TERMS · GLOSSARY OF THE FRAMEWORK

Mula Bandha

The "root lock" — a sustained gentle engagement of the perineum and pelvic floor that seals the lowest gateway of the central channel and prevents the downward escape of vital essence. Distinct male and female versions are documented in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika with Muktibodhananda's commentary.

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Mula bandha (मूल बन्ध, "root lock") is one of the three principal bandhas (energetic locks) in Hatha Yoga, sustained during pranayama and seated meditation. It engages the muscles of the perineum and pelvic floor in a gentle, continuous contraction that — in the classical description — seals the lowest gateway of the Sushumna and prevents the downward escape of bindu and the descent of apana vayu (the downward-moving vital current).

The other two locks complete the system:

  • Uddiyana bandha — the abdominal lock; draws the abdominal wall up and in against the spine
  • Jalandhara bandha — the throat lock; presses the chin gently toward the chest

Engaged together — maha bandha, "the great lock" — the three create the pressure conditions for the upward redirection of energy through Sushumna.

Male and female versions

The Hatha tradition is not unanimous on whether the engagement is anatomically identical or anatomically different by sex. Swami Muktibodhananda's commentary on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Bihar School of Yoga) is the most-cited source for a sex-specific reading; on Muktibodhananda's account, mula bandha has a different anatomical point of engagement for men and women:

  • Male (per Muktibodhananda) — the perineum proper (the point between anus and scrotum); the contraction draws upward and slightly forward
  • Female (per Muktibodhananda) — the cervical region internally; the contraction is finer and engages a higher and more interior point

Other major commentaries (Iyengar, Sivananda, and most Gheranda commentators) generally describe the engagement in less sex-differentiated terms, though a full survey is beyond the scope of this entry. The two readings are not in direct contradiction — both agree the practice seals the downward gateway and routes apana upward — but the granularity of the male/female distinction varies by lineage. The female version, where the distinction is made, is commonly paired with the ashwini mudra (rhythmic contraction of the anal sphincter, typically practiced with breath retention) and, in the Bihar School presentation, with the practice of siddhasana in its female variant (sometimes called siddha yoni asana).

Primary sources

  • Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter III (Mudras and Bandhas), with Swami Muktibodhananda's commentary (Bihar School of Yoga edition) — the canonical reference for mula bandha; the male/female anatomical distinction is drawn most explicitly in Muktibodhananda's commentary — Sinh base translation of HYP III, Sacred Texts
  • Gheranda Samhita — for ashwini mudra and mula bandha as preparatory practices (the sex-differentiated engagement point above is drawn primarily from the Bihar School commentary, not from the Gheranda Samhita itself) — Internet Archive (Vasu trans.)
  • Mantak Chia, Healing Love Through the Tao — the Taoist parallel; the upward cultivation of orgasmic energy is the broad concept, with the specific terminology varying by edition

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