Uddiyana Bandha Tutorial

(wave rolling in) Hello, namaste. Thank you for joining me for this tutorial on Uddiyana Bandha. There's three major bandhas. Bandha means a lock or a lift that is done in yoga. The Mula Bandha, which is the pelvic floor, the root lift.

The Jalandhara Bandha, which is the throat. Jala, it means a neck. We're throwing a net over the top of the torso. And the one we're gonna focus on today, Uddiyana Bandha, is in the center of the body. Uddiyana means flying up or rising up.

Bandha means lock, so rising up energetic lock. So in this practice, the contents of the abdomen and the diaphragm are gonna suck up. It's an amazing practice. I often teach it on retreats when people tend to get a little constipated or there's some indigestion going on. It's a great practice to get the belly cleared out.

It gives energy, it gives vitality, and also strengthens the belly and gives a lot of awareness to this area, which is really important. Oftentimes in yoga poses, you're invited to do Uddiyana Bandha, but what that is is a very gentle version of this extreme Kriya, which is a cleansing practice. This is a Kriya, the Uddiyana Bandha Kriya, that we're going to do. So, it's not advised if you're pregnant, definitely. Usually, menstruation, but however you can explore.

To each her own. Also, if you have ulcer, high blood pressure. I would also say if you're dealing with trying to get pregnant or infertility, I would leave this one out. It's kind of... It's a great but intense practice.

If you're unsure, you might want to talk to a professional yoga teacher. See if it's right for you. All right, so, let me explain it first, and then I'll have you do it with me three times, and then we're gonna try it in a different position as well. So I'm just gonna turn to the side. And the position that we do it in is knees bent, hands on the knees, like an umpire in baseball.

And it's always done on the exhalation, on a really complete, full exhalation, bereft of any oxygen in your lungs. So you want to do the exhalation always very quickly so then you have some time to experience the Kriya of the belly pulling in and up. So I take a deep breath in. (inhales deeply) I exhale through my mouth, 'cause that can happen very quickly. So. (exhales) (inhales deeply) It's impossible to talk during Uddiyana Bandha.

Therefore, the miming. So, give it a try. See what happens. Take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, (exhales) quickly, and then arms straighten.

The rib cage expands a bit so that the belly can suck in and up. The chin is gently dropped to the chest. And then first, release the bandha, take a big breath in. It should be a pretty marvelous breath in as the lungs refill completely. And then hands to the heart.

Come along with me. Breathe in. (inhales deeply) (exhales) (inhales deeply) You're welcome to hold it longer than I'm holding it, shorter than I'm holding it. And I would say hold it, let go of it before it starts to feel at all nerve-wracking. Take a breath in. Last time like this.

Exhale completely. (exhales) (inhales deeply) Kind of like inversions. The sense can take you into a very different head space. So, let's try it in a different way. This may work better for you. Maybe not.

We'll come to lie down onto your back. I call this one bridge-induced Uddiyana Bandha. So lying on your back. Okay, so in any of these bridge poses, it's good to have no hair ponytail. So get yourself prepared for a bridge pose.

Feet rooted. And then press into your feet. Lengthen your tailbone first. And just roll up into a bridge pose. Can be about your most extraordinary bridge pose.

Kinda mellow, mellow version. And then try to roll down sequentially. So the heart will soften, the solar plexus softens, the bones of the spine walk down the mat. And then a few times, up and down. We'll add the arms vinyasa style.

Inhale, push your feet down, lift your arms up. (inhales deeply) And as you exhale, pelvis comes down, rolling down through the spine, arms down to your sides. Inhale, come up. Exhale, lower down. Letting this be a massage to the spinal bones.

One more time like that. Inhale, rising up. (inhales deeply) And exhale, lowering down. All right, so bridge-induced Uddiyana Bandha. If you do the directions, it should just happen, Uddiyana Bandha, without you having to do any big exertion. So, you can either do it with me.

I'll talk you through it. Or you can watch the first time. So, inhale, rise up, just like we were doing in bridge. And then again, it's a quick exhalation. So I like to do the exhale out of my mouth so then I can be...

I can have more time to roll down and be on empty. Once I exhale out of my mouth, I'm gonna roll down through the spine, and I'll be in Uddiyana Bandha. (inhales) (exhales) (inhales deeply) Big inhale when you're done, and then as you exhale, the arms come back by the sides. One regular bridge pose with the arms. Inhale coming up. (inhales deeply) Exhale coming down. (exhales) And then here we go.

Inhale, come up. (inhales deeply) Quick exhale. (exhales) Roll down. (inhales deeply) (exhales) I like to release the bandha a little bit before I take the breath in. Otherwise, I get kind of an intense... (gulps air sharply) suction that is not appealing to me. You can experiment with yourself. One more time, inhale, come up.

(inhales deeply) Exhale, come down. (exhales) Inhale, up. (inhales deeply) (exhales) Let your throat be soft. Live in the stillness until you're ready to release. When you release, big breath in. And exhale, arms come down by your sides. You can roll to your side.

Come up. This would be a nice place to transition into perhaps my class on birds where we do some arm balances, and therefore use the Uddiyana Bandha, or pretty much any practice on this site 'cause it's nice to get those belly juices going before getting into a deeper practice. So, thank you, I hope you enjoyed it. Namaste.