Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the ancient text of Hatha Yoga, clearly tells with the help of Uddiyana bandha one can lift the Prana – life force.
Through this bandha, the great bird “prana” constantly flies up through the Sushumna Nadi; that is why it is called Uddiyana (upward flying) – (chapter 3 Verse 55)
We talked about how to use bandhas in the previous post to lock energy into specific body parts.
We will learn how Uddiyana Bandha traps pranic energy in the abdomen while also directing it upward in this essay. This Bandha is extremely useful during Nauli abdominal cleanse.
Uddiyana Bandha: The Abdominal Lock
A belly raising or upward lifting lock is known as Uddiyana bandha. A practitioner of this bandha elevates their abdominal wall internally and upwards while holding their breath soon after expiration.
This whole process creates a vacuum in your chest that allows a better circulation of blood to all the abdominal organs. It is the first bandha that is performed for Nauli Kriya. Besides, it is one of the important steps in Basti kriya and Vajroli mudra.
With the help of the lines below, we can clearly observe the virtue of Uddiyana bandha:
It is the lion that conquers the elephant, death. Of all the bandhas, Uddiyana is the best. Once it is mastered, liberation occurs spontaneously.” – Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Chapter 3 Verse 57)
The Uddiyana bandha is incredibly calming when it is activated. You’ll feel energized after eating it, especially in your abdomen.
Uddiyana and Bandha both translate to “to lock” or “to bind” in Sanskrit. The correct pronunciation is oo-di-yana.
How to Do Uddiyana Bandha
You must concentrate and pay close attention to your abdomen when performing Uddiyana Bandha. Simply hold your breath soon after exhaling and raise your abdomen up toward your ribs and toward your spine.
You can try it on in either the standing position or the sitting position, respectively.
Standing Position
- Firstly, stand and keep your spine straight.
- Then, bend your knees slightly, and keep around a foot distance between them.
- Now, slightly lean forward and put your hands on your thighs, just above the knees.
- Take a couple of breaths and relax.
Sitting Position
- Sit in a Yoga Asana such as Padmasana or Siddhas. Get comfortable with the asana.
- Put your hands right above the kneecap on the lower thighs.
- Take a couple of deep breaths to let a proper flow of prana throughout the body.
- Now you need to pay attention to your abdomen and carry out the subsequent actions.
Steps to Perform Uddiyana Bandha
- Hold your breath after fully exhaling.
- Now, while holding your breath, drag your navel part toward your spine and try to contact it. Then, lift it toward your ribcage or heart’s center.
- Hold it for a few seconds, and drop it as gently as is comfortable for you.
- Run the entire process at once.
- Note. If you are finding it hard to draw or lift your abdomen part, you can try taking a mock/fake inhalation and closing your mouth and nose.
- Uddiyana bandha is best performed while standing. If you’re a beginner, attempt to do it while standing because it will be simpler to concentrate on and control your abdominal muscles when you’re standing.
- The optimum time of day to do it is in the morning so that you can prime your stomach for better digestion and other bodily functions.
Additional Tips
These may be the causes if you are experiencing problems doing Uddiyana Bandha.
Absence of Focus The abdomen portion of Uddiyana Bandha requires a lot of attention. We can become distracted and end up not executing things correctly even slightly. Avoid any distractions and concentrate on the abdomen portion.
Not Exhaling Enough. You need to keep exhaling completely. The more you’ll exhale, the more lift you can acquire. So, to acquire your full capacity for lifting the abdomen, you have to exhale enough.
Holding Breath. Even a little inhalation of breath during the mock inhalation can prevent you from lifting the abdomen part. So, remember to hold your breath completely. Along with this, holding the abdomen very hard also prevents us from performing it.
Contraindication & Precautions
- You must take the following safety measures in order to practice the Uddiyana Bandha safely and to achieve the greatest outcomes.
- You shouldn’t perform Uddiyana Bandha if you have high blood pressure issues. It can quickly raise your blood pressure if you practice it.
- It is not advised for patients with hernias and ulcers to do Uddiyana bandha.
- A woman shouldn’t perform this Bandha while pregnant. Both the mother’s health and the health of the unborn child may suffer as a result.
- In menstruation cycles, Uddiyana Bandha should not be performed.
- If you conduct it right after eating, it may result in indigestion and stomach ache, thus you should do it on an empty stomach.
- Take it easy on your body. You can release yourself once you’ve reached your breaking point. Your health could be harmed by exceeding the limit.
Benefits of Uddiyana Bandha
- The abdominal muscles are mainly used in the Uddiyana bandha. It functions similarly to an abdominal exercise. As a result, it strengthens the diaphragm and abdominal muscles.
The abdominal muscles, heart, and lungs are massaged throughout this activity, which improves how well these muscles work. It boosts the body’s natural digestive heat. It consequently enhances digestion and removes toxins from our bodies.
2. The brain becomes healthier as the Uddiyana Bandha practice improves blood circulation throughout the body and brain. Additionally, this exercise mostly contributes to having a younger body and brain. In other words, both your physical and emotional health are better. Practice, therefore, restores your youth.
3. By doing the Uddiyana Bandha, the Apana Vayu (energy of the lower abdomen) is turned around to face upward and combined with the Parana Vayu (energy of the heart) and Samana Vayu (energy of the navel). Our bodies experience a distinctive flow of prana energy as a result.
Prana and Apana meet in the region of the Solar plexus/Celiac plexus[efn_note] What is Solar/Celiac plexus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celiac_plexus [/efn_note]. It activates the Manipura Chakra, improving the function of all organs associated with it. It has been practiced by yogis to acquire liberation.
4. When performed in conjunction with the Moola bandha, Uddiyana Bandha helps in awakening the Kundalini energy to stimulate the Anahata Chakra.
According to the Gheranda Samhita, Uddiyana Bandha improves our internal consciousness, which aids in higher forms of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.
