Maha Bandha (the great lock) technique and benefits

Jalandhara Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Mula Bandha are applied together to formulate Maha
Bandha. Since it is the combination of all three locks, it is recognized as ‘the great lock’. The Sanskrit
word ‘Maha’ also stands for ‘great’. The practice of Maha Bandha brings together the benefits of all
three bandha.

Maha Bandha requires a great deal of physical strength as it is an advanced practice. You must have
mastered (if not mastered then at least sufficiently good at) all three bandhas separately before
commencing to ‘the great lock’. The practice of Maha Bandha promotes the awakening of Kundalini
Shakti, a form of primal energy.

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Maha Bandha Technique

1. Sit in a meditative posture to begin your practice. Padmasana or Siddhasana is the ideal posture
for practicing any of the three bandha. But one must be completely comfortable in either of
them. Sukhasana is a good pose for such people for whom Padmasana or Siddhasana is
uncomfortable.

2. Sit straight keeping the spine erect. Put both of your palms on your knees. Relax the whole body
and be aware of your breaths.
 3. Now take slow and deep breaths. After an inhalation, exhale forcefully moving all the breath out
completely. Hold the breath outside.

4. Apply Jalandhara, Uddiyana and Mula bandha one after the another in the same order as
mentioned. There must be no pause in between, the bandhas must be applied back to back.

5. Retain the breath or locks for as long as it feels comfortable. Do not strain. Even 3 seconds are
sufficient for a beginner.

6. To release the three locks, start with Mula Bandha, then Uddiyana Bandha and in the end
Jalandhara Bandha.

7. Take a slow inhalation after bringing the head in upright position. One round completes here.

8. Relax the whole body taking easy breaths. Let the eyes remain closed. Once the breath comes
back to its normal rhythm, you are ready to practice again.

Practice 2 times initially. As you begin to feel more efficient in your practice, gradually add one more
round till you reach 5 rounds.

Practice Note

1. Focus or rotate your physical awareness in the areas of the three locks. That is throat, abdomen
and perineum. Spiritually you need to focus on Vishuddhi chakra (throat), Manipura chakra
(abdomen) or Muladhara chakra (perineum). Rotate you focus on each of the chakras.

2. Commence to Maha Bandha only after you have mastered other three bandhas separately.

3. Don’t retain the breath beyond your capacity as that may cause complications in the body. Hold
for as long as you feel comfortable.

4. In case you experience discomfort, release the locks gently and rest for a while. Resume the
practice once you feel better.

5. Practice Maha Bandha after performing yoga poses and pranayama (breathing exercise).

6. It is best to practice Maha Bandha under the guidance of a skilled and experienced yoga
instructor.

Contradictions

• You must not practice Maha Bandha if you suffer from any of this condition: heart disorder, high
or low blood pressure, hernia, stroke, intestinal or stomach ulcer, in case you are recovering
from a visceral ailment.

• Maha Bandha must be avoided by pregnant women as well as during menstruation.

Maha Bandha Benefits

 1. Influences the secretion of the hormones released by the pineal gland.

2. Stimulates the functioning of the whole endocrine system.

3. Revitalize each and every cell in the body.

4. Prevents aging and degenerative process.

5. Prepares the mind for deeper meditative practices.

6. Leads to the activation of 3 chakras associated with three bandha. That is Vishuddhi Chakra,
Manipura Chakra and Muladhara Chakra.

Stay healthy stay strong and get the best out of life.

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Jalandhara Bandha (the lock to purification) technique and benefits

‘Bandha’ refers to constricting or sealing a particular part of the body in order to gain some benefits
associated with it. There is a total of four Bandhas and Jalandhara is one of them. It is the first lock that
you learn before commencing to other two. Jalandhara Bandha is widely known as chin lock (or throat
lock). Behind our throat pit resides the centre of purification, known as ‘Vishuddhi Chakra’. The practice
of Jalandhara Bandha is known to activate this chakra. Communication skills of a person are linked to
Vishuddhi Chakra. There are many other supreme qualities of the human body that are governed by this
chakra.

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The word ‘Bandha’ means to ‘lock’, ‘hold’ or ‘tighten’. Moving to Jalandhara, ‘Jala’ stands for ‘Net’ while
‘Dhara’ stands for ‘current’ or ‘flow’ similar to that of a river. In the human body, it refers to the flow of
blood vessels and nerves of the neck. Since the flow is locked it leads to the drop in heart rate which in
return allows the breath retention to last longer.

Jalandhara Bandha Technique

Starting Position: Padmasana or Siddhasana

In whatever meditative posture you sit, remember to keep your spine and head straight. Keep your
knees close to the ground as much as you can. Put both of your palms on your knees. Or join the tip of
your thumb and index finger.

1. Relax the whole body gently closing your eyes.

2. Take a deep inhalation and exhale out all the air completely. Now, take a slow and deep breath
and hold your breath inside.

3. Pull the head slightly backward. Lower your head and lower your chin into the suprasternal
notch (the dip between the collar bones). The chin must be tightly (but gently) pushed into the
notch.

4. Next, straighten your elbows to keep the arms straight. Press your palms into the knees pushing
them further down towards the floor.

5. Along with pushing the knees down, arch your shoulders in upward and forward direction.

6. This will keep the arms rigidly straight thus increasing the pressure on the neck.

7. Initially retain Jalandhara Bandha for a few seconds while concentrating on Vishuddhi Chakra.

8. Bring the shoulders back into their normal position. Relax the arms and gently release the lock.
 9. Straighten the head and release the breath slowly. Relax for a few seconds and repeat the same
procedure again. Practice 3-5 times.

Practice Note

1. While practicing Jalandhara bandha you hold the breath inside. After becoming sufficiently well,
you can also practice it while holding the breath outside.

2. You can hold the pose for as long as you feel comfortable. Though it is advised to practice for
only a few seconds initially and increase the time gradually.

3. If you experience suffocation, stop the practice right away. Take slow breaths for a while and try
again.

4. Perform Jalandhara bandha after practicing yoga poses and before meditation. Do not inhale or
exhale until you straighten the head and arms.

5. It is important to first master Jalandhara Bandha to be eligible to learn Maha Bandha (the great
lock) later on.

Contradictions

1. If you suffer from any of this condition, avoid practicing Jalandhara Bandha: high blood pressure,
heart problems, vertigo, cervical spondylosis or increased intracranial pressure.

2. If you experience dizziness, consider avoiding it.

3. Consult with your doctor before practicing if you have a thyroid disorder.
Jalandhara Bandha Benefits

1. Increases concentration power.

2. Influence the functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands, therefore, balancing
metabolism.

3. Prevents and manages the disorders of the thyroid gland.

4. Gives one the ability to hold the breath for the longer duration of time.

5. The chin lock leads to the compression of carotid sinuses (arteries of the neck). These sinuses
are responsible for the functioning of the respiratory and circulatory system. Pressure on
sinuses during Jalandhara Bandha leads to mental relief. It reduces anxiety, anger and stress of
the practitioner.
Uddiyana Bandha (the lock to Solar Plexus)
Uddiyana Bandha is one of the only yoga practice in which the diaphragm lifts up towards the chest. The
word Uddiyana in itself means ‘to rise up’ which is similar to the action that takes place while its
practice. There is direct connection between Uddiyana Bandha, Manipura Chakra and Solar Plexus.

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Solar Plexus is a complex network of nerves situated in the abdomen. The chakra that influences solar
plexus is Manipura Chakra. The key to activate Manipura chakra lies within Uddiyana Bandha, for that
reason it is also known as solar plexus chakra. Manipura Chakra influences the human body on both
physical and spiritual levels. Its awakening fills the person with high energy levels, strong digestion and
sharp mind.

Uddiyana Bandha Technique

Starting Position: Padmasana, Siddhasana or Vajrasana

In whatever meditative posture you sit, remember to keep your spine and head straight. Keep your
knees close to the ground as much as you can. Put both of your palms on your knees. Relax the whole
body gently closing your eyes.

1. Take a deep inhalation and exhale out all the air completely. Retain the breath outside.

2. Slightly incline forward and gently press your palms against the knees.

3. Straighten your arms and lift your shoulders upwards allowing the spine to stretch further.

4. Contract your abdominal muscles as much as you can in upward and inward direction.
 5. Retain Uddiyana Bandha for a few seconds.

6. Release the lock, relax your arms and lower the shoulders.

7. Straighten your spine, head and inhale slowly.

8. Take slow breaths for a while relaxing the body.

Practice again 2 more times following the same procedure.

Practice Note

1. Uddiyana Bandha can only be practiced while holding the breath outside. Merely 3 to 5 seconds
are sufficient in the beginning.

2. Increase the time gradually as you become more comfortable while holding the breath for
longer duration. You can practice for as long as you can comfortably.

3. One must practice Uddiyana bandha only on an empty stomach and empty bowels.

4. Perform uddiyana bandha after practicing yoga poses and before meditation.

5. Practice Uddiyana bandha only after becoming proficient in Mula Bandha and Jalandhara
Bandha separately.

6. When you become quite well at performing Jalandhara Bandha, you may practice it along with
Uddiyana Bandha. If you do so, you first need to apply Jalandhara Bandha followed by Uddiyana.
While releasing the locks you shall first unlock uddiyana followed by jalandhara.
Contradictions

• Avoid practicing Uddiyana Bandha if you suffer from any of these condition: heart problems,
high blood pressure, colitis, glaucoma, diaphragmatic hernia, severe stomach related problems
or increased intracranial pressure.

• Must be avoided during menstruation; pregnant women must avoid it too.

Uddiyana Bandha Benefits

1. Practicing Uddiyana Bandha is highly beneficial for abdomen.

2. Regulates the functioning of liver and pancreas.

3. Tones and massage all the internal organs especially digestive organs.

4. Balances the functioning of adrenal glands therefore removing lethargy.

5. Enhances blood circulation in the trunk.

6. Stimulates Manipura Chakra.

Mula Bandha (the lock to Kundalini Awakening)

Mula Bandha is the contraction of certain muscles in the perineum. The Sanskrit word Mula stands for
‘source’, ‘root’ or ’cause’. Therefore it is also known as ‘root lock’ and its practice results in exceptional
health benefits. The Muladhara chakra resides at the root of the spine. Within Muladhara chakra lies
Kundalini Shakti (a form of primal energy). In humans, the Kundalini remains dormant throughout their
lives. But it can be awakened through the practice of Mula Bandha. So offer yourself the benefits that
come from practicing Mula Bandha. Given below are the 3 techniques to practice Mula Bandha.

Mula Bandha Preparatory Practice

1. Sit in a meditative posture you find the most

comfortable. Ideally Siddhasana, Padmasana or Sukhasana.

2. Relax the whole body closing your eyes. Feel the breath coming in and moving out.

3. Fix your attention on the perineum. The perineum is the area between anus and vulva (in
female) or scrotum (in males).

4. Contract the muscles of your pelvis, up and in towards the spine and then relax.

5. Repeat this process several times while breathing normally.

Mula Bandha Technique 1

1. After performing preparatory practice, hold the contraction for a while.

2. Continue to breathe normally instead of holding the breath.

3. Contract a bit more tightly, the rest of your body must remain relaxed.

4. Beware of the sensation you feel in the perineum.

5. After contraction, slowly relax the muscles. Repeat the process for 5 times.

Technique 2: Along with Jalandhara Bandha

1. Sit in a meditative posture and relax the whole body keeping your eyes closed.

2. Take a deep inhalation and hold the breath inside to perform Jalandhara Bandha.

3. Now contract the muscles (up and into the spine) of your pelvic region to apply Mula Bandha.

4. Hold the contraction for as long as you can hold the breath comfortably.

5. Let go of the Mula Bandha gently followed by Jalandhara and then exhale. Practice 3 – 5 times
 6. On physical level be aware of the contraction of the perineum. On spiritual level keep your focus
on Muladhara Chakra.

Practice Note

1. After getting sufficiently well in your practice. You may also perform MulaBandha while holding
the breath outside.

2. Practice Mula Bandha after practicing yoga poses and before meditation.

3. The practice of Mula bandha includes the contraction of some particular pelvic muscles. Not the
contraction of the whole pelvis.

4. Males are ought to contract the muscles between anus and testes. Females need to contract the
muscles behind the cervix. Cervix is the point where the lower end of the uterus projects into
the vagina. It is the muscles surrounding Muladhara chakra that are meant to be contracted
during Mulabandha.

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Source

Contradictions

• Practice Mula Bandha only under the guidance of an experienced yoga instructor.

• Avoid practicing Mula Bandha while menstruation.

Mula Bandha Benefits

1. Practicing MulaBandha gives benefits on the mental, physical and spiritual level.

2. Regulates the functioning excretory system, genital and urinary organs.

3. Stimulates Muladhara chakra, therefore, leading to the awakening of Kundalini Shakti.

4. Fights depression and encourage overall good health.

5. Useful for those suffering from degenerative and psychological disorders.

6. One may gain control over sexual energy by practicing Mula Bandha. Therefore it is useful for
the seekers of spiritual development.