how to become a certified prenatal yoga instructorBy Sanjeev Patel, CYT 500

Mula has many spellings. Moola and Mula mean the same thing. This Sanskrit word means: “root.” Mula Bandha means: “root lock,” which refers to locking the center of one’s pelvic floor. How can we teach students to perform the Mula Bandha? Mula Bandha is performed by a mild activation of the pelvic diaphragm plus, more strongly, the overlying muscles of the urogential triangle, which includes the muscles associated with the genitals and urethra.

Mula bandha (the root lock) is a gentle contraction of the pelvic diaphragm and the muscles of the urogential triangle. It does not counter intra abdominal pressure so much as it seals urogential energy within the body, controlling and restraining it during breathing exercises and meditation.

To perform the mula bandha try sitting in a hard chair covered with a thin cushion. In a neutral position, neither perfectly upright nor slumped, try to blow out but without letting any air escape. Try hard. Notice that the pelvic region contracts and lifts up involuntary enough to counter the downward push from the chest and abdominal wall. Now try to mock the blowing maneuver again, but this time keep the pelvic region relaxed, and notice that it feels like straining for a bowel movement. Try it one last time but this time lift the entire anatomical perineum consciously and you will quickly sense that these efforts bring both the pelvic diaphragm and the muscles of the urogenital region into play.

Next, sit up really straight, arching the lower back forward. Exhale – pressing in with the abdominal muscles, and notice that it is natural to find a focus for your attention at a point between the anus and genitals. You may sense a slight tension in the muscles of the genitals, but little or none in the anus and certainly none in the gluteal muscles. This describes the root lock. You do not have to make extreme efforts. The cushion on which you are sitting places enough pressure on the muscles of the urogenital triangle to focus your awareness on the lock. The most important part of the lesson is: Sit up straight if you wish to apply mula bandha.

Hari Om Tat Sat

© Copyright 2010 – Sanjeev Patel / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Sanjeev Patel is a certified Yoga teacher and an exclusive author for Aura Wellness Center.

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