Los Angeles - August 1995
To: The Ixtlan Mailing List
TENSEGRITY LA WORKSHOP - August 1995 MOVEMENTS
Slogan: If you over-exert it, you hurt it.
The chacmools made suggestions about foods we should avoid
during the workshop. These included foods that contain
refined sugar, and sugar-starches. They say that we are
trying to break out of the confines of our personal history,
and that eating sugars ties us right back into it.[ For
instance, when we were little, our parents used to try and
shut us up with bribes of candy]. The chacmools said we
should also cut back on our consumption of starches and
fruits. We should also avoid coffee.
(They also said not to eat extra salt, and to eat a lot
of protein, and drink a lot of water)
Kylie said to us:
Basic stance: feet about shoulder length apart, toes turned
in [slightly], knees turned out
[to arrive at this position, place feet
together, turn toes out at 45 degrees, pivot on heels bringing feet
parallel, then turn toes inward]
knees slightly bent. [this position is similar to the horse
stance of martial arts]
(but the knees are not bent nearly as much)
1.Pigeon-toe walk
In general, whenever walking, try to walk with toes turned
in, just slightly. Walking this way, which is not natural
for most people [most people walk with toes turned out] ,
helps us maintain awareness of our actions.
2. The Butterfly in Repose and Flight
Preliminary movements, part 1:
horse stance, but legs straight
(but never completely straight, do not lock the knees)
hands out in front, palms up, about 1 foot apart, elbows bent
relax hands, then tense hands, pulling fingers together, and
locking thumb [locked thumb means thumb tight against hand
either straight or curled on palm] . Palms are flat.
[become familiar with the muscles in the palm; don't curl or
overextend the hand]. While maintaining tension in hands,
attention is on armpits.
tense and release
now tense arms and hands and pull arms and hands back towards the
body; make the movement almost imperceptible. Think of lines
of energy going up the arm [concentrate on the feeling in the arms].
Preliminary butterfly, part 2:
stand straight with hands out in front, palms up, elbows bent.
bend slightly forward at the waist, with attention on stomach.
as you bend, bring hands down on either side and straight back behind
you, as high as you can reach, with palms down. chin also down.
(as high as you can reach without struggling at all)
do this several times, back and forth.
inhale while bringing arms forward, exhale while bringing them behind
now stop with hands behind, as high as you can reach, and flutter your
hands by moving them towards each other several inches rapidly.
Butterfly Pass
Part 1: Butterfly in Repose
(I do not think the entire first part of the pass is called
Butterfly in Repose. That referred to a specific warm-up.
It was part 3 of the warm-ups. Butterfly in Repose is done
exactly like part two above, except when you reach the arms
back position, you hold it there, still (instead of fluttering),
at the highest point behind you, and look up. Hold that pose
(Butterfly in repose) for a few moments, then exhale as you
stand up straight, and let your palms return to your sides.)
(I think the first part of the pass was called:
Butterfly in Flight. It follows...)
Start out with hands in front, palms up, relaxed, in toes-in stance
Knees straight but not locked.
Bend at waist, tighten hands and bring arms behind you as high as
you can comfortably get them.
[arms should not be higher than parallel to floor, because when
you bring the arms up and out to make the wings, you want to
be able to make a gentle arc out of it, at around 45 degrees]
Head is down.
(Exhale when swinging the hands back, and when they get back
there, inhale and exhale once before proceeding)
With a quick movement, turn palms vertical to floor, thumbs down
[You are now in flight position: bent at waist, head down, palms
arms behind you, palms vertical to floor-think of a swimmer in
the starting block]
Bring head up and inhale as you bring the arms up; lower head and
exhale as you lower arms.
Look out to infinity through the space between the hands
Now snap arms back again in an arc behind you, palms will be facing
each other but not touching; stand straight
Do this 6 times
(As you snap the arms up, your knees bend, and as you snap the
arms down, the knees straigten again)
At the end of the 6th arc, arms are behind you, hands still in flight
position, now flip hands to face floor, raise head
Maintain bend at waist [only when bringing arms forward at the top
of the arc, do you unbend at the waist]
Point toes of left foot down and make 3 circular pawing motions with
your left foot, raising the knee high, and moving the foot forward,
and then down to the floor; just graze the floor with your toes
[whoops! always remember to wear shoes] :).
the pawing motion should be done with a snap
(The snap in the pawing motion happens when you raise the leg,
rather than when you lower it)
Repeat pawing motion with right foot 3 times
Think of antennae coming out of the top of your head [insect
antennae, not rabbit-ears] :) during the whole pass
(I do not agree that you are supposed to think of this
through the whole pass. Nyei is the only one that mentioned
this at all, and she did it near the end of this pawing
movement a couple of times. Basically, be silent.)
Now bring hands down by sides with palms facing front, and
straighten back
(You exhale during this last motion)
Part 2: Butterfly Feeling the World Around It
Start out with arms in front, hands relaxed
Tighten arms and hands, bring them behind you, hands facing down
(inhale and exhale one time)
Get into flight position {bend at waist, arms behind, hands vertical,
head down]
Bend elbows, bring them forward, and to each side slightly in front of
the body;
(This will look like you are making half of a rectangle out of
the frame of your arms, opening toward the ground)
bring hands in to center at waist level, palms facing,
fingers pointed down.
Now raise hands, and bring them up in front of the body, palms
facing each other [like praying].
When the hands get about face-high, curl the thumb and 4th and 5th
fingers, and point the 2nd and 3rd, as you thrust up and out with
the arms, making a large V [snap it up]
(You make this V up over your head, but not straight up.
Your arms go both up and forward, and out to the side,
in about a 45 degree angle)
Make 6 inward ovals, not circles [about 1 1/2 feet diameter] with
pointed fingers, arms still outstretched and raised; snap each oval
and pause for an instant before doing the next one
(For these ovals, your fingers move towards each other first,
coming within inches of each other in the center, then down, around
and back up. Each oval is probably about two feet wide, but this
varies from person to person. The snapping is done as you move
the arms back to the V position. Be sure to keep a slight bend
in your elbows so you don't hurt them.)
Look at a point between the hands, and blink periodically,
making sure not to stare
(Blink periodically like this and look between the hands
while doing ALL the ovals, both the inward and outward ones)
Now, bring hands close together, still looking between them, and
pivot body to the left; the gaze follows.
(You swing the hands in to point straight up and out in front,
then, as you pivot the body to the left, you swing your straight
arms to the left, still angling up at a 45 degree angle,
with hands still close together. The gaze stays looking out
to infinity through the gap between your hands.)
Make 6 outward snapping ovals; then pivot to the right
(The hands are together at first, so they move away from
each other, then down and around, and back to the center.
The snap comes when you move them back toward the center.
After finishing the ovals to the left, swing your straight
arms all the way to the right, while pivoting your body.
Actually, all that pivots is your upper trunk.)
Make 6 outward ovals, return to center
Now swing to the left with the two arms, then to the right,
with a quick snap pause; do it 6 times on each side
[put a little arc in your swing]
(In other words, your arms and hands dip down just a little
in the center each time while passing through to the other side.)
the hands still together about 4 inches apart
Return to center; eyes follow.
Now with arms still up in the air, bring your head down so that your ears
rub the upper part of your upper arms; make tiny circles with your
upper arms to do this
(Rub your ears with your upper arms 6 times)
Bring your hands down in front, two fingers still pointed, hands
facing each other, elbows out [at some point, forearms, and hands
will form a straight line parallel to the floor in front of your body]
Move forearms down and out so that fingers point to floor
(This is a move back to the half rectangle position of before,
but this time fingers are still in the butterfly position.
There is a little snap when you move back to the open half
rectangle position. Then there is a second snap, as you
move each hand out further sideways, just a few more inches,
opening outward the sides of the rectangle just a bit.)
Move arms back, palms facing floor, two fingers still pointed
(I don't quite agree here. You snap the arms back to the
same position as flight position, except that the hands are
still in "oval" position. In other words, the palms are still
facing each other.)
[Do above motions with a quick snap]
Straighten fingers ((with a little snap, palms still facing))
(Now you are back in "flight position")
Turn hands to face floor
(If you are going to continue on with the next part here,
and you should, do not turn hands to face floor, rather,
just leave them in flight position.)
Part 3: Butterfly in Flight
Continuing on, turn hands into flight position
Now make wings 6 times as in part 1, but this time rise up on toes
as you bring hands forward [the chacmools say there are
muscles in the calf and bottom of feet that we need to exercise]
(Yes, and bend the knees quite a bit, as you go up on the toes,
look up, and snap your arms up, while inhaling; Straighten
the knees without locking them, as you go down from the toes,
look down, and snap your arms back behind you, while exhaling.)
End up with arms back, turn palms to face floor
(Turn the palms down with a slight snapping motion)
Stand straight and bring hands forward to side of body
(as you exhale)
The Chacmools said the following while teaching the Butterfly:
A key is to give the body the time to hook into the intent
Allow the body to work on the movement without allowing your
expectations to surface.
We are going to hook into intent by becoming more and more precise
When doing the movements where you need to stop quickly,
jerk to a stop. This will bring out the tensegrity from the
center of the body.
3. Pushing the Right Body to the Left, and the Left Body to the Right
[Carlos told a story to the Chacmools about how we think the
right side of the body is so dexterious and can do anything,
and the left side just drags along after it. This movement
is designed to balance the two sides]
Leg movements:
(Keep the leg that slides forward fairly straight)
- now back to horse stance
Arm Movements:
You can bring it up just an inch or two before snapping it
straight down, keep hands in thumbs pulled in position.
- at the same time, bring up left hand with a jerk, with palm pointed
forward and vertical to the ground. the left forearm ends up
parallel to the ground [it's like a reverse chop, coming up
instead of down].
(I saw this pushing movement done two ways. One way the hand
is parallel to the ground, and the other way it is perpendicular.
Looks like we have a question here.)
as the left hand moves down [this movement is not supposed to be
a chop, but more as a very fast push], the right hand moves back
down to the right side, in a slicing motion
[the pushing hand should be largely horizontal, although it will
describe an arc downwards as it approaches the center
of the body-don't bring the hand past center.
the other hand motion will be strictly vertical downward]
Coordinating Upper and Lower Body Movements
Now do the whole maneuver with the opposite side
The idea is to alternate, first one side then the other,
pausing for only a second or two between. When you become
proficient in the movement, you can do it faster and faster,
as long as you can maintain control and awareness at all times.
(Do this exercise, and indeed, all of the exercises,
in multiples of three, i.e. do 3, or 6, or 9, or 12 repetitions)
4. Realigning the Left and Right Body
Horse stance, then weight on right foot
Left leg straight with toes pointed
Lift left leg with foot and toes pointed straight out in front,
foot should be a foot off the ground
(six inches to a foot)
Jump up, pointing toes of right foot and stretching and straightening
right leg
(The right leg and foot kick out in approximately the same
position the left leg was in, the right toe reaching it's
forwardmost position as you land flat on the left foot.)
Land on left foot, bringing in right foot, putting both feet
on ground, now back in horse stance
At the same time as you are landing on the left foot, raise
the left arm;
(The arm begins to jerk up as you land on the left foot,
and completes it's upward motion about the time your right
foot lands.)
the upper arm is parallel to the floor, the forearm is
vertical to the floor, the palm of the hand faces the midline,
and the index and 3rd fingers make a V, with the other fingers folded
The thumb holds the 4th and 5th fingers, like a boy scout salute.
(I do not think the upper arm is parallel to the floor,
as that would make the frame too high. The upper arm angles
downward slightly and slightly out in front of the body,
so that the V of the fingers is just slightly above the
level of the top of the head, and just an inch or so in
front of the body.)
Now raise the right leg, putting all the weight on the left,
and place the right lower leg across the left knee.
(Another way to say this is that the right ankle goes
right above the left knee, as men often sit in a chair.)
At the same time as you move the right leg, raise the right
arm over the head and place the index and 3rd fingers of the right
hand in the V of the left hand, and the right hand will face forward
You are making a frame with the arms; look through under your right arm
Hold this balancing position for a count of 6.
(Many find it easier to balance if they bend the left
knee some. It was also recommended to pick a point
out in front of you to stare at to help you balance.
Personally, I find the only way to balance well is to
be as internally silent as possible, and feel as if
your left foot is rooted to the floor.)
Relax back to beginning stance.
Do 2 more times on left; then do 3 times on right side
Gaze is straight ahead during this pass
5. The First Movement of the Male and Female Winged Fighter
(I got the title as: Male and Female Winged Fighters, plural)
[This pass pertains to the Death Defier]
Horse stance.
Inhale, bringing arms forward, hands up; bring arms out full
length in front with palms vertical, thumbs up, about 6 inches apart,
and bring them into the body at the middle of the body between the
umbilicus and the ribcage [pancreas, liver area]. Really push the balls
of the hands into your stomach Do this 3 times
Now the third time, make a big effort to exhale completely
[the chacmools made a big point to try and get rid of as much
of that stale air in our lungs as we can]
(Exhale as completely as possible on all three breaths,
but make an extra effort on the last one to get it all out.)
Really push the hands in on this last breath, and actually
bend over a little, crunching your stomach
Next, while holding the hands in tightly to the body,
(in the same hand position you ended up in on the breaths)
put weight on right foot
Now, slide left foot into right, turn it inward, and pull
it up along the right
lower leg to the knee level; now bring it out and back down
to the ground
making a circle [think of it as making a scooping motion].
the whole time the left foot is facing forward
The left foot should turn inward so that the instep slides
up the right leg
(At one point, the bottom of the foot may be facing the
right leg. Keep the toes pointing straight forward,
don't let them angle upwards or downwards.)
Make 3 of these circles.
Now do 3 scoops with the left foot without stopping
(In other words, don't return your left foot to the
ground until the end of the third scoop. Yes, this
requires lots of balance.)
Continue to hold hands in position
Next without stopping, do 3 continuous scoops with the right foot
Finish up with 3 single scoops with the right foot
Back to horse stance with hands down at sides
Breathe normally during the scooping movements
(We were shown several further fragments of this movement,
but it never came together as a whole, to my disappointment.
Now they say they are going to complete it in Scottsdale.)
6. To Wake up the Antsy Feelings
(I got the title as: To Wake Up That Antsy Feeling)
Part 1.
Horse stance.
Hands out in front of body, palms up, elbows bent
Clench fingers in scrabbling or scratching motion 20 times
(Tense and wiggle your fingers frenetically.
I also saw the Chacmools sort of bouncing their hands
up and down while they did this)
Turn hands over, scrabble 20 times
(fingers facing the floor)
Bend knees halfway; Squat down further; Squat to floor.
(Still hold your scrabbling hands out in front of you
as you bend down to the floor in three motions, but do
not scrabble again until you hit the floor. You hit
the floor somewhat dramatically on THREE, and again
start scrabbling vigorously. Keep your butt down low,
and your feet flat on the floor.)
With hands on floor scrabble 20 times on floor [always 20 times]
Stand up and repeat palm up and then down scratchings but
this time only with 1st 3 fingers; 4th and 5th are curled into palm
Do 3-stage squat, scrabble on floor with 3 fingers
Grab outside of left lower leg with the 3 fingers of both
(left hand goes to left knee, right hand just above left)
hands [only use the 3 fingers from here on] ; left hand below right
Hands move up outside of left leg, squeezing and kneading the
outside of the leg
The left hand stops in the axilla [armpit] with the thumb
right in the `crotch' of the axilla squeezing an important tendon in
that spot. The right hand stops with the fingers on the back of the
shoulder near the top of the scapula.
The next part is tricky: the left hand, remember, is in the
axilla, and the right hand is above it on the shoulder;
the hands now move down, around the outside of the left breast,
the right hand following the left [still performing the
3-fingered massage].
When the hands get under the center of the left breast, they
will be crossed, with the right hand over the left
Now, bring the right hand ahead of the left so that the
right hand now leads in the progression around and up the inside
of the left breast,
(Another way to say this: bring the right hand *under* the left,
and go squeezing back around the right side of the left breast,
with the right hand leading the left until you get back to the
same position as before, with the right hand over the left
shoulder and the left hand in the axcilla.)
until you get over to the left axilla again
Here the left hand again grabs that tendon, and the right
hand goes up and over the right shoulder
Repeat part 1 from the 3-fingered scrabbling on the right
side, remembering to make sure the right hand is below the left
when you squeeze up the right leg, etc.
Part 2
Scrabble with 3 fingers, 20 times with palms up, 20 times with palms down;
3-part squat as above; Scrabble on ground 20 times;
Grab outsides of ankles with claws;
Squeeze up outside of legs to knees; go across knees to inside of knees;
Now down inside of knees to ankles, across top of ankles and
around to the backs of the ankles.
Squeeze up the backs of the legs, including the gluteus, as
high as you can go, up to the area of the adrenal glands.
Hands down. Take left hand and squeeze over top of right shoulder
(You fling your hand over your left shoulder, back as
far as you can, and squeeze repeatedly as you bring it
back over the shoulder, ending up squeezing the right breast.)
Do the same with right hand over left shoulder
(There is a another part, which has been left out here.
I will describe it. Actually, it was said there are
5 parts to this movement. The first part is nothing
but scrabbling with all five fingers. All remaining
parts use three fingers and include squeezing sequences.
The second part is from left knee to left armpit.
The third part is right knee to right armpit.
The fourth part is outside of ankles, etc.)
The fifth part is:
Then hands go to the inside of the knees;
Squeeze up the inside of the thighs;
squeeze the genitals, and
continue squeezing up to the navel;
and squeeze the navel real good.
That's the end of the pass.
Death Defier Pass: Pecking for a new Position of the Assemblage Point
Warmups for this pass: [must be done before doing the pass]
1st warmup:
(Go up on your toes as far as you can. Make sure
your toes are doing most of the work, rather than bouncing.)
2nd warmup:
(This seems to be most effective done slowly.
Your hands are held straight out at just below
shoulder height, and do not let them come up
higher than that. Use your stomach as much as
possible when raising your legs, and consciously
tense the stomach. You can even pause for a
little bit before lowering your leg to engage
the stomach to the maximum.)
3rd warmup:
(When Kylie lead these, she would call out the number of
jumps she wanted us to do, i.e. she would say ONE, and
we would jump once, switching to opposite foot forward;
or she would say TWO, and we would jump twice, ending
up with the same foot forward, etc. She mixed this up,
so as to keep the exercise from becoming robotic.
Bend the front knee some, while keeping the back leg
straight but without locking the knee. The thighs
and buttocks should be held tense when you land.
Keep your weight well centered between the two legs,
perhaps a bit more to the front leg, and jump lightly
and with agility.)
The Pass:
(Another way of describing the hand position:
Flatten the 3rd, 4th, and little fingers against the palms
as much as possible (it is actually only the last two
joints of these fingers which "flatten"). Then lay the
underside of the thumbs down on top of the sides of the
third fingers. Finally, flatten the undersides of the
index fingers against the sides of the thumbs, curving
the last part of the index fingers over the tips of
the thumbs (letting whatever is left of your index
fingers just hang out straight))
Jump up placing left foot out in front and right foot back,
toes pointed forward, feet shoulder width apart
(Just as in warmup exercise number three above)
Bring hands together at midchest height, about one foot in
front; palms are facing each other, hands vertical, index fingers
pointing at each other, about 6 inches apart;
Now make jabbing motions with hands towards each other 5 times;
these movements are quick and fast; the whole body should shake;
don't bring hands out to sides very far; they shouldn't move
horizontally more than 6 inches or so, and the fingers never touch
[because this part of the movement is repeated so many times,
I'm going to call it the 5-pecker].
(I do not do the "5-pecker" this way. I believe that it was
done this way, primarily when we were speeding through it
a lot of the time. But when we were originally shown the
motion, it was a lot like the mini-passes Carlos taught,
and contained a larger and more vigorous snapping motion.
I do it by cocking my wrist back, moving my hands back to
at least shoulder width apart with palms facing forward.
Then I snap my wrists, bringing my hands down, in, and
turning the tip of the index fingers in towards each
other simultaneously with a vigorous Tensegrity snap.
My fingers move more than a foot each time, and stop
with the tips three or four inches apart (the assemblage
point is about the size of a tennis ball). Either method
probably works. The more movement and the harder the
snap, the greater the jolt. I saw the Chacmools doing
it both ways. This could be another question.
Maybe this is why I sweat like a pig when I do this one.)
Bend over and do pecking 20 times behind the left knee.
(Bend the knees, but keep your feet facing forward and
flat on the floor. One hand on each side of your left
leg. Again, do the pecks with a vigorous snap of the
wrists each time, cocking them back enough to do this.)
Stand up and do the 5-pecker
Jump up and exchange feet position with right foot now out in front
Bend down and peck behind right knee 20 times
Stand up and do the 5-pecker
(After this 5-pecker, jump up and land with feet parallel
as in horse position. Then...)
Squat down and peck 20 times behind both knees
(Behind both knees at the same time, again, hands
coming up enough to be cocked so you can snap your
wrists hard on each peck)
Stand up, hands at sides at waist level [still maintaining
the pecking hand position]
Do five-pecker
Right hand now makes a large circle forward and up, coming
back to waist level; index finger pointed towards the left,
palm vertical
(I say the right hand does not come back to waist level,
you just extend it *as if* you might be about to make such
a circling motion, and as you do this you cock the left arm
back. At the full extension of the right arm, the left
arm strikes, while simultaneously the right index finger
shoots in to the place where the muscles of the chest
join the right arm.)
At the same time that the right hand is circling, the left
hand is cocked back at the left side of the waist,
(I tend to do this somewhat above the waist. I don't know.)
with elbow back, index finger facing front
Now, shoot the left arm out forward and up aiming for a
point in front of the body, at eye height, with the arm outstretched
[but do NOT lock elbow]; the left index finger points to the right
and the left palm faces to the right
(I say the left index finger faces the front on the strike,
and all the first pecks are to the front also, which have
been left out here.)
At the same time as the left hand shoots out and up, the
right hand which ended up back at the right side of the body
at waist level, shoots up to the left axilla with the index finger
buried in the tendon there
(I'm almost positive that is incorrect. It is much more
clumsy to do that, than to shoot it directly to the axcilla
from it's extended position.)
IMPORTANT: left out of the above is 10 pecks to the front,
at about chin level, right after the strike to the front.
Index finger faces forward, vigorous snapping motion,
engaging the arms, shoulders, and even the stomach if possible.
Do 5-pecker
Repeat the circling maneuver described above on the opposite
side, starting with the left arm; then the RIGHT arm will be thrust
out and the LEFT hand will shoot up to the right axilla
(Then do 10 pecks to the front with the right arm,
as described above.)
Do 5-pecker
Now do 3 large forward circles, beginning with the right arm
These circling motions should be performed with accompanying hip
and shoulder movements, so that when making the circle with the
right arm, the right shoulder, torso, and hips turn partway
to the left, and then back to the right when the left arm
comes forward.
At the end of the 3rd circle, the right arm is up and out,
with the right palm facing left and the right index finger
pointing to the left; the left is cocked at the left side
of the waist, elbow back, palm up, index finger pointing forward
(I would describe them as ovals more than circles,
and actually I would describe it like this:
lead up with the right, then as the right comes back,
the left comes forward, then the right comes forward
again as the left comes back and cocks. Right stays
extended while left is cocked.)
Now shoot the left arm up and out forward to a point at approximately
chin level, in the midline, with the left arm straight but
elbow not locked left palm faces right side, left index finger points
not straight ahead, not to the right, but at a point in between
[remember, index finger remains slightly bent, with the thumb
resting against it]
At the same time that the left arm shoots out, bring the
right hand across the body to the left shoulder and hook
the index finger into the large tendon in the axilla
(At the end they had us going higher with this strike,
up slightly above the head. In this one, your striking
hand moves kind of like a cork screw, turning from palm
up to palm down. The thrust is straight up, but because
your index finger hangs over it, it will point in some
toward the center.)
Make a little jab with the left index finger to the right,
then to the front do this ten times [first to the right then
to the front, for a total of 20]
(This is a bit more complex. The little jabs, again,
should engage the arms, shoulders, and even the stomach.
The jabs are at about chin level. The first one in
each pair (using the left hand) is in to the right,
while the second jab is to the front but also turned
very slightly up and very slightly back out toward the left.)
Do 5-pecker
Repeat this maneuver on the opposite side, beginning the
roll with the left arm
(The whole maneuver above is repeated, striking and
pecking this time with the right.)
Hands at sides at waist level
Make large roll with right hand, bringing hand up close to
chest then out above head about one foot in front of body;
index finger points to left side
(And Carlos even extended the left arm a bit behind him,
down at his side.)
As right hand starts its forward and down movement to
complete a circle [without pause], the left hand starts to come
up to make a circle identical to the right hand circle,
then end up with the right hand making another half-circle
and stopping at the top of its arc; left hand is down at waist.
when making these circles, lead with the shoulder using entire arm
(This was described as being like "pulling a string",
making 2 1/2 circles (one with the left arm and 1 1/2
with the right arm.)
With weight on right leg, quickly raise left knee, peck once
in front of knee, then behind knee very rapidly
(The final version of this wound up being the way Carlos
originally did it, which is different from the above.
With weight on right leg, quickly raise left knee, peck
once in front of knee, then lower left foot to the floor.
Quickly raise left knee again, peck once behind the knee,
then lower foot to the floor again. Repeat this whole
sequence with the right leg.)
Repeat on right side.
(I got something different here. You peck three times,
at the abdominal/solar plexus level, with each peck
moving slightly closer in toward the body, that is,
the first peck has arms extended further in front,
than the subsequent two pecks, which come gradually closer.)
Then immediately peck once behind body
(At about waist level. So this is a series of four pecks.
Three in front and one in back.)
Now throw the left arm forward with a jerk and extend it
forward, index finger pointing down; immediately do the same
with the right arm
(This is like a swinging overhand peck. The hands come
from behind you completely up and over the head in a wide
circular motion with arm completely extended, to slam down
in a peck at waist level, with index finger pointing down.)
arms should be straight out in front; do 3 times with each arm.
(Here is another subtlety. This time, the first six pecks
to in pairs, and each pair also gets progressively closer to
the body but only slightly so, so that by the last pair of
pecks, the arms are slightly bent in front. Again, make
sure each of these pecks, includes a wide overhand swinging
motion, that goes clear around behind you, and up over your
head before striking.)
The 7th time, throw the left arm out at a 45 degree angle to the left,
and then the right arm 45 degrees to the left, index fingers
still pointed down
(Yes, on the last pair of pecks (peck 7 and peck 8), swing your
arms in their full extension again, and this time strike much
further out from your sides, but still with full extension to
the front.)
Now make two and a half large double rolls to the front with
the hands, starting at waist level and coming up close to the
body, then up and out
stoop shoulders as you do these rolls; end with hands up above
head and slightly forward
(These rolls get progressively higher. The first one is
the largest and the lowest (waist to shoulders), the second
one from about solar plexus to top of head, and the last
half a roll from about the chin to 6 inches above the head.
While you do these rolls, the tips of your index fingers
face each other, 4 to 6 inches apart. After the last
half roll, hunch your shoulders, and lean slightly forward,
and tense your muscles.)
Now let the assemblage point roll down your back to the
floor, still with stooped back [rabbit back]
(Intend it to drop to the level of the floor.
They actually wiggle a little bit here, as if trying
to coax it to slide down.)
Next, bend over quickly and pick up AP with two index
fingers [jab at it with the two index fingers index fingers
pointed at each other about 1 inch apart
(I would say about 2-3 inches apart, again the AP is
about the size of a tennis ball. This is a dramatic
plunging strike, to pick up the assemblage point, right
between your feet in front of you. Carlos would say: ZOSS!)
Rise up bringing the AP up and place it into the umbilical
area [the place of the cohesive force that holds us together].
(As you rise up, maintain a tension in your arms and stomach
to the point that your arms shake, as if it requires much
effort to raise the AP.)
Shove it in
(This is fairly lengthy here. You use your index fingers
to screw the AP into your umbilical region, vigorously
massaging the organs in that area, while actually groaning
audibly regarding how good that feels, and at the end
of this process, making sure to exhale very thoroughly.)
Now bring hands forward at waist level, all fingers
extended, hands are bent backwards at right angle, fingers up,
palms facing forwards, arms stretched out forward
Bring hands down facing floor, while inhaling
(This whole movement is done with an inhalation,
since you just finished a long exhalation while
screwing in the AP. Start with hands at waist level,
and rotate them in a circle, with palms always out
away from you, moving first up towards the chin,
then around in front with arms extended, then
back around and turn palms down towards the floor,
while elbows extend clear behind you. Hands stop
just under the breast. Inhale deeply throughout
and expand the chest in the final position.)
Stop inhaling, place hands on stomach just beneath rib cage,
fingers facing each other, exhale
(Make sure to place hands on stomach *before* beginning
this last very thorough exhalation.)
Filling the Gourd
Bend left arm, bring left hand up to front of right
shoulder, palm up, arm is relaxed, inhale
Right arm is loosely held stretched out in front, palm up;
arm is relaxed and elbow slightly bent
(Both arms start at the sides, and come up to the positions
above simultaneously in a very elegant, relaxed motion.)
Exhale while passing left hand [with palm up] down over top
of right arm, barely brushing the right arm; bring left hand out
to a point approximately 1 foot beyond the tips of the outstretched
right fingers
(In order to do this, you will have to draw back the right
elbow a little bit.)
Now turn the left hand over so the palm is down and inhale
while bringing the left hand back along the top of the right arm
barely brushing it, to the shoulder
(Reextending the right arm a little bit in the process.)
Curl the left hand into the left shoulder and throw the left
arm out to the front, using the whole arm including the shoulder,
so that the shoulder comes forward; the motion ends with the
left palm up, and the arm not tensed
It is kind of like an unfurling or coiling and uncoiling
of the arm, with arm ending up extended in front of you
with shoulder rounded, and again, it is a relaxed, gentle,
elegant movement. It is as if you are making a grand
gesture and offering or presenting something to someone,
like: "Voila!"
At the same time that the left arm starts its curling
motion, the right hand begins to curl in to the right shoulder,
is brought up and out in the same manner as the left, using the
entire right arm and shoulder; so at the completion of this motion,
the two hands are out in front, in an almost supplicating position
The right hand mimics the left and follows just behind it
in terms of the sequence of motions.
But this is not the end of the pass. Part of it is missing.
The rest is:
After exhaling very completely with arms extended, draw
arms in, with palms up, hands ending up just under the
breasts near your sides, in front of the body,
so that elbows extend behind you, and inhale,
expanding the chest, while doing this.
Finally, turn your palms over, facing the floor,
and exhale as you slowly push your hands down
until the arms are fully extended at your sides.
Right here comes the moment of exquisite silence.))
NOTE: This whole first part of the pass (above) is not
part of the pass itself. It is a *preliminary* pass,
and it is always to be done right before Filling the Gourd,
But it has no name. My personal comment is that this pass
brings very pronounced internal silence right at the end.
Filling the Gourd follows:
Now, take a step to the left
A pronounced step, lifting the knee significantly.
With weight on right leg, which is slightly bent, point left
toe with left leg lifted slightly off the ground, left leg straight
Tap left toe five times, then tap left heel five times then
while standing on left heel, jump up, landing on right heel,
then both feet flat on floor
You tap vigorously with the left toe, then bring the foot
in toward you a little bit to stomp vigorously with the
heel. There is a peculiar rhythm which is difficult to
describe to this sequence, and the end is tricky. It goes:
BOMP BOMP BOMP BOMP BOMP....BOMP*****BA DOMP!
LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT*****LEFT RIGHT
Now place hands at sides of waist, fingers pointing down,
palms against body, elbows out to sides, hold body tight
[brace position]
(Palms sort of cupping hip bones)
Make a quick slight turn to the left with trunk and head
Place hands in gourd position [hands parallel to floor
above waist and ribs, fingers pointing towards each other
but not touching] (below ribs)
(Kylie showed me to do this by making a quick circular
movement across the lower abdomen with the hands before sliding
them quickly into the position described, on the sides
of the stomach, with fingers pointing toward navel.
This is like the "open position" from which you can open the
gourd, while the hands on hips position is the "closed position".)
Open left gourd by sliding left hand back several inches to
the left side of the body, bringing left elbow out
Elbow comes out behind you. Hand comes slightly behind
you, keep hand in thumbs pulled in position.
Now scan the horizon on the left, starting way to the left,
and bringing the left arm and hand out and back on the left
and around in a circle to the front, still with the trunk
of the body turned slightly to the left
[the scanning arm is parallel to the ground and the scan is done
at eye level]
The left hand is then brought back to the open gourd
position, and then is closed by moving it forward again
toward the front of the body
Back into its original position on the stomach.
Now, still facing the left, open the right side of the gourd
with the right hand, and scan with the right hand, first behind
to the right and then moving the right hand in a circle
(No, this does not go to the right, be careful to move
it only toward the left-center and the left, as it scoops
around, scanning far to the left, before sweeping back
around behind you and back into the gourd.)
to the front and slightly to the left, eyes following hand;
then bring right hand back to open gourd position and
then closed position [during the scans the hands are palm down]
Turn body to face front; now repeat scans with left, and
then right arm, remembering to open gourd first and then close it
This time you scan or "scoop" (it's a scoop with flat palms),
to the center section, making ovals to the left-center and
the right-center at eye level.
Take step to right
With weight on left leg, point right toe and tap toe on
ground 5 times.
then tap right heel 5 times, jump up and land on left heel,
then feet flat on floor
Place hands in brace position
Quick turn to the right; look, see that there is nothing there
Turn and walk away
Look fiercely to the right, then after a moment, turn
and walk away to the left, as if there was nothing there
to the right. Of course, walk with toes turned in.
The Sorcerers' Search
Stand in basic stance, hold arms out in front, elbows bent
and down, palms up, arms relaxed
With a quick motion, bring arms down and behind you curling
palms and fingers simian fashion, placing curled hands as high up
as you can reach on your back in the area of the kidneys/adrenals
Kind of make a swinging motion like a rocking chair.
Another way to describe the final hand position would be
to say they are like a praying mantis' hands. You place
the back of your wrists on your back about mid-way up,
and press in, but not too hard.
Now make 2 1/2 circles with the eyes counter-clockwise to the left,
starting at eye level, and ending up at a point 90 degrees to the left
these circles should be about 2-3 feet in diameter [don't use
your head so much as your eyes]
It is normal for your head to move as your eyes do though.
The Chacmools moved their heads in circles. These first
circles are done looking out into space toward the horizon,
and so it is somewhat misleading to say they are 2-3 feet
in diameter for that reason. The gaze should be in space,
somewhere between the level of the eyes and the knees.
(A part of the pass has been left out here. It is:
Scan the horizon all the way to the left, all the way
around behind you, slowly. Then scan the horizon all
the way back around clear to the right, all the way
back around behind you to the right. Then scan the
horizon back to the center. All scans done at eye level.)
Now bring eyes to center; look straight down at the floor
Now make 3 1/2 circles to the left, at floor level,
ending up way behind you to your left,
approximately 120 degrees from straight in front
(Yes, these circles are done ON the plane of the floor,
extending to the limits of the floor you can see in front
of you. When you make the final half a circle I got the
impression it was good to let your eyes go on back to
a corner of the room behind you and to the left.)
Bring your eyes in a straight line from behind you on
your left to a spot between your feet [so it will be a
diagonal line from that spot at your left to a spot
between your feet
(Yes, draw a diagonal line from that corner to just
in front of you, I got the impression it was more out
in front of you than right between your feet)
Look up to the zenith [arch your back], now over to the left
horizon, then move your eyes diagonally to a point slightly
lower from the zenith directly in front of you
Move eyes to the left again, and again back on a slight
diagonal to directly in front, a few degrees lower
Repeat this maneuver a third time, ending up with eyes
looking straight ahead about 20 degrees above the horizon
(This is like a zigzag, going from higher to lower both
on the side and in front of you, almost like you are a
kid drawing a Christmas tree.)
Bring eyes down to about the level of the genitals
Now make a large half ellipse, clockwise to the left,
returning eyes back to the center at about eye level
(Getting all of the floor, wall and ceiling just to
your left, at least, that's my impression...)
Repeat the entire sequence on the right side; however, all
scans will be clockwise except the final semi-ellipse which is
counter clockwise
Bring arms out and back, then out to the sides, elbows out,
while inhaling;
Hold the air in while bringing hands in to body and placing
them in the closed gourd position;
Hold this and exhale.
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