Kumbhaka is the retention of the breath in theyoga practice ofpranayama. It has two types, accompanied (by breathing) whether afterinhalation or afterexhalation, and, the ultimate aim, unaccompanied. That state iskevala kumbhaka, the complete suspension of the breath for as long as the practitioner wishes.

The namekumbhaka is from Sanskrit कुम्भkumbha, a pot, comparing the torso to a vessel full of air.^[2]

Kumbhaka is the retention of the breath inpranayama, either afterinhalation, the inner orAntara Kumbhaka, or afterexhalation, the outer orBahya Kumbhaka (also calledBahir Kumbhaka^[3]).^[1][4][3] According toB.K.S. Iyengar inLight on Yoga,kumbhaka is the "retention or holding the breath, a state where there is no inhalation or exhalation".^[1][2]

Sahit orSahaja Kumbhaka is an intermediate state, when breath retention becomes natural, at the stage of withdrawal of the senses,Pratyahara, the fifth of theeight limbs of yoga.^[5]

Kevala Kumbhaka, when inhalation and exhalation can be suspended at will, is the extreme stage ofKumbhaka "parallel with the state ofSamadhi",^[3] or union with the divine, the last of theeight limbs of yoga, attained only by continuous long term pranayama and kumbhaka exercises. The 18th centuryJoga Pradipika states that the highest breath control, which it defines as inhaling to a count (mātrā) of 8, holding to a count of 19, and exhaling to a count of 9, confersliberation and Samadhi.^[6][7]

The Yoga Institute recommends sitting in a meditative posture such asSukhasana forKumbhaka practice. After a full inhalation for 5 seconds, it suggests retaining the air for 10 seconds, exhaling smoothly, and then taking several ordinary breaths. It recommends five such rounds per pranayama session, increasing the time of retention as far as is comfortable by one second each week of practice.^[4]

The yoga scholarAndrea Jain states that while pranayama in modernyoga as exercise consists of synchronising the breath with movements (betweenasanas), in ancient texts like theBhagavad Gita and theYoga Sutras of Patanjali, pranayama meant "complete cessation of breathing", for which she cites Bronkhorst 2007.^[9][10] TheYoga Sutras state:

[D]istractions ... act as barriers to stillness. ... One can subdue these distractions by ... pausing after breath flows in or out.

— Yoga Sutras, 1:30-34, translated by Chip Hartranft^[11]

With effort relaxing, the flow of inhalation and exhalation can be brought to a standstill; this is calledbreath regulation.

— Yoga Sutras, 2:49, translated by Chip Hartranft^[12]

According to thescholar-practitioner of yogaTheos Bernard, the ultimate aim of pranayama is the suspension of breathing, "causing the mind to swoon".^[13]Swami Yogananda writes, "The real meaning of Pranayama, according to Patanjali, the founder of Yoga philosophy, is the gradual cessation of breathing, the discontinuance of inhalation and exhalation".^[14]

The yoga scholarsJames Mallinson andMark Singleton write that "pure breath-retention"^[15] (without inhalation or exhalation) is the ultimate pranayama practice in later hatha yoga texts. They give as an example the account in the c. 13th centuryDattātreyayogaśāstra ofkevala kumbhaka (breath retention unaccompanied by breathing). They note that this is "the only advanced technique"^[15] of breath-control in that text, stating that in it the breath can be held "for as long as one wishes".^[15] TheDattātreyayogaśāstra states thatkevala kumbhaka^[15]

Once unaccompanied [kevala] breath-retention, free from exhalation and inhalation, is mastered, there is nothing in the three worlds that is unattainable.

— Dattātreyayogaśāstra 74^[16]

The 15th centuryHatha Yoga Pradipika states that thekumbhakas force the breath into the centralsushumna channel (allowingkundalini to rise and causeliberation).^[17]

The 18th centuryGheranda Samhita states that death is impossible when the breath is held in the body.^[18]

Mallinson and Singleton note thatsahita kumbhaka, the intermediate state which is still accompanied (the meaning ofsahita) by breathing, was described in detail. They write that theGoraksha Sataka describes foursahita kumbhakas, and that theHatha Yoga Pradipika describes another four. They point out, however, that these supposedkumbhakas differ in their styles of breathing, giving the example of the buzzing noise made while breathing inbhramari.^[15]

• Kapalabhati
• Tummo#Practice
• Uddiyana bandha

• Mallinson, James;Singleton, Mark (2017).Roots of Yoga. Penguin Books.ISBN 978-0241253045.OCLC 928480104.