Start with looking into the mirror and say "I am blessed". Love every inch of the body you see there and appreciate every move that your body attempts to explore and discover. This dance is a doorway to self discovery and healing, not a doorway into fame and self aggrandizement. Its ia sacred practice that has the ability to create self healing and esteem and appreciation for all women everywhere. It can be sisterhood and community. It is a creative process and you are a creative being. It is a dance of life, a prayer, a practice for mindful living if you choose to dance it this way - it can also be an avenue for petty competition and narcissism, pick your path with care and mindful practice!

Always breathe and stay present for yourself - meaning what does my body feel right now and how can I breathe into that feeling and create LOVING SAFE SPACE around it. Don't get wrapped up in comparing your body or your skills to others or obsessing on where you want to be or what level you are. Be where you are now and love every inch of yourself for being there. Being a beginner and a student is always humble bliss. I am always a beginner in learning and exploring. Be curious, and open and positive. Be the bee who searches for nectar, not the fly who searches for stool. All feeling states are rich and worth feeling comfortable with. No - one elses body or movement is better than yours - just different. Practice yoga and other forms of dance. Use your class time to go inside of yourself and listen. Use your class time to really be there for yourself!!! Find a teacher who is body mechanic aware, loving, non-competive, mature and graciously giving. She should see herself as a service provider, not someone to be worshipped. A good teacher says what she doesn't know and is transparent about her learning and growth process - she is open as well as confident. She is kind, she can be in silence, she continues to be a student of life and models that.

Practice loving your body and whole self with, the company you keep, your food choices (organic, whole, fresh - lightly processed), your time to yourself, contemplation through writing, walking in the woods, or bathing in candlelite and offering service to bring healing and compassion to our planet. Healthy sleep, light on substance use. Consume and produce less. Listen to wisdom holders (like Pema Chodron, Dalai Llama, Starhawk, Alice Walker , Joanna Macy, etc.) Practice singing and prayer daily and looking at yourself honestly and loving yourself when you recognize shortcomings. Choose your words carefully. Love the desire to recognize and acknowledge your stuff. Bless yourself often and practice gratitude to those who support you, love you, listen to you, touch you, this includes humans, animals, plants and the earth - both past and present. On whose shoulders is your world made possible? What are the vibrations or ripples you are creating?

Love mother Earth and practice living lightly - leaving a smaller and smaller footprint. REad, read, read, go to nature regularly, practice talking and judging less, let go of defenses and story lines. Light your candles and dance and dance and dance and move and pray, and celebrate and it doesn't have to be belly dance, just find a space to flow! Most of all make the prayer " I am blessed. May I be happy and may I discover the root of happiness. May I be free of suffering and free of the root of suffering. May all beings be free of suffering and the root of suffering. May all beings be blessed"

Open your heart, mind, spirit and become soft. You are blessed.