Bound for Glory

Mula Bandha may be the most befuddling, underinstructed technique in the world of yoga. Here, one intrepid reporter gets to the root of things and discovers that Mula Bandha is not just a physical action but a doorway into bliss.

By Hillari Dowdle with asana instruction by Tim Miller

It's Tuesday evening, and I'm grabbing a 6 p.m. yoga class at a generic studio located somewhere in the paved-over wilds of Southern California's San Fernando Valley. The teacher, a newly minted graduate of a local training program, instructs her brand of vinyasa flow in a way that delivers all of the sweat and none of the depth. And that's OK with me. I'm not looking for enlightenment tonight; I'm looking to burn off that caramel-pecan brownie I enjoyed with my lunch.

Tatiana (not her real name), the teacher, is one of those ex-dancers who naturally gravitate to yoga in their postperformance years to dazzle envious stiffies like me with their grace, fluidity, and amazing flexibility. Tatiana focuses more on the physical form of the practice than on its philosophical underpinnings. And, again, that's just fine: Her form is fantastic, her manner both soothing and encouraging, and her instructions clear, concise, and delivered in plain English (we're doing Down Dog, Triangle, Warrior, Side Angle, rather than Whateverasana).

But then she surprises me and goes all Sanskrit on us. "To power up your poses, apply Mula Bandha," she says. Half the class pauses mid-Sun Salutation to stare blankly at her, while the other half carries on, either ignoring her or faking it. One brave soul a few mats down finally asks: "What's that?"

Good question, I think to myself, as I await Tatiana's answer. Mula Bandha is the Root Lock, she explains. "When we apply Mula Bandha, we get in touch with our core muscles," she says. As for how to do it, her instructions are simple: "Basically, you just squeeze your anus shut and hold it."

Huh. Depending on whom you ask, Tatiana's version of Mula Bandha is either a gross oversimplification or an outright misrepresentation. But it's the way many instructors teach this technique, which is—like so much else about yoga—esoteric, intuitive, and intertwined with the ultimate goal: union with god.

It is safe to say that nobody has ever squeezed their way to enlightenment; otherwise our uptight, type-A society would be rife with saints and sages. So what, exactly, is Mula Bandha? I asked a few of the best teachers from around the country. Here's what I found out.

Flow Control

The word bandha is usually translated as "lock," though, like most Sanskrit words, it has many nuanced meanings. "It comes from the root bandh, which means to bind, to fix, or to stop," explains Carlos Pomeda, a scholar of Sanskrit and Tantra who teaches yoga philosophy within the Anusara Yoga system.

Four bandhas are mentioned in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita, two classical yoga texts: Mula Bandha is generally practiced in conjunction with asana; Jalandhara Bandha (Chin Lock) and Uddiyana Bandha (Upward Abdominal Lock) are more often associated with pranayama, yoga's breathing practices. (To learn more about the latter two, see "Keep a Cool Head" and "Fly Right.") The fourth, Maha Bandha (the Great Lock) is a combination of all three.

"The bandhas are specific positions of the body and manipulations of the organs designed to prevent the flow of energy from escaping the body," Pomeda explains. In other words, the bandhas are mechanisms by which an accomplished yogi can direct the flow of prana, the universal life-force energy that animates and unites all of us.

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