Abandha (Sanskrit:बंध) is akriyā inHatha Yoga, being a kind of internalmudra described as a "body lock,"[1][2] to lock the vital energy into the body.Bandha literally means bond, fetter, or "catching hold of".[3][4][5]
Mahā Bandha ("the great lock") combines all the other three bandhas, namely:[6]
InAshtanga Yoga, these three Bandhas are considered to be one of the three key principles of yoga practice.[7]
Mūla bandha is a primarybandha in traditionalyoga. The earliest textual mention ofmūla bandha is in the 12th century ShaivaNatha textGorakṣaśataka which defines it as a yogic technique to achieve mastery of breath and to awaken the goddessKuṇḍalinī.[8]
Mula Bandha (Sanskrit: मूल बंध) is fromMūla, meaning variously root, base,[9] beginning, foundation,[10] origin or cause.[3]
Gorakṣhaśataka definesmūla bandha as:
[The yogi] forces the downward-movingapāna breath to move upwards by means of contraction. Yogis call thismūla bandha, "the root lock." Whenapāna has turned upwards and reached the orb of fire, then the flame, fanned by the wind, rises high. As a result, fire andapāna reachprāṇa, which is hot by nature. The overheatedprāṇa creates a blaze in the body, which heats the sleepingKuṇḍalinī and wakes her up. Like a snake struck by a stick, she hisses and straightens herself. As if entering a snake-hole, she enters the Brahmānaḍi. Therefore, yogis should maintain the regular practice ofmūla bandha.Gorakṣaśataka[11]
Iyengar defines Mūla Bandha as "A posture where the body from theanus to thenavel is contracted and lifted up and towards the spine".[4] This is qualified in that the actual muscle contracted is not thesphincter muscle nor the muscle which cessates urination, butthe muscle equidistant between the two.
Maehle defines it as "root lock" and further specifies that:
The root referred to here is the root of the spine, thepelvic floor or, more precisely, the centre of the pelvic floor, theperineum. The perineum is the muscular body between the anus and the genitals. By slightly contracting thepubo-coccygeal (PC) muscle, which goes from the pubic bone to the tail bone (coccyx), we create an energetic seal that locksprana into the body and so prevents it from leaking out at the base of the spine.Mula Bandha is said to moveprana into the central channel, calledsushumna, which is the subtle equivalent of the spine.[12]
Mūla Bandha is a primary Bandha in traditionalyoga.[13] Iyengar likens the functionality of theBandha and especially Mūla Bandha to "safety-valves which should be kept shut during the practice of kumbhakas".[3] He specifies the energeticprāṇas ofVāyus engaged through Mūla Bandha as: "...Apāna Vāyu (the prāṇa in the lower abdomen), whose course is downwards, is made to flow up to unite with Prāna Vāyu, which has its seat within the region of the chest."[3] He cautions that "Mūla Bandha should be attempted first in antara kumbhaka (retention after inhalation). The region of the lower abdomen between the navel and the anus is contracted towards the spine and pulled up to the diaphragm. He further states that "While practicing Mūla Bandha, the yogi attempts to reach the true source or mūla of creation."[3]
Uḍḍīyana bandha (Sanskrit: उड्डीयन बन्ध), also calledabdominal lock orupward lifting lock, is the abdominalbandha described and employed inhatha yoga, in particular in thenauli purification. It involves, after having exhaled all the air out, pulling the abdomen under the rib cage by taking a false inhale while holding the breath and then releasing the abdomen after a pause. The process is repeated many times before letting the air into the lungs, resuming normal breath.[14][15]
Jalandhara bandha (Sanskrit:जालंधर[16] बंध,IAST: Jālandhara bandha[17][5]) is the chinbandha described and employed inHatha Yoga.
Jālandhara bandha comes fromSanskrit:जालJāla, web[18] or net[19] and (Sanskrit:धर)dhara, "holding".[20]
This bandha is performed by extending the neck and elevating thesternum (breastbone) before dropping the head so that the chin may rest on the chest. Meanwhile, the tongue pushes up against the palate in the mouth.[21]
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