Practicing While Driving

When I told James that the topic of my next blog was “Belly Dance Moves You Can Practice While Driving,” he said, “You’re kidding, right?”  No, I’m not.

First, let me say that you need to be aware of how many brain cells you need to allocate for driving.  I myself have practiced this only at stoplights or in very light traffic.

I discovered this little exercise completely by accident.  One day not long after Christmas, I was driving home from the mall (no doubt to return something—I hate malls).  I was listening to the radio and started moving my shoulders to the music:  Right shoulder forward, then the left, right, left, right, left.  Hey, a shoulder shimmy!  The driver's seat created the perfect setup for it. 

With your hands on the wheel, your arms are in a fixed position so they can’t move with your shoulders.  Your back is against the seat, so your torso can’t move with your shoulders.  The movement is isolated to the shoulders.  Perfect form.  Let me add here that shoulder shimmies are not supposed to involve bosom jiggling contrary to popular belief and episodes of Dancing with the Stars, although it’s difficult not to have some sympathetic movement there.  (The only person I’ve seen who can shimmy without chest involvement is the Divine Miss K.)  Anyway, this little exercise greatly improved my shoulder shimmy. 

You can also do this at your desk at work, but you run the risk of somebody seeing you and wondering, "What the...?" 

On the subject of practice tips, I think it’s time to revise my blog description.  It’s a little too ambitious as currently written.  I said I would provide all manner of belly dance information:  tips, history, myths--I don’t remember what-all I wrote.  (I don’t have the description in front of me.)  At the time it seemed like a good idea.  Throw it all in there!  But now I realize there are websites out there chock full of that information, put together by people much more knowledgeable than I am.  So I’m just going to stick to my own personal journey and random discoveries.  I am merely a pilgrim stumbling through the wilderness.