THE BANDHAS
When kuṇḍalinī sleeps, she is awakened by the grace of the guru. Then all cakras and granthis (Brahmāgranthi, Viṣṇugranthi, Rudragranthi) are pierced, and prāṇa flows through the royal road of the suṣumnā. The mind is freed from its work, and the yogī conquers death.
— Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā (3:2–3)
What are bandhas?
Bandhas (lock, that which binds) are mudrās in the sense that they are inner gestures that reverse the outward flow of consciousness inward and thereby bind the power. Bandhas are of great importance in Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini Yoga is the form of yoga in which the inner heat lets the power of consciousness rise through the centre. Neither the process of inner rising nor that of generating the heat would be possible without bandha. So if Kuṇḍalinī is the key to the divine, then bandha is the key to Kuṇḍalinī.
The mudrās awaken specific qualities of power, which are then sealed (mudrā) within the Self through the reversal of the outward flow. The bandhas, on the other hand, focus more on the overall evolution of the practitioner’s consciousness. The goal is overcoming the granthis and awakening Kuṇḍalinī.
In breathing practice you meet the bandhas everywhere: mūlabandha in the kumbhaka of alternate nostril breathing and in Bhrāmarī, uḍḍīyānabandha in Ajagarī, jālandharabandha in the lowered chin of the Ujjāyī breath.
What are the three granthis?
There are three important bandhas and, connected with them, three important obstacles (or attachments) on the path to liberation. These are: brahmāgranthi, viṣṇugranthi and rudragranthi. They represent the most important limitations that make up human existence and in this sense separate the individual from the universal.
- Brahmāgranthi: The limitation through the body and attachment to it.
- Viṣṇugranthi: The limitation through emotion or thought and attachment to them.
- Rudragranthi: Attachment to the ‘I’ and the limitation that arises from it.
These three knots (granthis) are located at three particular places in the body. The three bandhas correspond to three inner mudrās (gestures) which, when performed, allow the energy to pass through the limitations caused by these knots.
The first lock, mūlabandha, is the most important for every yoga practitioner, as it reverses the flow of apāna and so merges it with the prāṇa above. This creates heat (samāna-prāṇa), and Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened.
Mūlabandha has many positive health effects and should therefore be practised regularly by everyone.
What is Mūla Bandha, the root lock?
The root lock. Mūlabandha must be understood as the most important of all three keys. It is the seal of the primordial energy. And only when this primordial power is active can the higher powers unfold. Mūlabandha is the gateway to kriyā śakti and thus the gateway to the flow of action, from which all other things can be born.
Kriyā śakti sleeps in mūlādhāra as Aparā Kuṇḍalinī; she is coiled within herself and shines like a sphere of electric power. As Aparā Kuṇḍalinī she has the form of lightning, like Indra’s thunderbolt. She is the goddess who dances before the dark storm clouds.
I bow to the goddess (Aparā) who dwells in the body of Bhairava’s dancing form and plays within it (like) lightning in a sky (covered) with dense storm clouds.
— Trividyā – Mark Dyczkowski
How does Mūla Bandha awaken Kuṇḍalinī?
In Kundalini Yoga, the application of mūlabandha is the simplest way to awaken the inner primordial energy. As Aparā Kuṇḍalinī she is closest to the body and thus to the direct experience of the human being. According to the Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā, she is awakened in the physical body like a snake uncoiling from its sleep after being struck by the power of prāṇa as if by a stick. This form of awakening the primordial power is physical and, in its directness, almost brutal. However, the experience of Kuṇḍalinī in the form of the lightning of Aparā Śakti is easily reached in this way.
Thus kuṇḍalinī will straighten herself out like a snake struck by a stick. The two nāḍis become lifeless, because prāṇa leaves them.
— Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā (3:12)
The yogis say that the downward current of apāna prāṇa is reversed by mūlabandha. Then apāna prāṇa can unite with the normally upward current of mahā prāṇa. In this way both prāṇas are raised into the circle of fire of maṇipūra. There they flow into the centre and awaken samāna prāṇa, the power of the centre. The heat of samāna prāṇa is the prāṇaśakti that awakens the great goddess.
What are the health benefits of mula bandha?
Mūlabandha has many health benefits and should be practised not only for Kundalini Yoga. Everyone can benefit from cultivating and awakening sexual energy through mūlabandha.
For women, mūlabandha offers, for example, a strengthening of the lower abdomen, which not only allows more control over sexuality but – as is often said – can also be helpful after giving birth. Prior control of the pelvic floor and the practice of mūlabandha help to restore the inner structure of the body. In this context, the stabilising and vitalising function of mūlabandha is extremely helpful. For men, the practice of mūlabandha supports control over orgasm, which strengthens vitality and improves relationships in an obvious way.
Where exactly is mūla bandha?
The exact position of mūlabandha varies according to tradition. Some say it lies in the area of the anus or below the navel. Others locate it at the cervix in women or at the perineum in men.
From personal experience it can be said that the art of yoga should be approached intuitively. Most descriptions of chakras, bandhas and their positions are symbolic. In the end, personal experience is what counts. In this respect it makes little sense to fixate too much on precision. It is best to understand the intuitive insight of the yogis as exactly that and to apply the techniques in this spirit. If you can feel where mūlabandha is located in you, then you have found it – that is exactly right!
Practising mula bandha – three stages
Stage one: Sit upright but relaxed. Begin to engage mūlabandha rhythmically (contract the sphincter muscles, the perineum or the cervix). Feel the muscles contract strongly and release. Here awareness is playfully present in the contractions of the lower abdomen.
Stage two: Sit upright and relaxed. Begin with deep yogic breathing. Inhale and gently hold mūlabandha in antarakumbhaka (inner retention of the breath). Release as you exhale. At the end of a slow exhalation, hold mūlabandha again in bāhya-kumbhaka (outer retention of the breath). Concentrate here on the centre and on how mūlabandha lets the power rise in the stillness of the retention.
Stage three: Sit upright and relaxed in vajrāsana. Begin with deep bhastrikā, slowly at first, then faster, and slowly again at the end. Finally, inhale and hold mūlabandha intensely in antarakumbhaka (inner retention of the breath). As you exhale, let the breath flow out slowly and hold mūlabandha again in bāhya-kumbhaka (outer retention of the breath). Concentrate here on the stillness.
One who regularly practises the root lock is an expert in yoga. He should press his anus with the heel and forcefully contract his perineum again and again so that his breath goes upward. The upward and downward breaths (prāṇas) unite through this lock, and nāda and bindu as well; this will surely bring complete success in yoga.
— Dattātreyayogaśāstra (144)
What is Uḍḍīyāna Bandha, the rising lock?
Uḍḍīyānabandha, the rising lock, is the great bird that rises into the sky. In our mythological tradition we might call it the phoenix; the bird that rises from the ashes of the fire and is born anew again and again.
Uḍḍīyānabandha is an inner movement that lets energy rise from the circle of flames. Uḍḍīyānabandha purifies the mind, for when the bird is unleashed, the mind is burned to ashes. Then, whenever the mind disappears, peace unfolds; peace is the natural state of the Self.
Physically, uḍḍīyānabandha cleanses and activates the intestinal area. It strengthens the digestive fire that burns all impurities in the body. It creates control over the flow of the breath and the abdominal muscles and paves the way for the great naulī, mastery over the inner space of the belly. The abdominal series Pavanmuktāsana 2 also prepares this space.
How do you practise Uḍḍīyāna Bandha?
Sit straight in vajrāsana and open your knees. Stretch out your arms and grasp your knees firmly with your hands, opening your chest. Lift your chin, bend your back backwards and fill yourself completely with air – inhale deeply. Then stick out your tongue and exhale through the mouth while bending forward and contracting your chest.
As soon as all the air has left the ribcage, draw the tongue back, straighten your spine again and stretch your arms straight, with your shoulders raised and directed forward.
In this posture, perform a false “inhalation”. This means trying to inhale without actually letting air flow in (your diaphragm should now move inward and upward). Try to “inhale” even more deeply and, through the power of this vacuum, draw your belly further upward. In this way the belly moves towards your spine. When you finally inhale again, open your chest and return to the starting position.
Do this exercise with simplicity, without useless thoughts and full of joy. Look inward and observe how your diaphragm opens inward, as if a sky were unfolding inward in your belly. Look far up into this sky; you are the bird of this fire, and like the phoenix you rise within it.
Uḍḍīyāna is simple and always instructive because of its many good qualities. Practise it regularly, for in this way even an old man becomes young again. With particular intensity the yogi should draw his navel upward and press it downward. If he practises this for six months, he will surely conquer death.
— Dattātreyayogaśāstra (142)
What is Jālandhara Bandha, the neck lock?
Jālandharabandha, the neck lock, is a gesture of devotion to the one source. It involves inclining the head towards the infinite universe above us. Everything is contained in seed form in the universe, and everything we experience flows down to us from there.
It is the nectar (amṛta) that nourishes and fertilises all life; it ripens in the womb of the cosmos and is then born as the child of your experience.
This nectar is not only the seed of your body, but of your entire being. In this seed the vision of you is contained. This seed wants to ripen in the cosmos and then become reality in your life. Sometimes, in your most hidden dreams, you drink from this great cosmic breast. Then you remember the being you truly are and can be.
This nectar, the seed of your enlightenment, flows ceaselessly into your being. What makes it impossible for you to taste its full delight are the constructions of your mind. For the mind sees only what it already knows and can never know what it does not know. It turns endlessly around itself and cannot enter the horizon of the greater, the unknown. It is therefore maṇipūra, the ruler over fire, that destroys the nectar with its will. Viparītakaraṇīmudrā is the gesture that reverses this flow and makes the fire subject to the nectar itself.
How do you practise Jālandhara Bandha?
Jālandharabandha is the gesture that aims to preserve this delicious drop of life. It does not reverse the flow of the nectar, but preserves the drop of life through devotion to the divine. Bowing is the right gesture in the face of the Absolute.
In jālandharabandha the yogi wants to preserve the fluid in his throat. It is the lock of water, in which this delicious cosmic water can be held within the Self with the power of humility. Then the yogi can enjoy the abundance of the Mother. In this way the cosmic water is protected from the flames of maṇipūra.
Sit comfortably and inhale deeply. Direct your neck towards the sky and feel your head pointing upward. Incline your chin towards your chest, not with force, but you should feel your throat inclining inward. Imagine bowing before the great unknown. Without thought you recognise that the cosmos is greater than you. Beyond the “you”, you are loved.
Imagine taking your head off your shoulders and simply placing it in the vastness of the cosmos, right in the middle of the universe. Let it rest there, timeless, and breathe deeply. When you look at the stars, can you see their beauty? All life that is, and all life that will ever be, is contained there.
The yogi should contract the throat and place the chin firmly on the chest. This is the jālandhara lock. It prevents the loss of the nectar of immortality (amṛta). As long as he drinks the nectar of immortality that has dripped from the thousand-petalled lotus in the skull of embodied beings, the fire could not drink this nectar of immortality – the yogi should drink it himself. Through constant practice in this way it takes the rear path and makes the body immortal. For this reason one should practise jālandhara.
— Dattātreyayogaśāstra (138)
What should you watch out for with the bandhas?
- Practise the bandhas on an empty stomach and without force – the contraction should be firm but never cramped.
- Uḍḍīyāna Bandha is only performed with empty lungs (after the exhalation). Avoid it if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach or intestinal ulcers, during pregnancy and during menstruation.
- Never apply Jālandhara Bandha with pressure: the chin sinks towards the chest, the neck stays long.
- If headaches or dizziness occur, release the lock and return to the natural breath.
Mūla Bandha, on the other hand, you can practise almost anywhere – sitting, walking, in the breath. It is the root of all other techniques in our series Prāṇāyāma – the breath of life.
The series: Prāṇāyāma – the breath of life
This article is part of our series Prāṇāyāma – the breath of life. There you will find the foundations – what prāṇāyāma means, how to sit, when and how long to practise – and an overview of all breathing techniques:
- Nāḍīs and Prāṇas – the channels of life
- Kumbhaka and alternate nostril breathing (Nāḍī Śodhana)
- Ujjāyī, Bhrāmarī and Śītalī
- Kapālabhāti and Bhastrikā – the breath of fire
- Mūla Bandha and the three bandhas (this article)
If you would like not only to practise prāṇāyāma but also to teach it: in our 200-hour yoga teacher training, the breath is one of the supporting pillars alongside āsana, mantra and meditation.
Prāṇāyāma practices to download
In our download section you will find our prāṇāyāma handout and many more practices – Kundalini Yoga kriyās, Pavanmuktāsana series and mantras.
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