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Topic 3

Mudras: Ashwini Mudra

An integral part of kriya yoga techniques is

the practice of moola ba nd ha' . To do this

ba nd ha cor rectly on e must have sensi tivi ty in

the region of the anus and the per ine um (the

area between the anus and the sexual organs).

An excellent technique for developing this

sensitivity is called ashwini mudra. Without first

of all master ing ashwini mudr a it is very difficult

for most people to practise moola bandha

correctly. It is for this reason that we have

introduced ashwini mudra at this stage.

.Ashwini mudra also gives many benefits in

its own right as we will shortly explain.

.ASHWINI MUDRA (HORSE GESTURE)

The word ashwini means 'horse' and in this

context the word mudra means 'attitude'.

Therefore, this practice can be literally

translate d as 'the attitude of the horse'. It

does not take much imagination to understandthe reason for the n ame; if anyon e has ever

watche d the anus of a horse , he will see that

the horse very often does the yogic practice of

ashwini mudr a. Th at is, the ho rse rhythmically

contracts and relaxes the anal muscles.

Posture

.Ashwini mudra can be done in almost any

asana, including any of the meditational asanas

previously desc ribed2. You can integrate it with

any asana that you do in your asana progra m.

However, since we have introduced sarvang-

asana3

in this lesson, we suggest that you

definitely perform it in the final pose of

sarvangasana. Not only does this mean that

you can do two practice s at the same time, bu tthis combination hap pen s to be very beneficial,

as we will explain later.

Technique

There are two methods. For the sake of

explanation we will assume that ashwini mudra

is performed in a meditational asana.

Method 1: rapid contraction

Sit in a comfortable sitting pose.

Relax the whole body.

Close the eyes.

Breathe normally.

Rapidly contract and relax the anus.

Try to confine the contraction to the area of

the anus though you will find that other pelvic

muscles will come into action.

Let the muscular contraction and relaxation

be rhythm ical .

Don't strain.

Repeat the practice for as long as you have

time available.

In this method there is no synchronization

be twe en br ea th an d cont ract ion.

Method 2: slow contraction and retention

Sit in a comfortable pose.

Contract the anus as you inhale.

At the end of inhalatio n hold the bre ath andalso the contraction.

Let the contraction be as tight as possible but

without strain.

Release the muscular contraction as you

br ea th e out.

This is 1 round.

Repeat as many rounds as possible.

This method requires synchronization between

the breath an d the move ment of the anus.

Note

It is impossible to confine the muscular

contract ion only to the small area of the anus.

Other pelvic muscles and muscles associated

with the sexual organs will also contract. But

try as much as possible to concentrate on thecontraction at the anus. At first this is difficult,

bu t wi th practice it be come s easier an d eas ier.

Awareness

In method 1 the awareness should be on the

muscular contraction and relaxation at the

anus.

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In met hod 2 o ne should be aware of the

coordination between the breathing and the

muscular contraction and relaxation.

Duration

Th er e is no limit on the du rat ion of practice . It

is only limited by the time that you have

available. However, beginners should not

overstrain their muscles. Increase the durat ion

of the pract ice as the anal muscles becom e

stronger and you gain more control over them.

Which method to practise?

You can practise whichever method you likebest , or wh ic he ve r is mo st appropr ia te fo r the

po se in wh ic h you pr ac ti se . Ho we ve r, me thod

1 is easier and therefore more suitable for

be gi nn er s. If yo u find it re as on ab ly easy to

locate the area, you should start to practise

method 2.

Benefits

Many people have weak anal muscles (sphinc-

ters). This is closely associated with such

widespread ailments as constipation and piles

(haemorrhoids) . Ashwini mudra helps to

stimulate intestinal peristalsis (the wavelike

motion that propels the stool through the

intestines to the anus for evacuation) and

therefore is a great help in alleviating consti-pa ti on and th us imp ro vi ng the ge ne ra l he al th

and well-being of the prac titioner.

Piles are characterized by an accumulation

of bloo d in the reg ion of the anus. T he prac tice

of ashwini mud ra helps to squ eeze this stagnan t

bl oo d away f rom th e an us . Th is pr oc es s is

intensified if the mudra is combined with

sarvangasana3. Ashwini mudra physically

draws the blood away from the anus and

sarvangasana allows the blood to drain down-

wards back to th e heart . Every suffer er of piles

should definitely practise this combination

daily.

Those people who suffer from prolapse of

the anus or rectum should also do ashwinimudra. By strengthening the associated mus-

cles, these ailments will slowly disappear.

As we have already pointed out, everyone

who is seriously intending to practise kriya

yoga in the future should definitely perform

and master ashwini mudra. In this manner

you will develop sensitivity in the anal area

and be able to isolate the muscles from other

muscular systems in the pelvic region. This is

imp ort ant for eventual mastery of moola

bandha.

Combinations with other practices

As we have already recommended, ashwini

mudra can and should be integrated with

sarvangasana. Either method 1 or 2 can be

used.

Ashwini mudra method 2 can also be

integrated with nadi shodhana pranayama, so

that you hold the anal contraction during

retention of breath4. The reader can adopt

any other combination that his imaginationwill permit.

Notes1

Book II, Lesson 19, Topic 42 Book I, Lesson 7, Topic 23 Topic 2 of this lesson4

Topic 4 of this lesson

4 88