By Swami Buddhananda
What is Bandha (Lock)
Bandhas involve the contraction or squeezing of muscles. The underlying rationale is that it is more effective to remove physical and mental tension first to learn to exaggerate the tension already existing in the body by wilfully and selectively contracting all of its muscles. Bandhas also affect the chakras.
Major types of Bandhas
There are 3 important Bandhas
- Moola Bandha (perineal contraction) stimulates the pelvic region and important tool in the treatment of physical diseases of lower abdomen eg digestive ailments and sexual disorders.
- Uddiyana Bandha ( abdominal contraction) compresses the digestive organs, adrenal glands, kidneys and most important the solar plexus.
- Jalandhara Bandha (throat compression) stretches the neck, pulling the spinal cord and thus brain. This also has subtle effect on pituitary and pineal glands while forward flexion ( when chin is placed on chest) affects thyroid and thymus glands.
Maha Mudra, Maha Bandha, Maha Bheda, Khechari, Uddiyana Bandha, Moola Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha, Vipareeta Karani, Vajroli and Shakti Chalini. These are the ten practices which annihilate old age and death.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Gheranda Samhita describes the practice of Moola Banda as :
Press with the heel of the left foot the region between the anus and the scrotum, and contract the rectum;
carefully press the intestines behind the navel on the spine and put the right heel on the organ of generation or pubes. this is called Moola Bandha or Destroyer of Decay.
Distinguishing areas of 3 different yoga practices that are performed in the region of pelvic floor:
- Vajroli Mudra: The urogenital muscles are contracted i.e muscles to stop urination.
- Ashwani Mudra: The anal muscles are contracted i.e. muscle to stop defecation.
- Moola Bandha: The area between the anus and scrotum/clitoris, the perineal body/cervix is contracted.