And what is the best way to practice it.
Mula Bandha prevents Apana Vayu (the prana of the intestinal region) from flowing downwards (its natural direction).
The best way for practicing it is Siddhasana.
Hope it helped.
it so is it better to try and hold it for a few minutes and build up or do say 500 pulses etc?
Hi colwegi,
Mula bandha is to be performed simultaneously with Jalandhara Bandha (chin lock) during kumbaka (breath retention) in some advanced pranayamas as Ujjayi and Bhastrika.
The goal is merging Apana Vayu (nerve pulses going to brain, prana that governs toracic region) with Apana vayu (nerve pulses going from brain, prana that governs intestinal region) in the muladhara chakra, drawing thus prana into sushumna and awaking the coiled power. For this, easier pranayamas and asanas have to be mastered first.
It is of paramount importance to be practiced under the guidance of a experienced teacher, as it is not something to play with.
Good luck!
Hello,
I guess there are all kinds of perspectives on the practice of moola bandha and its intentions. I practice Astanga yoga, and have used my training in anatomy and physiology as a doctor of chiropractic to arrive at an understanding of moola bandha from this perspective. I hope the folowing explanation helps.
Normally, the pelvic floor muscles will begin to contract 30 milliseconds before you begin to move your arms or legs. This is in order to stabilize the lumbar spine, so that you do not fall over every time you move. At the same time, the deep abdominal muscles also contract, providing additional bracing of the spine. By doing this, actions that are performed with the arms and legs (which produce force) are transmitted across the spine and torso, and movement and posture are both enhanced.
I believe your question is a very good one, and shows that moola bandha should not only be taught in isolation, but also in an integrated manner, taking place as a result of changes in posture (movement) as well as in asana (positions between movement). In back pain patients, this response of the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles is often absent, resulting in a chronic disposition towards back pain.
I believe that merely instructing students to perform moola bandha may actually be a hindrance, because the pelvic floor is then tightened in a manner that is not “adjacent” to the action that the student is going to perform. Try to use a cotraction in your throat to create ujjayi breathing. This contraction will, if performed correctly, create a load which the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor will have to overcome in order for you to keep breathing forcefullly and evenly. It is very important to constantly experiment with the sound, as it will change as you train your bandha.
Hopefully, in this way, bandha will cease to become a hindrance to your enjoyment of your yoga practice, but will instead become a positive asset.
I am not sure whether you are male or female, but as well as back pain, childbirth can aslo have a detrimental effect on the pelvic floor muscles, as many women will testify! The functions of the pelvic floor are supportive (of the pelvic contents and sacrum), sphincteric (helps close the urethra and anus), and sexual (orgasm in the female is often felt as wave-like contractions-this is due to the pelvic floor contracting-the vagina is not as well endowed with a nervous supply).
As you can imagine, this subject is worthy of a book in its own right, but at the moment ther are no books in yoga that explain moola bandha from this viewpoint. On a final note, do not try to contract moola bandha as though you were trying to stop the flow of urine, as is recommended by may teachers. This practice has been associated with retetnion of urine in the bladder which can lead to all sorts of problems.
Yours
Nick Porucznik
Dr Kathleen Summers has written a very informative article specially on Mulbandha . I found it very well researched. Doctor is member of the forum . Please download from her website .