How To Do Maha Bheda Mudra (The Great Separating Attitude) | Breathing Pattern | Duration | Sequence | Time of practice | Benefits | Precautions | Practice note
Maha Bheda Mudra (the great separating attitude) is a bandha mudra (lock mudras). It is considered to have a great influence at the pranic level.
How To Do Maha Bheda Mudra (The Great Separating Attitude)
- Assume utthanpadasana as described for n1aha mudra.
- Keep the back straight.
- Relax the whole body.
- Take a deep breath in.
- While exhaling, lean fonvard and clasp the right big toe with both hands.
- Retain the breath outside and perfonn jalandhara, uddiyana and moola bandhas.
- Rotate the awareness successively from the throat, to the abdomen, to the perineum, mentally repeating, ‘vishuddhi, 1nanipura, mooladhara’. The awareness should rest on each chakra for only 1 or 2 seconds and then move to the next in a smooth flow.
- Release moola bandha, uddiyana and jalandhara. When the head is raised, inhale and return to the upright position.
- Exhale and relax.
- This is one round.
Breathing Pattern while doing Maha Bheda Mudra – The Great Separating Attitude
- One round is equivalent to 2 complete breaths.
- The length of the breath should be extended gradually.
Duration
- Practise 3 times with the left leg folded, then with the right leg folded and then with both legs outstretched.
Sequence of doing Maha Bheda Mudra – The Great Separating Attitude
- After asana and pranayama and before meditation.
Time of practice
- In the early morning while the stomach is completely empty.
Maha Bheda Mudra Benefits
- Maha bheda mudra has a profound influence at a pranic level.
- It influences mooladhara, manipura and vishuddhi chakras, harnessing their energies to induce concentration of mind and meditation.
- Maha bheda supplements and follows maha mudra; together they supercharge the whole body-mind complex.
Precautions while doing Maha Bheda Mudra – The Great Separating Attitude
- Precautions and contra-indications for kumbhaka, moola, uddiyana and jalandhara bandhas apply. People suffering from high blood pressure or heart complaints, cervical spondylosis, high intracranial pressure, vertigo, colitis, stomach or intestinal ulcer, diaphragmatic hernia or abdominal problems should not perform this practice.
- It should not be performed without prior purification of the body. Maha bheda mudra generates a lot of heat and should be avoided in hot summers.
- Do not practise during active menstruation or during pregnancy.
Practice note
- Before commencing this practice, the practitioner should be familiar with the techniques of jalandhara, uddiyana and moola bandhas and bahir kumbhaka.
- This practice should be attempted only under the guidance of a competent teacher.