Uddiyana Bandha - Abdominal Lock

In Sanskrit, "Uddiyana" refers to 'flying'. In this bandha the diaphragm is raised up to the thoracic region.

Sequence:

1. Stand erect with your feet fairly apart.
2. Bend your head and trunk forward.
3. Bend your knees forward.
4. Place your hands on your thighs.
5. Grasp the thighs a little above the knee.
6. Raise your head and relax your abdominal muscles.
7. Exhale completely with force.
8. Simultaneously contract the abdominal muscles.
9. Hold your breath and do not let any air into your lungs.
10. Press your hands gently on the thighs and perform 'mock inhalation'. Keep your glottis closed to prevent air from flowing into your lungs.
11. Expand the thoracic cage and raise the ribs quickly followed by relaxation of abdominal muscles.
12. When the ribs rise, your relaxed diaphragm will also move upwards.
13. At the same time, the abdominal front muscles get sucked inwards and up towards the ribs. As a result the thoracic cavity vacuum is automatically filled up.
14. A deep depression takes place in the relaxed abdominal wall. The abdomen assumes a hollow concave shape.
15. Concentrate on the solar plexus.
16. Hold on to this position without any air in the lungs for as long as you comfortably can.
17. Inhale slowly and deeply to bring the chest and abdomen back to its original shape.
18. Return to the starting position by straightening your head, trunk and legs.
19. Take rest for about 15 seconds between two rounds.
20. You can perform three rounds of the bandha.

Caution:

• Menstruating and pregnant women should not perform this bandha.
• High blood pressure and heart patients should not perform this yoga bandha.

Benefits:

• It strengthens the abdominal muscles and diaphragm.
• The lung capacity increases with practice of Uddiyana bandha.
• Your abdominal muscles become more resilient.
• Uddiyana bandha tones up the solar plexus - the root locations of all the nerves.
• The coordination between voluntary and the involuntary nervous systems improves.
• Blood circulation to the abdominal muscles increases.
• Vital organs such as heart, stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, gall bladder, the transverse colon, get massaged and thus their performance gets enhanced with this yoga bandha.
• Increased mobility of the diaphragm helps you take deeper and fuller breaths.