JALANDHAR BANDHA
IT IS DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS BANDH IS KNOWN S JALANDHAR BANDH. HOWEVER, ONE MAY GUESS THAT RISHI JALANDHAR MIGHT HAVE DEFINED THE ACT OF THIS BANDH FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THE SAME WAS NAMED AFTER HIM. (IN YOGA, THE ACTIONS ARE SOMETIMES KNOWN BY THE NAME OF THE RISHIS, SUCH AS MATSYENDRASAN, GORAKSHASAN ETC).
IF WE TRY TO TRACE THE MEANING OF THE WORD JALANDHAR, "JAL" MEANS "NET" IN THIS CASE, NET OF NADIS (ENERGY CHANNELS) AND THE WORD "DHAR" MEANS TO STOP OR TO HOLD THE FLOW OF THE FLUID (AMRUT), FLOWING THROUGH THE NADIS. HOWEVER, LET US UNDERSTAND THE ACTION BEHIND THIS BANDH INSTEAD OF DISCUSSION ITS NAME OR ORIGIN.
PRE- POSITION
THIS BANDH CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT GETTING INTO ANY ASANA OR POSE BUT GENERALLY, IT IS PRACTICED IN PADMASAN OR ANY OTHER ASANA SPECIFIED FOR DHYANA PROCESS. PADMASAN OR SIDDHASAN ARE CONSIDERED AS THE BEST POSITIONS TO PRACTICE THIS BANDH.
HOW TO PERFORM
IN THIS BANDH, IT IS EXPECTED TO CONTRACT THE MUSCLES OF THE NECK AND TO PRESS AND CHIN FIRMLY ON TO THE DEPRESSION AT THE END OF THE THROAT (JUGULAR NOTCH).
PHYSICAL EFFECTS
DUE TO THE PARTICULAR ACTIONS OF THE NECK REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THIS BANDH, IT IS PRESSED FORWARD AND THE SPINAL CORD GETS A LITTLE BIT LIFTED UPWARDS. THE FORCE OF THIS ACTION IS FELT ON THE SPINAL CORD. SPINAL CORD HAS THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE IN THE CONTROL OF THE BODY. WITH THIS FORCE, THE CIRCULATION OF BLOOD INCREASES THEREBY INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SPINAL CORD.
DURATION
THIS BANDH IS TO BE OBSERVED AFTER POORAKA AND BEFORE KUMBHAKA. AFTER KUMBHAKA, THE BANDH IS TO BE RELEASED BEFORE PRACTISING RECHAKA. HENCE, THE DURATION OF KUMBHAKA IS THE DURATION FOR THIS BANDH TOO. INSTEAD OF PRACTISING THIS BANDH INDEPENDENTLY, IT IS TO BE PRACTICED WHILE PRACTISING PRANAYAMA.
PRECAUTION
THE BANDH IS NOT TO BE PRACTICED BY PERSONS SUFFERING FROM BREATH RELATED PROBLEMS OR HIGH OR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE, UNLESS ADVISED BY THE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. DURING PRANAYAMA, THE BANDH IS TO BE OBSERVED AFTER POORAKA. RECHAKA IS TO BE PRACTICED AFTER KUMBHAKA, AFTER RELEASING THE BANDH. RECHAKA SHOULD NOT BE OBSERVED WHILE BEING IN THIS BANDH.
UDDIYAN BANDHA
THIS BANDH INVOLVES MOVEMENT OF THE MUSCLES OF THE STOMACH AND ESPECIALLY THE MUSCLES OF THE DIAPHRAGM. THE MOVEMENT IS IMPORTANT AND CHARACTERISTIC. HATHAYOGA ASSIGNS A SPECIAL IMPORTANCE TO UDDIYAN BANDH. THE STUDY OF PRANAYAM IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT STUDYING THIS BANDH. WHILE PERFORMING THIS BANDH, THE MUSCLES OF THE DIAPHRAGM IS STRETCHED IN UPWARD DIRECTION, HENCE THIS BANDH IS TERMED AS UDDIYAN BANDH. ALSO, THIS BANDH IS USEFUL FOR AWAKENING OF KUNDALINI SHAKTI WHILE MAKING SPIRITUAL PROGRESS, HENCE IT MAY HAVE BEEN TERMED AS UDDIYAN BANDH.
PRE-POSITION
THE BANDH INVOLVES ACTIONS OF MUSCLES OF THE STOMACH AND HENCE IT MAY BE PERFORMED WHILE BEING IN STANDING POSE OR SITTING POSE, THE BANDH CAN ALSO BE PERFORMED WHILE BEING IN PADMASAN, SIDDHASAN, VAJRASANA AND WHILE PRACTISING PRANAYAM. HOWEVER, FOR THE NEW ENTRANTS IN THE FIELD, IT IS ADVISABLE TO STUDY THE BANDH, WHILE BEING IN STANDING POSE. IT IS EASIER TO LEARN THIS BANDH WHILE IN STANDING POSE AND IT CAN BE PERFORMED EFFECTIVELY TOO. HENCE, HERE THE BANDH HAS BEEN EXPLAINED WHILE BEING IN STANDING POSE.
TO PERFORM THE BANDH
- STAND UP WITH DISTANCE OF 1 TO 1.5 FEET BETWEEN THE LEGS.
- BEND A LITTLE ON THE KNEES AND PLACE LEFT PALM ON THE LEFT KNEE AND RIGHT PALM ON THE RIGHT KNEE.
- BEND THE SHOULDERS A LITTLE TOWARD THE FRONT AND THE NECK ALSO TOWARD THE FRONT SO THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE BODY IS SHIFTED ONTO THE KNEES THROUGH THE HANDS. THIS REDUCES THE STRAIN ON THE STOMACH AND THE MUSCLES OF THE STOMACH CAN BE RELAXED.
- INHALE DEEPLY AND THEN EXHALE GRADUALLY.
WHILE EXHALING, TRY TO SHIFT THE MUSCLES OF THE STOMACH TOWARD INNER SIDE. LIFT UP THE RIBS A LITTLE BIT AND PUSH THE MUSCLES FROM WITHIN WITH A GENTLE PUSH TOWARDS THE UPWARD DIRECTION. THE MUSCLES OF THE STOMACH MUST BE RELAXED AT THIS TIME, SO THAT THEY CAN BE PUSHED UP. THIS RESULTS IN MUSCLES OF DIAPHRAGM BEING PUSHED UPWARDS. THIS IS THE FINAL STAGE OF UDDIYAN BANDH. TRY TO REMAIN FIRMLY IN THIS POSE. THIS POSE IS TO BE RETAINED WHEN THE BREATH IS FULLY EXHALED. WHEN THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO INHALE, THE BANDH MUST BE RELEASED GRADUALLY AS UNDER.
RELEASING THE BANDH
- RELAX THE MUSCLES OF THE STOMACH SO THAT THEY ARE SLOWLY RELEASED BACK TO THE NORMAL POSITION. DIAPHRAGM WILL ALSO BE RELEASED TO THE NORMAL POSE.
- RELAX THE PRESSURE IN THE SHOULDERS AND NECK AREA AND START INHALING GRADULLY.
- AFTER INHALING COMPLETELY, BRING BACK THE HANDS INTO THE NORMAL POSE AND STRAIGHTEN OUT THE BENT KNEES.
- JOIN BOTH THE LEGS TOGETHER AND COME BACK INTO THE STANDING POSE.
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DURATION
THE BANDH ACTION IS TO BE PERFORMED AFTER EXHALING COMPLETELY. THE PROPER DURATION FOR THE BANDH IS THE TIME FOR WHICH IT CAN BE RETAINED COMFORTABLY BUT FIRMLY AFTER EXHALATION AND WITHOUT INHALING. INHALATION SHOULD NOT BE IMMEDIATE AFTER RELEASING THE BANDH POSE. THE INHALATION I.E. POORAKA AFTER RELEASING THE BANDH HAS TO BE IN A CONTROLLED MANNER. HENCE, THE BANDH IS TO BE RETAINED TILL THE THE TIME IT CAN BE EASILY RETAINED AFTER COMPLETE RECHAKA. AFTER RELEASING THE BANDH, THE POORAKA SHOULD BE PERFORMED GRADUALLY. IN THE INITIAL STAGES, THE BANDH CANNOT BE MAINTAINED EVEN FOR 10 TO 15 SECONDS. HOWEVER, AFTER PROPER PRACTICE, IT CAN BE FIRMLY MAINTAINED FOR 1 TO 2 MINUTES. IF AFTER ACHIEVING BANDH POSE, ALL THE OTHER MUSCLES OF THE BODY ARE RELAXED, THE BADH CAN BE MAINTAINED FOR A LITTLE MORE DURATION. BECAUSE IN A RELEASED STATE OF THE BODY, THE NEED FOR OXYGEN IS REDUCED AND THE OXYGEN PRESENT IN THE BODY CAN BE USED UP FOR A LITTLE MORE TIME. HENCE, THE BANDH DURATION CAN ALSO BE INCREASED.
PRECAUTION
PERSONS SUFFERING FROM STOMACH AILMENTS, HEART TROUBLES OR DEFECTIVE BLOOD CIRCULATION SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO PERFORM THE BANDH. PERSONS SUFFERING FROM DISEASES LIKE HERNIA TOO SHOULD NOT PERFORM THIS BANDH.
WHILE PERFORMING UDDIYAN BANDH, IT IS TO BE PERFORMED AFTER EXHALATION. THIS IS THE PROPER METHOD WHILE STUDYING THIS BANDH INDEPENDENTLY. HOWEVER, WHILE PRACTISING THIS BANDH DURING PRANAYAMA, THE POSE OF THE BANDH IS TO BE TAKEN WHILE BEING IN KUMBHAKA.
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