Patricia Workshop: Day 1

We gathered this evening at 5:00pm and played till 8:00pm.

I am so happy that Patricia is in town.  Her work is brilliant and spacious.

First we layed on our backs and did Brahmari.

Making a Bee Sound and then closing our ears off.

So delightful.

Then we learned and practiced chanting the Mrityunajaya Mantra.

OM triyambakam yajāmahe sugandhim pushTivardhanam,
urvārukamiva bandhanān mrrityormokshiya māmrritāt.

Translation:

We worship Shiva - The Three-Eyed (tryambakam) Lord (yajamahe);
Who is fragrant (sugandhim) and nourishes (pushti) and grows (vardhanam) all beings.
As the ripened cucumber (urvarukamiva) is automatically liberated (bandhanaan) (by the intervention of the "farmer") from its bondage to the creeper when it fully ripens;
May He liberate us (mokshiya) from death (mrityor), for the sake of immortality (maamritaat).
We pray to Lord Shiva whose eyes are the Sun, Moon and Fire
May He protect us from all disease, poverty and fear
And bless us with prosperity, longevity and good health.

Then we layed back on our backs and played with a hissing breath, moving into easy revolving belly pose with knees bent.  Playing with a block and without a block.

Then we played with straps.

First strapping our big toes tightly together and playing with stretching the other toes apart.

Then Strapping our ankles about 5 to 6 inches apart and pressing into the strap.

Then we played with squeezing a brick between our thighs.

Then we did both the strap and the brick.

During all this we played a lot of with the toes.  The weird one was curling the toes in like monkey feet.

So much fun.  Such different and unique currents of energy were available.

Then we stood up.

We continued to play with the strap around the ankle and the brick between our thighs as we played with different toe exercises.  Lifting and spreading and curling and rounding and balancing up onto the balls and back down.  

We removed the strap and brick.

We stretched the tops of our feet.

Then we broke into partners and created space in each others ankles

Then we had a choice to sit in virasana or take a pigeon or forward fold

(at some point we bee hummed again and played with listening.  this was awesome)

Then we strapped our selves back in and played with navasana with the strap and our block

Then we played with bridge pose with the block and a strap around the thighs

Then a supported restorative with a long blanket under the spine and legs in loose baddha konasana.

Savasana

Sit