The mahabandha/ tri-bandha/or The Bhahya pranayam! Some tell its for celibacy or brahmacharya to move the life force upwards and get all round health while western practitioners say its a great way to have better sex life ( losing life energy in the process) . Also the application of Jalandhar , Uddiyan and Mulbandha should be after exhaling breath or inhaling !!! Need explanation ??? Because taking yoga as exercise too need to have a clear purpose in mind !!!
What is your level of practice please and from who are you taking the teachings?
Hi,
Thanks for replying ! I am following Yoga by Baba Ramdev for proper lifestyle and health. I do bhastrika 3 minutes
kapal bhanti 15 min
Tribandh 5-7 times
anulom Vilom 15 min
bhraamri 2 min
Ujjayayi 2 min
meditation 5-10 min
followed by
mandukasana/shasakasana
halasana
shirshasana
ushtra asana
katichakra asana
uttanpadasana
I was doing it in break for 6 months but last 3 months i am doing it regularly with a day break in a week when i lift weight.
I am also reading a lot about different yoga traditions and both eastern and western philiosphy/spirituality but find many contradictions. Yoga as described in Bhagvad geeta also support celibacy for higher work goals!
I’ll try and word this gently.
When one is taking instruction from a particular teacher and has questions about those particular teachings, it is best to ask that teacher. This is part of the problem with taking instruction from a teacher that is, generally speaking, unavailable to his/her students.
It is when these particular instructions are amended by another or a group of others that the waters become muddy and difficult to see through. We all choose our teacher(s) for a reason, sometimes conscious, many times subconscious or perhaps “karmic”.
I personally do not teach many of the things you’ve outlined to beginning students (the first three years of practice) as I feel they are not prepared to hold the force behind the tools. Your teacher obviously feels differently.
One of the pranayama techniques you mention is quite risky for beginners who have yet to align their physical body and the duration of that pranayama is far longer than what I would teach even to an intermediate student.
Further, once the neck is opened in Halasana (or Sarvangasana) I do not feel that bearing weight on the head is appropriate. It is for this reason, among others, that Sirsasana comes BEFORE Sarvangasana or Halasana. But again this is how I’m trained, how I practice, and how I teach. Clearly there are a myriad of other teachers who feel differently.
Thanks!!! I agree with your take on This. I was doing headstand even before i started yoga. It was part of my exercise regime when i used to play football. So i did it along with running , sit up , chin ups and push ups for many years in my school and college!
It is later than i came to know about it as a Asana of Yoga!!
Many Thanks for your valuable advice !!