-Kirti Tarang Pande
Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar
Yesterday, we discussed Tantra, what it is and what it is not.
Today, let’s kick-in Navratri by preparing our bodies for Tantra. Just to
refresh, yesterday we talked about how Tantra is a technique of goal
achievement by harnessing & focusing our inner power.
This is where Navratri comes in. Tenth Mandal of Riga Veda
considers Navratris to be the auspicious time to invoke, channelize and harness
the Shakti within.
Yogic
concept of ‘Shakti’
This Shakti is ‘Mooladhar Nivasini’, that is, she resides in
Mooladhar Chakra- the root chakra. Mooladhar Chakra is responsible for
grounding us with this material plane- Khshiti, meaning the earth element.
Kshiti is considered to Tamasic in nature in the practice of
Tantra. Tamas brings inertia. Therefore, Shakti by virtue of residing here
becomes inert in nature.
In other words, we have an innate power but it is sleep mode.
The only time we unconsciously turn it on, is during sex. That’s why it’s common
mistake to equate Tantric practice with sex.
We are not aware that we doing it or how we are doing it, so we
can’t harness it at our own will. However, the worst part here is that we
dispel & just disintegrating the ‘Shakti’ outside our body. This implies
that we are not even using it!
How to
awaken this ‘Shakti’
Yogataravali Sutra in its 5,6 and 8 sholkas mentions Bandha as the method to do this. It
says:
By the
practice of the bandha the dormant Shakti awakens and enters into sushumna
nadi. The breath becomes kumbhaka (still), the rechaka (exhalation) and pooraka
(inhalation) cease to function. Senses are purified and kevala (enlightenment)
takes place.
In fact, Acaranga Sutra of Jainisim cites Mahavir Jain attaining
enlightenment through Mula Bandha.
How to
practice Mool Bandha?
Basic underlying principle of bandhas is that by locking certain
physical muscles, we initiate an unlocking at mental & pranic levels.
Following this principle, we lock the physical muscles around
Mooldhar Chakra, to unlock our Mooladhar Nivasini, our Shakti. There are two
techniques to do this:
1. Antar & Bahir Kumbhak
2. Maha Mudra Khumbhak
At beginners’ level, one should practice Antar & Bahir
Kumbhak.
Step 1 Finding the right muscles:
Now, to find these muscles, in my personal practice it follow a
simple method. I imagine that I am stuck in crazy Mumbai traffic & my
bladder is bursting. I really have to pee; instinctively my body contracts
certain muscles. That’s it; those are the muscles (perineal muscles) we are working
upon here.
There’s another way to understand this, where I put out pictures
of our anatomy & mention different sets of muscles for men & women. As
an instructor, I’ve learnt it the harder way that it just confuses the
students.
Step 2 Preparing for the locking
Before locking, we must check if we are in sync with the first
Niyam (Dos) of Yoga- Sauch (Inner & outer cleanliness). Our bladder must be
empty for this practice.
You can start with sitting in Padmasana. Take a Pooraka
(inhale), observe Kumbhak (hold the breathe in), let out Rechaka (exhale)
observe Kumbhak. Do this three times to ease your body into Kumbhak.
Step 3 The lock
·
Sit comfortably in Padmasana and bring all your
awareness to mooladhar chakra.
·
Breathe in deeply & hold your breathe.
·
Mentally contract the mooladhar chakra by
contracting your perineal muscles. Visualize that mooladar chakra is being
massaged with your thumb.
·
Chant the beej mantra- lam mentally & visualize
the Shakti awakening at the Mooldhar Chakra
·
When it’s no longer comfortable to hold the breathe.
Exhale.
·
Before you inhale again, hold the breathe.
·
Mentally contract the mooladhar chakra by
contracting your perineal muscles. Visualize that mooladar chakra is being
massaged with your thumb.
·
Chant the beej mantra- lam mentally & visualize
the Shakti awakening at the Mooldhar Chakra
This is one round. You can start with three rounds & as your
practice improves, you can take it up to 12 rounds.
Bonus: A
cheat trick
To increase the time of breathe retention you can hold your
fingers in Shakti Dharana Mundra- press the breathe base of the thumb with
index finger. By doing so you will observe that your capacity of comfortably
retaining breathe has doubled.
Caution:
1. It’s not advisable to practice this if one is suffering from
irregular periods.
2. Shiv Samhita in Chapter 4 insists that this bandha should
only be practiced in isolation.
3. In Vedic Yoga, bandhas are esoteric practices and should only
be practiced under the guidance of a Guru. You can use this write up increase
to discuss your initiation into Bandhas with your Yoga teacher; but don’t use
this write up for practice (especially as a beginner).
In case, you’re a beginner and don’t have a good teacher, keep
watching this space; soon I will be sharing how to prepare our bodies for
Tantra without a Guru.
