Chin
Lock – Jalandhara Bhanda
To facilitate the lengthening of the torso and fully expand the
lungs we employ Jalandhara Bhanda, also known as the Chin Lock.
Practicing Jalandhara Bhanda helps to open your airway and enhances
your ability to feel the breath in your throat. This awareness is
a critical step towards improving control and fullness of your breath.
Jalandhara Bhanda can be held in place throughout the cycle of breath
for any pranayama practice. Symbolically, the intention of Jalandhara
Bhanda is to quiet the rational, problem-solving mind. By closing
the throat we shut off one of the rambling mind’s main avenues
for expression.
Step-by-step Instructions for Jalandhara Bhanda:
- In any comfortable sitting position first scoot your sit-bones
back about an inch or so on each side.
- This will help allow you to extend your belly and low back up
from your hips. Try to allow your lumbar spine (lower spine) to
come into a gentle, forward arch.
- Extend the rest of your spine and your ribcage upwards as well.
Don’t just extend the front of the chest; do so all the
way around.
- Relax your arms and shoulders at your sides, and rest your hands
palms down on your thighs with thumbs joining forefingers.
- Lengthen the back of your neck straight up-and-down, a.k.a.
perpendicular to the ground. You may want to massage the muscles
along the back of your neck from bottom to top, which feels good
and helps extend your neck.
- Now, tip your chin in toward your throat, while lifting the
crown of your head slightly taller and maintaining the straight
up-and-down position of your neck.
- Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose. You will probably
notice a snoring, breeze-like or rumbling sound to your breath.
This is normal, and even desirable. It’s just that your
glottis is partially closed, so it vibrates a little. This vibration
assists in bringing you into awareness of your breath in your
throat.
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Uddiyana Bhanda, the Upward Flying Bird
We use Uddiyana Bhanda, also known
as the abdominal lift, to empty the abdominal/pelvic cavity as much
as possible. Uddiyana is the Sanskrit term for “upward flying
bird,” which is the form your abdominal muscles take on in
this practice. Symbolically, the practice of Uddiyana Bhanda reminds
us that less is usually enough, and takes us fully into the state
of emptiness between exhale and inhale. Uddiyana Bhanda is only
practiced while holding without breath. This is an important safety
measure. Sensitive tissues in the lungs could be damaged by practicing
Uddiyana Bhanda with air in the lungs.
Uddiyana Bhanda requires two steps,
which together take place in about a second or two:
a. Pull your abdominal muscles
inward and upward as much as possible. Pull from the pelvis all
the way up to the sternum, and side to side as far as possible.
Imagine you are pulling your abdomen up under your ribcage. Continue
holding without breath.
b. Now, to pull further you’ll need to expand the muscles
all around your ribcage. Hold your throat closed to prevent inadvertent
inhalation, then expand your chest as though you were inhaling.
Expand from the bottom to top of the chest 360° around. Keep
your diaphragm and abdominal muscles lifted, but do not hold them
rigidly. You should feel your diaphragm being sucked up by the
vacuum created by expanding your empty lungs.
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Mula Bhanda, the Root Lock
Mula Bhanda, or Root Lock, is a mudra for the base of the spine.
The practice of mula Bhanda serves to seal off the centers of elimination
and procreation and to channel energy, or prana, up the spine to
the higher centers in the heart and mind. Symbolically, you can
think of it as turning our attention firmly from the outer sensual
world of desires, such as food and sex. Instead, this mental energy
(attention) is symbolically directed towards practices or love,
discipline, right thought and right action. The practice is very
simple. It is a contraction of the perineum, which is the area between
the genitals and the anus. If you have ever stopped the flow of
urine in the middle of urination, then you have contracted your
perineum. Generally, Mula Bhanda is practiced while holding, or
pausing, after inhale or exhale, and it is not held while bringing
air in or out of the lungs.
Heart Lock
Heart Lock is an elevation of your
whole ribcage from bottom to top and all the way around. Use a gentle
to moderate effort from the muscles all around your torso and the
muscles between your ribs to lift. Don’t strain, though. Your
can maintain the Heart Lock throughout the cycle of breath in any
pranayama practice.
Tongue Lock
Tongue Lock is a mudra to quiet the mind and remind us, symbolically
of the importance of using our words wisely. It is simply pressing
the tongue up into the upper palate. If it is difficult to maintain
this, you can begin with pressing into the gum line just behind
the upper front teeth. Tongue lock is practiced throughout the whole
cycle of breath in any pranayama practice.
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Eye Lock
Eye Lock is a mudra which helps to hone your ability to focus the
mind. With your eyes closed you focus your vision inward and upward
to a point in the center of your forehead and about an inch or so
above your eyebrows. This is the location of the Ajna charka, the
center of intuition and will power. Focusing our attention here
is symbolic of our intention to follow our highest motivations in
right thought and right action. Eye lock is practiced throughout
the whole cycle of breath in any pranayama practice.
Mahabhanda
Mahabhanda, or the Great Lock, is the combination of all of these
seals. Mahabhanda is employed when holding without breath only.
Since Mahabhanda includes Uddiyana Bhanda, it cannot be practiced
when there is air in the lungs.
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