The aim of this elucidation has been to present what don Juan Matus called the five concerns of the sorcerers of ancient Mexico. He presented to his disciples these five concerns: the magical passes, the center for decisions, the Recapitulation, dreaming, and inner silence, in the order in which I have explained them. He said that this sequence was an arrangement made by those ancient sorcerers, patterning themselves on the understanding that they had of the world around them.
Don Juan explained that one of the astounding findings of those sorcerers was the existence of an agglutinating force that binds energy fields together into concrete, functional units. He said that those sorcerers described this force as a vibration, or a vibratory condition that permeated groups of energy fields and glued them together by saturating them. He stated that the magical passes fulfilled the function of this vibratory condition, and he aimed to saturate his disciples with them, following the same pattern used by the sorcerers of ancient times.
Don Juan said that when those sorcerers put together this shamanistic group of five concerns, they copied the patterning of energy that was revealed to them when they were capable of seeing energy as it flows in the universe. The binding force was the magical passes, and the magical passes were what permeated through the four remaining units and grouped them together into a functional unit: five energy fields glued together by one of them.
In the times of the sorcerers of ancient Mexico, the same magical passes, which were taught only to shaman initiates and which saturated the other four units, are the same as the magical passes of Tensegrity. In a modern setting, these magical passes of Tensegrity can be used by anyone and still agglutinate those four energy fields into a concrete and functional unit. The group of magical passes that fulfill the function of agglutinating the other four units has been called The Westwood Series.
The Westwood Series is divided into four sections. The first section, and the most important, comprises magical passes that expedite decision-making. The second in order of importance is the one related to the Recapitulation. The third is related to dreaming, and the fourth is constituted of magical passes directly connected to the preparation for inner silence.
The Westwood Series will be emphasized in all the workshops given in the present year, here in the United States and abroad.
Magical Passes for Reinforcing the Decision-Making System
The goal of this group of magical passes is to activate the hollow spot in the form of a “V” at the base of the neck on the crest of the sternum with a special kind of energy, which shamans of ancient Mexico believed accounts for decision-making.
1. Bringing Energy to the “V” Spot with a Back and Forth Motion of the Arms
In this magical pass, the arms shoot out to the front at a forty-five-degree angle with an exhalation. Then they are retrieved with an inhalation, with the shoulders raised high, in order to maintain the same degree of inclination. In the second facet of this movement, the arms are extended downward with an inhalation and pulled back with an exhalation.
2. Bringing Energy to the “V” Spot with a Circular Motion of the Arms
Energy is brought to the center of decision by two circles drawn with the hands and arms, which are kept at the same forty-five-degree inclination. Full circles are drawn by moving the hands outward laterally, and the movements consist of two facets. In the first, air is exhaled as the circles are drawn, and air is inhaled as the arms retrieve backwards. In the second facet, air is inhaled as the hands and arms draw the circles and exhaled as the arms retrieve.
3. Bringing Energy to the Decision-Making Center with a Back and Forth Motion with the Palms Turned Upwards
This movement is like the first one, and it is executed in exactly the same fashion, except that it is done with the palms of the hands turned upwards. The inhalations and exhalations are also exactly as in the first movement: air is exhaled as the hands and arms move forward at a forty-five-degree level of inclination, and it is inhaled as the arms move backwards. Then air is inhaled as the hands and arms move downward and exhaled as the hands and arms retrieve.
4. Bringing Energy to the Decision-Making Center in a Circular Motion of the Arms with the Palms Turned Upwards
Again, this magical pass is exactly like the second, with the same two facets of inhalation and exhalation, but the two circles are drawn by the hands and arms with the palms of the hands turned upward. In the first facet, air is exhaled as the hands and arms move, and inhaled as the arms retrieve. In the second facet, air is inhaled as the hands and arms move, and exhaled as the arms move back towards the shoulders.
5. Bringing Energy to the “V” Spot from the Midsection of the Body
In this magical pass, the arms are bent at the elbows and kept high on the same line as the shoulders. The hands are held in a fist without touching. The fists are turned slightly upwards to get better leverage for the arms, which move in a teeter-totter fashion from right to left and left to right. The motion is not accomplished by moving the shoulders but by moving the midsection to the right and to the left and the right again, and so on, in order to stir up the energy that will go into the center of decisions for a count of twenty times.
6. Bringing Energy to the “V” Spot from the Area of the Shoulder Blades
The arms are bent, as in the previous movement, and they are heavily drawn towards the front. The right fist crosses over the left one. The bent elbows are pushed forward, extending the shoulder blades, one at a time, to the maximum. Energy is purported to be stirred at that level and transferred to the base of the neck at the front of the body.
7. Stirring Energy Around the “V” Spot with a Bent Wrist
Energy is stirred around the “V” spot with a gentle movement of each hand. Then it is projected out with a series of forceful blows delivered by the extended arms, one at a time, with the hands bent inward at the wrist.
8. Transferring Energy from the Solar Plexus to the “V” Spot
Energy is stirred twice around the solar plexus area with a circular motion of each hand with the palm turned upwards, and it is projected out with the other arm, the hand striking edgewise.
9. Bringing Energy to the “V” Spot from the Knees
This pass consists of a series of singular movements, the first of which stirs energy around the center of decisions by striking it as if holding a whip that lashes at it with each hand. The whip moves twice around the head before it strikes out. Then, a deep inhalation is taken, and an exhalation follows by sliding the hands and arms downward until they hit the top of the knees. A deep inhalation is taken there, and the arms are raised with the left arm in the lead; they go over the head to the back of the neck. The breath is held as the top of the trunk moves three times from right to left and left to right. The air is then exhaled as the arms and hands move back downward to the top of the knees. A deep inhalation is taken, and then the air is exhaled as the arms are crossed at the wrists and raised to the level of the “V” spot. The left arm is closer to the body. This inhalation and exhalation is repeated two more times. The sorcerers who discovered this pass used the exhalations to ensure this transfer of energy.
The next group of three magical passes purports to transfer energy, which belongs only to the center of decisions, from the frontal edge of the luminous sphere, where it has been accumulated over the years, to the back, and then from the back of the luminous sphere to the front. This transferred energy is believed to go through the “V” spot, which acts as a filter, utilizing only the energy that is proper to it and discarding the rest. It is of interest to note here that, because of this selective process of the “V” spot, it is essential to perform this series of passes as many times as possible.
10. Energy Going through the “V” Spot from the Front to the Back and from the Back to the Front with Two Blows
This magical pass begins with a deep inhalation; then the air is exhaled slowly as the left arm strikes out at the level of the solar plexus with the palm of the hand turned upward. Energy is grabbed there with a quick clasp of the hand. The hand moves back as if to strike with a backhand blow. The exhalation ends as the hand opens, releasing the clasped energy. A deep inhalation is taken. The energy is tapped ten times with the palm of the open hand as the exhalation slowly begins. Then the energy is clasped before the arm moves to the front and ends up in front of the “V” spot in a punch-like movement. The hand opens, releasing the energy. The arm moves backward and then over the head and strikes the energy with the palm as if the energy were a bubble that breaks with the force of the blow, right in front of the decision-making center; the exhalation ends there. The same movement is repeated with the right arm.
11. Transferring Energy from the Front to the Back and from the Back to the Front with a Hook of the Arm
This magical pass also begins with a deep inhalation. Then the air is slowly exhaled as the left arm moves forward with the palm of the hand turned upward. Energy is quickly grasped. The hand, now in a fist, rotates until the back of the hand is upward and strikes over the shoulder to the back. The hand opens to release the trapped energy and the exhalation ends. A deep inhalation is taken. Then, a slow exhalation begins as the hand, bent downward, scoops the energy three times, as if to roll it into a ball. The ball is tossed upward and quickly grabbed with the hand bent at the wrist like a hook. The arm moves to the front to the right shoulder and strikes forward as if holding the ball of energy on the bent wrist, between the hand and the forearm. The hand then opens to release the trapped ball of energy, and the arm moves back and over the head and strikes it with the palm, with great force, in order to break the ball of energy right in front of the decision-making center. The exhalation ends as the whole body shakes with the force of the strike. The same movement is repeated with the other arm.
12. Transferring Energy from the Front to the Back and the Back to the Front with Three Blows
This magical pass also begins with a deep inhalation. A slow exhalation follows as the left arm strikes forward with the open hand, palm turned upwards. Energy is quickly clasped, and the arm retrieves as if to deliver an elbow blow to the back. Then it moves laterally to the right and delivers a side punch. The arm is moved to the left side and to the back, delivering the third blow as if with the back of the hand. The exhalation ends as the hand opens and releases the trapped energy. A deep inhalation is taken. A slow exhalation follows as the hand with a bent wrist scoops the energy three times. This energy is grabbed with a blow-like grasp. The arm moves to the front at the level of the decision-making center in a swing-like punch. It draws a half-circle in front of the body and moves back to come over the shoulder and deliver a back-fist blow right at the level of the center for decisions. The exhalation ends as the left hand moves to the back over the shoulders and the head to strike the released energy with an open palm. Repeat the same movement with the other arm.
Magical Passes for Aiding the Recapitulation
The recapitulation is intimately related to breathing. Sorcerers affirm that breath, being a magical, life-sustaining function, also helps to expedite the Recapitulation. The core of the magical passes that aid the recapitulation is breath. The recapitulation also affects the energy body because it calls all the forces available. The energy body is essential for the recapitulation.
1. Forging the Trunk of the Energy Body
The trunk of the energy body is forged with three strikes delivered with the palms of the hands. The first strike defines the shoulders of the energy body. The hands are held at the level of the ears with the palms facing outward, and from that position, they strike forward at the level of the shoulders, as if they were striking the shoulders of a well-developed body. The hands then move back to their original position around the ears, with the palms facing outward, and strike the mid-trunk of that imaginary body at the level of the chest. The second strike is not as wide as the first one, and the third strike is much narrower because it purports to strike the waistline of a triangular-shaped trunk.
2. Slapping the Energy Body
This magical pass is purported to define the arms and forearms, especially the hands, of the energy body. The left and the right hands come down from above the head. The palm of each hand bears down, creating a current of energy that defines each arm, forearm, and hand of the energy body. The left arm hits across the body to strike the left arm of the energy body, and then the right arm does the same: It hits across the body to strike the right arm of the energy body.
3. Spreading the Energy Body Laterally
This magical pass delineates the width of the energy body as a conglomerate of energy fields. The shamans that lived in Mexico in ancient times asserted that the energy body in its natural form was a bit looser than the physical body “seen” as a luminous sphere, or a conglomerate of energy fields. While the physical body as a luminous sphere has super-defined boundaries, the energy body lacks that consistency. “Spreading the Energy Body Laterally” is purported to give it defined boundaries.
4. Establishing the Core of the Energy Body
The sorcerers of don Juan’s lineage maintained that the human body, “seen” as a conglomerate of energy fields, not only has super-defined boundaries but a core of compact luminosity, which is known by sorcerers as “the band of man,” or the energy fields with which man is most familiar. The idea was that within the luminous sphere, which is also the totality of man, there are areas of energy unknown to our familiar level of awareness. Those are the energy fields that are distant from this “band of man.” To execute this magical pass, the forearms are held in a perfectly vertical position at the level of the chest, with the elbows kept in close to the body, at the width of the trunk. The wrists are snapped back gently, and then forward with great force, without moving the forearms.
5. Forging the Heels and the Calves of the Energy Body
The left foot is held in front of the body with the heel raised to mid-calf. The heel is turned out to a position perpendicular to the other leg. Then the left heel strikes to the right as if a kick with the heel were being delivered. The same movement is executed with the right heel.
6. Forging the Knees of the Energy Body
In this magical pass, the total weight of the body is placed on one foot. This pass begins with the bent knee raised to the level of the hips, if possible, or even higher. Three swings are executed, moving the knee as if drawing an inward circle. The same movement is repeated with the right leg, and then it is repeated again with each leg, but this time the knee draws an outward circle. The supporting leg stands with the knee slightly bent forward.
7. Forging the Thighs of the Energy Body
The body bends slightly at the knees as the hands go down the thighs. The hands stop on top of the kneecaps, and then they are pulled back on the thighs with an inhalation, as if they were dragging the energy. There is a slight quality of a claw to each hand. The movement is repeated, exhaling as the knees bend and the hands go down to the top of the kneecap, and inhaling as they are pulled back.
8. Stirring Up the Personal History by Making it Flexible
This magical pass stretches the hamstring and relaxes it by bringing each leg, one at a time, bent at the knee, to strike the buttocks with a gentle tap of the heel. The left heel strikes the left buttock, the right heel strikes the right.
9. Stirring Up the Personal History with the Heel to the Ground by Tapping it Twenty Times
The right leg is set with the foot aligned with the shoulders. The left foot is placed as far as possible in front of the body as the body almost sits on the right leg. The tension and contraction of the right leg are maximum. The left leg kicks the ground twenty times with the heel. The same movement is executed with the other leg.
10. Stirring Up the Personal History with the Heel to the Ground by Holding it for a Count of Twenty
The same movement is executed in this pass, but instead of tapping with the heel, the body is kept at an even tension by holding that stretch for a count of twenty. The same movement is executed with the other leg.
The following four magical passes are so intimately joined to breathing that they have to be done sparingly—once a day.
11. The Recapitulation Wings
This magical pass begins with a deep inhalation as both forearms are raised to the level of the shoulders, with the hands at the level of the ears. The forearms are kept vertical and equidistant from each other. An exhalation follows as the forearms are pulled back as far as possible without slanting them in any direction. A deep inhalation follows, and the left arm draws a semi-circle that starts at the level of the shoulder and goes forward as far as the arm can be extended and then laterally, drawing a semi-circle to the back as far as it can be extended. The arm makes a curve at the end of this extension and goes back to the front, and then to its initial resting position by the side of the body. The same movement is repeated by the other arm. Both arms draw this wing-like semi-circle within the duration of a long exhalation. This movement ends with a deep abdominal breath.
12. The Window of Recapitulation
The first part of this magical pass is exactly like the preceding one; a deep breath is taken with the hands raised to the ear level. The forearms maintain a perfect verticality. This is followed by a long exhalation as the arms are pulled backwards. A deep inhalation is taken as the elbows are raised to the level of the eyes, and the arms make an opening in front of the eyes by overlapping the hands, with the wrists bent and the fingers pointing upwards. The hands create in this fashion an opening in front of the eyes that looks like a small window, through which sorcerers affirm a practitioner can peer into infinity. A deep exhalation follows as the arms are extended laterally and the hands are straightened out and kept at the same level of the elbows. In this magical pass, the window of recapitulation is made by holding the left arm closer to the body and placing the right arm in front of the left.
13. The Five Deep Breaths
The beginning of this magical pass is exactly like the other two. At the second inhalation, the arms go down and cross at the level of the knees as the practitioner adopts a semi-squat position. The hands grab the part underneath the knees. The index and middle finger are placed against the tendon at the back of the knee and the thumb is wrapped around the inner part of the knee. The exhalation ends then, and a deep inhalation is taken, pressing the tendon. Sorcerers maintain that this is the only position in which a practitioner can take deep breaths that fill the top as well as the lower part of the lungs by pushing the diaphragm downwards. Five breaths are taken in this fashion.
14. Drawing Energy from our Fringe of Awareness
The belief of sorcerers is that the only glow of awareness left in us is at the bottom of the luminous sphere that we are, a fringe that extends in a circle and reaches the level of the toes. The first part of this magical pass, as it is with this series of four, is the same as the other three. At the second inhalation, the arms go down and wrap around the inside of the calves as the practitioner adopts a squatting position. The backs of the hands rest on top of the toes, and in this fashion, three deep inhalations and three deep exhalations are taken. After the last exhalation, the body straightens as a deep inhalation is taken to finish the magical pass.
Magical Passes that Aid Dreaming
Dreaming has to do exclusively with the displacement of the assemblage point. The magical passes that the sorcerers of ancient Mexico used to aid their dreaming are purported to displace the assemblage point by hurling it onward.
1. Getting the Assemblage Point Loose with a Movement that Places the Outer Edge of the Hand in Front of the Face
The left arm moves in front of the face in an upward thrust. The palm is turned until the outer edge of the hand is facing inward. The fingers are held together. This magical pass is executed by each arm in succession for as many times as the practitioner desires. Also, the knees are kept bent for greater stability and thrusting force.
2. Forcing the Assemblage Point to Drop Down
The body is kept in a totally vertical position. The knees are straight, and the hamstrings as tight as possible. The left arm is placed at the back, a few inches away from the body, the palm facing downward with a pronounced bend of the wrist, and the fingers pointing backward. The right arm is placed in front in the same position, palm facing downward, with a pronounced bend of the wrist, the fingers pointing forward. The head turns in the direction of the arm that is kept at the back. The same movement is repeated with the other arm.
3. Enticing the Assemblage Point to Drop by Drawing Energy from the Adrenals and Transferring it to the Front
This magical pass starts by placing the left arm behind the body with the hand held like a claw at the kidney level. The fingers are held tightly together as the hand drags across the kidney area from right to left. Then the right arm executes the same movement, while the left arm, with the fingers straight, smears the energy from the kidney area across the stomach area, from right to left. This magical pass is repeated in succession with each arm as many times as the practitioner desires. The knees are kept bent for greater stability and force.
4. Playing Out the “A” and “B” Types of Energy
The sorcerers believe that everything in the universe is composed of dual forces and that we are subjected to that duality in every aspect of our lives. At the level of energy, they believe that there are two forces at play. Modern sorcerers call them the “A” and “B” forces, or the 1 and 2 forces, or the left and right. Don Juan Matus called them the “A” and “B” forces when he taught this to his disciples. He said that the “A” force is what is employed ordinarily in our daily affairs, and he represented it by a straight vertical line. The “B” force, he said, is ordinarily an obscure force that rarely enters into action: it is kept lying down. He represented it with a horizontal line drawn to the left of the vertical one at its base, making in this fashion a reversed capital letter “L”. He said that sorcerers were beings who had succeeded in turning the force “B,” which is ordinarily lying down, horizontally, out of use, into an active vertical line. And consequently, they succeeded in pulling force “A” to rest. He represented this process by drawing a horizontal line at the base of the vertical one, to its right, resulting in a capital letter “L”. This process is depicted in the magical pass with the forearms. It starts with the right forearm raised in front of the body, with the elbow at the level of the shoulders, and the left arm bent at the elbow, with the back of the hand underneath the right elbow. The pressure of both arms is a downward pressure, and this is balanced by an upward thrust, as if two forces were simultaneously acting on the two arms. They are kept under this tension for a count of twenty. Then the same movement is executed by reversing the position of the arms.
5. Rolling Energy from the Assemblage Point and Projecting it Out with a Fist
The arms are kept at the shoulder level with the elbows bent. The hands overlap each other, and they are turned with the palms down. A circle is made with the hands rotating around each other; the movement is inward, toward the face. They rotate three times around each other, then the left arm is thrust forward with the hand in a fist, as if to strike an invisible target. Three more circles are drawn with each hand, and the right arm strikes the same target, with the hand in a fist.
6. Hurling the Assemblage Point Like a Knife over the Shoulder
This magical pass is an actual attempt to hurl the assemblage point in order to displace it from its habitual position. The practitioner holds the assemblage point as if it were a knife. The left hand reaches back, grabs the assemblage point, and hurls it forward like a knife, then the right hand does the same movement. Sorcerers affirm that something in the intent of hurling the assemblage point causes a profound effect towards the actual displacement of the assemblage point. The knees are kept bent for hurling stability. This pass is done as many times as the practitioner desires.
7. Hurling the Assemblage Point Like a Knife from the Back by the Waist
The knees are kept bent as the body leans forward. Then the left hand grabs the assemblage point and hurls it forward with a quick slashing movement of the wrist. The same movement is repeated with the right hand. This pass is done as many times as the practitioner desires.
8. Hurling the Assemblage Point Like a Disk from the Shoulder
This pass begins with a slow rotation of the body. The right arm moves to the left side of the left leg, then the left arm moves to the right side of the right leg, then the right arm moves again to the left side of the left leg. The left hand reaches back, grabs the assemblage point, takes it to the right shoulder and hurls it forward like a disk. The legs are kept bent slightly at the knees and a great pressure is asserted at the back of the thighs. The right arm sticks out behind the body to give stability to the act of hurling a disk. This position is held for a count of twenty. The same movement is repeated with the other arm.
9. Hurling the Assemblage Point Like a Ball Above the Head
The left hand moves back quickly and grabs the assemblage point, rotates in a big circle above the head and tosses the assemblage point forward from a place above the head. This movement is repeated with the right hand. The knees are kept bent for this pass.
Magical Passes that Aid the Attainment of Inner Silence
Inner silence was described by don Juan Matus as a condition of human perception in which cognition functions without its seemingly perennial companion: the internal dialogue. Inner silence was considered by don Juan and all the sorcerers of his lineage as the essential quality of evolved perception.
1. Drawing Two Half Circles with Each Foot
The total weight of the body is on the right leg as the left foot draws two semi-circles, starting from a point a half step in front of the body. It moves laterally to draw a semi-circle that ends by the heel of the right foot, and then another one that ends half a step behind the right foot. The same movement is executed with the right foot after the whole weight of the body is transferred to the left leg. The knee of the leg that supports the weight is bent for strength and stability. The practitioner breathes normally.
2. Drawing a Half Moon with Each Foot
This magical pass starts with the left leg drawing a semi-circle around the body from the front to the back, while the weight of the body is kept on the right leg, with the knee slightly bent. The same movement is executed with the right leg. The practitioner breathes normally.
3. The Scarecrow in the Wind with the Arms Down
The arms are kept extended laterally at the level of the shoulders with the elbows bent and the forearms dangling downward. The forearms swing freely from side to side, as if moved by the wind alone for a count of twenty. The forearms and the wrists are kept straight and vertical. The knees are locked.
4. The Scarecrow in the Wind with the Arms Up
Just as in the preceding movement, the arms are extended laterally at the level of the shoulders, with the forearms turned upward, bent at the elbow. The forearms and wrists are kept straight and vertical. Then they swing freely downward and upward again for a count of twenty times. The knees are locked lightly.
5. Pushing Energy Backwards with the Full Arm
The two arms are fully extended backwards as high as possible, holding the hands in a fist position. The knees are locked, and the trunk bends slightly forward as the air is exhaled. Then the arms are brought forward by bending the elbows, but holding the forearms tight against the body, as high as possible. This movement is repeated twenty times, and then the breathing is reversed. Instead of exhaling as the arms are pulled backwards, an inhalation is taken. An exhalation follows as the elbows are bent, and the forearm is brought upward against the axilla.
6. Pivoting the Forearm
The arms are held in front of the body with the elbows bent and the forearms upward. Each hand is bent at the wrist, resembling the head of a bird, which is at eye level. Keeping the elbows vertical and straight, the hands are flipped back and forth, pivoting on the forearms. The knees are kept bent for stability and strength.
7. Moving Energy in a Ripple
The knees are kept bent, and the trunk stoops over. The two arms are kept dangling at the side. The left arm moves forward with three ripples, cuts across the body in a sickle shape from left to right and then from right to left, and moves back again to the side of the body with three ripples. This movement is repeated twenty times with each arm.
8. The “T” Energy of the Hands
The two arms are held at right angles right in front of the solar plexus, making the shape of a letter “T”. The left arm is the top of the letter “T” with the palm turned upward. The right arm is the bar of the letter “T” with the palm turned downward, and then the hands flip back and forth with a considerable force twenty times. This same movement is executed twenty times, placing the right arm as the top of the letter “T”.
9. Pressing the Thumb Against the Curled-Up Finger
The forearms, bent at the elbows, are held right in front of the body in a perfectly horizontal position, maintaining the width of the body. The fingers are curled in a loose fist, and the thumb is held straight, pressed on the curled index finger. An intermittent pressure is exerted between the thumb against the index finger and the curled fingers against the palm of the hand. They contract and relax, spreading the impulse to the arms. The knees are kept bent for stability.
10. Drawing an Acute Angle with the Arms Between the Legs
In this magical pass, the knees are kept locked, with the hamstrings as tight as possible. The trunk is bent forward, with the head almost at the level of the knees. The arms dangle in front and, moving back and forth, draw an acute angle with its vertex between the legs. This movement is repeated twenty times.
11. Drawing an Acute Angle with the Arms in Front of the Face
In this magical pass, the knees are kept locked, with the hamstrings as tight as possible. The trunk is bent forward, with the head almost at the level of the knees. The arms dangle in front of the body and, moving back and forth, draw an acute angle with its vertex in front of the knees. This movement is also repeated twenty times.
12. Drawing a Circle of Energy Between the Legs and in Front of the Body
In this magical pass, the knees are kept locked, with the hamstrings as tight as possible. The trunk is bent forward, with the head almost at the level of the knees. The arms dangle in front of the body and the left hand crosses and rests in front of the right one, as the two arms swing back between the legs. Then they are pushed out and draw two outward circles that end at a position away from the body in front of the knees and two inward circles that end in a position between the legs. While drawing the four circles, the left wrist is kept on top of the right one. This movement is repeated ten times. Then the right wrist is made to rest on top of the left one, and four circles are drawn again in the same fashion. This movement is also repeated ten times.
13. Three Fingers on the Floor
The arms move above the head with a deep inhalation; then, as the air is exhaled, the arms are brought down all the way to the floor, keeping the knees locked and the hamstrings as tight as possible. The index and middle fingers of each hand touch the floor a foot in front of the body, and then the thumb is also brought to rest on the floor. A deep inhalation is taken as the body slowly straightens.
14. The Knuckles on the Toes
The arms move above the head with a deep inhalation; then, as the air is exhaled, the arms are brought down all the way to the floor, keeping the knees locked and the hamstrings as tight as possible. The knuckles are brought to rest on top of the toes as the exhalation ends. A deep inhalation is taken as the body straightens.
15. Drawing Energy from the Floor with the Breath
A deep inhalation is taken as the arms are raised above the head; the knees are kept bent; the trunk turns to the left, and bends down as far as possible. The hands, with the palms down, come to rest around the left foot with the right hand in front and the left hand behind; they move back and forth five times as the exhalation ends. A deep inhalation is taken then, and the body straightens; the hands move over the head. The trunk turns to the right, and the exhalation begins as it bends down as far as possible. The exhalation ends after the hands move back and forth five times. Another deep breath is taken then, and the body straightens up; the arms move above the head, and then they come down as the air is exhaled.
(Carlos Castaneda, Silent Knowledge)
