Yoga Teacher Training - Uddiyana Bandha and Mool Bandha

Uddiyana Bandha: In Sanskrit Uddiyana means upward or flying and bandha means binding or uniting or holding. This bandha refers to holding the flying bird or prana. This is primarily done in the belly. In India when a person dies, commonly it is said that ‘Prana Pakheru Uda Gaye (प्राण पखेरू उड़ गए)’, that means ‘Prana the bird flew out’.   Uddyana Bandha denotes that hold ‘Prana the bird’ for not flying out to attain the eternity. This Bandha helps in opening Vishnu Granthi (knot).

Procedure of performing Uddyana Bandha:

• Relax and stand. Feet slightly apart. Body lean forward. Close the eyes.
• Bend the knees, palms on the knees.
• Inhale completely. Mouth closed but exhale forcefully through mouth.
• Try to exhale completely and push maximum possible air out from the body. Then relax your abdomen.
• Suck the abdomen completely and lift the abdomen and navel completely towards spine.
• Now Uddyana Bandha is happening. Hold breath out and abdomen according to capacity. 
• Slowly come out, relax and repeat as per guidance of the guru.

Mula Bandha: Mula Bandha is holding pose in which the body is contracted from the anus upward. This bandha also helps in opening Braham Granthi (knot)

Procedure of performing Mula Bandha:

• Sit comfortable either in Sukhasana or Vajarasana or Padamasna
• Place your palms on knees
• Eyes closed
• Awareness in Muladhar Chakra
• Inhale deeply with awareness on the breath and hold the breath.
• Slightly lean forward the body. Concentrate on Anus.
• Contract the anus muscles and pull upward.
• Hold the contraction with full awareness along with breath according to capacity.
• Keep tight holding according to capacity.
• Gently, exhale slowly and release normally.
• This can be done 5 rounds or as per guidance of the guru or yoga teacher.

It is also indicated that gradually one can perform these bandhas and attain the success. One should not attempt to perform these bandhas in faster mode or in haste, to attain faster success. Speeding up may back-fire or misleads the power which arises out of bandhas. A note of caution: one should perform bandhas after due learning from the Guru properly.  Once all three bandhas are performed at the same time it leads towards requisite success to experience the state of timelessness. When all the three bandhas happen with highest possible awareness, one can trance the time.

Adi Shankara Acharya calls time as ruthless. In Sanskrit, Kaal means time; Kaal is also referred as death. In common language in India, Kaal is very well known as a term for ‘time’ as well as ‘death’. Because of the bondages of Kaal one suffers. One of the most prominent desires of human beings is to get rid of bondage of Kaal. Shankara says that one can get rid of all bondages arising out of the ruthless Kaal, by successful performance of Tribandhas.

ओड्याणजालन्धरमूलबन्धै:

उन्निद्रितायामुरगाङ्गनायाम्।

प्रत्यङ्‌मुखत्वात्‌प्रविशन्‌सुषुम्नां

गमागमौ मुञ्चति गन्धवाहः॥ ६॥

oḍyāṇajālandharamūlabandhairunnidritāyāmuragāṅganāyām |

pratyaṅmukhatvātpraviśansuṣumnāṁ gamāgamau muñcati gandhavāhaḥ || 6||

oḍyāṇa ओड्याण = upward, Flying up, referred

jālandhara जालन्धर = web closing or net closing or water holding

mūlabandha मूलबन्धै = Moolbandha, root holding, base holding

unnidritāyāmur उन्निद्रितायामुर = bristling, expanded, shining

gāṅganāyām  गाङ्गनायाम् = being in purity

pratyaṅ प्रत्यङ्‌ = every part of the body, each limb of the body

mukha मुख = mouth

tvāt त्वात्‌ = like you

praviśan  प्रविशन्‌ = enter, begin, go into

suṣumnāṁ सुषुम्नां  = Sushumna Nadai, central energy channel

gamāgamau गमागमौ  = going and coming, birth and death

muñcati मुञ्चति  = let loose, give up

gandhavāhaḥ  गन्धवाहः = nose, sense of smelling

उड्डियान  बंध, जालंधर बंध और मूल बंध के सिद्ध होने से कुण्डिलीनी शक्ति जाग्रत होती है, प्राण सुषुम्ना में प्रवेश कर स्थिर हो जाते हैं और मनुष्य जन्म मृत्यु के आवागमन से मुक्ति की सुगंध पाता है 

The mastry of Uddyan Bandha, Jalandhar Bandha and Mula Bandha leads to shining of Kundalini Shakti and every cell of the body. Prana enters into Sushumna Nadai. Thus one attains fragrance of liberation from birth and death. ||6||

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