Chapter 13

Purification Practices for Awakening the Chakras

Śākti Bandha Sequence

The Sanskrit word śākti refers to the body’s energy or power. Bandha means to lock, contract or bind. Here it means to release the energy blocks that impede the flow of energy and prāṇa in the body, nāḍīs and chakras. Śākti is also the kuṇḍalinī power, the primal female energy that resides at the base of the spine in the mūlādhāra chakra. When awakened kuṇḍalinī śākti rises through the subtle suṣumnā channel in the spinal cord to unite with Śiva (Pure Consciousness), her masculine opposite pole, residing in the sahasrāra, the thousand-rayed lotus just above the crown of the head.

The śākti bandha sequence of postures is mainly practised in the kneeling pose of vajrāsana (thunderbolt pose). This pose is good for relaxation, concentration and absorption; it holds the body upright without effort, and will only be a problem to sit in if you have a knee injury. It is the best meditation āsana for those suffering from sciatica. Vajrāsana stimulates the vajrā nāḍī, activates prāṇa in the suṣumnā, and redirects sexual energy to the brain for spiritual meditation.

When practising the śākti bandha sequence it is important to remain in vajrāsana all the time, as you move from one exercise to the next. If you are uncomfortable, then you may stretch your legs slowly with awareness between each exercise, but do not lose your concentration.

1 – Vajrāsana (thunderbolt pose)

Practise five to ten minutes. As the starting position for the śākti bandha sequence, this pose prepares the mind and body for relaxation and concentration.

Kneel down with the knees together, the heels apart and the big toes touching. Sit with the buttocks resting in the ‘bowl shape’ formed by the feet. Rest the palms of your hands on your knees. Without tension, keep the head, neck and spine upright.

Now clasp your hands together with the fingers interlocked but relaxed on the chest, and close your eyes. With awareness, experience your physical body. First become aware of the sensation of the crown of the head . . . forehead . . . ears . . . eyes . . . nose . . . cheeks . . . mouth . . . jaws. Now become aware of the back of the head . . . neck . . . throat . . . Be aware of your whole head . . . Now experience your shoulders . . . arms . . . chest . . . back . . . abdomen . . . navel . . . lower back . . . buttocks . . . thighs . . . knees . . . lower legs . . . ankles . . . feet . . . soles of feet . . . heels . . . toes. Now become aware of your whole body, feel its form and shape, size and density from without and from within . . . Now, with the attitude of absorption, go inward and just experience the sensation, and the feeling of your hands.

After some time of being aware of your hands, turn your attention again to awareness of the whole body . . . Now, become aware of the natural rhythm of your breathing, keep your attention on the flow of air in and out of the nostrils. You may continue to sit in this attitude of absorption for as long as comfortable.

2 – Padadhirāsana (breath-balancing pose)

Practise five to ten minutes. Still sitting in vajrāsana, cross your arms over your chest and tuck your hands under the arms in the armpits, with your thumbs in front pointing upwards. Press the thumbs and forefingers firmly against the armpits. This position will help to equalize the flow of the breath in each nostril.

Now close your eyes and free your mind from all distractions. With the attention fixed at the point between the eyebrows, the centre of calmness, at the Spiritual Eye, become aware of your breath in this moment . . . Don’t try to change the natural rhythm of the breath, just remain aware of it . . . Feel the breath moving in and out of your body . . . Feel the abdomen rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.

Feel the calmness and stillness within . . . Remain here and now in the present moment, and become aware of the breath where it enters the body, in the nostrils . . . Feel the sensation of the breath in the nostrils as it flows in and flows out . . . Now feel the breath higher in the nostrils . . . then feel the breath at the point between the eyebrows, and as the breath naturally flows in of its own accord, mentally follow the breath with the bīja mantra ‘hong’. Then as the breath naturally flows out, mentally follow it with the bīja mantra ‘sau’ (pronounced as ‘saw’) . . . Make no attempt to control the breath, you are simply watching the breath while listening inwardly to the hong-sau bīja mantra. Throughout this process, the concentration is focused on the breath and mantra, while simultaneously looking into the Spiritual Eye, midway between the eyebrows. This mantra coordinated with the breathing frees the mind from restlessness, and brings about deep concentration and inner calmness. The bīja mantra hong-sau means ‘I, the manifested Self, am He, the Unmanifested Spirit.’

3 – Simhāgarjanāsana (roaring lion pose)

Sit in vajrāsana with your knees 45 cm (18 in.) apart, and with the toes of both feet touching each other. Place your hands on the floor between the knees with the fingers pointing in towards the body, and the thumbs out to each side. Keeping the arms straight, lean forward, arching the back, and rest part of your body-weight on the arms. Without straining the neck, tilt the head backwards, and open the mouth and extend the tongue out as far as comfortable towards the chin. Open your eyes wide and direct your vision upwards to the midpoint between the eyebrows. As you assume this position exhale loudly through the mouth. Let a long, steady ‘aaah’ sound come from the throat – like the great roar of a lion. Hold the breath out for a short while in this position, then inhale through your nose and relax back onto your heels.

Repeat this process seven times. Each time, bring your whole attention to the eyebrow centre. In between each round relax the eyes, tongue and mouth.

Simhāsana relieves tension from the throat, chest and diaphragm, and has a very calming affect on the mind and is a good preparation for meditation.

4 – Śaśāṅkāsana (moon pose)

Sit in vajrāsana with the head, neck and spine straight, and rest the palms of the hands just behind the knees. Close your eyes and relax any physical and mental tensions. As you inhale, very slowly raise the arms above your head. As you exhale, slowly bend the trunk forwards (synchronize your breathing with the movement) from the hips while keeping the arms in line above the head, until the forehead and the outstretched arms and hands simultaneously touch the floor. Relax in this position, with the arms in front of the knees, while holding the breath out for as long as comfortable. Then, inhale slowly while raising the arms and trunk up from the floor, and return to the upright position of vajrāsana.

Repeat the whole process seven times with pauses in between. Breathe in ujjayi breath throughout the practice. Ujjayi prāṇāyāma is practised by gently contracting the glottis at the back of the throat to produce a soft snoring sound that is very quietly audible. Both the inhalation and exhalation are long, deep and controlled. Ujjayi prāṇāyāma has a calming effect on the nervous system and brain, and it slows down the heart rate.

Benefits: Śaśāṅkāsana stretches the back muscles and tones the pelvic muscles and reproductive organs. Rejuvenates the digestive system. It relaxes the sciatic nerves and regulates the functioning of the adrenal glands, and has a very calming effect on the whole nervous system.

Contraindications: It should not be practised if you have a slipped disc or very high blood pressure.

5 – Śākti Bandha

Sit in vajrāsana with the head, neck and spine straight. Clasp your hands behind your back, inhale, and bend your trunk forward to rest the forehead on the floor. Then, holding the breath, raise your arms as far above your back as possible, so that your clasped hands are directly above your shoulders with the arms straight. Now, still holding the breath, swing your arms with the hands clasped from side to side. As you swing the arms one shoulder will touch the knee and the other shoulder will raise up.

Then return to the sitting position of vajrāsana. Lower the arms and exhale. With your eyes closed, rest for a few breaths, then inhale and repeat the exercise six more times.

Note: The swinging of the arms may be fast or slow. Fast is more energizing. It may also be more comfortable for some people if the knees are separated slightly.

Śākti bandha releases tensions in the shoulders and spine, enabling the energy to flow into and up the spine.

6 – Uṣtrāsana (camel pose)

Sit in vajrāsana and come up into the kneeling position with both the knees and the feet 45 cm (18 in.) apart. Place your hands on your waist with your thumbs forward and your fingers pointing back and down. Press your shins against the floor as you draw your tailbone down and lift the top of your ribcage. Begin to arch up and back without letting your thighs tilt backward. Maintain the lift of the chest and continue to draw your tailbone down as you deepen the back arch.

If you can, try to bring your hands to your heels. Begin by curling your toes under to raise your heels. Inhale, and slowly bend the torso backward, sliding your hands down the buttocks and the backs of your legs onto your raised heels. Inhale, then exhale as you press down through your hands on to the heels to raise the chest. With the head back, push your hips and thighs forwards and bend the trunk further. Feel your spine lengthen as you stretch back.

Hold the pose for 5–30 seconds while breathing smoothly and slowly with your concentration on the navel area and the corresponding point on the spine behind the navel.

To come out of the pose, press your shins against the floor, release one hand at a time from your heels and, as you inhale, lift your chest, bend your knees and relax back into vajrāsana.

Counterpose: From vajrāsana, relax in the forward bend of Śaśāṅkāsana to release any tension in the back.

Note: Be very careful not to strain the neck (cervical spine). Before you can safely tilt the head back, you will need to extend each thoracic vertebra. To achieve this, stretch the intercostal muscles that connect the ribs as well as the abdominal muscles that link the ribs to the front of the pelvis to extend the thoracic spine for this backbend.

Contraindications: Persons with any spinal problems should practise this āsana only under an experienced teacher’s guidance.

Benefits: Tones and stretches the back muscles, stimulates the spinal nerves. Beneficial for the digestive, excretory and reproductive systems.

7 – Śāvāsana (corpse pose)

Practise for five to ten minutes. Lie flat and comfortably on your back with your arms slightly away from the body relaxed at your sides, with the palms facing upwards. Have your legs and feet slightly apart and allow the feet to fall relaxed to the sides. Ensure that your head and neck are straight and in line with the spine. If necessary place a small cushion or folded blanket under the head or the knees to ensure the neck and lower back are comfortable.

Close your eyes and keep the body completely still . . . Take a long, slow, deep breath in, and as you exhale feel your whole body relaxing and settling into the posture . . . Again, inhale deeply, and as you exhale, let go of all physical and mental tensions. Let go of the past and the future and relax your whole body into the present moment . . . Bring your awareness to each part of the body, and gradually and consciously relax each part, until the whole body feels relaxed. Then become aware of your breathing . . . without changing the natural rhythm of the breath, be totally aware of each inhalation and exhalation.

8 – Bhrāmarī Prāṇāyāma (humming bee breath)

Basic practice: seven rounds. Sit in any comfortable meditation pose, with the head, neck and spine straight. Close the eyes and relax the whole body. Bring your attention and awareness to the point between your eyebrows at the Spiritual Eye.

Raise your arms sideways to shoulder level and close the ears using your index fingers. You can press the tragi (ear) flaps to close out any sounds. Inhale deeply through both nostrils, then exhale slowly through the nose while making a smooth, continuous, deep, and steady humming sound like a bee. This humming sound is made with the mouth and jaw relaxed, and with the lips gently closed and the teeth slightly separated. Concentrate on the sound vibration reverberating in the brain. Let the sound vibration fill your consciousness. As you gaze into the Spiritual Eye, be aware of the effect of the vibrating resonance in the frontal brain area.

Begin with seven cycles of bhrāmarī prāṇāyāma, then gradually increase to as many as you can comfortably perform.

Advanced practice: up to 15 minutes. After you have mastered the basic practice, you can introduce the chin lock (jālandhara bandha) and the anal lock (mūla bandha). Bandhas have an effect on the prāṇic body by redirecting the flow of prāṇa into the suṣumnā. These two bandhas are applied after you have inhaled and are holding the breath.

First apply the jālandhara bandha. Inhale deeply and hold the breath. Place the two hands on the knees, lift the shoulders and tilt the body forward slightly, keeping the spine straight. Press the chin firmly between the collarbones to close the windpipe and oesophagus. Then, while still holding the breath retention with the jālandhara bandha, apply the mūla bandha by firmly contracting the perineum and anal muscles. Hold the two bandhas for five seconds, then release the jālandhara bandha, followed by the mūla bandha, and exhale slowly and continuously with the humming sound.

As you become more advanced with this practice you will be able to hold the breath (kumbhaka) with the two bandhas for a longer duration, but do not strain – it needs to be carefully and gradually increased over a period of time.

Benefits: Releases tensions in the brain caused by mental irritation, anger, worry and anxiety. Lowers high blood pressure, and purifies the blood. Calms the mind and nervous system for relaxation and meditation. It makes the prāṇic energy stronger and subtler, and awakens the inner sound (nāda) which dissolves the mind and helps one to enter into samādhi.

Contraindications: Do not practise while lying down. Those with heart disease may practise the basic technique but should not attempt the breath retention.

General Benefits of the Bandhas

The bandhas are beneficial for the brain centres, chakras and nāḍīs. When a bandha is practised, the energy flow to a particular area of the body is temporarily blocked. When the bandha is released, the energy flows more strongly through the body with increased pressure.

Jālandhara bandha awakens the viśuddha chakra, and improves the ability to retain the breath for a longer period; it also develops the concentration.

Mūla bandha activates and purifies the mūlādhāra chakra. It awakens dormant consciousness and the kuṇḍalinī śākti. Mūla bandha acts like a seal to contain the downward flow of apāna vāyu (associated with the exhalation and mūlādhāra chakra), and merges it with the upward motion of prāṇā vāyu (associated with the inhalation and anāhata chakra) in the lower abdomen/pelvic area. As it merges, the prāṇā enters the suṣumnā nāḍī and rises powerfully upward in the subtle spine.

9 – Meditation

To end the śākti bandha sequence prepare yourself for meditation. You may sit for meditation for as long as you want to.

Now with the mental and physical tensions released and the body relaxed, sit in any comfortable meditation pose, with the head, neck and spine aligned straight. Close the eyes and relax the whole body. Keep the body still and bring your attention and awareness to the point between the eyebrows at the Spiritual Eye, the seat of spiritual consciousness. Continue to feel the sound resonance in the brain from the humming breath . . . feel it permeating your consciousness, bringing you inward toward the centre of consciousness, to that still point within . . . Be aware of the energy activated in the spine, the chakras, and the brain . . . Breathe in, imagine you are drawing light into the crown of your head, and as you breathe out, a soothing, peaceful, healing light gently cascades down, penetrating and permeating every tissue, bone, muscle, organ, cell and atom throughout your whole body . . . cleansing and purifying all impurities.

Remain in the state of the present-moment stillness and deep inner calmness. Dissolve all sense of individuality and separateness . . .

Expand your consciousness into the Infinite and feel that Oneness with all that is God . . . mentally affirm that the infinite presence of the Divine is ever within you: ‘I am resting in the calm stillness of eternal peace and eternal love, that is God.’