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Bandhas for your energy body

By Jessica Tomaz

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Bandhas to Activate the Energy Body
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chakras Beyond the physical body lies what the yogis call the pranamaya kosha, the energy body. After opening and purifying the body through asana (yoga poses), the yogi seeks harmonious balance on the energetic level. This is done by purifying the nadis, energy channels, and guiding the flow of energy within the body. To bring about coherence on this deeper energy level, the yogi works with pranayama, breathing techniques, and bandhas (energy guides).

Bandhas are muscular and energetic contractions that enable the yogi to connect with great reservoirs of untapped light and power within. The word bandha literally means to bind or lock. It is called so because bandhas “lock” energy in the body.

In yoga, energy is the consort to consciousness. When we cultivate one, the other is also activated. There are three main bandhas to help guide the flow of energy, each corresponding to a major energy center (chakra).

Each bandha has its own qualities and benefits. They can be used individually or in combination with the others, depending on the desired effect.

Moola Bandha (root lock)
The moola bandha is often called the “master key” because of its incredible ability to unlock dormant energy that is stored in the mooladhara chakra, the root energy center.

This first of seven chakras, is the seat of kundalini shakti, a term the yogis use for dormant consciousness and energy bound in the base of the spine. Kundalini shakti is symbolized as a sleeping serpent who, once awakened, rises up through the center channel of the spine (sushumna nadi).

The serpent is "asleep" so long as we are trapped in ego-awareness. When kundalini is awakened, the yogi experiences a powerful influx of energy, awareness, and, ultimately, enlightenment. There are many techniques for activating kundalini. However, the most powerful of these is moola banhda and maha bandha (which will be discussed later).

Moola bandha is performed by contracting the pubococcygeal muscle, also known as the PC muscle or the pelvic floor. For women, this engagement is similar to a Kegel exercise, the difference being that moola bandha is a sustained contraction while the Kegel exercise encourages a contract and release rhythm.

Moola bandha can be visualized as the sealing off the bottom of a tube. Prana, lifeforce energy, enters the body via breath. The energy flows through sushumna nadi, the energy channel of the spine, and, if this tube is not sealed at the bottom, energy will dissipate out.

When moola bandha is activated, it “locks” the prana in the tube, and sends it upward. This starts the process of awakening kundalini shakti.

Moola bandha is a technique that has numerous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Fatigue, depression, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, or blockages are all conditions that can be improved or cured through proper practice of moola bandha.

Most yogis consider moola to be the most important of the bandhas, for without it, kundalini shakti will remain asleep forever. For more information on this transformational yoga technique, I highly recommend the book Moola Bandha: The Master Key, by Swami Buddhananda.

Uddiyana Bandha (abdominal lock)
Once the energy is locked in the sushumna nadi by use of moola bandha, an upward lifting engagement of the core can be implemented to encourage the rising and building of prana. This is uddiyana bandha, literally meaning “flying upward,” and is located at the seat of the second chakra (svadhisthana).

There are two main ways uddiyana bandha is practiced. The first is performed while practicing asana (yoga poses), especially in a more rigorous practice such as ashtanga or vinyasa. In this manner, there is an energetic, yet subtle, contraction of the low abdomen, the space two or three fingertips below the navel. It feels as if the muscles of the abdomen are drawing inward toward the spine. Though incredibly powerful and beneficial, this technique is not a complete uddiyana bandha, because the yogi still breathes in and out in this variation.

The second way to practice is the full uddiyana bandha, performed only when there is no breath in the body. This holding of the breath, after inhalation or exhalation, is called kumbaka.

Yogis are often most aware and present in the space of kumbaka, especially the kumbaka that comes after the exhalation. It is after a complete exhalation, before the next breath in, that full uddiyana bandha is found. With no breath in the body, the yogi sucks the muscles of the abdomen way up and in to hollow out the belly. This more advanced form of the bandha should only be practiced under the guidance of a qualified teacher.

Jalandhara Bandha (chin lock)
Moving up the body to vishudda chakra, the energy center of the throat, we find the seat of jalandhara bandha. The chin lock is most often performed with moola bandha and uddiyana bandha.

Jalandhara bandha is activated as means of sealing off the top of the spinal pranic tube. The upward moving energy resulting from implementation of moola bandha and uddiyana bandha is thus locked within the spine.

The chin lock is entered by drawing the chin towards the back of the skull and gently dropping it toward the top of the chest. The heart center, anahata chakra, rises to meet the lowering chin.

Physical benefits of the chin lock include the stimulating and balancing the thyroid gland and the endocrine system. Jalandhara bandha is connected to the fifth chakra, which holds our connection to truth and speaking truth.

Maha Bandha (The Great Lock)
Maha bandha is the engagement of all three of the above bandhas at once. Visualize sushumna nadi as a tube running through the center of your spine. Moola bandha seals off the bottom of the tube preventing the downward movement of prana. Jalandhara bandha seals off the top of the tube so that prana is locked in the tube.

Maha bandha is completed by the implementation of uddiyana bandha, which increases pranic pressure. Prana is thus compressed within shusumna nadi.

With the release of maha bandha comes a wave of energy that flushes the entire system, unblocking, rejuvenating, and toning the body. Maha bandha awakens kundalini shakti and leads the yogi towards total enlightenment.

Maha bandha can be performed with the partial uddiyana bandha. This occurs in yoga poses such as dandasana (staff pose) and salamba sarvangasana (shoulder stand). In this case, the breath is flowing in and out.

Or, maha bandha can be engaged with full uddiyana bandha with kumbaka, when there is no breath in the body. This is the most beneficial maha bandha and will lead the yogi to optimal body-mind-spirit wellbeing and vastly expanded states of consciousness. Full maha bandha should be practiced under the guidance of an experienced yoga teacher.

Bandhas are an essential element for achieving optimal body-mind-spirit wellness via yoga practice. Through the mastery of the bandhas, the yogi’s awareness “locks” itself in the present moment. Consciousness remains firmly seated in the eternal now. Ultimately, through consistent practice of the bandhas, the yogi becomes the master of his body, energy, mind, and self.