a musing on mula

in the rocket series, larry schultz used to take great pleasure in pointing out those who could jump "back" to handstand first then (literally) float to plank. MULA BANDHA! he used to shout with excitement as they moved. yes, it was fascinating to watch, but at the time i had no idea how to truly embody it, or if i would ever get there. years later, i've come to see another larry schultz favorite phrase is true: all is coming. it became obvious to me that chasing mula bandha for mula bandha sake was not high on my list of yogic destinations. yes, it is a key and primary bandha in the yogic traditions. but 16 years later, am i "floating" back? am i jumping up to handstand? no. but i don't aspire to either. perhaps i've attributed mula bandha too closely to ability to do those asanas and overlooked its more energetic aspects.

i've noticed as my practice has matured and i've continued a steady focus on peeling back the layers of the onion, it's slowly become easier for me to connect to mula bandha in a subtle way, as a by-product of doing the work. so when i read the krishnamacharya quote mula bandha isn't something you do, it is a blockage that gets removed, it spoke directly to me. as a blockage concept, it inspires exploration into the question, how do i unblock it?  if physically connecting to it leads to an ability to fly in asana practice, what else prevents flight? i love this toni morrison quote as a modern expression of that.