What is mula bandha and is it useful to do a lower lock?.

This practice is useful for both women and men.

What is mula bandha

Mula bandha is a Hatha yoga exercise that involves contracting the pelvic floor muscles. From Sanskrit, the word mula translates as “root, base, lower part or bottom,” and bandha means “lock, hold or close,” so the exercise is often called the root, or bottom, lock.

Mula bandha is mentioned in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a 15th century treatise on yoga. In the West they learned about it already in the 20th century, from modern yoga teachers such as Iyengar and Joyce. At the same time, Indian masters describe the lower lock in different ways.

For example, in the book “Yoga Mala” by the founder of Ashtanga yoga, Jois, mula bandha is described as pulling the anus towards the navel. And in the book of another teacher, Iyengar, mula bandha refers to the tension of the muscles located between the genitals and the anus.

In a modern Indian study, scientists also described mula bandha as contraction of the muscles of the urogenital triangle. That is, the entire perineum, and not just the anal sphincter.

In yoga, mula bandha is suggested to be performed in order to create a reliable base for asanas, to make the body lighter, more fluid and mobile. And also control the flow of apana energy, which, as yogis believe, travels throughout the body, and cleanse the energy shell. However, the lower lock can also be useful for those who do not believe in subtle energies and chakras.

Is it beneficial to perform mula bandha?

There are not many studies on mula bandha. We were able to find only two experiments, one of which was published in a not particularly high-quality scientific journal.

Both studies show that 12 weeks of regular mula bandha twice daily strengthens the pelvic floor muscles in adult women.

And this is not surprising, since the descriptions of the lower lock in both scientific works coincide with the rules for performing Kegel exercises - a well-studied and effective workout for the pelvic floor muscles.

Thus, mula bandha can strengthen muscles, help with urinary incontinence and organ prolapse in women, and improve their sex life.

Such training can be useful for men too. In one experiment, 40% of participants with erectile dysfunction regained their erections completely after pelvic floor muscle training, and 35.5% had some improvement.

Apparently, it is not for nothing that Iyengar in the book “Pranayama. The Art of Breathing" warned about the dangers of performing mula bandha correctly.

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar Founder of Iyengar yoga.

Even the correct execution of mula bandha is fraught with danger. It increases sexual holding power, which the practitioner is tempted to abuse. If he yields to this temptation, all his dormant desires may awaken and become deadly, like a sleeping snake disturbed by a stick.

Although in the same study of men suffering from erectile dysfunction, 24.5% of participants did not experience any improvement. So you shouldn’t rely entirely on training.

How to do mula bandha correctly

Follow these steps.

1. Sit on the floor. You can do a cross-legged pose, simply crossing your ankles in front of you, or try a more challenging pose called siddhasana. Bend one leg at the knee and press your heel toward your groin. Then bend the second and place your foot on the shin of the first leg, turning the sole towards the ceiling. Tuck your toes into the space between your shin and thigh.

Straighten your back, place your hands on your knees, palms down. If you find it difficult to maintain the position, try placing a rolled blanket under your pelvis.

2. Exhale, and as you inhale, squeeze the muscles of the perineum and pull them up towards the navel. Hold the tension for several seconds while holding your breath.

Start with 3-5 seconds and as your muscles strengthen, increase the compression time to 8-10 seconds.

3. Exhale and completely relax your pelvic floor muscles. Rest 4-5 seconds and repeat. Do 8-10 such cycles.

If you have trouble feeling your pelvic floor muscles, try imagining that you are trying to hold back your urine. At this moment, you are just straining the right muscles.

Who should not do mula bandha?

The pelvic floor muscles should not be strained in case of the following diseases and conditions:

1. Injury to the pelvic floor muscles, resulting, for example, from childbirth or surgery. You can start classes only after healing.
2. Myofascial pelvic pain. This is a condition in which a person experiences pain due to spasms of the pelvic floor muscles.

Also, you should not do a root lock if you do not feel well the muscles that are tensed in the process, and instead strain your abdominals, buttocks or thighs.

In this case, it is better to contact a gynecologist or urologist so that a specialist can check the pelvic floor muscles and monitor the exercise.

How often to do mula bandha

You can perform the bottom lock daily. In studies on the benefits of this practice for women, participants trained twice a day, and Kegel exercises are generally advised to be performed three times a day, if possible.

So you can do the root lock at every yoga session and even separately from the class. For example, while you are traveling on public transport or waiting in line at the store.