Bandhas-After-Party

Bandhas. Mystery. Transformation. Bliss.

Last Sunday we taught a workshop ‘Bandhas: The mystery unveiled’. It is a special and unique workshop that we have been teaching regularly and we love it. The bandhas are the heart of yoga. They give yoga a ‘charge’ that makes it different from any other form of movement. The name ‘bandha’ is very often translated from Sanskriet into English as ‘lock’. We learned and experience them as a sluice. A sluice where something is channeled and transformed and adjusted. Once you get an idea of the dimension that the bandhas add to yoga, it might change your attitude towards yoga and even life for good. It definitely did for us.

We highly advise everyone to keep questioning what you learned about what the bandhas are. It is not superficial muscle contraction of the anus or the lower abdomen. It is not that simple. It sounds simple but doing these 2 things appears horrible to us when practicing yoga. It is more than that, and the good news is: its so subtle that it makes you feel high and brings you into the desired state of bliss. And that is where we like to linger without hesitation, enjoying our yoga practices!

Enjoy your yoga journey, with or without integrity (bandhas),
Chris & Anke


Here are 2 testimonials (English & Dutch) of attendees of the workshop:

Dear teachers,

Just to let know of the immediate and far-reaching benefits of the deceptively simple work you did with us on Sunday. After close to 40 years of active interest in yoga, I discovered my front ankles (padabandha) and my wrists (hastabandha). I found I was retracting them until Sunday, thus blocking the flow of energy. No wonder I have poor balance altogether and managed in the last twenty years to break wrist and two leg bones when learning to skate and ski.

The connection you made between padabanha and mulabandha, between hasta and chest bandha is one I feel in bed, in the car, at work and on the yoga mat.

You have my endless gratitude,
Kia

 

Beste Chris & Anke,

Het was heerijk om de workshop bij te wonen. Ontzettend goed hoe Chris het  stap voor stap in de praktijk bracht. Prettig om het aansluitend toe te passen tijdens Dynamic en Yin yoga houdingen. Zoals ik al zei; voor mij een verrijking. Wederom een bevestiging dat ik nog lang niet uitgeleerd ben en ben er van overtuigd dat dat pas eindigt als ik de ogen sluit.

Sinds vanacht voel ik mijn schouders (met name rechts) erg goed. Heeft ongeltwijfeld te maken met mijn ‘beperking’ die zichtbaar werd tijdens de yoga practice in de sessie. Goed om zo gecorrigeerd te worden!

Wat ik nog wil toevoegen dat ik met recht heb genoten van jullie openheid en nuchterheid tijdens de toelichting op het perineum en de uitleg hoe de bekkenbodemspieren kunnen worden gestimuleerd. Zo menselijk en voor sommigen helaas een ‘zo-ver-van-mijn-bed-show’.

Groet,
Jolanda