Bandhas

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Srigurum sachidanadam sarvatmanam ajam vibhum |
Klesa karma vipakadi rahitam samupasmahe ||

Meaning: I bow down to Sriguru who is Eternal - Conscious - Bliss, essence of all, unborn, omnipresent, devoid of afflictions, unaffected by karma and their results.

The word bandha may be defined in several ways:

• According to the Sanskrit dictionary, the term bandha means: binding, tying a bond, to catch or hold captive.
• Analogously the term bandha can also be linked to damming of the rivers, building a bridge or building over the sea.
• The spiritual connotation of bandhas can hence be interpreted as, "a bandha is a vehicle to transcend the ocean of samsara (worldly existence) and to reach the other shore of enlightenment".

Bandha includes just three different techniques, around which the whole concept of psychic locks revolve. There is a fourth technique of bandha that includes all three of the practices.

The practices are as follows:

• Moola bandha: Willful contraction of the perineum or cervix. The Sanskrit interpretation of the word moola means root, firmly fixed, source or cause. In this context it refers to the root of the spine, or the perineum, where the muladhara chakra, the seat of kundalini, the primal energy is located. Moola bandha is the key practice for locating and awakening the muladhara chakra in kundalini practices.

• Uddiyana bandha: Conscious squeezing of the abdomen. The Sanskrit word uddiyana means to rise up or to fly upward. The reason behind this name is that the physical pressure or lock applied to the body causes the diaphragm to rise towards the chest. Uddiyana is therefore translated as the stomach lift. Another meaning is that the physical lock directs the prana into the sushumna nadi so that it flows upwards and reaches the higher psychic centers of the body.

• Jalandhara bandha: Controlled compression of the throat region. The term jalandhara is formed by the root word jal which means water. Jalandhara bandha is therefore a throat lock practice which holds the nectar or fluid flowing down to the vishudha chakra from bindu, and prevents it from falling into the digestive fire. In this way prana is conserved and redirected upwards for higher spiritual sadhanas (practices).

• Maha bandha: The Sanskrit word maha means great. Maha bandha is called the great lock as it combines all three of the bandhas in one practice. Maha bandha ensures enhanced benefits of all three bandhas.