Bandhas stimulate the motor and sensory nerves, creating an imprint of the pose on the brain. They are particularly useful for practitioners who are naturally flexible and can easily attain the form of a pose, yet feel that it is lifeless and has little effect. In such situations, creating a bandha stabilizes the pose and strengthens the muscles. This honors the ha/tha or sun/moon aspect of yoga by balancing flexibility with strength.
FIGURES 1 & 2 We can use co-contraction to create bandhas. For example, in Triang Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana there is a tendency to lean or fall over onto the side of the straight leg. One remedy for this is to place a blanket or block under the straight-leg buttocks to shift the weight toward the bent-leg side. Although this can work, it is best to find a way to do the pose without using external props. In this case, we can use muscular forces to counter the tendency to lean over—and at the same time create a bandha in the pose.
Do this by co-contracting the abductor muscles on the straight leg and the hip and knee flexors on the bent leg.
The cue for engaging the abductors is to press the heel into the mat and attempt to drag it outward from the midline. The heel won’t move, but the contractile force of the tensor fascia lata and gluteus medius will push the body toward the bent-knee side. At the same time, activate the hamstring muscles to squeeze the calf against the thigh. Then engage the psoas by attempting to lift the bent knee. These actions combine to counteract the tendency to lean toward the straight-leg side. This creates a bandha across the pelvis. Combine these actions with mula bandha by lifting the perineum to engage the muscles of the pelvic floor.
FIGURE 3 Try the following in Ardha Badha Padma Paschimottanasana. Contract the biceps and brachialis muscles to bend the elbow on the side that is grasping the straight-leg foot. Simultaneously attempt to straighten the elbow that is holding the bent-leg foot by engaging the triceps, as shown. Feel the stabilizing effect of co-contracting these muscles. Then add the muscles of the pelvic floor to create mula bandha. Note how activating the biceps and triceps makes it easier to engage the muscles of the pelvic floor—a process known as recruitment.
FIGURE 4 There are several bandhas available in Padmasana, or Lotus Pose. Try these and feel how the pose comes alive, especially if Lotus is easy for you. Begin by pressing the lowerside leg against the upper side (where the lower legs cross). This engages the gluteus maximus and deep external rotators of the lower-side hip. At the same time, press the top leg into the lower one. This activates the gluteus medius and tensor fascia lata of the top leg. Feel how this stabilizes the pose.
FIGURE 5 Next, hook the tops of the feet over the thighs by contracting the peroneus longus and brevis muscles on the sides of the lower legs, as well as the tibialis anterior and toe extensors. This holds the feet in place.
FIGURE 6 With the feet constrained on the thighs (as illustrated in Figure 5), attempt to straighten the knees by engaging the quadriceps. The quadriceps are muscular stabilizers of the knees. Contracting them in Lotus solidifies the pose and maintains congruency of the knee joint. This helps to protect against injury to the cartilage.
FIGURE 7 Finally, engage the muscles of the pelvic floor to activate mula bandha. A cue for this is to perform the Kegel maneuver. Note how combining the bandhas described above with mula bandha strengthens it. This is due to recruitment. Engaging easyto-access muscles adds to the force of muscles that are harder to contract at will (such as those that create mula bandha).
SUMMARY We can see from this section that the concept of a lock or bandha can be extended beyond the more familiar mula, udyana, and jalandhara bandhas. In fact, you can use co-activation of muscle groups to create bandhas throughout the body in yoga poses. These locks can be employed to stabilize articulations, stimulate spinal cord reflex arcs, and enable movement in relatively immobile regions, such as the sacroiliac joint.