Magical Menopause

How can I put the words “magical” and “menopause” together? Darbuka drum roll please… because I’m a bellydancer and bellydance puts the magic in everything! It has lit the way for me in every stage of my growing womanhood including now, and that’s saying a lot because I’ve hit perimenopause! 
 
Yep, it’s “that time”. Not “that time of year”. Not “that time of month”. It’s “that time of life”. “That time” when change is in the air, but not to do with the weather, unless a sudden shift in personal temperature counts! That time when you switch from feeling burdened by your monthly cycle, to bidding farewell to fertility (whether it will be missed or not). “That time” when you shift from shedding the lining of your uterus, to shedding all your pre-conceived notions about what your “later years” might look like as you get ready to find out first-hand and for real. It’s perimenopause time! 
 
Welcome hot flashes, night sweats, irregular cycles, weight gain, and “menopausal murder rage”. I am deep into this phase of shifting my relationship with myself and, believe it or not, it’s going great! 
 
Yes, I’ve been confused on what to eat, how to exercise and who the hell I’m supposed to be while my previous comfort zones betray me. Yes, this new phase hit at the same time as natural disasters, the pandemic, chaotic politics, family health challenges, and my beloved mama’s crossing. But I have got this! Yes, I do! By the magic of bellydancing, I have been preparing for this all my life. Phase by phase, here’s a through-line of how bellydance has given me gifts at every stage of my developing womanhood and prepared me well to embrace this current cycle of change. 

• BELLYDANCE IS A GREAT WAY TO PROCESS EMOTIONS!

 
My Childhood 
Perimenopause can scramble your hormones and kick up some dark thoughts but, the truth is, I’ve always been somewhat of an existential character. You might say a bit of a Wednesday Adams with less of a cynical vainer to shield me from the penetrating dark side of life. In school, I remember a report card coming back with high compliments for intelligence and sensitivity yet including the teacher’s question “But why is she so sad?” I wasn’t sad exactly, just deep. “But why?” the teacher probed. “You needn’t look far,” I thought, just look at life itself. Or, more specifically, the cycles of it. I was raised vegetarian, so I’d already become aware of what a dark picture the food chain is. Further, my father had passed away when I was just six, which I did not take lightly. The utility of “cycles” had offended me from the get-go. 
 
Luckily, I had my mother and, among her many gifts to me, bellydance! Bellydance gave me a channel through which to express my intense feelings and passions and find great levels of ecstatic joy and fulfillment through the process.
 
Throughout my life I’ve used the mantra, “I’ll feel better after I dance.” Bellydance continues to be a powerful tool for me to process my emotions, shift my mood and inspire me. All of which is especially important amid the emotional challenges of perimenopause. 

• BELLYDANCE PROVIDES A SENSUAL LIFE!

 
My Teens and 20’s   
Teenagers tend to rebel against the oppression they feel in their childhoods. Ironically, since my childhood was so free, I experimented with things that were “normal” as a teenager. Somewhere along the line I sensed that I had lost myself in the humdrum of conventionally structured life and work. Thankfully, the glow of the spotlight beckoned me to Hollywood where I returned to dance and began my nightclub career along with all the other endeavors that bellydance professionals and hobbyists enjoy. Classes, festivals, parties, shopping, henna, make-up, fashion, decor, camaraderie, travel, and cultural intrigue had me immersed in a heavenly treasure trove of wonders! Bellydance saved my feminine empowerment by keeping me in touch with my sensual side. It continues to keep me from falling into a rut by keeping my life intriguing, sensuous, and enriching! All of which is especially important for women hitting this stage who may be depleted from subjugating their sensuality to fit into conventional workplaces and/ or family units. 

• BELLYDANCE IS GREAT FOR CONNECTING TO AND TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION! 

 
 
My 30’s 
In my 30’s I hit bellydance superstardom. The wild ride of my successful career as a Bellydance Superstar exposed me to the rough edges of Hollywood, the intensity of observing different levels of suffering around the globe, and extreme exhaustion as I toured the world multiple times. With the contrast of glamorous highs and devastating lows, plus the general grind on my system, I hit my “season of anxiety”. This was in the late 90’s and early 2,000’s. The self-care industry wasn’t trending in the way it is now. There wasn’t much talk linking anxiety to hormonal changes or hormonal changes to stress. I found myself a highly sensitive person, with a very stressed system, in a whirlwind touring career full of sensory overload. While I was rocking my persona on the outside, on the inside I was suffering. My pleas for a balanced schedule, proper nutrition, and recovery time were ignored, even by me. Ultimately, I learned two things all by myself. 1. How to control my anxiety attacks and 2. How to get the heck out of unhealthy circumstances. I believe that, though the travel was exhausting me, bellydancing was increasing my power of intuition by unlocking my chakra wisdom. This helped me teach myself how to heal and grow out of those circumstances and stand up for myself as a powerful woman. 
 
Bellydance continues to give me the confidence to back myself up when I feel my intuition speaking to me. This is especially important to help cope with the disparity between the power we feel versus the power that society can accept from us when in perimenopausal/ menopausal times. 
 

• BELLYDANCE IS GREAT FOR REGULATING MOOD SWINGS! 

 
My 40’s 
As I entered my 40’s, I was on new ground. A different kind of self-made women, having pioneered my online bellydance enterprise and tropical goddess retreats, I was taking responsibility for the second half of my “walking out on what doesn’t work” approach and following that with: “creating something that does”! With the pressure of entrepreneurship upon me, I was still learning how to manage stress, but my bellydance life was making it possible for me to be my own businesswoman, which felt incredible! I followed my chakra intuition further and started to make time for yoga. This helped immensely with my stress. My relationship with self-care deepened and I created my “Sacred Sinuosity” Yoga-Bellydance Fusion program. 
 
I had already learned about the power of positive thinking, visualization, breathing, and had my first glimpses of meditative release as ways of relieving anxiety. Now I was learning to sink further into altered states of meditation in my dance and during my yin-yoga practice. I began using this skill to heighten my psychic tendencies which I came to realize bellydance had been unlocking within me from the start. I was getting to know myself deeply on the inside, where I felt my true identity residing. This place of centeredness became the calm within my own storm. My safe place, even when I needed a break from the “me” I seemed to be. This is especially helpful in coping with perimenopausal mood swings.
 

• BELLYDANCE IS GREAT FOR TUNING INTO YOUR HIGHER SPIRITUAL POWER! 

 
Now 
Now, in my late 40’s, as I find myself shedding my metaphorical skin through perimenopause, I am making friends with the idea of cycles. I’m beginning to trust that there may be something new and shiny on the other side of the illusory “end” of a thing. On the deepest level, even though my mama has crossed, her gift of bellydance gave me a way to enhance my psychic perception and receive messages from the other side, feeding my growing instinct that there is something more, always something more. 
 
This is especially important for those of us in the perimenopausal/ menopausal age when we begin to experience the previous generation crossing over with greater frequency. 

• BELLYDANCE IS GREAT FOR FEELING CELEBRATED AS A BODY-POSITIVE / AGE-POSITIVE WOMAN!  

 
Next
Going forward, my intuition is asking, if the snake can shed its skin and come through shiny, why can’t I? If a caterpillar can transmute into a butterfly, why can’t I? Many women have asked, why must menopause be the metaphorical end of me? Others have gone on to prove that is not. Others yet are blowing the lid off stereotypes and showing monumental fitness accomplishments, energetic gains, increased emotional wisdom, and (my favorite) massive amounts of empowerment in terms of knowing who they are, what they want, and how to get it!
 
You know that old saying, “As soon as you get your head together, your ass falls apart”? Well now it could be replaced with “As soon as you get your head together, you hit the gym and get yourself a bubble butt!” So, ladies, that’s what I’m doing! Well, I don’t know about achieving a bubble butt, but I’m definitely working with weight training, nutrition, and supplements. I’m loving the NOW me while building the NEW me. This balanced approach to self-acceptance/ self-improvement has been great for my mental health. Grey hair, wrinkles, body-positivity, and natural looks are moving into the spotlight as symbols of power, giving plenty of room to find new comfort zones! 
 
On a career level, as with so many of us, the pandemic sidelined my performing regiment. However, I’ve kept up my skills through teaching and performing in my:

• Group Class, Private Coaching, and Certification Trainings by  BellyZoom!
• Streaming Videos at Ansuya.com!
• Tropical Bellydance Goddess Retreats in Naples, FL!

 
This means that, through the power of bellydancing, I’ve continued to advance my:

• Mobility
• Flexibility
• Stamina
• Strength

 
I feel more whole, clear, and directed in my creativity and career than ever before. I’m excited to match this current of inspiration with an age-positive and body-positive mentality. With immense gratitude to my predecessors for paving the way and to myself for keeping the path going, I proudly continue to build and work in my female-driven industry that celebrates all ages, body-types, backgrounds, and genders. 
 
In conclusion, bellydance provides a world of empowerment for all women at every stage of life! It’s the perfect backdrop upon which to reframe the perimenopause/menopausal stage as one to be supported, looked forward to, and celebrated as a sacred step on our path of awakening! So, now we can say it: by the power of bellydance, bring on the magical menopause!