The Bandhas, also known as the yogic locks, are specific contractions of particular areas of the body that can cause the Kundalini Energy to circulate more powerfully through the body during yoga and meditation. Using these locks in your practice can deepen your overall experience of the technology of Kundalini Yoga. 

In Kundalini Yoga, we primarily focus on three locks:

1. Jalandhara Bhand – Neck Lock

The neck lock can be used during meditation. To do this lock, pull the chin to the throat, creating length in the back of the neck. This guides more energy into the brain and opens up the Crown Chakra.

2. Uddiyana Bhand – Diaphragm Lock

Pulling in the diaphragm lock can advance and accelerate the power of your Kundalini Yoga Practice. For this lock, exhale at the end of an exercise, pull the root lock (see below), then pull your diaphragm up into the rib cage as if you are attempting to make your stomach hollow. This action gives tangible access to the physical location of where the soul resides in the body.

3. Mulbhand – Root Lock

Mulbhand really increases the power of your practice by employing the lock at the end of exercises or meditations. To try, finish your meditation, inhale, then squeeze up on the perineum, sex organs and navel point as though it were a full pelvic Kegel exersise. This action seals the energy from your practice into the system.

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Give these yogic locks a try in your next practice and see if they open up a gateway for more core strength and better energetic containment in your practice. These are a fundamental component of Kundalini Yoga and learning this skill can open up internal awareness of the physical and energetic bodies that will bring a new experience to your practice.

Learn More

Integrate these fundamental teachings of the bandhas to unblock your chakras and allow your energy to flow unimpeded. Check out The Bandhas with Guru Jagat: a 6-class video bundle to master these locks for your own infinite energy.