Ashtanga Yoga: Capturing Prana


Capturing Prana

The Serpent Power

When kundalini shakti is awakened and arises from her sleep, she is the vehicle for the expansion of consciousness, enabling the individual to fully develop his innate potential and rise beyond the mundane realm of birth and death to the level of divinity.


Chela Buddhananda.

Raising Mula Bandha

Mula bandha is the force or energy created by lifting the pelvic floor and controlling the breath. It is the root lock and calls the fire within that causes everything to come alive, to move. Mula bandha increases flexibility and stimulates heat. By contracting the perineum and drawing the energy up from the base of the spine, one can intensify and direct the life energy, cultivating a sense of heightened awareness and increasing vitality. Mula bandha ignites the flame of kundalini (cosmic energy), the serpent power. By bringing awareness to the core of the body, mula bandha helps prevent injury. It guides you to move from your center, grounding you so you can become light and fluid in your yoga practice.

Practice

Mula bandha

1. Sit in a comfortable meditative pose, preferably siddhasana (with one foot into root chakra, see diagram). Close the eyes, make sure the body is completely relaxed and the spine is erect. For men, the area just inside the perineum has to be contracted, so it is best to concentrate on this area for a few minutes. Women should concentrate on the cervix, as it is the cervix and vaginal muscles which have to be contracted. After a few minutes of concentration, start to gradually contract and release the muscles of the erineum/cervix. Contraction should last for a few seconds. Keep the breath normal. Contract, release wentyfive times.

2. Prepare as above. Contract the muscles of the perineum/cervix and hold. Hold the contraction for sixty seconds, then release. Practice five times.

3. Start off with a gentle or partial contraction. Contract just a little and hold without

releasing. Then contract a little more. Continue like this, gradually increasing the tension

and contraction ten times until full contraction is reached. Hold the full contraction for sixty seconds and try to breathe normally.

4. Notice what happens when you activate mula bandha. Is it possible to contract and lift the pelvic floor and breath at the same time? Try it.

5. Take about a 30 minute period during your day and try to maintain mula bandha for the full half hour. How many times did you come out of mula bandha?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Asanas

Image
Asana is not a particular posture, but a state. Within the word asana itself are the connotations of strength and firmness, as well as the connotations of pleasantness and comfort. This is the balance we are trying to achieve, strength and flexibility, not only in the physical postures, but also in our mental state. Take The Ambition Out Of It Everybody is unique and their progression in yoga is going to look differently than the person next to them. It is important to allow the asanas to arise out of an internal place rather than some externally imposed idea of what the posture should look like. As long as you are working at your peak, combining breath, bandhas, and movement, and you are gaining that internal sense of stretching and strengthening, you are exactly where you needto be. In the beginning, the physical aspects of the postures will affect you the most. In time, and as you progress, you will become more aware of the flow of prana, life force, moving through your ...
Read more

The History of Ashtanga Yoga

Image
Twenty years ago Ashtanga yoga was very much a fringe activity. Our small, dedicated group of students in Encinitas, California were mostly young, hippie typeswith little money and few material possessions. We did have one precious thing – Ashtanga practice, which we all knew was very powerful and deeply transformative. Practicing together created a unique and magical bond, a real sense of family. Over the years the Ashtanga family has grown considerably throughout the world and I’ve had the opportunity to share the practice with many wonderful people as both a student and teacher. In Austin, Texas I met Larry Schultz 15 years ago when he was just beginning his Ashtanga practice with my teacher, Pattabhi Jois. Even though the practice was very challenging for him, Larry approached it with great enthusiasm, optimism, and gratitude. He, like so many others, recognized immediately that this was exactly what he had been looking for and was very excited by both the practice and the people i...
Read more

Indian Yoga Gurus

Image
India is a land where Yoga is practiced from ancient time. In old days sages and saints taught the methodology of yoga. In modern life many gurus and yoga teacher has help in the resurgence of ancient Yoga Practice for the well being of human society. The Yoga gurus not only worked in the mainland of India but also worked abroad to introduce the glory of Yoga practice to the people of West. The most renowned Yoga Gurus of India are : B.K.S. Iyenger : B.K.S. Iyenger came from a poor family in South India and learnt Yoga from T. Krishnamacharya. He started his life with a great struggle but gradually became one of the most famous Yoga Gurus In India. He was the author of many books and founded `Ramamani Iyenger Memorial Yoga Institute to pay tribute to his late wife. Bikram Choudhury: He is probably the most popular name among the Yoga Gurus in the western world. His method of teaching is known as Bikram Yoga, which is the combination of Hatha Yoga. The Bikram Yoga is taught in mo...
Read more