Comments on: Are you Engaging your Mula Bandha Correctly?

By: Ruth Lovegrove

Ruth Lovegrove — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:11:52 +0000

Hi Neil

Now you can have a technical answer and a practical answer
Throughout the literature, there still remains lack of consensus regarding the description and terminology of the Pelvic Floor Muscles (PFM). A recent review of the literature revealed over 16 different overlapping terms for different parts of the muscle, (yet the anatomy was found
to be very consistent amongst different studies). Pubococcygeus itself actually only comprises a small proportion of the levator complex, although clinicians have often referred to the entire pubovisceral muscle as pubococcygeus.

So if you just concentrate on the coccyx to pubic component, it maybe more tricky to engage the whole muscle and perhaps wont engage the displacement forwards and up. A physio on a recent course I was teaching came up with a great analogy that has been helpful for some of her patients in the way of thinking as the displacement of the PFM like an escalator, …so your starting point could be the coccyx (or back passage) imagine then that PFM contraction starting at the bottom of the escalator, then as you contract the muscle, the pubic bone would be the top of the escalator. The journey between the two positions is one of forwards and up. Try it…see what you think! But yes, really really important to let go too & breathe….

If youre interested theres a technical (academic) book coming out next month that I’ve co-edited with Leon Chaitow and theres fab section on the PFM….the book is called Chronic Pelvic Pain and Dysfunction: Practical Physical Medicine (Elseveier)

Thanks for your interest

Ruth

By: neil keleher

neil keleher — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:33:32 +0000

Hi, nicely written. Like the fact that you talk about resting too.

For myself I was thinking that the main muscle to focus on is the pubococygeous.

Since it attaches between the coccyx and the pubic bone its really easy (or relatively easy) to think of a it directly connecting the two. And since the sacrum (to which the coccyx attaches) can move a little with respect to the pelvis, another way of activating might be to focus on pulling the coccyx towards the pubic bone.

Since you are pulling in line with the muscle fibers, this will have the same affect as “lifting” but it might also be easier to mentally grasp.

If you pull the coccyx towards the pubic bone you can think of this action causing the sacrum to tilt back relative to the pelvis, perhaps “wedging it in place.”

By: ann

ann — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:30:40 +0000

I have been practicing yoga for 12 Years and stiil can’t do the root lock.
tired so many times. You think I should buy the kegal excercise device to find these musles.

By: Dianne

Dianne — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:32:06 +0000

Does anyone have any exercies they can recommend to avoid having tailbone extraction surgery?

By: Ruth Lovegrove Jones

Ruth Lovegrove Jones — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:59:57 +0000

Thankyou. Yes exactly right, the levator ani are the muscles you “should” be trying to engage. Indeed you should see/ feel a lift of the perineum when you engage your Levator ani muscles correctly. The perineum is part of the superficial neuro-muscular unit of the pelvic floor.
Hope that helps

By: cera

cera — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:16:33 +0000

Great article! I am confused though about the perineum. Most yoga teachers say you should contract the perineum and don’t mention the levator ani. Am I correct in thinking the perineum just the more superficial muscle to the levator ani, and we should contract both of them in Mula Bandha?

By: ellie

ellie — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:04:16 +0000

Hi, just read this article as I’m trying to find my way around piriformis muscle pain that came on through anxiety. The Master Practice healing system suggests the root lock as a way of relieving stress related back region pain. I am off now to a yoga class for the first time in 10 years and on a journey of stress reduction. This is the best article I have read describing how to do pelvic floor exercises. The inclusion of diagrams shows they are not the mythical process described in Pilates!

By: rocio

rocio — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:04:30 +0000

thanks a lot, it was really usefull!

By: ruth lovegrove/jones

ruth lovegrove/jones — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:28:21 +0000

Ruth here

My email is ruthlovegrove@gmail.com

By: dan

dan — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:32:56 +0000

does anyone have Ruth Jones email? I would like to get in contact with her