PratJa.yama 437The three main bandhas, which are important for pr3J?.3yama,
are: (r) Jalandhara Bandha, (2) U��Hyana Bandha and (3) MUla
Bandha.
The first one which the yogi should master is Jalandhara. }ala means
a net, a web, a lattice or a mesh. In Jalandhara the neck and throat are
contracted and the chin is made to rest on the chest in the notch between
the collar-bones and at the top of the breast-bone. It is mastered while
doing Sarvangasana (see pp. 205-20) and its cycles, for here also the
chin is pressed against the sternum. The Jalandhara Bandha regulates
the flow of blood and pra�a to the heart, the glands in the neck and
the head together with the brain. If pra�ayama is performed without
Jalandhara Bandha pressure is immediately felt on the heart, behind the
eyeballs and in the ear cavity and the head feels dizzy. Jalandhara
Bandha is essential in the three processes of pr3J;t3yama, namely, puraka
(inhalation), rechaka (exhalation) and kumbhaka (retention).
U��lyana means flying up. The process in U��yana Bandha is to lift
the diaphragm high up the thorax and to pull in the abdominal organs
against the back towards the spine. It is said that through U��iyana
Bandha, the great bird pra�a is forced to fly up through the su�um�a
nac;Ii, the main channel for the flow of nervous energy, which is situated
inside the meru-danc;Ia or the spinal column. It is said that U��fyana is
the best of bandhas and he who constantly practises it as taught by his
Guru or master becomes young again. It is said to be the lion that kills
the elephant named Death. It should be performed only during· bahya
kumbhaka following rechaka, that is, during the interval between com
plete exhalation and fresh inhalation when breathing is suspended. It
exercises the diaphragm and abdominal organs. The cavity created by
the lift of the diaphragm gives a gentle massage to the muscles of the
heart, thereby toning it. U�c;lfyana Bandha should never be attempted
during antara kumbhaka, that is the interval between complete inhala
tion and the start of exhalation when breath is retained, otherwise it will
strain the heart and diaphragm and the eyes will puff out.
Mula means root, source, origin or cause, basis or foundation. Mula
Bandha is the region between the anus and the scrotum. By contracting
this region, Apana Vayu (the pra�a in the lower abdomen), whose course
is downwards, is made to flow up to unite with the Pra�a Vayu, which
has its seat in the region of the chest.
Miila Bandha should be attempted first in an tara kumbhaka (retention
after inhalation). The region of the lower abdomen between the navel
and the anus is contracted towards the spine and pulled up towards the
diaphragm. In Uc;ic;Ifyana Bandha the entire region from the anus to the
diaphragm up to the sternum is pulled back towards the spine and lifted
up. But in Miila Bandha the whole lower abdominal area between the