If you ask most people to work with Jalandhara Bandha, then Uddiyana Bandha and then Mula Bandha in both asana and pranayama, they’ll try, laugh, and exclaim what gobbledygook do you talk!
But it is not as confusing as it sounds. Bandhas are co-ordinated locks involving muscles at the throat, abdominals and base of the body.
It just takes practice to get the knack of it. Bandhas are powerful stuff and there is not a lot to it, sure there are many variations, and the results are profound and the journey is very lovely.
So take your time to enjoy and set aside some time to master the techniques, relax and keep the mind calm, focus on the breath and be aware of the extension of the exhalation and progress slowly with a comfortable awareness.
As we practice Pranayama and the Bandhas, heating will relieve tension in the system by burning off and removing those things that just don’t serve us.
Calming the breath will calm the mind, and calming the mind will calm the body . We just need to learn a few tricks of the trade like riding the breath, smile and allow the new techniques to burn old familiar habits that block the movement of prana.
Begin with Jalandhara at the throat as early as standing poses, where the chin is tucked into the lifted chest. Uddiyana in and up with the abdominals and Mula Bandha at your perineum between Uranus and your genitals.
These locks can help burn off what is not serving you and in addition, calmly energise your body. Mula Bandha can be easily felt in downward facing dog, as you exhale, think up to go back, and pull on the muscles of the perineum, and then the abdominals go in and up to create a lock and a cave of Uddiyana bandha whilst in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog).
You can do pranayama after your practice today by simply watching and lengthening the exhalation.
