YOGA
YOGA FOCUS
FOCUS
BRINGING THE
BANDHAS OFF THE MAT
Practicing the four bandhas of yoga can help us develop a mastery of the physical
body and tap into a higher potential, says yoga instructor and educator Brandi Bernard.
f you’ve ever thought your yoga
teacher was talking another
language when they casually
drop terms like ‘Mula Bandha’, you’d be
right, because they’re speaking Sanskrit, the
language of yoga.
The word bandha translates to ‘lock’,
meaning to tighten an area of your body.
Think of it as a way to channel and conserve
your personal energetic flow and deepen
your practice.
The ancient texts of Hatha Yoga Pradipika
and Shiva Samhita reference four bandhas,
the intent of which was to direct the flow
of prana (Sanskrit for universal life force,
or energy). We still use these in our yoga
practice today, both on and off of our yoga
mat, as well as in other forms of exercise and
in our daily lives to vitalise the body, mind
and spirit. The bandhas help us to develop a
mastery of the physical body and tap into a
higher potential.
Beginning from the bottom, Mula
Bandha, or root lock, means to begin from
the base of the body by activating the pelvic
floor. By activating the muscles of the pelvic
floor we can glean many physical benefits,
such as improved bladder control, as well
as the sensation of lightness on your mat
and strength in your yoga postures (the
terms Sthira and Sukha refer to steadiness
and ease). Mula Bandha provides a seal
to prevent the release of energy from the
bottom of the body. It is just as important to
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learn how to turn these muscles on as it is to
turn them off.
Bringing the attention to the belly,
Uddiyana Bandha means upward flying.
Beginning with the transverse abdominus,
the innermost abdominal muscles, begin
to activate this muscle by slowly imagining
the naval drawing closer to the spine on an
exhale, creating a vacuum effect. There will
be an automatic overflow to the obliquus,
and when practiced in conjunction with Mula
Bandha the rectus abdominus will begin to
awaken. How do we do this while maintaining
a diaphragmatic breath? We don’t. There is a
strong steadiness of the lock on the exhale,
but to permit a full Dirga Breath (3-part
breath) we need to find the softness in the
belly to allow the diaphragm to contract and
for air to enter our lungs. This can be used as
a nice check-in, during our exhales, to keep
us present while practicing asana on the
mat, and to assist our trunk alignment. Off
the mat, it may or may not help us maintain
that hourglass figure or with regular practice
assist with improved function of vital organs
and a healthy back.
As we reach the top, Jalandhara Bandha,
meaning mesh or netting, is the concept of
the throat lock. To practice this, the chin is
tilted toward the chest in order to lengthen
the back of the neck and elongate the sides
of the waist. With the spine elongated, this
lock has the potential to expand the breath
and create more space for the vascular
system to enhance blood flow to the body.
Once mastery of the three main energy
seals has been obtained, under the guidance
of a trained yoga teacher, the practice of all
three of these locks, known as the supreme
seal or Maha Bandha, can be experienced.
When practicing this seal, you will begin
in a seated meditation posture and work
from the top down, engaging the bandhas
seamlessly, one at a time. Breath retention
is practiced, even if for only a moment, when
learning. The locks are then effortlessly
released, one at a time from the top down.
Break the bonds and begin refreshed and
renewed. Begin the practice of muscular
engagement to strengthen the neural
connections within the body and expand
awareness.
Brandi Bernard is a 500-ERYT registered yoga
teacher, a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), a
physiotherapist and Senior Master Trainer for YogaFit.
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