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Emil
Australia
141 Posts |
 Posted - May 19 2009 : 10:45:51 PM
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| I've noticed that sometimes when I'm doing asanas my body has a tendency towards uddiyana, Mulabandha and sambhavi. For example when I'm doing shoulder stand uddiyana automatically happens due to gravity and then there's a tendency to add Mulabandha and Sambavi and close my eyes. I'm wondering is this a good practice make these a standard part of the whole asana routine? |
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tadeas
Czech Republic
314 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 04:08:08 AM
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I think this it quite natural. Some asana "schools" teach you to do mulabandha and uddiyana even when they're not automatic. It makes the practice more energetically stimulating to hold the mudras. So if you're ok with that, why not. They're natural responses and regulators of the energy flows once the energy in your body is active.
Enjoy :) |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 06:40:05 AM
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Hi Emil,
As Tadeas says, it's a natural progression and will start to happen automatically after a while. In the main lessons here it says to gradually expand the use of mudras and bandhas beyond pranayama as you feel comfortable. Expanding into asana practice seems quite simple and personally I find it easier than during deep meditation or samyama, where it can be a bit of a distraction at times.
Good luck
Christi |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 06:41:49 AM
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p.s.
The tendency for the body to want to apply bandhas and mudras automatically can be caused by the beginning of the rise of ecstatic conductivity (kundalini).
Christi |
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Emil
Australia
141 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2009 : 12:39:47 AM
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Thanks guys,
Asanas feel a lot better with mudras. I can also sense the tendency for an energy flow which I assume is as you said the beginning of ecstatic conductivity. However it's more like the feeling of energy movement rather than any good feeling. It's kinda physical. Is this how it's supposed to start? At this time it's hard for me to imagine that this would develop into something pleasurable. Eventhough I know it should. |
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HathaTeacher
Sweden
382 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2009 : 12:19:01 PM
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Hi Emil,
many branches of yoga do recommend and practice bandha & mudra in asanas - usually as activations, "felt", rather than complete full-fledged contractions; so for ex., you don't perform full uddiyana bandha ("almost vacuum" to stick in your stomach as much as others stick theirs out, or even more) in "technique" asana. Full uddiyana in the cat pose or in seated forward bend (paschimotasana) is rather the exception that confirms the rule.
The reasons for practicing full bandhas are their therapeutical effects, as well as retention (of breath or semen or both).
For both asana and Tantra purposes, a quite useful 3-step learning cycle is:
mostly felt (while learning to find the right point on your body and the right nerves) - fully contracted - felt and activated but not fully contracted;
the latter is what you usually combine with other sustained practices (again, there may be exceptions, like short full contractions in Tantra when needed) whereas the first steps are more for the learning.
I haven't read such a suggestion about mudra but I use them similarly still: "step 3" in combination with sustained asana (or a long Tantric encounter) and the full mudra for a moment only if need be.
In technically challenging asanas, a "step-3" Khechari and Sambhawi often widen my presence into the whole body instead of getting stuck in a couple of its points or in a lot of technical detail. They take my mind from rajasic to sattvic, in a manner quite similar to Tantra. |
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Mudras while doing asanas?
