In your own practice: Apply the Bandha Technique in the arms and legs
Using the same Bandha technique in the torso, you can extend the lengthening and stabilization effect to the arms and legs.
Arms
| Breath | Description | Visualization |
| Inhale | Widen the tips of the shoulderblades outwards towards the armpits | Harley Davidson logo |
| Scruff the five corners of the palms forwards | lengthen through the arms | |
| Exhale | lift the front side of the armpits upwards | Banker thumb |
| Scruff the hands backwards | Basketball hand |
Legs
| Breath | Description | Visualization |
| Inhale | hip points draw towards the middle line of the body | closing a belt |
| root down on all three points of the feet | standing on three stilts | |
| Exhale | lift and spread the sitz bones | Smiley face on the underwear |
| life the arches of the feet | picking something up with the soles of the feet |
Effect
The ball of the hip joint and the shoulder girdle will sit optimally in the socket. With the case of the shoulder girdle, the setup allows for maximal weight distribution. For the hip it allows for smooth and harmonious movement in the SI joint.
The feet and hands maintain stability. The joints in the arms and legs are set up to carry weight in a harmonious fashion.
Helping your students: Extending the Bandha technique through the arms and legs
In a led class where the poses are given, you can use verbal cues to clarify these. In a Mysore-Style class where the contact is more individual, a hands-on adjustment can help. Here are a couple of options:
- Use a finger to 'breathe the line of movement' in that area of the torso.
- Place your hands or other body part flat on the skin and give the impulse of the direction of movement of the skin or bones.
Effekt
Students achieve finding more length and musculoskeletal balance in the arms and legs.