This gentle way of accessing the sixbandhas(energetic
locks) during your practice will help you experience
more freedom in your body and bliss in your life.
Lift your
THE GOAL OF WORKING WITHthe
bandhasis to learn to control—and
seal—prana (life energy) within the
central energy channel that yogis believe
runs along your spine. As prana flows
freely along this channel, called
sushumna nadi, it brings stability and
lightness to your physical body and
helps dissolve emotional blockages in
your chakras (energy centers along
sushumna nadi)—balancing your body,
mind, and spirit.
Each bandha acts as an energetic
lock, or valve. Similar to the way that a
valve on a bicycle tire lets air in while
also keeping it from escaping, your three
main bandhas direct energy and keep it
contained in sushumna nadi. Mula
Bandha (Root Lock), associated with
the pelvic floor, pushes energy up
toward your navel while also preventing
too much of it from leaking out;
Uddiyana Bandha, associated with your
core, moves energy farther up; and
Jalandhara Bandha, located at the
throat, pushes energy down and
prevents too much energy from
escaping. When upward (prana vayu)
and downward (apana vayu) energies
meet at your navel and you activate
Uddiyana, it’s like two sticks being
rubbed together to create purifying
heat and awaken prana (also called
Kundalini), said to lie dormant at the
base of the spine.
Traditionally, the bandhas were
practiced during pranayama (yogic
breathing exercises), and muscles
associated with each bandha region
were held intensely during breath
46 retention. But in the past 20 years,
may/june 2018yogajournal.com.auPHOTOS: MODEL: ESTHER EKHART; HAIR/MAKEUP: CLAYTON LESLIE/HOUSE OF ORANGE; CLOTHING: TAME THE BULL BY ILOVEYOGA.NLthere’s been a shift toward teaching the
bandhas during asana, and with less
intensity.
The way that I now feel and apply
the bandhas to my own asana practice
has evolved from using force, and
gripping in my body, to exploring them
from a place of release and softness. I
used to clench my pelvic floor and
engage my lower abdominals a bit
too aggressively. This never felt quite
right, and at times immobilised my
body and breath.
After a particularly enlightening
meditation retreat, it occurred to me
that the purpose of working with
the bandhas is to awaken the same
consciousness that you do in
meditation—and you gain entry to
this experience by inviting softness,
never by force. Our whole yoga practice,
including the bandhas, is a collection of
techniques for observing what arises in
the present moment without gripping
or rejecting. It is a direct experience of
awareness. My approach to the bandhas
is to release any tension held around the
edges of each bandha area so that I feel
a gentle, spontaneous rise of prana.
When I watch my students practice
the bandhas this way, I see more fluidity
in their movement and more openness
in each pose. I’ve also noticed that if I
overdo it in a pose (trying to sink too
deep in Pigeon Pose, for example) I
lose the feeling of energy in my central
channel, so my bandha work acts as a
safeguard against poor alignment and
injury. Try it for yourself with this
practice, designed to help you feel
more energetically balanced.ENERGY
By Esther Ekhart