Tatiana was right -Mula Bandha does help us engage our core muscles and power up our poses. We may be in class to work out that part of ourselves that wants to look great in tight jeans and baby tees, but the real point of our yoga practice is to shape up that part of our being that allows our truest nature to be experienced and expressed in the external world. “We go through the physical body as a doorway, but the effects on the physical body are secondary,” says David Life, cofounder of New York City’s Jivamukti Yoga Center. In any given session, it’s easy to get caught up in the physical practice, with all its brownie-burning, butt-firming benefits, and totally forget that the physical component of yoga is just part of the preparation for enlightenment. So the bandhas are physical movements, yes, but also much more than that: They serve as a gateway into the mental, psycho-emotional, and subtle energy planes. In other words, the bandhas are mechanisms by which an accomplished yogi can direct the flow of prana, the universal life-force energy that animates and unites all of us. “The bandhas are specific positions of the body and manipulations of the organs designed to prevent the flow of energy from escaping the body,” Pomeda explains. ( To learn more about the latter two, see Keep a Cool Head and Fly Right.) The fourth, Maha Bandha (the Great Lock) is a combination of all three. “It comes from the root bandh, which means to bind, to fix, or to stop,” explains Carlos Pomeda, a scholar of Sanskrit and Tantra who teaches yoga philosophy within the Anusara Yoga system.įour bandhas are mentioned in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita, two classical yoga texts: Mula Bandha is generally practiced in conjunction with asana Jalandhara Bandha (Chin Lock) and Uddiyana Bandha (Upward Abdominal Lock) are more often associated with pranayama, yoga’s breathing practices. The word bandha is usually translated as “lock,” though, like most Sanskrit words, it has many nuanced meanings. So what, exactly, is Mula Bandha? I asked a few of the best teachers from around the country. It is safe to say that nobody has ever squeezed their way to enlightenment otherwise our uptight, type-A society would be rife with saints and sages. But it’s the way many instructors teach this technique, which is -like so much else about yoga -esoteric, intuitive, and intertwined with the ultimate goal: union with god. Depending on whom you ask, Tatiana’s version of Mula Bandha is either a gross oversimplification or an outright misrepresentation. As for how to do it, her instructions are simple: “Basically, you just squeeze your anus shut and hold it.” “When we apply Mula Bandha, we get in touch with our core muscles,” she says. Mula Bandha is the Root Lock, she explains. Good question, I think to myself, as I await Tatiana’s answer. One brave soul a few mats down finally asks: “What’s that?” Half the class pauses mid-Sun Salutation to stare blankly at her, while the other half carries on, either ignoring her or faking it. “To power up your poses, apply Mula Bandha,” she says. And, again, that’s just fine: Her form is fantastic, her manner both soothing and encouraging, and her instructions clear, concise, and delivered in plain English (we’re doing Down Dog, Triangle, Warrior, Side Angle, rather than Whateverasana).īut then she surprises me and goes all Sanskrit on us. Tatiana focuses more on the physical form of the practice than on its philosophical underpinnings. Tatiana (not her real name), the teacher, is one of those ex-dancers who naturally gravitate to yoga in their postperformance years to dazzle envious stiffies like me with their grace, fluidity, and amazing flexibility. I’m not looking for enlightenment tonight I’m looking to burn off that caramel-pecan brownie I enjoyed with my lunch. The teacher, a newly minted graduate of a local training program, instructs her brand of vinyasa flow in a way that delivers all of the sweat and none of the depth. yoga class at a generic studio located somewhere in the paved-over wilds of Southern California’s San Fernando Valley. It’s Tuesday evening, and I’m grabbing a 6 p.m. Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth yoga, fitness, & nutrition courses, when you
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