many stories here about my classes in San Diego , California , many of them being in community facilities and in assisted living . What took me years to build took days to crumple !
My classes and performances were deemed “ nonessential ”. It has been my passion for many to share the healing power of belly dance and I have been doing that through a program I created called the “ Goddess in Motion Method .” This
method combines the ancient art of belly dance with holistic health practices and personal growth techniques to enhance one ’ s dance , draw out their authentic self , build confidence , and promote healing and health from the inside out . It ’ s extremely rewarding to be able to be a service to others in this way . I found myself going from people sharing how these classes help them physically , socially , and emotionally , to feeling I did not have a purpose and was feeling useless – within the blink of an eye .
I was not able to serve others and that ’ s what my whole business and passion is built upon .
I believe that there are gifts and opportunities in every situation . And it may take some time to find them , but with time and patience they can be found .
During the time when we were not able to teach or dance like we used to , it gave us time to sit , reflect , take a moment to slow down and think about what we are really passionate about , why we do what we do , who we do it for , and how can we do it still . Maybe we just need to think outside the box or try something new ?
60 The Belly Dance Chronicles � October 2020