Uddiyana-bandha

Uddiyana-bandha

उड्डीयनबन्ध, uḍḍīyanabandha

uḍḍīyana — «hovering», «uplifting»; and bandha — «lock», «closure».

Uddiyana-bandha has an important place among yogic practices, often, along with jalandhara-bandha and mula-bandha, is involved in mudras and shatkarmas.

It is performed mainly during exhalation by pulling the muscles of the lower abdomen to the spine and holding in this position with a concentration on the sushumna. At the same time, in some texts there are instructions to perform uddiyana-bandha during inhalation (for example, as part of maha-bandha).

The main purpose of this bandha is to raise energy upwards the sushumna, it can be used to raise apana to manipurna area to unite apana with prana.

Uddiyana-bandha is described in a variety of texts:

3.10. Tighten the abdomen - above and below the navel - to the back. This is how great bird (Prana) flies into sushumna and now moves only there. The practitioner of uddiyana-bandha conquers death.
3.11. Of all the bandhas, this is the best one. By its practice the liberation is achieved easily.

"Gheranda-samhita"

40. Uddiyana-bandha: At the end of kumbhaka and the beginning of exhalation, one should perform uddiyana-bandha. Since in this bandha prana is directed upward into the sushumna, yogis call it uddiyana.

"Yoga-kundalini upanishad"

109. Uddiyana-bandha is the easiest and most useful. When a yogi practices it, he begins to look young even in old age.
110. During the practice of uddiyana-bandha yoga, one should draw the belly up and down so that it is pressed against the back. If a yogi practices uddiyana-bandha constantly for at least six months, he can certainly defeat death.

"Dattatreya Yoga-shastra"

The name uddiyana-bandhi goes back to Uddiyana, the legendary place of power (shakti-pith), which is considered the birthplace of many tantric teachings and the place where siddha-yogis abide. There are projections of all the main places of power in the human body, and Uddiyana-pith, according to the texts of Gorakshanath, is in the area of svadhishthana-chakra. In the same area there is uddiyana-adhara the point of transformation and redirection of energy, thanks to which uddiyana-bandha has its energy effect.