Preparatory Practices for Mahabandha Kriya

Mahabandha Kriya involves three locks namely - Moolabandha, Uddiyanabandha and Jalandharabandha. Applying all these locks simultaneously can be difficult for most of the new practitioners. Hence, it is recommended that you practice each lock separately unless you master them all. In addition you can practice the following preparatory techniques.

Ashwini Mudra

• Sit on your tows such that your knees are touching the floor in the front
• Now place the palms on the floor and lift your body upwards so that your trunk is parallel to the ground and your weight is balanced by hands and knees. (It is as if you are standing on four legs like dogs and cats)
• Now contract your anus muscles to a comfortable limit
• Hold on for few seconds and then release the tension
• Repeat this contraction and relaxation for 10-15 times

Tadagi Mudra

• Lie down on the the back
• Fold your knees such that your soles are touching the ground
• Take few deep breaths
• Now exhale completely
• As you exhale let your abdomen sink
• Try to take it as close to your spine as possible. Do not put excessive strain.
• Maintain this position for as much as comfortable
• Slowly inhale and allow the abdomen to assume the normal position

Neck rotation

• Sit comfortably in any meditative posture
• Place palms on your knees
• Now slowly start moving your neck in four directions - left, right, up and down
• After performing 10 rotations slowly start rotating your neck first in clockwise direction and then in anticlockwise direction.
• Relax and attempt again

After some practice try to touch your chin on the chest when you turn the head downwards. Do not apply force of any kind. 

Bipin Joshi is an independent software consultant and trainer by profession specializing in Microsoft web development technologies. Having embraced the Yoga way of life he is also a yoga mentor, meditation teacher, and spiritual guide to his students. He is a prolific author and writes regularly about software development and yoga on his websites. He is programming, meditating, writing, and teaching for over 27 years. To read more about him go here. More details about his Kriya and Meditation online course are available here.