3 Ways to Use Bandhas on the Mat
You know how some yogis seem like they can just... float? Or they move through balances, backbends, inversions and tricky transitions with so much ease you're sure they're not even mortal?
That's what bandhas do for your practice.
Ban-what? If you're not familiar, let me explain. And even if you are, keep reading because I'm also going to tell you how and when to use them.
Bandha (buhn-DAH) means "lock" or "binding" in Sanskrit. There are many different types in the body, but they all have a few things in common. I’m only going to focus on two today.
1. They pull energy upward.
2. They create lightness and ease (hence, the impossible float).
3. Using them is subtle, but anyone can do it.
The two most commonly used ones are Mula Bandha (root lock) and Uddiyana Bandha (flying upward lock). These two are essential if you want more ease, stability, and strength anywhere you move on the mat. Generally, they’re activated at the same time.
Mula Bandha is engaged by lifting your pelvic floor, which is the sheath of muscles at the base of your pelvis (and where there's a gaping opening at the bottom of a skeleton's pelvis).
This gets a little TMI, but if you've ever purposely cutoff the flow of urine midstream, you've lifted your pelvic floor muscles. And if you haven't, then that's what you'd aim for except without peeing. For women, it's equivalent to a kegel exercise hold.
Uddiyana Bandha is engaged by toning the lower belly, like you’ve got a tight pair of jeans on and you’re sucking it in to make it work. Literally, this is the action that lights up Uddiyana Bandha and it’s the cue I give students to help them find it.
Uddiyana Bandha activates a light toning of the lower belly muscles, right between your frontal hip bones and a little below the navel. It’s a bit higher than Mula Bandha and more subtle, but once you understand it, it’s even more powerful than Mula Bandha to give you lightness, stability and ease as you move.
So now that you know how to activate them and where they’re lighting up in the body, how or when do you use them? I got you! Keep reading.
3 Ways to Use Bandhas on the Mat
1.) Standing + balance poses. Light engagement of bandhas in standing poses is HUGE in minimizing an overly lordotic (arched) lumbar spine and gently toning your core muscles to create support. They give you more stability so you feel grounded, which allows the rest of your body to release excess tension.
This is even more apparent when going into and holding standing balances like half moon, warrior 3, high lunge, and any other one leg balances. It's also a really accessible way to work with using bandhas!
2.) Backbends. Most people hate backbends because they just bend straight back and go right into compression, which hurts and can really mess with your back over time. But, you can create more space with bandhas which is HUGE.
Turning on bandhas before moving into the backbend and keeping them lit while you go deeper encourages LIFT (= space) which protects you from compression, and helps you maintain control over the depth.
3.) Inversions, during AND before you even hop up. When you’re ready to hop into handstand, forearm balance, some variation of those, or are LIFTING into headstand (PLEASE don’t be hopping into headstand), the first thing to do after you lift a leg is to engage both Mula and Uddiyana Bandha.
That energetic and physical internal drawing in (Uddiyana) and upward (Mula) action turns on your core in a way of creating stability and light strength, without gripping. As you work to go upside down, KEEP the drawing in/up activation going while breathing as you hop or lift up into your inversion.
Once you’re up, don’t lose the internal hold! This is what will help you stay up, or at least feel more stable and less noodley as you reach toes to the sky.
So again—bandhas are accessible, but at the same time they’re very subtle because they work with through the energetic body and they’re very deep, physically speaking.
But yes, bandhas are kind of weird, if you're not used to the idea of them or working with them. In my online classes, my frequent cues to "draw navel to spine”, “lengthen tailbone” or “lift frontal hip bones up” are basically aimed at cueing students to activate Uddiyana bandha. In more challenging flows I often begin class with breath and bandha engagement.
It may take some time (weeks, months, more perhaps) to get a feel for them and build enough muscle memory around them to have them become second nature on the mat. Keep practicing, and trust that it will come!
They are extremely helpful however, and they're one of my favorite aspects of the practice to work with--it's like a secret yoga trick other movement people just don't know about!
Questions? Comments? Leave a message below! I love hearing from you and always try to reply.
I’m here to support your practice. <3