ABOUT YOUR BODY RAKS
photo credit: www.inherimagephoto.com
Our Purpose
Through bellydance we strive to inspire women and girls to live lives directed by a sense of agency about their health, well-being and community.
Our Philosophy
We believe that Your Body Raks is a necessary intervention for confronting body shaming and size policing of women and girls. Because of its history and culture, bellydance is the perfect tool for addressing these issues. Through our work with the Girls Raks Bellydance and Body Image Program for teens, we have witnessed the power of body image transformation and positive self-definition. We share identities with the communities we work with and we have a calling to interrupt the institutional, interpersonal and internalized oppression of women and girls through conscious media resistance. Nutrition Professor, Dr. Linda Bacon counters this with a new approach, “Health at Every Size® is based on the simple premise that the best way to improve health is to honor your body. It supports people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being.” We believe in dance at every size. Your Body Raks is inclusive, serving women of all shapes and sizes.
On Thursday, February 9th, Oakland’s favorite bellydance duo, Raks Africa, launched Your Body Raks, a movement and wellness business that celebrates bodies of every size. Your Body Raks integrates bellydance with writing, mindfulness activities, and art-making. Through classes, workshops and retreats, Your Body Raks provides women and girls with the tools needed to fully embrace their bodies, and resist negative messages about themselves, all the while having lots of fun learning the art of bellydance. Dance at every size!
Your Body Raks--It’s All About:
Bellydance – Moving to an African beat
Body Justice – Uniting women of every size
Joy – Embracing who you are
Through bellydance we strive to inspire women and girls to live lives directed by a sense of agency about their health, well-being and community.
Our Philosophy
We believe that Your Body Raks is a necessary intervention for confronting body shaming and size policing of women and girls. Because of its history and culture, bellydance is the perfect tool for addressing these issues. Through our work with the Girls Raks Bellydance and Body Image Program for teens, we have witnessed the power of body image transformation and positive self-definition. We share identities with the communities we work with and we have a calling to interrupt the institutional, interpersonal and internalized oppression of women and girls through conscious media resistance. Nutrition Professor, Dr. Linda Bacon counters this with a new approach, “Health at Every Size® is based on the simple premise that the best way to improve health is to honor your body. It supports people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being.” We believe in dance at every size. Your Body Raks is inclusive, serving women of all shapes and sizes.
On Thursday, February 9th, Oakland’s favorite bellydance duo, Raks Africa, launched Your Body Raks, a movement and wellness business that celebrates bodies of every size. Your Body Raks integrates bellydance with writing, mindfulness activities, and art-making. Through classes, workshops and retreats, Your Body Raks provides women and girls with the tools needed to fully embrace their bodies, and resist negative messages about themselves, all the while having lots of fun learning the art of bellydance. Dance at every size!
Your Body Raks--It’s All About:
Bellydance – Moving to an African beat
Body Justice – Uniting women of every size
Joy – Embracing who you are
