Birth of a Wrapper

As a belly dancer, the bengkung belly binding has been a lifesaver. I’ve had 3 children, and after each child I’ve had to retrain my abdomen muscles. After my 3rd child I couldn’t figure out why it was so difficult to strengthen and isolate my abdomen muscles, especially when I’ve been doing it all of my life. It didn’t help when my sister came to visit and asked if I was pregnant again. Although I had lost all my pregnancy weight, I still had a pooch. I didn’t really mind having it, I welcome all curves, but it didn’t make sense to me because I was so fit.

Left: Me ready for bellydancing Above: "Motherhood is sacred and requires a lot of multitasking. However, I have learned to never lose or forget myself.

Then I discovered that I had Diastasis Recti. After watching some surgeries on Youtube, surgery was out of the question. Thankfully an amazing sister friend introduced me to the art of belly binding with the bengkung wrap. It has put me back on the road to bellydancing and boosted my confidence. Every time I put it on I feel this overwhelming relief; everything becomes easier (ie lifting). This may sound weird but I feel mentally sharper and happier, strong and supported. It’s also a closeness that my husband and I share, sometimes I have him bind me. The only drawback for me is I can’t eat as much when wearing it, you have less room for food so you fill up faster. In my case I don’t want to lose any weight, so I actually take it off to eat, then put it back on. However, I can imagine this being a benefit for others. I consider bellybinding as part of my self-care regimen.

Me wrapping the bengkung wrap

Now, I aim to bring belly binding back as a tradition, especially a rites of passage tradition to mark the rites of passage into motherhood. Belly binding was once part of a entire ceremony (ceremonial bath, massage, henna and tea time) to honor a woman and welcome her into motherhood. These traditions build bonds that protect women and strengthen sisterhood. They make us strong so we can go out and perform our roles in the world. 

See Belly Binding details in my SHOP