Lower Body Locks – Yoga

As part of the asana third portion of yoga, there are muscle compression locks which have mento-emotional energy compression as its psychic counterpart. These locks are used effectively during pranayama breath infusion which is the fourth portion of yoga. The containment and compression of subtle energy serves the purpose to cause purification of psychic energy in the subtle body.

There are many of these locks. Some are discovered in the advanced stage of the practice but some are introduced as routine movements during particular postures and meditation sessions.

There are three locks at the bottom of the trunk. These are.

• anus retraction
• urinary muscle contraction upwards
• sexual apparatus retraction upward and backward simultaneously

Initially these three locks seem to be two locks, where the urinary and sexual locks function as one compression. As a student practices, it becomes evident within the body, that the urinary and sexual retractions are two distinct movements.

However, these locks are usually applied together, even though a student should practice to sort each one.

When doing breath infusion, when there is compression and pushing of the infused breath energy downwards through the trunk of the body, the student must apply those three lower locks, so that the infused energy does not dissipate outwards through those areas. There should be a containment and then compression of the energy which comes down the trunk of the body and which mixes with the anal and sexual complex of energy in the physical and subtle bodies. The diagrams are below.