Bandhas, the three locks of yoga

What a bandha is

बन्ध (bandha) means a bond, a binding, a lock. In the haṭha view, the bandhas close the gates through which prāṇa escapes and turn it into the central channel. Physically, each one is a precise muscular action at one of three places: the pelvic floor, the abdomen, the throat. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika counts the three locks among its ten mudras (3.6-3.7).

When they are used: the key verses

पूरकान्ते तु कर्तव्यो बन्धो जालन्धराभिधः । कुम्भकान्ते रेचकादौ कर्तव्यस्तूड्डियानकः ॥

pūrakānte tu kartavyo bandho jālandharābhidhaḥ | kumbhakānte recakādau kartavyas tūḍḍiyānakaḥ ||

At the end of the inhalation, the lock called jālandhara is to be made; at the end of the retention and the beginning of the exhalation, uḍḍīyāna is to be made.

अधस्तात्कुञ्चनेनाशु कण्ठसङ्कोचने कृते । मध्ये पश्चिमतानेन स्यात्प्राणो ब्रह्मनाडिगः ॥

adhastāt kuñcanenāśu kaṇṭha-saṅkocane kṛte | madhye paścima-tānena syāt prāṇo brahma-nāḍigaḥ ||

By contracting below, closing the throat, and drawing the middle back, the prāṇa goes into the channel of Brahman.

The three locks

1. Jālandhara bandha, the throat lock

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika defines it plainly: "Contract the throat and press the chin firmly against the chest" (3.69, Pancham Sinh, 1914). Many teachers today also lift the breastbone a little so that chin and chest meet halfway, which spares the neck.

1. Sit firmly, knees lower than the hips, hands on the knees.
2. Lengthen the spine and lift the breastbone slightly.
3. Slowly lower the chin, sliding it back, as if making a double chin. The neck lengthens; the head does not drop.
4. Hold a few natural breaths, then lift the head. Five times.
5. Later, with a short inner retention: inhale, lower the chin, hold 3 to 5 seconds, lift the head first, then exhale.

Never inhale or exhale with the chin locked.

2. Mūla bandha, the root lock

"The Apana, naturally inclining downward, is made to go up by force. This Mula Bandha is spoken of by Yogis as done by contracting the anus." (HYP 3.61, Sinh). Beginners learn it in three stages:

1. Aśvinī mudrā: contract the anal sphincter for one second, release for one second, 10 to 20 times (the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā describes this "horse seal", 3.82-3.83).
2. Sustained contraction: hold the pelvic floor 5 seconds, release 5 seconds, buttocks and thighs relaxed.
3. Refinement: bring attention to the centre of the perineum and lift that point gently, about a quarter of your maximum, 10 to 30 seconds, then release completely.

3. Uḍḍīyāna bandha, the abdominal lock

"Of all Bandhanas, this is the best", says the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā (3.10-3.11, Vasu). Learn it standing, on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning:

1. Feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands on the thighs above the knees.
2. Exhale completely.
3. Lungs empty, lower the chin slightly, close the throat and open the ribs as if inhaling, without letting air in. The abdomen draws in and up under the ribs.
4. Hold 3 to 5 seconds.
5. Release the abdomen first, then lift the head, then inhale slowly. Three rounds.

The gentle drawing-in of the lower belly used in vinyasa classes is a different, milder action; do not confuse the two.

Mahā bandha: the three together

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (3.19-3.21) describes the great lock in a seated position with the left heel at the perineum, the breath held, chin to chest and perineum contracted; then the other side. Most schools today teach it on outer retention:

1. Seated firmly, hands on knees, arms straight. Inhale, then exhale completely.
2. Apply jālandhara, then uḍḍīyāna, then mūla.
3. Hold 3 to 5 seconds.
4. Release mūla, then uḍḍīyāna, then jālandhara; inhale when the head is upright.
5. Three rounds; up to five over weeks.

Only after each lock is comfortable on its own, and ideally with a teacher.

A six-week progression

Common mistakes

• Dropping the head instead of lengthening the neck.
• Squeezing the buttocks instead of the pelvic floor.
• Breathing with the chin locked, or inhaling before releasing the abdomen.
• Using maximum force. The texts say "by force", for adepts trained for years; for you, light is right.
• Never releasing. The release is part of the lock.

In context

The bandhas belong to the advanced stages of pranayama: the classical ratios with retention (see nadi shodhana) use them. Their individual pages go further: mūla bandha, uḍḍīyāna bandha, jālandhara bandha. Nauli, one of the six cleansing actions, grows out of uḍḍīyāna.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, translated by Pancham Sinh, Sacred Books of the Hindus vol. XV part 3 (1914), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
2. Svātmārāma, Haṭhayogapradīpikā, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 17, 2026
3. Srisa Chandra Vasu (tr.), The Gheranda Samhita, Sacred Books of the Hindus vol. XV (1914-1915), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026

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