The belly remains just as round as everything else. But my posture has changed, both internally and externally. I walk more upright, feel more feminine and also more attractive. My body and I are a team. Most of the time at least. And that's something we women often lack. We are so trained to run after a certain body ideal that we can't appreciate our existing values. When I ask a woman what she likes about her body, the answer is usually either silence or something she doesn't like. The bottom, the stomach, the thighs. Does that sound familiar? And even the women who seem perfect always have something to complain about. We lack a positive connection to our bodies. But it's not always about performance, optimization and perfection! That's why I'd like to introduce you to three options that are not only sweat-inducing, but also have a positive effect on the balance between body, mind and soul.

1. dancing with NIA

The abbreviation stands for "Neuromuscular Integrative Action", i.e. fitness for nerves and muscles. But that is far too narrow a definition, because NIA is much more than that. NIA is pure joie de vivre, a dance between body, mind and soul! Elements of yoga, tai chi, dance, body therapies and martial arts are combined to create flowing movements. The focus is on awareness of the body. In each class, special attention is paid to a particular part of the body: the pelvis, the shoulder girdle, the arms, the feet, the joints, the skeleton itself or certain movements. The technique is rather secondary, even if it doesn't hurt to follow the other participants. At the end of the day, there is dancing, sometimes more, sometimes less guided, always barefoot, alternating with exercises with concentrated strength. The music, a mixture of New Age, Afro beats and funky dance, alternates between fast beats and meditative sounds. And in this atmosphere, the powerful movements from martial arts elicit loud screams from even the shyest of participants. Incidentally, I only saw a few men, but women of all ages. I also like the fact that we don't have to squeeze ourselves into functional sportswear for NIA. Instead, we prefer flowing, soft fabrics in which we feel comfortable. Anyone who, like me, has been lucky enough to dance for a lesson with Swedish dancer Ann Christiansen will find it hard to resist the fascination of this sport. And so NIA is now being offered in more and more sports studios.

2. gain self-confidence with aerial yoga

Everyone knows yoga, at least by reputation. And of course there are also those for whom the sporting aspect is very important. The whole body is challenged, muscles and tendons are stretched and strengthened. But yoga offers much more and that's what I'm getting at: relaxation for body, mind and soul, reducing tension, helping with migraines, back pain, cardiovascular problems, stress or sleep disorders. There are many different exercises and different approaches. There is one that I particularly like and that is aerial yoga. When I show my friends what we do there, I always hear: "Wow, do you dare do that?" Yes, I dare to do that! And that's exactly what did me so much good! Confidence in yourself is the key word, after all, you don't practise on the floor here, but in a cloth that hangs from the ceiling on a special hook. You can sit down like in a swing, turn forwards or backwards in an air roll or even hang upside down in a handstand freely in the air. I never thought I would be able to do that before. And to be honest, after the first lesson I had to cry, I was so overwhelmed. The asana exercises really faded into the background.

3. discovering femininity with burlesque

Oh, I haven't tried burlesque yet. But I definitely want to! Again, it's not about the perfect body. Because it's not the body that makes the dance so erotic. Although Dita von Teese, the best-known representative of burlesque, looks fantastic. Pure femininity is celebrated and the only thing that counts is a woman's charisma. And their curves. Burlesque really can be danced by all women, whether old or young, fat or thin. In the steadily growing scene in the USA, you can see women in wheelchairs undressing on stage. Nudity is no longer taboo here. Whereby naked is relative, because it's not about being stark naked on stage. It's about celebrating the undressing of the props, which include corsages, gloves and high heels in the style of the 1930s. And it's all about the story it tells. Burlesque is celebrating success and the number of courses on offer is also increasing in Germany. Take courage, try it out and reconcile yourself with your curves! Discover your femininity. And simply discover it for yourself.