flexagon | Partner yoga workshop (Reply)

Today was an exciting day because I got to go to Home Depot (squee!) with

bluechromis (yay!) and then in the afternoon I went to a 3-hour partner yoga workshop. (We discussed the Home Depot squee-ing, briefly, and I for one am jaded about being jaded. From now on I'm going to consider the good, exciting little things exciting, and I'm not even going to take crap for it. Despite how I behaved for years and years, there are NOT gold stars handed out to those who can damp positive emotions the fastest. Those people only get stupid green stars... fuck that.)

Pre-workshop I taught

bluechromis to base me a little bit, and she was such a good stable base that we did birdcage as well as the easier two positions whose names I don't know -- we also got damn close to my doing bow pose on her feet, but my weight kept coming forward and we didn't quite get it. Anyway, it was wonderful to fly, because I wasn't sure my partner in the yoga workshop was going to be able to base me. And there is something nice about flying. Sure you might get dropped sometimes, but when you don't you feel very supported and cared for.

Turns out that it was good we did that -- despite the picture of A basing C in an airplane pose on the posters for the workshop, there was no flying involved (!). Instead it was all partner stretching/massage work. I was disappointed only momentarily, because my partner might not have been able to base me and she was the only person in the room with training in Thai massage... I quickly realized this was going to be a fine change of plans. I did base her in secretary before class started, though, which got everyone's attention and satisfied my base cravings.*

Here are the things we did that were new to me and I don't want to forget:
- 3 stage PNF stretching of the hamstrings (giver in a lunge at first; can also step on the opposite thigh to keep it from lifting), followed by bending the knee out to the side, holding the foot with both hands (or one hand per foot) and "walking" with the heels on the hamstring. This was ace -- I'm going to demand that

heisenbug do it to me often.
- In pigeon, lunge sideways across the back leg; hold down the inner thigh with the hand that's nearer the head, then work the piriformis with the heel of the other hand.
- In half-hero, hold down the knee while the person tries to raise it. Press up and down the quad while they continue to use it to resist (really hurts). Afterward, circle the hip out, then kneel around the foot and "nutcracker" the quad to massage it, then lean back and use fingertips to work into the calf (go easy here).
- In savasana, press forearms; then, each hand, turn hand around and use your whole hand to flatten their hand against the floor. Finish with a hard thumb press in the middle of the palm.
- In savasana, pull an arm up (off the ground) and down (toward the opposite hip). Use right hand for their right hand. With the other hand, reach under and yank the shoulder blade down.

I'm not really sure if I worked out or not, but at the moment I don't mind. So relaxed. Hmmmmmmmm ... {{melts}}

*sorry, couldn't resist.

heisenbug's plane is late but that's not enough to ruin the day at this point.