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México 99 Dear Tensegrity Practitioners, Here is a report of the Mexico workshop. I guess I will always remember this workshop from the first and last
magical pass that we did. They are the same pass which resembles 'Drawing an acute angle with the arms between the legs', No 45 from the Westwood Series. The only difference is that the body
begins from an upright posture with the arms up high in a V shape , tips of the fingers pointing to the sky, then we bend from the waist
making a V, the point of which is in the halfway between the heels, and then inhaling we rise to the starting position. The reason I find this pass indicative of the workshop as a whole is
because it felt as if as a group during the course of a weekend we grabbed the energy which was round our toes and ankles and then somehow raised
the band of awareness all the
way above the head. (At least that was my perspective.) After a few warm ups Miles said that it was a privilege to be in Mexico
to do tensegrity with us. He said that the San Diego workshop had created an energetic explosion
and that there was a new mood of sobriety amongst practitioners world-wide.
The mass of practitioners have moved energetically beyond the limitations of culture and geographic boundaries. He was very excited and said that Mexico was the ideal venue for this workshop, that the energy of the place could help us in making the
abstract flight. We were about to dream together and that the passes that we were about to do had been 'dreamt specifically for Mexico. He said that we have to intend ourselves forwards , develop a cloak of confidence. As the Nagual used to say: 'There are no victims here, today there is only time for freedom.' We learned a form which in its entirety combined passes from Inner
Silence, Recapitulation, Dreaming . In the first part that we learnt we combined Silvio Manuel's dance steps with passes from Inner silence in the Westwood series. The sequence was : 'Drawing an acute angle with the arms between the legs', No 45 from the Westwood Series. The body begins from an upright posture with the arms up high in a V shape , tips of the fingers pointing to the sky, then exhaling we bend
from the waist making a V, the point of which is in halfway between the heels, and then inhaling we rise to the starting position. Do this once.' No 38. Scarecrow with arms down (arms flop to count of
3) No 39.Scarecrow with arms up (once up, once down , exhaling all the air
on the down) Hands go the waist and do No 37 Drawing half moon .
Left foot starts forward ,then draws a half moon backwards, weight goes on to the left foot and the right foot also draws a half moon backwards, then right foot forwards, weight moves onto right leg and left foot again repeats the half moon sequence ( Left foot forward ,then draws a half
moon backwards, weight goes on to the leftt foot and the right foot also draws
a half moon backwards, then right foot forwards, weight moves onto right leg) , left foot
forwards and then back to starting position feet parallel. Silvio Manuel's first pass. Begin by pivoting on the ball of the left foot so that the inside of the heel moves in an anticlockwise direction and the whole left leg ends
facing the left at 90 degrees to the right leg. The motion was described as striking a match, so the heel stays in
contact with the ground throughout. Do this pass fast moving both feet to a rhythm of
3: Left, right, left and then Right, left, right. No 41. Pivoting the forearm so that (the beak of the bird ) faces away
from you , towards you, away from you. Follow the fingers with your eyes. The next Silvio Manuel's pass is as follows: feet form like a 'T' The weight moves from the ball of the Left foot in front to the heel of
the back foot and back again to the ball of the front foot. (1,2)
AND then we take a step so that the right foot now leads and repeat the swaying motion. In total do this 6 times (take 6 steps in all) while walking a complete
anti clockwise circle. (To me it feels like the rhythm of the steps are 1,2 AND -stepping- 1,2
AND 1,2 AND......) At the same time while doing this pass with the feet the hands also do No
43 'the T energy of the hands. With each step the palms change directions facing upwards and downwards. Now this whole sequence is repeated backwards: No 41, Silvio Manuel nos. 1, 37, 39,38,45. One comment made was that The passes from Inner Silence were Taisha's 'favourite ones.' Particularly when her mind was full of doubts, she would collect all her fears, doubts and concerns, make them into a big luminous ball using her hands and then would place that ball outside her Tensegrity practice
area. That way she could attain inner silence. The next form we did was the masculinity form in partners as done in previous workshops.This form belonged to the Nagual Lujan. When Carlos used to do these passes he would become aware of
Lujan's energy body watching. These passes were also done by the two partners wearing masks.
(No personas are involved.) (Barcelona notes). Partners face each other about 3-4 feet apart. Turn the body on. Maintain eye contact throughout this pass. Hands start resting on the knees. With an inhalation the arms rise ,
palms touching the front of the body, until both hands are above the head,
fingers pointing to the sky, then exhaling the hands descend, palms facing up
until they are level with the hips. Pause for a moment then both arms (palms facing up) extend backward till palms face the ground and then with a
sharp movement and still exhaling both hand come up till the arms are facing forward , palms facing up, arms slightly bent , as if offering something
to your partner. Body is slightly stooped forward, pivoting on the adrenals. Do like a tiger claw with right hand , parrying from right to left, and
then with the left hand parrying from left to right while at the same time 'gathering energy with the soles of the left foot and moving it up the
right inner leg. This is done once and then the foot rests on the ground. Using both hands the partners strike three times simultaneously using the heels of the palms( similar to the strike in MP19 of the Heat series) to
the height of the opponents shoulders(x3), chest(x3) , and belly(x3). Slightly stooping forward, do a circular parry with the right hand
(similar to the first move in the 'predilection of the right body), then a larger circle with the left hand, and repeat again first right then left. Step back on the left leg and assume a defensive posture where the right
leg and hand are very close to
each other,elbow to knee (a bit like 'cat stance ' in martial arts). Opponents are measuring each other. Right foot goes back and resume the stance this time left leg is in front and hands switch position too. Both parties advance towards each other taking to sliding steps forward while the back foot drags behind. So they have stepped past
each other step and they are now back to back. (They cant see each other). Starting on the left side they do 'pushing down a pole of energy (MP7). Repeat on the right side. Repeat this pass another four times. Both partners place right foot behind theleft foot and rotate so that now they are facing each other again. Using both hands one does 'polishing a high table with the palms(MP3)(x3) while the other does 'Using a cutting tool in each hand'(MP2). (x3). Swap sides and repeat the sequence (1,2,3) Then starting with the left, both parties simultaneously
do 'cutting energy with one hand at a time'(MP8)(LR,LR,LR). Then starting with the left hand on top both parties simultaneously
do pulling a rope of energy(MP6) To do this one starts with the hands in the 'up' position of the pass
while the other starts with the 'down' position of the pass. Do the pass 3 times and then swap hands so that the right hand is on top. Still facing each other assume the position to do 'striking energy with a spike of energy'(MP10) Beginning with the left hand up (Left fists of both parties are almost touching other person's chin) Do the pass 3 times with the left hand and 3 times with the right hand. Starting with the left hand do 'using a plane of energy'(MP9) x3 Repeat on the right side. One partner does 'cutting a circle of energy' while the other does
'Slashing energy with a sword-like cut'(MP22) Do these 5 times swords interweaving. (Do not swap sides). Both parties do 'cutting energy in an arc'(MP 21),
three times on the left and three times on the right. The rhythm is (1,1.)...(2,2) ....(3,3)
First one person does the pass and then the other follows on straight away. Both parties do 'the sledgehammer', one after the other 3 times. (On the Left and then on the Right). Both parties turn so they are facing the same direction and together do
'the digging bar' 5 times. The next form that we did was a continuation of the Inner silence form.
This time we did passes from the recapitulation. These were done with partners
of the same sex. ( they can also be done alone.) The rhythm for each pass is fourfold.(1,2,3,4). The sequence was: No. 13 Forging the trunk of the energy body. With the left hand each both make 4 strikes simultaneously to the shoulders, the chest, the waist, the trunk. (You observe your partner's hands.)Then repeat with the right
hand. (rhythm 1,2,3,4) No 14. Slapping the energy body. Strike with Left hand, Right hand, Left hand, Right hand. (rhythm
1,2,3,4) No 24 The window of recapitulation. As you do the window you lean to the left , to the right, to the left to
the right. (rhythm 1,2,3,4) Between leaning you return to the neutral (vertical position). In so doing partners criss-cross each other and you have to keep your attention on your partners moves. No 5. Bringing energy to the Centre of decisions from the midsection. As the elbows move up and down the knees bend so the whole move looks like a concertina going down and up. The rhythm again is fourfold. 1,2 left hand then right hand come up
to the V spot . 3,4 is going down and up while elbows move up and down simultaneously. No 6. Bringing energy to V spot from the area of the shoulder blades. Project shoulders left, right, left, right No 17. Forging the heels and calves. left, right, left, right No 18. Forging the knees.
left, right, left, right (always inward circles). No 19. Forging the thighs. 1)Down inhaling 2)up exhaling 3)Down inhaling 4)up exhaling Repeat all the passes above but this time to a twofold count. (1,2) No13 strike left: shoulders hips, right: shoulders hips No14 Slap left, slap right No 24 Window to the left, window to the right No5.bring energy to the Vspot(count of 1), down and up wabble (count of
2) No6.Bringing energy to V spot from the area of the shoulder blades. Project shoulders left, right No 17. Forging the heels and calves. left, right No 18. Forging the knees.
left, right, (inward circles). No 19. Forging the thighs. 1)Down inhaling 2)up exhaling The following series of passes belong to the Nagual Elias. He was a 'dreamer' and capable of going to other universes and bringing
back strange objects. Carlos used to say that the Nagual Elias used to go for 'trips to the junkyard of Infinity'. He also lived in two places (North and Southern Mexico) simultaneously.
He could do this because of the command that he had over his double. These eight passes are called 'Tracing the map of the Body' and were performed by the Nagual Elias before dreaming. They awaken centres in the feet, ankles, shins, knees, all the way up to
the buttocks. The area on the left leg between the toes and knee is like a tentacle capable of perceiving energy directly. At this stage it is important to experiment, finding, opening and using these centres without preconceptions. To do these passes take off your shoes and socks. 1.a) Sit up straight on the floor. Legs bent in front of you. (Do passes on one foot at a time.) Press the hollow area at the sole of the foot. Press using thumb and the rest of the fingers of the hand. You can also use both hands to press
from above and below simultaneously. b)Press at the base of each toe. Also separate one toe from another. c)Pull the skin ,'membranes', between toes. (Like teasing the web on 1st video) 2.a) Sitting up on the mat, move your buttocks out of the way so that you are sitting up straight in a balanced position. Legs are straight. b)Stretch legs in front of you so that the heels are off the ground and
calf muscles are active. Stretch open the toes of both legs as much as possible so that they are
open like a fan (the centre of the fan is the hollow space at the sole of the foot) As you stretch breath to a long count of 15, stretching and sensing. c)To 'trace the map' you tap lightly on the toes ,the shin and the knees
up and down the leg. d)Repeat this stretching three times. 3.a) Start from the sitting up position where both legs are straight out
in front of you. Make sure the buttocks are out of the way. Point the toes away from you
on each leg successively stretching the tendons of the instep and knees. b)Bend one leg and bring the sole of the foot near to the groin. (The
sole of the foot is in full contact with the ground as if you're standing on
it.) Once again point the toes of the straight leg away from you stretching
the tendons of the instep and knees. After each stretch reverse the motion so that the toes point towards the eyes and you are stretching the calf muscles. Do three stretches. b) With both arms you grab the leg that is straight around the ankles and let the weight of the upper body relax forwards at the same time
stretching the leg and pointing the tip of the toes forward away from you. Exhale
while you stretch, and count to 15. c)Then relax and let the toes and ankle move backwards so that now the
toes are pointing towards your eyes. Stretch again inhaling to the count of
15. d)Trace the map by tapping on the centres all the way from the ankles to
the knees. Repeat the process three times for each leg. -At this point we got up and used the left leg as a tentacle to 'see'
energy in the Hall. (I pivoted on the right leg and explored the area all around me in a circular fashion by using the left shin area-expose the flesh to the
air-) It was recommended that after tracing the map we try to track energy in
the rooms that we occupy in our daily lives. It was also remarked that this was the first time that so many practitioners try to 'see' energy with their left legs! 4.a) sitting up on the mat bend both legs so that soles of the feet are facing each other but not touching. (recapitulation position). Press and massage all the tendons from the ankles to the knees. Try and relax all stiff areas (like the Achilles tendon at the back of the calf) b)Trace the map by tapping on the centres all the way from the ankles to
the knees c) Grab all the energy from these centres (inhaling) and smear /press it
on the Right vital centre(exhaling). At the same time as you apply the energy on the centre you twist the body from the waist towards the centre where you are applying the energy .i.e. right. Repeat the process for the left side. 5. This pass is called 'moving with the motion of the Ocean of
Awareness'. a) Start from the position where you are sitting up straight with both
legs straight out in front of you. Bend the legs so that the soles of the feet are slightly leaning towards each other. Gently place hands around the ankles so that fingers are pressing on tendons. (As in the last pass in the Intent series). The edge of the
elbows are pressing against the inside of the knee joints. b)While inhaling curve the body so that head comes towards the chest and
the spine arches inwards as if becoming a ball. Maintain pressure on tendons while inhaling deeply.(Arms stretch out as the torso moves backwards even though the fingers keep the same position pressing on the tendons.) c) On the exhalation the body curves the other way so that the head leans back as the chin comes up, the chest opens up and the small of the back arches outward (exposing the tail). The fingers also release the pressure
on the tendons in the ankles. Both the inhalation and exhalation are accompanied by a 'to and fro'
rocking of the body as it moves in time with the ebb and flow of the 'Ocean of Awareness'. 6. Lie on your back with both feet extended. a)Dip the toes of the left foot into the Stream of Awareness. b)Flick the energy upwards so that the energy comes to your ankles and
then both legs propel the energy up high by moving legs like on a bicycle as if cycling backwards. c)When both legs reach the vertical position use both hands to grab the energy from the ankles, shins, knees and thighs and rub it on both vital centres. (feet stay relaxed in a vertical position at this point.) d) Trace the map by tapping on the centres on the front and back
of the heels, shins and calves, knees,
thighs and buttocks e)Let soles of the feet rest on the ground and move head gently left to right as many times as you feel is necessary. Use this position to recapitulate. 7. a)Tuck one leg under the buttocks so far that you could grab the
ankles from the other side. The other leg is straight as you lie on your back. b)Maintaining the stretch on the bent leg breath in and out deeply to the count of 15. c)Both arms extend outward and then come from the sides (like bringing energy to the centre of decisions in the Westwood series), to bring energy to the mid-section area. To do this the fingers of both hands dig deep into the area below the
navel. As you press take a long inhalation to the count of 15 and exhale to the same count maintaining even pressure. f)The fingers now move up around the thorax and spread themselves around the ribs. As you inhale slowly to the count of 15 the fingers help to stretch open
the chest and as you exhale the fingers help to push and contract the chest wall. g) Trace the map by tapping
on the centres on the thigh of the bent leg. h)Grab the energy from the bent thigh with the hand
(same side of the body). Hand turns into a fist holding energy; i)The leg that tucked under frees itself , it straightens out and makes a big circle over and across the body and over the other leg (that was straight) and comes to rest on the other side of the body, on
the ground at the height of the waist or higher. j) The fisted hand rubs the energy on the vital centres.(same side). Repeat on the other side. 8). a)Lie on your back with both feet extended. Bend one leg and bring the sole of the foot near to the groin. (The sole
of the foot is in full contact with the ground as if you're standing on it.) b)Push the other foot straight up , in a vertical position and use the other leg (with soles of feet on the ground) as a lever to push as high
as possible. Also place the hands of the same side leg as you are stretching
on the waist to help with the push. c) Stretch the leg up as high as you can and point toes to the sky and
keep the stretch while you breath deeply. Momentarily relax the leg by bending the knee. Then resume the stretch again by straightening the leg once again. Point the toes towards the eyes to maximise the stretch. Breath to
a count of 15. d) Trace the map by tapping on the front and back of the vertical leg
from heel to the buttocks. e)Keeping the leg straight lower it and extend it side-ways so that the groin area opens up. Then continuing in a large circle bring the straight leg over and across
the other leg to the other side of the body around the height of the waist or higher. (The other leg now is bent and knee in contact with the floor) Keep both shoulders in contact with the ground so that you are stretching the whole waist area. To help with the spinal twist the opposite hand to the straightened leg grabs hold of the opposite hip and pulls with an even pressure. Breath deeply and evenly to a count of 15 as you stretch. f)With the free hand (same side as the straightened leg) 'trace the map'
by tapping on the back of the
thigh and buttocks area in an oval direction. Miles talked about the series of passes called 'On the Run.' This title describes the condition of being in those warriors who place themselves under the shadow of the bird of freedom. There is a vibrating force in the universe which simultaneously holds the constituent parts of our being together and apart. Doing these passes :'On the Run' - or 'the code'-, reorders the flow of energy in us because we are contacting that same vibratory force. The walking form of the code that was done in San Diego and the form that
we were about to practice here in Mexico were capable
to reorder our flow of energy and to 'restructure' our genetic blueprints. In particular the part of the code (The sixth part -there are six parts
in total-) that was dreamt specifically for Mexico was like an energetic
door to 'mummy and daddy'. It would make one 'see' what it is to be a Man or Woman. The part of the code that was shown in San Diego (First part), had to do with restructuring the energetic possibilities that we received from our parents at conception. Throughout our lives we yearn for that which was lacking at the moment of our conception. We try to get it through stimulants such as sugar, caffeine and friends
who are always complimenting us. But that is not the only avenue.... We might have been born as 'bored fucks' but we dont have to live and
die as 'bored fucks'. We could participate in an energetic speculation. Originally Miles and Zaia were invited by the Nagual to take part in this energetic speculation. They formed the team of 'awareness through harmony'. This name was given
to them because there is no competition between the man and the woman. They
are in perfect harmony. Such a team was energetically possible but very rare. Soon other teams were formed amongst the instructors. It is possible to reach Knowledge anew . But only when one is empty, in that lull, do new changes happen. We are capable of having a new syntaxis. An example of two contrasting syntax systems are presented in the introduction of 'The active Side of Infinity'. Miles said that we practitioners are
now at the stage where we can 'sign our own documents'. We can take responsibility for our own actions. Miles read a note written by Zaia in which she said that even though she
was unable to be physically
present at the workshop her energy body would be there with us doing the passes. As the Nagual had said the left body has
a different order of time. It is possible to be at two places
simultaneously. (The uncanny thing is that in my memory of the Mexico workshop Zaia is
there doing the passes along with the rest of the instructors. I saw that
happen at least twice. She was there alright!) The form of the code that was practised lying down was the 'inorganic
form'. It had been shown first because it didn't make great demands on balance
or breathing. The walking form of the code on the other hand has to contend with the
force of gravity and also makes demands on one's ability to breath deeply and evenly. The Code Opening: a)Stand in the basic Tensegrity stance: Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, pelvis tucked in, chin tucked in. Elbows are up high, bent, at the height of the centre for decisions, parallel to the ground. Palms are facing the ground also at the height of the centre for decisions, fingertips are almost touching. b)Do 6 small backward shoulder rolls while breathing rhythmically and slowly. c)place one hand in front of the other still at the height of the V spot. Do backward rapid circles, hand over hand to a steady count of 6. d)From there open the chest inhaling and then as you exhale strike with fingers of both hands simultaneously to the area in front of the vital centres (about 15cm away from the body). Tense the abdominal muscles as you pierce with the fingers. Do six strikes in total. As you strike the hands are crossed over each other left over right, then you un-cross and on the next strike the hands are crossed over each other right over left and so on. With each criss-cross strike you strike to an area lower than before so that by the 6th strike you are bent at the waist striking at the height of the thighs. e)Standing up straight palms come up almost cupping the ears and you
strike downwards as fingers end at hip level pointing to the ground. Do this downward strike with both hands simultaneously 6 times in all. The whole motion is like No16 Establishing the core of the energy body -Westwood series-Only the range of movement is a lot bigger starting from the ears and finishing by the hips. f)On the sixth strike lift the energy with both hands all the way up to
the neck and rustle the fingers over the V spot. Pass no 1. a)Stand in the basic Tensegrity stance. Inhale and at the same time pull back right arm so that elbow is pulled backwards with the fingertips touching the right vital centre. The right hand is cocked in the shape of a knife.(fig366 MP) b)(Exhaling), the right hand always keeping contact with the body slides diagonally from the right vital centre towards navel. At the same time the left knee rises to waist height as you prepare to
take a step forward to the left. The right hand continues its journey
sliding from the navel onto the top of the left thigh , using it as a ramp it slides past the knee and projects
the energy into infinity with a rising motion (exhaling all the air out). c) the left leg then lowers taking a step forward and the left heel
plants itself onto the ground.At the same time the left and right hands get
ready in knife positions by their respective vital centres. d)Repeat the pass with the left hand whilst taking a step forward with
the right. e)Once again repeat the pass with the right hand and taking a step with
the left. You have now taken three steps forward. f)Repeat the whole process three more times but taking three steps back. (6 steps in total). The breathing throughout this pass is normal. Inhale and exhale in a
natural way. (The breathing indications for this pass, in brackets are optional; it is the way in which I understand the breathing). Pass no 2 a)From the basic Tensegrity stance inhale while raising the whole left
arm behind you and over the head till the arm is hovering above the head and continue the movement downwards till the palm is at the height of the
left vital centre in front of the body. (like no10 in Heat series MP).The
fingers of the left palm should be facing to the right. At the same time as the arm movement the left leg rises and the point of
the toes touches the ground lightly in front of you. (Preparing to take a
step). b)Exhaling the left leg takes a full step forwards, planting foot
squarely on the ground while at the same time the right hand repeats the same movement that the left hand did and strike down towards the left vital centre. c)Repeat the whole pass but this time after the point of the toes of the left foot touches the ground lightly in front of you
the step is backwards instead of forwards. This pass is done three times forward and back with the left leg, then
three times forward and back with the right leg. There are two ways of doing the whole pass: a) Very slowly with deep breathing. -when inhaling and moving the arms and legs the body should
feel weightless. When exhaling the whole body should feel centred and
connected. b) The pass is done dynamically, fast using tendon energy. Use the lower abdomen muscles to keep a low centre of gravity. When inhaling and raising the hands make the moves as big as possible so that the air is circulating throughout the body especially the shoulder blades . (Where we have hidden wings) Pass No 3 a)Inhaling both hands rise above the head and then exhaling strike forcefully in front of the body at the height of the vital centres.(Like
the first part of the last pass in the intent series No90 MP)The
fingers of both hands point to each other palms facing the ground. At the same time as you strike you step forwards with the left leg. b) Repeat the same hand movements but this time step back with the left
leg. Do this pass three times with the left leg (front, back,front,
back,front, back) and three times with the right leg. |
