Practices for Muladhara Chakra

Month 2

The process of awakening mooladhara chakra is not very difficult. It can be achieved by thousands of different methods, but the easiest of all is the concentration on the tip of the nose. This is because the part of the sensory cortex which represents mooladhara chakra is connected with the nose. At the same time, mooladhara chakra belongs to the earth element, which is directly related to the sense of smell. Therefore, we shall include nasikagra drishti - the practice of nosetip gazing, in this section, as well as moola bandha, which directly stimulates mooladhara chakra. Remember that mooladhara chakra does not have a kshetram.

Difference between moola bandha, vajroli and ashwini mudras

Often there is confusion between the three practices of moola bandha (used for awakening mooladhara chakra) and vajroli mudra and ashwini mudra (both used for awakening swadhisthana chakra). The following diagrams for male and female locations will help to clarify the difference in the points of contraction.

For women:

Key to location of contraction points:

1. Vajroli or sahajoli mudra (clitoris, lower vaginal muscles and urethra)
2. Moola bandha (cervix)
3. Ashwini mudra (anal muscled/sphincters).

For men:

Key to exact location of contraction points:

1. Vajroli mudra (penis)
2. Moola bandha (between anus and scrotum; perineal body)
3. Ashwini mudra (anal muscles/sphincters).

Practice 1. Chakra location

For men :

Sit in siddhasana or any asana in which the heel is pressed into the perineum. Close your eyes, relax completely and become aware of your whole physical body. Move your awareness to the point of contact between the heel and perineum, midway between the testes and the anus. Become intensely aware of the distinct pressure exerted on the perineal body. Center yourself at the pressure point. Now become aware of your breath. Feel or imagine that you are breathing in and out of this pressure point. Feel the breath moving through the perineal body, becoming finer and finer, so that it pierces the point where mooladhara chakra is located. You will feel it as a psychophysical contraction. Say mentally, “mooladhara, mooladhara, mooladhara”. Maintain awareness of the perineal body and the breath for up to 5 minutes.

For women:

Sit in siddha yoni asana or a suitable alternative. Relax your body completely and close your eyes. Move your awareness to the lower part of the body and focus your attention on the contact point between your heel and the opening of the vagina. Become intensely aware of the slight but distinct pressure at this point. Center yourself at the pressure point. Now become aware of your natural breath. Feel or imagine that you are breathing in and out of the pressure point. Continue this for 10 deep breaths. Now bring your awareness inside the body. From the point of external pressure, move your awareness in towards the base of the spine. Follow the natural formation of the vagina, moving up at a slight angle and back towards the spine until you come to the opening of the womb. You are at the opening of the womb, about 2 or 3 centimeters inside the body, just below the base of the spine. Focus your awareness at this point and begin to breathe in and out from the cervix to the point of outer pressure. Breathe in and bring your awareness to the opening of the womb. Breathe out and move again to the outer pressure point. Somewhere in this area you will find your point for mooladhara chakra. Feel it clearly and distinctly and mentally repeat,‘mooladhara, mooladhara, mooladhara.

Maintain unbroken awareness of this point for up to 5 minutes.

Alternative practice: Locating mooladhara chakra by touch Men should sit in a comfortable position and press one ringer onto the perineum, midway between the anus and scrotum, then contract the muscles there. The contraction will be felt. When they can contract those muscles without movement of the anus or penis, the perineal body has been successfully isolated. Women should assume a comfortable sitting or lying position and gently insert one finger into the vagina as far as it will go. Then tighten the muscles so that the walls of the upper vagina contract and squeeze the finger. If they can do this without contracting the anus or the front part of the perineum (clitoris and urinary opening), then location of mooladhara is correct.

Practice 2: Moola bandba (the permeal lock)

Stage I:

Sit in siddhasana or any other posture which applies a firm pressure in the region of mooladhara chakra. Close the eyes and relax the whole body. Inhale deeply. Hold the breath and contract the muscles at the mooladhara chakra region. Draw the muscles upwards as much as you are able without excessive strain. Try to contract only the mooladhara chakra trigger point, so that the urinary musculature in front and the anal sphincters behind, remain relaxed. Keep your attention fixed on the exact point of contraction. Hold this contraction for as long as possible. Then release moola bandha and breathe normally. Practise for a few minutes daily. Jalandhara bandha (described in chapter 9 of this section), can also be added to the practice. With breath retention, perform jalandhara bandha, then moola bandha. Before exhaling, release moola bandha, then jalandhara bandha.

Stage 2:

Contract and release moola bandha rhythmically. About one contraction per second is reasonable, or if you wish, you can synchronize the contraction with the heart beat. Again, ensure that the contraction is focused at the exact trigger point and at the anus. Direct all your attention to the point of contraction. Practise for a few minutes daily.

Stage 3:

Leave all physical contraction. Try to feel the pulse beat at the trigger point, or try to contract the point mentally. Direct all your attention to the mooladhara chakra area. The practice is the same as stage 2, but without physical contraction. Continue for as long as you have time to spare. With practice, you will be able to locate the trigger point of mooladhara chakra exactly, merely through thought.

Practice 3: Nasikagra drishti

This practice is also called agochari mudra (the gesture of invisibility).

Nosetip gazing

Sit in any meditative pose with the spine erect and the head facing forward. Close your eyes and relax your whole body for some time. Then open your eyes and focus them on the nosetip. Do not strain your eyes, but try to fix your gaze on the tip of the nose. Respiration should be normal. When the attention of both eyes is focused on the nosetip, you will see that the double outlines of the nose merge to become a single solid outline. You should direct your gaze to the V-shaped point where the two outlines cross each other at the very tip of the nose. If you do not see a solid V-shaped outline, then both eyes are not fixed on the nosetip. It is then necessary to focus the eyes on your finger, ю inches in front of your face, and hold the fingertip in focus as you slowly bring it to the nosetip. Eventually, you can discard this method and easily focus the eyes on the nosetip at will.

At first you may find it difficult to hold your attention on the nosetip for more than a few seconds. When you feel discomfort, release the position of the eyes for a few seconds and then repeat the practice. Over a period of weeks, as the eyes become accustomed, gradually increase the duration of practice. Never strain the eyes. Once you can comfortably maintain a steady gaze for a minute or more, become aware of your breath as well as the nosetip. Feel the breath moving in and out through the nose. At the same time, become aware of the subtle sound the breath makes as it moves through the nasal passages. Try to become completely absorbed in the practice, to the exclusion of all other thoughts and external distractions. Be aware of the nosetip, the movement of the breath and the accompanying sound. Carry on in this manner for up to 5 minutes.

Practise

This sadhana (practices 1, 2 and 3), for mooladhara chakra, should be done for a period of one month. You should also continue the practices for awakening ajna chakra.