And today we discuss the Bandhas!
Yoga teachers mention “bandhas” all the time in class, but how many of us really understand what they are and how to incorporate them into our practice? Bandha is the Sanskrit word for lock, or seal. In yoga, these locks help us in our asana and pranayama practices to tone, energize and cleanse our body and organs. When they are done properly, they ensure better alignment in postures, protecting us from injury. I hear mula bandha and the root lock, and uddiyana bandha ALL the time in class…so I finally decided to research them and learn a little bit more about what they are!
MULA BANDHA: The root lock; To activate mula bandha, exhale and engage the pelvic floor, drawing it upwards towards your navel. If you don’t know how to access the pelvic floor, think of it as the space between the pubic bone and the tailbone. Initially you may need to contract and hold the muscles around the anus and genitals, but really what you want is to isolate and draw up the perineum, which is between the anus and genitals. Do not hold your breath. Engaging mula bandha while doing yoga poses can give the postures an extra lift. This is especially useful when jumping.
UDDIYANA BANDHA: The abdominal lock; Uddiyana bandha can be practiced alone or in conjunction with mula bandha. To engage this bandha, sit in a comfortable cross legged position. Exhale your breath, then take a false inhale (draw the abdomen in and up without taking in any breath.) Draw the belly up underneath the rib cage. To release, soften the abdomen and inhale.
Uddiyana bandha tones, massages and cleans the abdominal organs. If you are familiar with mula bandha, you will see that the drawing up of the pelvic floor naturally leads into the drawing up of the abdomen. This is how the bandhas work together.
JHALANDARA BANDHA: The throat lock; Jhalandara bandha can be practiced alone or in conjunction with mula bandha and uddiyana bandha. To engage this bandha, sit in a comfortable cross legged position. Inhale so the lungs are about two-thirds full, and then hold the breath in. Drop the chin down, and then draw the chin back closer to the chest so the back of the neck does not round. Hold as long as is comfortable and then bring the chin up and release the breath. To practice in conjunction with the other two bandhas, first draw the pelvic floor upwards, engaging mula bandha. This leads to the abdomen drawing in and up under the ribcage (uddiyana bandha). Finally, the chin drops to the chest and draws back into jhalandara bandha. When practiced together, the three locks are known as Maha Bandha, the great lock.
AND NOW WE KNOW….practice experimenting with your Bandhas!!! Namaste.
