Seiza Revisited

Last night, Sir told me very clearly that when He had asked me to show Him the Japanese sitting posture the night before, He had not intended for me to do something that hurt me.

O, i know!  i know that!

Then why did i do it?  did i not know it was going to hurt?   Hadn’t i tried it when He’d told me to research the position?

O.  Um, no, i hadn’t.  And i kind of didn’t know it would hurt, i wasn’t sure.  i thought maybe it wouldn’t, or maybe it wouldn’t hurt a lot.

Do i think i’m through with my research?

Well, yes, Sir… i guess i think i am.

Really?  Aren’t there other ways to sit in Japanese culture?   Have i found a way that’s comfortable for me?  Is there a position i can get into gracefully, without it being painful?

Um, yes, Sir, no, Sir, no, Sir, not really.

Don’t i think it would be a good idea, since i like to sit at His feet, do be able to do that comfortably?

Um, yes, Sir.

What makes me think the seiza will be the answer?  Have i ever tried sitting with a bolster between my thighs and calves to ease the pressure on my knees?  No?  What makes me think the seiza will help?  Have i considered the zabuton?  Or the zafu*?

Um.  Um, no, Sir.   No, no, i don’t know.  No.  No.

Gentle, but relentless.  The message is clear.  i have half-assed my assignment.  {My words, not His.}

i feel ~ not ashamed ~ i feel a little foolish.  i wish i had done a more thorough job.  Wish i had tried the position before He told me to.  Wish i’d looked at other possibilities before i *decided* He needed to make a seiza.

i feel the weight of His disappointment, and i’m not pleased with myself.

It makes me wonder how many other things i’m half-assing and nobody’s noticed yet.

He spanked me last night, with the belt.  He started out light, and interspersed harder licks with more gentle ones, so it was pleasure not punishment.   He said it was to help me sleep, and it did.

This morning, i feel a bit chastened, but ready to do better.

And ~ the rest of the story ~ this turns me on.  It turns me on that He’s right, and that He called me on not doing a thorough job.  i think that’s how i know this is a D/s relationship and not just kink.

*************************

*Here’s a zafu, in case you were wondering:

P.S.  i know i’m years behind answering comments too, and i promise i’ll catch up someday.  i love your comments, and feel bad that i’m so far behind… and will try to do better on that too.  After i research sitting some more.  ❤

What Kind of Protocol?

Japanese sitting protocol.

Last night, after a long day of meetings and such, Sir advised me that He had a research assignment for me.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Yes.  Japanese sitting protocol.  Google it.  I think you’ll find it interesting.  Study it.   You’ll want to remember.”

Re-energized and inspired by these words, i googled it.  Correct sitting, in Japan, is actually called seiza.  Wikipedia says:

To sit seiza-style, one first kneels on the floor, folding their legs underneath their thighs, while resting the buttocks on the heels. The ankles are turned outward as the tops of the feet are lowered so that, in a slight “V” shape, the tops of the feet are flat on the floor and big toes sometimes are overlapped, and the buttocks are finally lowered all the way down. Depending on the circumstances, the hands are folded modestly in the lap, or are placed palm down on the upper thighs with the fingers close together, or are placed on the floor next to the hips, with the knuckles rounded and touching the floor. The back is kept straight, though not unnaturally stiff. Traditionally, women sit with the knees together while men separate them slightly. Some martial arts, notablykendō, aikidō, and iaidō, may prescribe up to two fist widths of distance between the knees for men.

Stepping into and out of seiza is mindfully performed. There are codified traditional methods of entering and exiting the sitting position depending on occasion and type of clothing worn.

Here is a picture from this website:

There is also a more casual way of sitting, with the legs to one side, but Sir was interested in the formal posture.

He directed me to try it last night, and i did, but my knee, which has been annoying lately, didn’t think much of the idea.   i was barely able to get in position before my knee advised me this was really not a good idea.

Of course, Sir told me to get back up right away.

Then he tells me about the “seiza benches” they use.  From this website, here’s what that looks like:

i could do that.

We talked about it again this morning – that website actually has instructions for making the bench.  Hmmm.  Could that be our next project?  i can see it happening…