Bandhas, the locks of hatha yoga

Bandhas are locks: deliberate holds in particular parts of the body, used together with posture and breath in hatha yoga. The word bandha means a lock, a bond or a binding.

There are three main bandhas. Mula bandha is the root lock at the pelvic floor. Uddiyana bandha is the upward lock at the abdomen. Jalandhara bandha is the throat lock, with the chin drawn toward the chest. This page describes them as the tradition does. It is not a set of instructions, and the full techniques should be learned with an experienced teacher.

Where do the bandhas come from?

The bandhas belong to the hatha yoga texts. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, compiled by Svatmarama in the fifteenth century, organises hatha yoga into posture, breath, mudras and bandhas, and inner sound. Its third chapter lists ten mudras, and the three bandhas are among them, alongside techniques such as mahamudra and viparita karani. The Gheranda Samhita, a later text, describes them too.

In these texts the bandhas are not exercises in their own right. They are used with breath control, especially with long breath retention, and the texts present them as part of the method for rousing kundalini, a force pictured as coiled at the base of the spine. The page on kundalini awakening sets out that tradition.

What are the three bandhas?

• Mula bandha, the root lock. Mula means root. The texts describe a drawing up at the base of the pelvis, the area between the genitals and the anus. In modern classes it is usually taught as a light lift of the pelvic floor.
• Uddiyana bandha, the upward lock. Uddiyana comes from a root meaning to fly up. The texts describe drawing the belly in and up under the ribs as part of a breath practice, always on an empty stomach. It is the strongest of the three, and the one that most needs a teacher.
• Jalandhara bandha, the throat lock. Jala can mean a net or web, and dhara means holding. The chin draws down toward the chest and the throat closes. In the texts it is used during breath retention.

When all three are held together, the texts call it maha bandha, the great lock.

Why learn bandhas with a teacher?

The texts that describe the bandhas also insist that they be learned from a teacher, step by step. That advice still holds. The full techniques are tied to breath retention, which the pranayama guide treats as an advanced practice. Rushed or forced, both the locks and the held breath can cause strain or discomfort.

So take this page as background. If you want to explore the bandhas, find an experienced teacher who can watch you, and stop if you feel dizzy, light-headed, anxious or any pain.

Skip the bandhas, uddiyana in particular, if you are pregnant or recovering from birth, have high blood pressure, a heart condition, a hernia or recent abdominal surgery, and ask your doctor first if you have any health condition. For practice during and after pregnancy, the guides on pregnancy and postpartum yoga at joahnnalee.com are a better place to start.

How do bandhas show up in a modern class?

Most classes use the bandhas in a lighter form, without breath retention. Ashtanga yoga is the best-known example. Its teachers ask for a gentle, steady mula bandha and a light uddiyana bandha through the whole practice, together with ujjayi breathing and a fixed gaze. In that setting the bandhas mean a quiet support at the base of the trunk, not a forceful hold.

Other styles mention them rarely. You may hear “lift the pelvic floor” in a standing balance, or notice a shape like jalandhara bandha when the chin moves toward the chest in a supported shoulder stand. If a cue does not make sense in your body, you can let it go and simply keep breathing evenly.