2. Inhale and be aware of how a current of energy rises along the spinal column.
3. Again perform Āshvinī Mudrā twice without breathing, and then exhale.
4. Feel how the energy spreads through the whole body and tensions dissolve.
5. Perform this exercise for 5 minutes.
Mula Bandha:
1. The first task is to develop the simple ability to contract and relax the perineal muscles. To begin, sit in any erect, meditative posture—preferably a cross-legged seated pose. Close your eyes; rest your body; and relax your breath, feeling the sides of the rib cage expand and contract while releasing tension from the upper abdomen.
Breathing freely, and without coordinating the breath with your muscle contractions, squeeze the entire perineal region—front, middle, and back—inward and upward. Keep the breath as steady and smooth as possible, without pausing. Press in slowly, and when the contraction is complete, release it slowly. In this exercise you are not trying to discriminate between individual areas, but to strengthen all the muscles of the perineal region while increasing awareness of them. Repeat this exercise 25 times.
2. Next, contract all the muscles of the perineum and hold to your comfortable capacity. While the tension is being maintained, continue to breathe slowly and smoothly. Sense the area around the anus, then move to the central contraction at the perineal body or cervix, and finally examine the contraction in the urogenital area. Tighten each area as you focus on it, feeling the sensations there. Then release the entire contraction slowly, and relax.
3. Now coordinate contractions of the entire perineum with the breath. Inhaling, contract the perineum, and exhaling slowly release the tension. Time the contractions so that they coincide with the breath. Jerkiness or loss of control can be gradually reduced over time. During this practice, begin to focus on the central region of the perineum, giving special attention to sensations that will be associated with mula bandha. Repeat this exercise 25 times.
4. Finally, when you are ready, center your attention on the center of the perineum, and contract the muscles there tightly with minimal involvement of the anal and urogenital areas. This is the initial version of mula bandha, and it will take some time to accomplish it. There is no hurry, and it is better to prolong the practice rather than rush it.
5. Once the contraction can be held without affecting the breath, other sympathetic muscle tensions are relaxed, and you will be able to comfortably hold mula bandha for some time. Then it can be employed during pranayama exercises and meditation.