Customer Reviews

Prenatal Bellydance

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

WorldDance New York has just released a new DVD of belly dancing for prenatal fitness. Let me begin by saying that I evaluated this DVD from my perspective as a Nurse Midwife who teaches belly dance for pregnancy and birth. I was not pregnant when I tried out this video. I have to say that the producers have put together a thoughtful, satisfying, and safe program for belly dancing during pregnancy.

The program is intended primarily for beginner belly dancers and non-dancers. Seasoned belly dancers may not find this video to be very challenging for themselves, but will certainly find it useful as an outline for developing and teaching prenatal belly dance classes.

Naia is an absolutely beautiful hostess and video instructor. She exudes a complete comfort with her body and her wonderful smile conveys that she knows the secret of creating life. She is absolutely resplendent in her abundant state! A goddess for sure!

The production quality of the DVD is excellent. The voice-over is in Naia's own voice, and her calm, clear and poised manner of relaying the information is very reassuring to the viewer. The use of a voice-over, the expert camera shots, and the occasional inset boxes illustrating movement options all contribute to the exceptional quality of this video. The entire video experience is further enhanced by Jehan's beautiful and evocative music.

After a welcome sequence in which all of the requisite cautions are outlined, the dance program itself starts. The program is comprised of five parts, each named after an element. Throughout the entire program, the viewer is given reminders about some of the normal body changes to be expected with pregnancy, and information about how some of the belly dance movements can be helpful in countering common pregnancy discomforts and in preparing for labor and birth.

The teaching format is a follow along plan, with relatively little actual breakdown of how to do the movements, but because the movements presented are the most basic and simple ones from the belly dance repertoire, I feel even absolute beginners should easily master most of them.

After watching it a few times, I wanted to see for myself how much of an actual workout performing the video would give, so I did the entire program as presented. It was a very gentle and grounded workout that gave me some mild cardio stimulation and had some really good thigh and glute work.

In evaluating this video, I had an opportunity to communicate with both the producer, and the OB/GYN consultant on the program. I can tell you from my conversations with them that a lot of thought and care was given to creating a fun and safe program. The choice of movements to include was deliberately limited to the safest and most comfortable for use during pregnancy. All of my personal concerns about an exercise program for pregnant women, including being aware of the changes in the center of gravity that occurs as pregnancy progresses, and being careful to avoid injury as a result of the normal joint laxity that occurs in pregnancy, were addressed in this program.

I also wanted some input from other birth professionals, so I took the time to share the DVD with a couple of the OB/GYN docs that I work with, and both felt that they would have no problem approving its use for their own patients.

Any woman using this video is sure to feel like the mother goddess, the giver of life that she is as she follows along with Naia in this beautiful and affirming video program! I congratulate the producers for creating an outstanding video that is sure to fill a need in the market. I will recommend it without hesitation to anyone looking for a prenatal belly dance fitness program.

OK, it's true that this workout isn't the most newbie-friendly--Naia does only a so-so job of actually breaking down and teaching the steps and movements, and cueing, especially in the last segment.

But I don't think this means it's a bad workout. I've bought bad DVD workouts (including Middle Eastern dance workouts) and this isn't one of them!

I'm of the school of thought that if I master the workout on the first go, it's not going to hold my interest. I can handle having some workouts that I miss a few counts...so what? I suppose if you're the personality that gives up if you don't get the steps and/ or movements right the first or second time, this workout isn't for you.

I disagree it's not "beginner"-level, although if you're looking for an introduction to Middle Eastern dance, I'd recommend other workouts. Naia could do a better job breaking down the steps and making the counts and cueing simplier.

Also, I feel that for the money, it would be nice to have more features for the DVD. I like the "music only" feature, but besides that, there's not much. For the money I'd like more than one 30 minute workout, for one. Or a segment going into detail the various movements (always a good idea!) or SOMETHING MORE.

I actually DO like this workout. It makes me feel looser, less cranky, and one of the few workouts that I feel graceful doing as I go into my 3rd trimester. I think it's worthwhile having in your pregnancy workout, even if there are some flaws. Give it a chance; not every workout is nailed the first go-round, and learning is a good thing!

Are you tired of the run-of-the-mill aerobic workout videos for pregnancy? Try something new, fun, and energizing! Pregnancy is a time of transition, change, and growth physically and emotionally. With the ups and downs through this amazing experience of your body, reward yourself with some time of rejuvenation for your body and spirit!

Prenatal Bellydance offers a unique alternative to conventional prenatal workouts. Belly dance is not only physically beneficial in offering a fulfilling workout, relieving muscle and joint tension and discomfort, but also in helping you to feel beautiful, sexy, and comfortable with your changing body. With movements that flow with the natural rhythm of your body, skillfully and knowledgeably adapted for safety and effectiveness during pregnancy, you can groove your body and boost your mood with this prenatal bellydance workout.

Naia, the host, takes you through a smooth warm-up, then step-by-step through each movement of a dance routine. The movements are then combined into dance combination segments, piece by piece, in a flowing manner. Everything is fully demonstrated by Naia and some movements even have an alternative offered for your comfort and fitness level. You are then ready to combine all the dance combinations together into one beautiful belly dance routine! The DVD ends with Naia's cool-down movements. All segments are accompanied by fun and movement-inspiring Middle Eastern music. I appreciated that the music is soothing and flowing, not boisterous or shrill. One track of the dance routine offers Naia's instruction with the music. A separate track offers just the music without voice-over, if you'd like to perform the routine without instruction, or just move to the music all on your own. The movements are beautifully and skillfully demonstrated, the video and sound quality are excellent.

I think this DVD offers a good level of workout for moderation in pregnancy. Experienced belly dancers may find the routine basic, as I did, so they need to keep in mind that the routine is designed to be completely appropriate for prenatal exercise, keeping belly dance safe and healthy for pregnancy. With this in mind, I found the routine very enjoyable! Beginners will find this a liberating and enjoyable introduction to belly dance. Some previous dance experience may be helpful, but certainly not necessary. This is a workout that allows you to just go with the flow and just learn as you go, you're doing this for yourself afterall...the important part is to enjoy the movement, music, and some much needed time nurturing your beautiful self and baby!

I have not taken group belly dance lessons but have used the Belly Dance Fitness for Beginners series as a regular workout so I am familiar with the basic belly dance moves. Unless you want to spend a lot of time rewinding and viewing in slow motion I wouldn't suggest this DVD for those who have no belly dance experience. With a basic knowledge of belly dancing this DVD is thoroughly enjoyable and just the right length for a pregnancy workout, long enough to warm you up but not so long as to wear you out :) I was very ill for the first 20wks of my pregnancy and not able to workout but this DVD was not too intense for my lower fitness level when I started working out again. This DVD is not a cardio workout and those who are already very athletic won't even break a sweat. It is a great stretching workout and feels wonderful. It helps relieve back pain by improving posture and stretching out tense muscles. As a doula and childbirth educator I highly recommend the movements it teaches. Even women with no exposure to belly dancing often instinctively use many of these movements in labor to help relieve pain and move the baby down. Belly dancing in pregnancy is a great way to prepare your body for labor and help you get in touch with the instinctive movements that will help facilitate labor.

I am sooo happy that I bought this video as a back tension-releasing alternative on days when I don't want to sweat. I was very unsatisfied with the Shiva Rea prenatal yoga video, which is boring and long and doesn't include the flowing motions I felt I needed to relieve my back tension (I'm 21 weeks pregnant). After this one - only 25 minutes - I felt that my spine had been realigned! =)

As for this video being complicated: Out of the 6 sections (25 minutes of workout), I think only the 2 dance sections would be complicated for some people to follow. Those are the fourth and fifth sections, just 5 minutes of the whole video! If I wanted to loosen up and didn't have much time, I would just do the first 3 sections for about 15 minutes of flowing stretches for the upper and lower body, and those are delightful and easy to follow, plus maybe the final (cooldown) section for 4 minutes. The key to enjoying this workout is to not worry about exactly following her movements. Trust your body, and just let it flow into similar motions in a way that feels good to you. As the instructor says, belly dancing emulates natural movements of the female body, so release your body into them while using her as an example. You will really enjoy the movement in that way, and you will get benefit from it.

If you want a strengthening, toning, and stretching workout as a companion to this, I highly recommend the Perfect Pregnancy Workout as well.

Naia is a truly lovely and graceful dancer. Doing this video at 7-8 mos. pregnant makes me feel the same. I agree that it is not for a beginner belly dancer...you need to know the moves, but the isolations are basic and the pacing is gentle, so an intermediate bellydancer will be easily able to keep up. This is not a taxing workout, just a touch of beauty and grace in your day, and much better for you than sitting on the couch!

this was a lot of fun to do! i really enjoyed learning some of the moves and i would use the hip rotations and slides through out the day to help relieve sciatic pain. the first parts were easy to follow and do, the instructions were clear and the instructor did the moves slowly so that you could follow, unfortunately the second part the moves were more complicated, done more quickly and explained less, i never got so i could do the whole thing, but each time i watched i learned another move and eventually i just listened to belly dance music and danced using the moves i had learned from this tape, free style, takes a lot less concentration. i have kids at home, so other people who have more time alone to focus may well be able to pick up more. all in all it was worth it and i would recommend it to other mommy's looking for ways to keep in shape during pregnancy, btw- quickest labor i ever had, there is a lot written about how belly dance helps...maybe?!

You don't have to be pregnant to get tremendous benefit from the instruction on this DVD; if you're someone who needs gentle exercise but hates to "exercise," this is a great one to have in your DVD collection, because even though you get the advantages of exercise, such as relaxation, stress relief, and over time, body toning, you will feel as though you're dancing from the start. Starting with 4 warm-ups that have movements that prepare you and become the basis for a short dance combination, the choreography is so expertly done that you can feel the release of tension immediately. By the time you've done the final "Cool Down," you'll be refreshed and invigorated. For those that want an easier option on some of the movements, there is an insert that comes on the screen with Naia demonstrating a simpler move.

Naia, at 7 months pregnant, is so incredibly beautiful and graceful, she's an inspiration to those who are pregnant, and who may feel out of sorts and even have a touch of the "uglies." That applies also to those who may not be expecting, but maybe have a couple of unwanted pounds on their hips to lose! Naia demonstrates the moves with clarity, and her narration, with a lovely soft voice, is instructive and a pleasure to listen to. Once you have the movements learned, you also have the option to play this DVD without the narration, just with music, which is by bellydance expert, dancer and composer Jihan, and very pleasing. Neon, the Russian born beauty who is a dazzling dancer and teacher, did the choreography, and it is perfect for anyone who wants not only prenatal fitness, but stress release after a hard day of work, or gentle exercise if you're out of shape or one of the "over 50" crowd. You'll feel like you had a trip to the oasis after this session with Naia!

I've never done any belly dancing before and agree with other reviewers that it is hard to see exactly how the demonstrated moves are done and to know that you are doing them correctly. That said I really enjoy the workout and find it very helpful for relieving back aches and strengthening the important areas in preparation for birth. If you have the commentary on then Naia does point out the key action of each movement and anything you need to be careful to avoid. Overall I'm very happy with the DVD and use it regularly, even now towards the very end of my pregnancy.

I recently worked with Naia's Bellydance Prenatal Fitness for the first time, and can report the following: this is a useful little workout if you are pregnant, tired, but want to move a little anyway. It is not strenuous in the slightest, which could be good or bad depending on your point of view.

If you are a pregnant lady who has done years of bellydance and wants to keep running marathons in the third trimester, you will probably not get much out this program. Just avoid it and avoid the disappointment. However, if you are a pregnant lady who hasn't been sleeping well, or who has a bit of back or knee pain, or who just does not want to commit to an hour-long workout that day, this is very good. I'm only in the second trimester and generally feel pretty energetic, but I expect this will only come in more handy as I get further along. I also think it could be useful outside of pregnancy on days I'm lazy, want a simple 30 minutes of dancing around, or when I'm suffering from mild back pain and don't want to take chances with a more aggressive workout.

Now to the program: it is divided into five sections, a warmup, lower and upper body, travel steps, and a bit of dance. The bellydance moves are quite basic, though I did find myself a bit confused in the travel steps section. (This is not my strong suit, so I would have liked a little slower instruction here -- but it's also something to grow into.) There's quite a bit of emphasis on stretching, which felt very good. And there was precious little of the "think about the miracle of life growing inside of you" kind of talk which I have found in other prenatal videos, and which, frankly, drives me up the wall. (I'm not dancing for my fetus, I'm dancing for myself. My fetus can learn to dance once it comes into the world and has mastered the whole walking thing.)

I corresponded a bit with Neon, who conceived and designed the video. She did quite a bit of research on pregnancy and labour to create this program. I'm not a medical expert, but I can confirm that there is nothing in this video that feels extreme or like it would put undue pressure on any part of the body. And given that everything I've read about prenatal exercise advises women to perform moves that bellydance incorporates anyway, I'd rather just do something that's like dance than a dozen boring pelvic tilts.