← EXERCISE LIBRARYPranayama
Root Lock
Mula BandhaA contained lift of the pelvic floor held alongside the breath. Trains conscious control of the pelvic floor separate from the glutes and abdominal wall.
- 01Sit upright on a cushion with the sitting bones grounded and the pelvis level.
- 02Exhale fully, then draw the perineum and the muscles between the sitting bones gently upward and inward.
- 03Hold that lift for the length of a comfortable exhale and the pause that follows, around 5 seconds to start.
- 04Release completely on the inhale so the pelvic floor returns to full resting length.
- 05Repeat for 10 rounds, keeping the glutes, inner thighs and jaw entirely uninvolved.
- 06Finish by releasing the lock and breathing normally for a minute, checking the pelvic floor has fully let go.
- 01Lift up and in, roughly a third of your maximum. This is a subtle action, not a hard squeeze.
- 02Glutes stay soft. If the seat moves, you are using the wrong muscles.
- 03Full release between rounds matters as much as the lift.
- 01Clenching the glutes and adductors instead of the pelvic floor, which is the most common substitution and trains nothing useful.
- 02Holding the lock continuously for long periods, which fatigues the pelvic floor and can leave it unable to relax — release fully every round.
- 03Practising a hold-focused pelvic floor drill when you have an existing pelvic floor condition, hypertonicity or pelvic pain, where lifting work may be the wrong direction. Get individual guidance first.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.