Source: http://www.sonima.com/yoga/tree-pose/
According ancient texts, mula bandha, or the root lock, is a contraction and lifting of the area between the anus and navel, and is one of the most elusive practices in hatha yoga. When engaged, it stops the downward flow of prana, or vital energy, and provides support to the organs resting on the pelvic floor. The contracting and lifting of this musculature also assists in stabilizing the sacroiliac joint, which is otherwise prone to injury if the practitioner has hyper-mobile hips. Traditionally, yogis would practice mula bandha by placing the heel of one foot just in front of the anus and sitting on it so the pelvic floor had an upward pressure. The current trend in hatha yoga, however, is to spend a large percentage of the class practicing standing poses. In fact, with the amount of standing and “hip opener” poses practiced in contemporary yoga classes, the muscles that engage to create mula bandha may be over-stretched and lose their tone, making it more difficult to utilize this important technique.
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We can, however, use a concept that is currently getting some attention from physical therapists and other movement professionals called “tensegrity” in certain standing poses to engage mula bandha. Tensegrity is a principle based on th…