Slightly blissed-out

[jay]

I'm still wearing little stick-on pink and purple hearts across my chest, a child's gift. And I like her color choices.

Today got off to a good start with a visit to a chiropractor -- my back is much better. A little bit of NASA work, then off to San Leandro for a late lunch with dawnd and who_is_she, visiting from Seattle. Convertible top down, roaring up I-880 going 85 in the sunshine... warm wind caresses. Then arriving and meeting who_is_she in person for the first time (actually, we'd crossed paths briefly at a PPP but didn't know each other then).

We walked to lunch, about a mile each way, going to a local sushi bar. Conversation flowed easily and we were the last to leave the restaurant. After returning and helping with a homework project, I was introduced to tantric breathing... starting with lots of eye contact, hands apart. Then light touch, progressing to hands-on-chests, then synchronized breathing. All with careful checking-in, and fully clothed. Shivers at times... a feeling that I could almost see into the other person... flushed at first, then tingly. A trancelike state, tunneled down to the other's face and eyes... intense. But relaxed. Afterward we hugged hard... then I spent the next 45 minutes or so being giggly, in some kind of mildly-altered state.

*Something* happened... it wasn't what I was expecting. But I was happy and a bit blissed-out. I don't know how other people manage to go to workshops and such where they do these exercises with 30 people... seems like my brain would short-circuit after about three!

Comments

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

I don't know how other people manage to go to workshops and such where they do these exercises with 30 people... seems like my brain would short-circuit after about three!


Some people CAN'T handle those workshops. purplerabbit complains that she can't shift focus that rapidly. OTOH, most of these workshops start off very slowly, involve very short stations (that's what it's called when you work with one person at a time in a puja circle), and ramp up gradually (sometimes all you do is breathe together not touching at all; sometimes you touch only hands, that sort of thing). And it's usually acceptable to sit outside of the circle, if you want to go deeper with ONE person rather than experiencing a variety of connections with many people. That's what Akien and I did the first time we tried it.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

I tried it today with an existing partner (Nancy)... there was some more awkwardness, because it was a new way of relating in an established relationship ("what are we doing?"). And breath synchronization kept flipping -- I guess that she and I are used to unconsciously breathing in-and-out in-phase, rather than opposite-phase. Time to explore some training courses, I think.

In workshops, if the stations are short then that seems more manageable. Going deeper with lots of people would still seem hard.

That's what Akien and I did the first time we tried it.

How long have you practiced it?

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Yes, alternate breathing is tricky. I'm not always able to keep that right. Breathing in sync is also good, in a different way, BTW. It's not that one is right and the other wrong. They're just different, and have different results. I often will START with in-sync breathing, and then switch to opposite. But you have to warn your partner, otherwise they'll probably try to switch with you.

Akien and I have done formal tantra stuff for, umm.... about 3 years? We took an intro class suggested by lunatravels some years back. Can't remember exactly when that was. And the big 4 day workshop that we took from COL was, I think, 2 years ago over Labor Day weekend. Seems longer than that, but I'm pretty sure it was the fall AFTER my first weekend with Jon, and my e-mail says that was only April 2001.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

you have to warn your partner, otherwise they'll probably try to switch with you
I think that I could have communicated better... Nancy was a bit surprised, and my explanations about breathing weren't specific.

How do the end results differ?

A 4-day COL workshop... Victoria must've been available to watch Allegra :-). I get the COL flyers and have been tempted to sign up there, but I don't think patgreene would go (because of the clothing-optional issue -- you gave me a different link to someone that does fully-clothed workshops).

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Victoria must've been available to watch Allegra.

Watch those assumptions, Brian! As it happens, it wasn't V. It was our long-lamented babysitter, Debbie (she went to college and we haven't seen her since--*whine*).

Another assumption to check: Not all the COL events are clothing optional. Call them up and ask them specifics.

IIRC, the difference between synchronous and opposite breathing has to do (broadly) with building energy vs. creating connection. (I THINK that's the right direction, but I'm not certain, so if you learn differently in a workshop, they're right.)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

(blush) you're right, and I'd forgotten about Debbie.

I thought that the COL dance events were clothed, but didn't realize that they did likewise in their tantra workshops. The potential depth that one can reach with someone... hmm. I'd think that if much deep work was going on, clothes might be useful in boundary-maintenance, and maintaining a "safe" atmosphere. And avoiding possible embarrassment, among males ;-).

building energy vs. creating connection
That would correlate well with my two experiences this week, actually ;^).