BellyDanceCore at Manifest House

Meet us at Manifest House for a BellyDanceCore class in celebration of our September theme of "embody". We are delighted to have Mariam Sufi, movement instructor and founder of The Goddess Retreat, lead us through a signature 45-minute dance-based class where individuals from all levels, shapes, sizes, ages, and walks of life can learn belly dance techniques in a fitness setting.

Mariam uses traditional belly dance techniques and breaks each movement down to the basics to promote a full-body workout that tones the secondary muscle groups through isolation exercises. Once broken down, we layer slow isolations with shimmies and sharp movements to give each individual the whole learning spectrum. You get sultry movements that teach balance and core awareness while providing a cardio workout.

No prior dance experience is necessary. For all levels! No props are used for this class.

What You'll Need: 

• Comfortable place to tune in
• Comfortable clothing
• Headphones recommended
• Any other items that bring you comfort and help you create your sacred space (a cup of tea, crystals, candles, incense, etc).

About Your Guide:

My name is Mariam Sufi, and I am a mother, wife, friend, empath, movement instructor, Belly.Dance.Core and The Goddess Retreat founder. I am a Los Angeles native and started teaching group fitness classes in 2001 at the tender age of 18 while I was a student at the University of California, Irvine. I created a belly dance fitness class for the famed Anteater Recreational Center at UCI, and incredibly, it is still taught to this day (by one of my former students). However, my love for integrating belly dancing into fitness group exercise classes did not end there. I created my signature class: Belly Dance Core Conditioning, in 2010, and it has since been offered in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC., and now virtually!

I discovered my love for yoga in high school when I took my first class alongside my father. I loved how it enhanced my flexibility, deepened my breath awareness, and helped me focus on the present. From that moment on, I was hooked! I continued to practice yoga throughout college, but it was not until I took a class at the renowned Hot 8 Yoga studio in 2013 that I decided to immerse myself in learning and growing among the hot yoga community with the goal of teaching. Since then, I have embraced being a student of yoga and movement as well as a leader and educator. I am an E-RYT 200 and hold additional specialty certifications in Yoga Barre, Yoga Sculpt, and Yoga Vibe. In addition, I served as a Director of Hot 8 Yoga in Los Angeles' Koreatown, where I trained and mentored dozens of teachers and helped build a thriving community.

Meet you at the House ✨