I hope you enjoy my Top 10 Favorite Hip & Booty Shakin’ Songs…In honor of the Beauty of the Shaking Booty!

These songs come from different music genres, so there’s a little something here for everyone!

Just click the LInk in the title to check out the song on YouTube…and purchase it on iTunes if you love it!

My Top 10 Favorite Hip & Booty Shakin’ Songs:

1. “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira

Shakira is gorgeous…I love her dancing and her music.

2. “Get Busy” by Sean Paul

Shake that thing! A little Dancehall/Reggaeton for you! This is a classic song…one of my best dancing friends is named Rebecca, so this song holds a special booty-shakin’ place in my heart!
3. “Milkshake” by Kelis

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard…enough said.

4. “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” by Trace Adkins

Country guys and gals love a beautifully shaking booty too! Keepin’ perfect rhythm make you want to swing along! 
5. “Price Tag” by Jessie J

This song is all about getting your sexy swing on…it’s haunting and inspiring. It’s not about the money, honey, we just want to make the world dance!

6. “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix A Lot

No booty-shakin’ playlist would be complete without this classic! I like big butts and I can not lie! 
7. Matador by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

This song is not about shaking it…but it will inspire you to get up and shake it yourself! This Argentine band is rocking the Brazilian Samba Reggae rhythm in this song…one of my all-time dance favorites!

8. “Vem Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes

This rhythm is called Baiao from Brazil…it’s bouncy, uplifting, and guranteed to get your hips and booty rocking. “Come Firecracker Magalenha, bring the firewood to the oven…Today is a day of sun!” 

9. “Calabria 2007″ by Enur

This song mixes Dancehall from Jamaica with Soca from Trinidad. I love this song & rhythm so much that I ask my friend to compose music for my Dance DVDs like this! Love it! “Whoop Whoop! When you run, come around …’Cause I know you’re the talk of the town, yeah”

10. Booty Man by Tim Wilson

This is probably the godfather of all songs about shaking your booty…I first heard this at 7am while I was camping at a music festival. I woke up laughing! And then a girl in our camp shouted to the neighbor who was playing it…to play it again! It’s that good…or, ummm interesting! Enjoy! 

You can use this playlist to have an afternoon or evening Dance Break…turn it on and have fun dancing in your kitchen while you make a yummy dinner…

And have fun!

In love, light, and the beauty of the shaking booty,

Theresa Stevens

Samba Dancer, Booty Shaking Expert

Creator of the How to Shake Your Booty in 30 Days Dance Program

And I can teach YOU How to dance Samba with your Hips! 

‘Cause Samba Dance is not about complicated foot movements, it’s about learning how to dance…with your hips.

Well, first things first, Brazilian Samba music is an instant mood-lifter. The music can take you from a grumpy, frustrated, poopy mood and transport you to feeling totally alive, thankful,

and joyful.

Samba music is like an express elevator ride up your emotions!

And Samba dance is an elegant, sexy, playful way to connect with your body and your beautiful, sexy, joyful self.

Getting ready to Dance Samba at Shpongle’s 2011 Halloween Show

What I love about Samba–and what I think makes me and a whole lot of people say, “I want that!” is that Samba flows together sensuality with the most flirtatious, joyful, playful energy.

Which is perfect–because that PLAYFUL energy will be your express elevator ride to learning how to dance Samba!

Otherwise–it could take you years of frustration, wondering–how do other dancers shake their hips and booty like that?

Samba music is polyrythmic, meaning that there are layers of separate rhythms that overlap and create a hot, bumpin’ tapestry of sound.

And when you dance Samba, your body literally PLAYS the different parts of the music:

Your feet play the bass, your hips play the ride, and your shoulders play the shaker.

So learning to play an orchestra of music with your body (a.k.a., dancing Samba), takes 3 essenti

al ingredients: playfulness, patience, and persistence.

You can not learn to dance Samba with your MIND. It’s just not a rational activity–playing an entire orchestra of music with your body!

So HOW do you learn to Samba dance? Through PLAY.

In my “How to Samba Dance” video, I give you all of the tools you need for a solid foundation.

To get into Playing the Music with your body, with Samba Dance, focus on:

• feeling the heartbeat of the rhythm in your feet,
• bending your knees,
• working your hips, and feeling the movement come from your hips,
• engaging your inner thighs, feeling like you are squeezing them,
• and freeing your booty and letting everything else shake around back there!

And many people try to learn Samba as a complicated foot dance…or sometimes as a bouncy dance move, hopping from one foot to the other much like the American Pony step from the 50′s…

Well, truly the key to dancing Samba is understanding that with Latin and African-based dance, including Samba…the dance movements actually come from your hips…and learning how to dance with the very Pleasure Center of your body!

So how exactly do you Samba with the Pleasure Center of your body?

Here’s how it works:

1. You simply need to bend your knees when you dance…and dance from a “seated position”… 

Don’t worry, this is actually super simple…you can stand up and try it now!

Just simply bend your knees and feel like your back is sliding straight down a wall about 6 inches. Now this is the position to dance in! 

Because when you bend your knees, and dance in this seated position, you’re going to be able to get the maximum amount of movement from your hips!

2. Now Samba dance is poly-rythmic movement to poly-rhythmic music…

Meaning that a different part of your body plays a different element of the music. 

Your feet play the bass, your hips play the ride, and your shoulders play the shaker.

So as you tap your feet to the bass of the rhythm, you need to engage your inner thighs, and move your hips diagonally back as you step.

When you feel your inner thighs working, and your hips moving as you step to the bass, then you will understand how to dance with what I like to call the “Pleasure Center” of your body…

3. And third, in order to get the full joyful thrill of dancing Samba, you need to “free your booty” when you dance…

And let your booty freely shake around as you work your hips and inner thigh to the hot Brazilian beats.

Now most people tend to squeeze their butt muscles when they stand and walk, so “freeing your booty” can take some practice.

But basically you just need to release the muscles in your booty while you’re bending your knees and engaging your inner thighs…

So right now, try standing up, bending your knees about 6 inches, and then from here…

Try squeezing your butt muscles and then completely letting them go! 

Now your booty is free to shake around back there! Excellent!

Listen it can take some time to make a new connection with these muscles, because you can get in a habit of sitting on your booty a lot…

And with a little practice…when you bend your knees when you dance, work your hips to the music, and effortlessly shake what your momma gave you…

All the other dancers in the class or club will turn to you and ask: 

How’d you learn to shake your hips and booty like that?

Skip the frustration and get right into playfulness. With my dance students I have seen that this is a much faster and more fun route.

Be sure to check out the great resources on my blog below…And my hot How to Shake Your Booty in 30 Days dance program!

And enjoy!

How to Dance & Walk in Heels

Would you like to learn how to walk and dance in heels? I will show you 1 simple technique to look HOT and feel fantastic…Click Here to read more!

 

One Hot Tip to Shine

Step into Confidence & Pleasure with your Body…with my fun Dancing in the Mirror video! Check out how this one Hot activity can be a game changer for you, too!

Click Here to watch now.

 

How did I learn to Samba?

Check out my story of how I went from being “not a Dancer,” to a booty-shaking expert and a Samba Dancer & Teacher here. Click Here to read more!

  ]]> http://www.howtoshakeyourbooty.com/how-to-samba-dance-with-your-hips/feed/ 0 http://www.howtoshakeyourbooty.com/sexy-fitness-results-with-dancing/ http://www.howtoshakeyourbooty.com/sexy-fitness-results-with-dancing/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 19:56:10 +0000 theresa http://www.howtoshakeyourbooty.com/?p=6314 Hi there–

My name is Theresa Stevens, and I’m a Samba dancer and teacher…and a booty shaking expert! And I love teaching people all over the world a few key secrets so that that they can have the most fun…and get the best sexy fitness results…with dancing!

Now, I haven’t always been a booty shaking expert, enjoying all this pleasure and confidence with my body. I used to be just the opposite.

A while ago, I was a high school English Teacher and I worked very long hours and I felt really disconnected from my body. And I gained about 20 pounds. I had a really hard time with being over-weight. It felt so uncomfortable to sit or bend over, and one of my best assets, my legs, had saddlebags of fat behind them. And I didn’t even want to wear a bathing suit during that time in my life.

I also felt like I was stuck in what I like to call the “middle school” version of me, you know, where even though I was a young woman I was still feeling stuck in this image of myself at age 13 with glasses and big teeth, and very self-conscious and awkward. And I was pretty insecure, and I couldn’t even look people in the face when I was walking down the sidewalk.

Not only did I feel totally unsexy and fat, but I also felt like I was just going through the motions in my life, trying to check off all the items on my never-ending to-do list, and i just felt like I was missing out on all the joy and pleasure of being alive.

And I was so focused on doing a good job, and helping other people, I just didn’t know how I was going to get my zest for life back, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to lose the extra 20 pounds I had gained too, because I just couldn’t make myself go to the gym, and do some boring exercises, after a really long day of working.

But all of this changed for me the moment I went to this very special dance class and saw all these incredibly confident, sexy women–dancing–who looked hot in their bodies. They were hot not because they were super thin or had model- beautiful faces—they were hot because they were confident in themselves and they were literally playing the music with their bodies and completely in the zone while they were dancing.

And the music in this dance class was irresistible and all I could think to myself was I WANT THIS!

I want to look like this, I want to feel like this—Now.

And this burning desire started me on an incredible journey, learning how to dance one of the most sensual and playful dance styles on the planet…and not only did I lose the weight and keep it off all these years, I also finally got the sexy body confidence and deep pleasure with my life, finally handled.

And I know that I can help you develop the same passion for dancing and pleasure with your life and your body, when you learn these 3 simple and sexy dance techniques.

Check out my “How to Dance With Your Hips” Tutorial Video below:

To prove to you that it’s so easy and effective, I want to reveal a few simple truths about how your body works when you’re dancing and how you can use the Pleasure Center of your hips and your booty to not only juice-up your fun, beauty, and sexy confidence while you’re dancing but you’ll also hot-wire your body to get the maximum fat burning results from dancing.

You just have to learn how to “flip the switch” to turn your body into a hip and booty-shakin’ machine. So how do you do just that?

Well, let’s get right to these 3 booty-shaking fun and fitness secrets! Check out my “How to Dance With Your Hips” Tutorial Video below:

1. Bend Your Knees

Ok, my first dance secret is that you need to bend your knees when you dance and learn to dance in this very seated, bent-kneed position.

Now this can be a very unusual and slightly awkward position to get used to dancing in, but when you learn how to dance from this seated position, you activate the largest muscle groups in your body: your glutes, your quads and hamstrings.

Now these are the largest muscle groups in your body, and they’re also your body’s fat-burning engine, and when you dance from this seated position, and your body will burn extra fat you have stored in your body not only while you’re dancing, but for hours after you finish dancing too!

If you don’t dance in this position, not only are you totally missing out on getting the best fitness and fat-loss results from dancing…

You’re also missing out on getting sexy movement from your hips. See if you have straight legs, you get virtually no hip movement!

I see a lot of dancers trying to move their hips from this straight-legged position, and they’re totally missing out on having the range of motion to pop, glide, and wiggle your way to having the most fun and the best fat-loss results from dancing.

2. Dance with Your Hips

And that brings me to my second dance technique secret: it’s all about dancing with your Hips!

Now the hottest dance classes and club-music are all based around the sexy, hip-undulating dance styles of Salsa, Samba, Reggaeton, and hip hop.

And getting down to these hot African and Latin based beats…It’s truly not about getting the steps right, it’s about understanding how the dance moves are actually come from your hips, not your feet. Your feet mark the bass of the rythm and your Hips literally play the ride of the rythym.

And when you learn how to dance with your Hips, not only is dancing more fun and effortless, you’re also going to be literally dancing with the Pleasure Center of your body!

And when you dance with the Pleasure Center of your body, you’re going to tap into your natural sensuality and joy.

And let me tell you that feeling sensual when you dance has some great health benefits.

First off, dancing, and shaking your hips and booty, is a great way to get your mojo flowing! When you feeling confident and sensual as you’re rocking your hips to the beat of pulsing music, feeling the bass in your body, you’re going to feel inspired to have more sensuality in your life too.

And feeling sensual on a daily basis not only builds your confidence and inner glow; it causes chemical reactions in your body that reduce stress, help you sleep more soundly, increases your metabolism, allows you to be more patient with others, makes you more magnetically attractive and energized, and feeling sensual helps you look and feel younger, too!

Plus, when you’re playing the music with your hips, your hips will naturally release synovial fluid that’ll lubricate your back and your hips, so that you’ll feel good in your body while you’re dancing and afterwards too.

3. Connect with your Core to Feel Sexy & Confident

Now feeling good in your body, and specifically feeling confident while you’re dancing, is the third secret to getting the most fun and sexy fitness results from dancing.

Feeling confident while you’re dancing is everything. You dance harder and everything feels more effortless when you move confidence. But how do you get that confidence?

Well, confident dancing comes from knowing how to connect with a very specific group of muscles in your body. And that’s your core muscles.

These very internal muscles control the movement of your hips, and they’re the center point of all movement in your body.

So as you learn how to engage your core muscles when you dance, you’ll dance with more strength and confidence, less effort, and you’ll reduce your chance of injuries…and you’re going to build sexy, hot posture both on and off the dance floor.

Also your core muscles really come into play with your arm movements when you’re dancing.

Now long flowing arm extension actually comes from being connected to your core while you’re dancing.

I see a lot of dancers dancing with what I call “chicken arms;” these half-extended arms and dancing like this guy to the right.  

And if you find yourself dancing with chicken arms…

You’re missing out on the grace, beauty and sensuality of expressing the music with your entire body! And getting a full body workout, strengthening your arms, increasing your heart rate for a better fitness results, and feeling deeply pleasured and expressive while you’re dancing.

And when you’re able to dance with your hips, express the grace of the music with your arms, and free your booty when you dance you’ll feel hot in your body, and step into the special and transformative place of loving and appreciating yourself just the way you are.

And loving and appreciating yourself is the best kind of confidence to have!

Want more Hot Dance Tips?
Now if you would like to multiply your sexy fun & fitness results with dancing…Be sure to sign up for my 3 free dance gifts below…and enjoy!

Be sure to check out the great resources on my blog below…And my hot How to Shake Your Booty in 30 Days dance program!

And enjoy!

Check out my Sexy Fitness Results with Dancing Tips

Dancing is an awesome form of Cardio for 2 major reasons…you can do it in Intervals and it can be a true full-body workout. Want the best fitness results from Dancing? Do like our ancestors…in Intervals! Click here to learn more!

If you want more sexy body confidence…check out my simple tips for how you can change your Posture…for more Power and Pleasure in your life. Click here to watch and read more!

Shaking your Hips and Booty is so good for you! Check out my top 5 reasons to shake what your momma gave you today! Click here to read more!

And I have 3 Hot Tips to share to help you juice-up your sexy fun and confidence with dancing…While hot-wiring your body to become a romance magnet…

When you learn how to dance with the “Pleasure Center” of your body…Your Hips!

So how exactly do you dance with the Pleasure Center of your body?

Well, let’s get right to my 3 simple & sexy dance tips! Check out my short & fun video below:

Now first, you absolutely need to know the one common dance mistake you must avoid…

If you want to look sexy & confident on the dance floor:

#1: Now first, I want you to avoid dancing with straight legs…

And if you’re dancing with straight legs…you’re missing out on getting the best sexy hip movement…and turning on your body’s natural irresistible magnetism…

So here’s what you need to do instead:

You simply need to bend your knees when you dance…and dance from a “seated” position.

Don’t worry, this is actually super simple…you can stand up and try it now!

Just simply bend your knees and feel like your back is sliding straight down a wall about 6 inches…Simple and do-able, right?

Now this is the position to dance in!

And when you dance in this seated-position, your legs will be like pistons, pumping up your hips…and allowing your hips the freedom to move, groove, and ride the the music when you dance.

#2: And truly, it’s all about enjoying dancing with your Hips!

Now, not only will you get the maximum amount of movement from your hips, when you dance in this seated position…

What’s even more fun: You’re going to tap into one of the most profound sources of erotic chemistry and communication…

People can tell a lot about you by how comfortable you are in your body and by how you move your hips..if you know what I mean…

And let me tell you that there are so many beautiful women, and men, just aching to have fun with a confident dancer…

In fact, there is just much less competition on the dance floor and many, many gorgeous dancers!

And, if you’re already in a relationship, there is no better way to tease, flirt, and heighten the chemistry between you.

And when you dance with your hips…you’re going to have the most sexy fun dancing and you’ll feel free in your body, and free from years of social conditioning, too. 

And it gets even better…Here comes the really big tip…This is the tip that will allow you to create intimacy on the dance floor…without opening your mouth to say a word…or knowing any fancy “dance moves.”

Now all the birds and bees know that the best way to ignite the chemistry between you…

All comes down to the simple act of:

#3: Mirroring your partner’s hips when you dance.

When you mirror their hips when you dance, this is the very first and essential step to start a “Sensual Dance Conversation”…

And build erotic tension without tipping over into the the creep zone.

And when you do this one simple step of mirroring their hips when you dance, the rest of the room will melt away…

Simply by connecting with your natural sensuality and dancing with the very “Pleasure Center” of your body.

Just imagine: when you play the music with your hips, and dance with the very “Pleasure Center” of your body…

You feel sensual and alive…magnetically attractive and energized…and joyfully turned on in your life!

All without you getting frustrated trying to get any dance “steps” or being stuck in your mind anymore…

Simply by learning how to flip the switch to turn your body into a hip and booty-shakin, music-playin’ machine.

I hope you enjoyed my Hip Dance Tutorial Video!

Try practicing getting into the “African Seated Dance Position” by putting on one of your favorite songs…and focusing on bending your knees and moving your Hips to the beat of the music…

Want more Hot Dance Tips?
Now if you would like to multiply your sexy fun & romance results with dancing…Be sure to sign up for my Bootylicious dance community below…and enjoy!

Be sure to check out the great resources on my blog below…And you can click here to check out my Dance Program, too!

And enjoy!

More Dance For Romance Tips

Are you ready to learn 1 hot thing you can do…before you go out for the evening…to turn on your “love light” and feel sensual, powerful and confident in your body? And new hotties that you are wanting to attract…or people that you already love…will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame. Click here to watch now.

Check out this hot How-To Dress To Impress video…for men. Learn one simple & sexy way to instantly transform your work outfit…when you need to go out for a night on the town right from work! Click here to watch now.

Check out this fun video that shares 3 Hot Tips…to Walk & Dance in Heels! Look effortless and feel sexy and graceful with high heels…it’s all about connecting with your Inner Thighs and your Core Muscles…Click here to watch now.

Are you ready to learn 1 hot thing you can do…before you go out for the evening…to turn on your “love light” and feel sensual, powerful and confident in your body?

Ok, this one technique will help you radiate fun and confidence…

And new hotties that you are wanting to attract…or people that you already love…will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame.

This one hot tip?

Not only will you loosen up your hips so that you will feel ready to rock the dance floor…you’ll also add some sashay to your walk and exude the confidence of a woman (or man) who is deeply connected to her body…and fully “in” her body…

You’ll also connect with your natural, joyful, playful sensuality…and release some sensual pheromones in the process.

I’m not totally sure how all of that works…but when you have a short, fun Dancing In The Mirror session BEFORE you go out…it’s like putting on a special perfume that draws men (and women) to you…

Dancing In The Mirror also works incredibly well…before you go for a job interview, before you go to a networking event, before you go to any type of meeting….

Dance in the Mirror before you go, and get ready for people to be very interested in your words and ideas!

Truly, there is nothing more sexy and alluring than a woman (or man!) who has a great relationship with her Hips…and she knows how to use them!

Our center of movement is in our Hips…so you can see why it’s also a Center of Power in your body. I don’t want to sound too new-age-y, but truly Dancing With Your Hips makes you more Powerful…

It pretty much “ups” your entire presentation of yourself…your natural beauty, your confidence, your intelligence…and especially your Charisma.

So check out my video below to learn how to Dance With The Mirror before you go out….and enjoy all of the amazing results!

Now I think the bigger theme going on here is the idea of Giving Yourself Pleasure.

The pleasure of enjoying your body, the Pleasure of Moving Your Body…

A lot of people want to feel happier every day. I think we are living in an age of freaking Sitting On Our Booties way too much…

If you want more Happiness in your life…find fun and sexy ways to Move Your Body Every Day!

Dancing is my favorite way to Move My Body everyday…and instead of ignoring my body…get into the feeling of being FULLY IN my body…and connected with my sensuality and spirit at the same time.

Not only does moving and playing in your body every day not only help you lose weight and look hot…both Dancing In The Mirror & Going For A Beauty Walk (see another post/video here) help you feel hot on the inside and can inject your day with a lot of happiness.

No supplies required. Just you, your enthusiasm, and some good music.

Want to have the most fun dancing?

Make sure you check out my How To Shake Your Booty in 30 Days Dance program to get all the foundational skills you need!

And enjoy!

In love, light, and the beauty of the shaking booty,

Theresa

I hope you enjoy this hot Sleeve Rolling Demo video. I’m here demonstrating these hot how-to tip with my romance partner, Tommy Wu. Tommy is also a Men’s Fashion and Confidence Coach.

When you are getting read to go out for an evening of Dancing…you can increase your magnetic charm by putting some thoughtful attention into how you dress.

And “Dressing to Impress” is a hot tip that works for catching the eye of someone new…and it also works extremely well for “stirring up the heat” in existing relationships.

And of course, dressing to impress does make you feel good…but having sexy body confidence…and having glowing skin and energy from dancing and caring for your health and vitality is FAR more attractive than any item of clothing!

So we are offering you this little fashion how-to video, not to make you feel pressured to “keep up with the Joneses” when it comes to fashion…it’s simply a fun idea to help you feel sexy & confident. 

I have seen time and time again, when I’m at a fun party, I do notice many girls who have on stunning outfits…but the girls who are having fun, dancing, and feeling confident about themselves are the ones getting all of the energy from men and other women at the party!

Truly it’s the feelings you have on the inside, and the care and love you demonstrate about your body and health on the outside…that make you incredibly attractive!

And clothing, hair, make-up and jewelry can be super fun additions to experiment with too…

So let’s get right to this Hot Tip…

1 Hot Tip to Dress To Impress: Sleeve Rolling

Be Strategic with “Work Clothes”

Don’t go out in your work clothes, if possible. You will have a hard time feeling sexy and relaxed this way.

If you do need to go out right after work, take a moment to change or add to your work outfit.

Add a pocket square, a hat, a vest. Change your shoes.

And one of our favorite tips: Roll up your sleeves!

Check out the above video for a hot “How-To” Sleeve Rolling demo. And enjoy!

Also, this is just 1 tip from my Dance For More Romance video series, that’s a part of my “How to Shake Your Booty in 30 Days” dance program. You can click here to learn more!

Leave us a comment or ask us a question…and let us know what you think!

Another kind of pleasurable movement that you need every single week…is Rest. 

You need to give your body at least one full day of rest every week from heart-pounding Cardio or Strength Building movement. This is essential to allow your muscles to repair and grow.

Sleeping is an essential ingredient in looking and feeling healthy, happy, and hot. When you sleep, your body uses this time to fight infections, repair damaged cells, and even re-assign fat cells to other jobs! 

Yes, getting plenty of sleep is essential for weight-loss, beauty and happiness! Getting at least 8 hours of deep sleep every night is often a missing ingredient in people’s weight-loss and health plan.

To help your body lose weight and look and feel great…Try drinking water or herbal tea a few hours before you go to sleep, to give your body all of the water it needs to carry out it’s important work while you sleep (and so that you don’t need to use the restroom in the middle of the night).

And then when you wake up, go for drinking 2 full glasses of water or herbal tea! This is how much water your body uses while you sleep!

Care For your Body…with Stretching

Another essential way to Rest and Care for your body as a Dancer…is Stretching. 

Now you need to make sure that your muscles are nice and warm before you complete any stretching exercises. If you try to stretch your muscles when they are “cold” you can really injure yourself.  

I highly recommend stretching AFTER you go for a fast walk around the block, do a section of my “How to Shake Your Booty in 30 Days” dance video, or after a mini dance party in your living room.

Also, understanding the correct body alignment for each stretch is essential. For most stretches, you want to make sure to check if your pelvis, knees, and hips are in alignment before you complete a stretch…

Stretching lengthens your muscles, and it just plain feels good! It’s interesting that when you research stretching…there is much scientific data to suggest that stretching does nothing for your body…But I know that I would never have the range of motion that I have in my own body without this essential form of movement.

You ideally want to hold each stretch for 30 seconds, so that your muscles can completely release. 

I also love focusing on my breath and clearing my mind, when I stretch. 

Meditating, and giving your brain a break from thinking, even for 5 minutes a day is a powerful way to increase your peace and happiness in your life. You can do this while you Stretch…

Also, I have a friend who sets a timer on her phone when she wakes up in the morning, and she meditates for 5 to 15 minutes every morning before she gets out of bed. I love this too!

The other way that I Stretch my body & Meditate every day is Walking. I have a big dog in a big city, so I usually end up walking anywhere from 1 to 2 hours a day! 

I love to walk up and down hills…and I find that dirt trails or slightly uneven paths are the best.

This releases synovial fluid and lubes up my back and hips, it clears my mind, and I find peace and pleasure this way.

Plus when you take time to notice the beauty around you as you walk, and even enjoy taking pictures as you go, this is a great way to feel more Beautiful too! I made a fun video about this here. 

I recommend walking every day.

And if you are just getting started with creating more pleasurable movement in your life (i.e. you’ve been “stuck in a rut of sitting on your butt or been dealing with an injury or illness) I highly recommend walking every day. And if you’re already a high level athlete, I also highly recommend it for you as well!

And, it’s really important to take a Vacation every once in a while. Take an entire day off, and plan a Play Day for yourself! Schedule a massage and lunch with a best friend.

I also love planning week-long vacations to new locations. Research has shown that the you can get excellent relaxation and increased happiness, just by looking forward to and anticipating a great vacation! So that’s a double bonus!

One of my favorite characters names Eustacia Vye in Thomas Hardy’s book, Return of the Native, says “Anticipation is half the pleasure.” I love that!

Plus, if you enjoy working passionately in your work and creative projects in your life…sometimes I find that I get caught up in checking items off my to-do list…but when I take a genuine break and turn off the computer, social media, and my phone, and step back from everything…I get a much clearer perspective on things and realize sometimes I can be successfully to-do-ing on a path that leads to nowhere.

Vacations can bring deep inspiration, fun, energy, and play…so schedule time to play in the great outdoors, and schedule some vacation play days, in every season of the year, today!

And enjoy getting your Rest & Body Care on!

Now you can get happy, hot, and fit with Dancing wherever you choose to get down: at a dance class, a club, a wedding, or even in your own kitchen at night…when you know a few key secrets about dancing.

Now dancing is a great form of Cardio, because it happens in Intervals.

Get your Oxygen ON…with Cardio

Cardio movement, or aerobic movement, literally means “with oxygen”…and it feels great! Your lungs expand, your heart beats, you sweat, and you feel fantastic in your body. 

Cardio is very clearing and energizing. When you do it, you usually feel like you have more energy than when you started.

The important thing to know about Cardio though, is that you need to do it like our ancestors: In Intervals. 

Moving in Intervals means that there are fast and slow periods and starts and stops. 

Dancing in Intervals

This is great news for Dancing, as Dancing is a true full body workout…and it happens in Intervals.

And when you incorporate dancing with your Hips in the “African seated dance position”…it’s much like doing Squats the whole time you are dancing…

So Dancing has awesome Aerobic and Anaerobic qualities!

If you’re dancing in the seated position, and fully extending your arms when you dance…then you are approaching the holy ground of getting amazing results from moving your body…and that’s combining Aerobic and Anaerobic movement!

Another name for this is High Intensity Interval Training…which combines heart-beating Cardio with Anaerobic, strength-building movement.

It stimulates your fat-burning hormonal response for up to 48 hours after you finish working out…compared to 1 or 2 hours of just doing steady-state Cardio. 

And the great thing about HIIT is…You only need 20 minutes at a time…And only 2 to 3 times a week, shares Interval Training expert, Phil Campbell, creator of the Sprint 8 Exercise. 

Hot Resource: Ideas for HIIT Cardio

• Do one or two sections of my Dance Videos!
• Free-Style Dance in your Living Room
• Go out Dancing to a hot band or local DJ and really get down and dance!
• Go to a local dance class like Zumba or Samba
• Play sports! Basketball, soccer, football, tennis, hockey…
• Intervals on an indoor cardio machine that uses your full body, like the Eliptical Trainer 
• Jump rope or box
• Stair climb (be sure to keep your knees behind your toes and your upper body upright–this will strengthen the muscles above your knees and help build sexy, hot posture…conversely, if you lean forward as you climb, you can hurt your knees and back!)
• Hill sprints 

Be sure to alternate Slow and Fast Intervals of movement. Also, be mindful of your current fitness level and don’t overdo it when you first start out.

By the end of your fast Intervals you will want to reach these markers:

• It will be relatively hard to breathe and talk because you’re in oxygen debt
• You will start to sweat profusely. Typically this occurs in the second or third repetition unless you have a thyroid issue and don’t sweat much normally.
• Your body temperature will rise
• Lactic acid increases and you will feel a muscle “burn”

Dance in Intervals, at least two to three times a week, and you’re virtually guaranteed to drastically improve your human growth hormone production…and your youthfulness, fitness, and happiness results!

One thing I love about Dancing is that it is such an incredible opportunity to influence the way you FEEL. Changing the way you hold and move your body can deeply affect your thoughts and feelings…

Now, Changing Your Posture is actually one of the greatest things you can do to step into more natural, sexy confidence with your body…and you may have already noticed that if you stand with easy, relaxed confidence…that people will respect you more, and find you smarter and more attractive…

We have a lot of social proof that our body posture influences how other people see us…

Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy has proven through careful research that we can not only change other people’s ideas about how beautiful, sexy, and confident we are by the way we hold ourselves…but we can also deeply influence how we feel about ourselves.

You may have heard of this before with the idea of Smiling. Basically when you smile, your smile muscles trigger your brain to release pleasure neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

If you are so blue that you can’t even manage a smile, try putting a pencil between your teeth…and notice that you will start to feel lighter and happier right away.

So imagine if you take this one small action with the relatively small group of muscles that are involved in smiling, and get such a palpable increase of well being…

Imagine if you used your entire body…how you could flood your entire system with all of those feel-good neurotransmitters…

So let’s go ahead and stand up and try this now.

Dancing Samba on Stilts

I want you to get into the Samba “Ta-Da” pose…and stand like a Samba Queen or King…or like an Olympic gymnast who just finished their floor routine.

Go ahead and place one foot in front of the other, about hips-width apart, and raise your arms into a decisive V above your head. Excellent! Take a deep breath and turn on your smile!

All right! Now you should instantly feel a change in how you feel…more peaceful, more powerful…and when you sit into one of your Hips while you are standing there…you feel more sexy and successful too!

Now this very pose is fascinating!

Social Psychologist Jessica Tracy shares that this very pose is used all over the world by people when they feel proud of themselves…in fact, both people born with regular eyesight and people born congenitally blind, will stand in this same victory pose when they cross the finish line in a race…

When we feel powerful, we expand our body, just like animals do in the natural world…and when we feel less confident, we do the opposite, by making ourselves small.

Amy Cuddy’s research documents that when you change your body posture to a more powerful position for just 2 minutes, your brain begins releasing more of the confidence hormone testosterone and less of the stress hormone cortisol…so that you instantly feel more confident and relaxed…

And high levels of the stress hormone cortisol is one of the number one things that ages your brain and body quickly…

So hooray for dancing, and the power of moving your body with grace and confidence…

And when you move your body with sexy confidence when you dance, you will literally be re-wiring your mind…and re-wiring how you feel about yourself, how other people are attracted and influenced by you, and your sensual enjoyment and pleasure with your own body.

Are you inspired to dance today? Even if you don’t have time to make it to a dance class or out to see a live band or DJ, go ahead and turn on a song and make your body BIG when you dance.

Fully extend your arms, deeply bend your knees. Play the music with your hips…and enjoy the feel good results from a few minutes of dancing…and who knows, your sensual, confident posture may catch a new cutie’s or a special someone’s eye…and start a little domino effect of pleasure and power around you!

Lots of love!

Theresa Stevens

Samba Dancer & Teacher, Booty Shaking Expert

And the Creator of the How To Shake Your Booty in 30 Days Dance Program

P.S. You don’t have my videos yet? Why not? You can learn exactly how to dance with your hips and booty here.
 

I say “Samba,” you say “Funk!”

Samba…Funk! Samba…Funk!

I met San Francisco Carnaval King Theo the night of the walk-through for my very first San Francisco Carnaval Queen & King dance competition.

Now Theo was showing us how we could win this competition that brings together the Bay Area’s best world-music dancers. He said: you really have to be yourself, and wow people.

And then he proceeded to dance Samba across the stage, leaping off of the stage and hitting the ground still Dancing! Oh my!

King Theo is a world-class performer…and an awesome teacher and community creator.

Theo directs the amazing Samba-fusion drum and dance company in Oakland, CA: SambaFunk! And I have been delighted to be a part of this amazing community of super talented drummers, dancers, artists, and leaders the past two years.

Here is a video of a beautiful Samba Dance performance I did with SambaFunk! star dancers Meredith LadyVenom MacFadyen and KwikTime for:

Shongle’s 2011 Halloween show at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California.

This show was so much fun! I love Samba Fusion shows.

But do you know what I love even more than the feathers, the sequins, the thrill of performing?

The biggest thing I love about Samba dance is the Community.

Now if you are lucky enough to have Samba dance and music, and Capoeira (the Brazilian martial art) in your community–I want to encourage you to go participate!

I have had the opportunity to dance with Samba communities in New York, California, Brazil, London, and Paris…and let me tell you that they all share the same exciting enthusiasm, comittment, and welcoming energy of creating Community…

So I would love to encourage you to go take a live Samba dance, drum, and capoeira class today and experience it yourself!

And enjoy all of the benefits!

You will love learning how to shake your hips and booty and enjoying the community of Samba Dance and other Dance Classes, like Zumba or Salsa, as well!  Click Here to learn more!

In love, light, and the beauty of the shaking booty,

Theresa Stevens

Samba Dancer & Teacher

and Creator of the How to Shake Your Booty in 30 Days! Dance program