Egyptian Belly-Dancing

Video of me belly-dancing from before.

Classes will start again next year.

But already missing my lessons!

♥ Bambi

On stretching... and shoes! (Well, mostly on shoes)

Since my vacation, I have been playing around with my schedule almost daily, trying to just find that sweet spot in time for maximum efficiency in my workouts. On a good day, I am clocking in a little bit over an hour, and that is including warm-ups! So needless to say, progress is slow. This is essentially me and reaching benchmarks...

... for the time being. I have been putting a lot of focus on oversplits and am now doing lunges and these things called overlunges (?). Whatever it takes so I can grab my ankles in a back-bend! A must-have by Winter.

So... since there is not much to say on progress, I will share, instead, something that helps with my morale in these trying times: shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. Hooker heels. Bordellos. High platforms. They never fail to make me gush...

And complimentary video.

♥ Bambi

Contortion update: Ankle-grabbing... getting there... sorta!

So... we are officially entering Autumn tomorrow! With the changing of the seasons, my stretching practice times have shrunk considerably with school and work :/. I have not lost any of my newly acquired (ninja) skills over the Summer, but I have been doing just enough to maintain them and to progress at a snail's pace... which is still progress, but very frustrating!

I have been practicing doing oversplits and needle scales over and over and over, in addition to basic stretches. All of this just to gain more flexibility in my back. Like I said in a previous post, when it comes to flexibility, there just seems to be no end in sight! So now that I can get into a chest-stand, next up is being able to grab my legs while back-bending. Starting at the ankles, and then working my way up.

I will be going on vacation soon (will still be stretching every day, of course!), but hopefully I can twist and mangle my schedule enough to allow for those long serious stretching sessions of Summertime when I get back.

♥ Bambi

Another belly-dancing video...

Been taking a belly-dancing class since last month. Five sessions in so far. And yet within that time-frame, I have learned so much about arm and foot work, and working the torso more. I am in love with Egyptian belly-dancing!


At the last session, the instructor told me I could be a pro if I keep at it. That was definitely motivating.

♥ Bambi

Can do a Chest-Stand... at last! (Video)

Months of hard work and determination have finally paid off! My back flexibility has given way enough for a chest stand. Man lands on moon. Chest lands on floor! And I am just thrilled :D!

This basically opens up a whole branch of others things I could attempt and learn, once the chest stand becomes a common stretch in my repertoire. It will not be smooth sailing; but if I have learned anything from all of this, it is that if I keep putting in time and effort into something, it will eventually happen.

♥ Bambi

Leg over head stretching video.

From yesterday's afternoon workout. Although the chest stand is my main goal, I am also working on other forms, such as oversplits.

And there is nothing like a comfty book read right after a workout. (Pictured: Human knot pose)

♥ Bambi

What is Bambi up to now? Belly-dancing (video)!

So I took the day off today due to waking up with a swollen eyelid yesterday (lol :/ FML), which has not completely disappeared just yet. I went on a hiking trail in the mountains the day before, but I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. So here I am home and blogging. Originally I was not planning to share this other love of mine, but I figure why not.

I am self-taught in most of my hobbies. I seem to enjoy exploring things for myself, whether it be contortionism, yoga, belly dancing... the list goes on. I have taken aerobics and dancing classes before, but there is just something about learning things in solitude. I like the quiet and the personal space. I like learning and cherishing moments, silly and profound ones, at my own pace. This makes me more liable to mistakes... but I think that, in a morbid way, is part of the fun.

The dancing is far from perfect. And as with every thing else, I am working on it... and enjoying it at my own pace! Finally figured out how to record for longer periods too!

♥ Bambi

Splits video & flexibility updates.

The past week was brutal. Not in the sense of having endured soul-sucking, back-breaking intense workout sessions, but in the sense of mental fatigue and feeling like an extra on "The Walking Dead". I did not get enough sleep on some nights, and on nights where I did, I still woke up feeling less than 100%. SO it may not have much to do with the amount of sleep, but the quality of sleep I have been getting... Will have to look into this.

This pretty much sums up last week for me, with all its awkwardness and confusion:

By the way, love this movie! And if you know what it is, I will love you too :p.

Chest-stand: I have been slowly inching my way down towards the floor mat. Since my last update, I have reduced the distance between my chest and the floor by 2"! Still have about 10" to go. Can it be done by the end of Summer (September) as I planned?!!! I flipping hope so!

Flexibility: I have not lost any flexibility, despite the zombie-week of poor stretching sessions. But I also did not gain any either LOL! In regards to a few stretching poses, I think I have gone as far as I could with them, such as the front split. It would be awesome to have my, uh, lowest region COMPLETELY flat with the ground, but that is not going to happen any time soon with these thighs lol. And after much extensive research (yes, googling), it would not be anatomically possible to do at a "healthy" weight.

♥ Bambi

Some videos from before.

My camera records only 30 seconds at a time, so they are really short clips, and you can see me sort of rushing through the poses to try to fit them into the time frame.

These are from a while ago.

The first is of me doing a back-bend against the wall. By constricting myself against it, it will help make my bridge be "tighter" and more compact. And please ignore all my funky body spasms! LOL :/ Normally I am MUCH smoother in my transitions, but again, I tried to fit it all into 30 seconds.

This is of me doing a back-bend / bridge without the support of a wall. Obviously, it could be better. As my back flexibility increases, the better it should look.

♥ Bambi