2.6 Tri Bandha, Dhyana in Health and Yogic Relaxation Techniques (Syllabus 1.13–1.15)
Key Takeaways
The three Bandhas are Mula (root lock), Uddiyana (abdominal lift) and Jalandhara (chin lock); Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.45–46 links them to Kumbhaka to direct Prana into Sushumna.
Traditional health benefits include pelvic-floor tone (Mula), abdominal massage and digestion (Uddiyana) and steadier breath retention (Jalandhara); Uddiyana is done on an empty stomach and avoided in hypertension, heart disease, hernia, ulcer and pregnancy.
Dhyana is the unbroken flow of attention on one object (PYS 3.2); for health it steadies attention and emotion and calms the stress response, and is used alongside, not instead of, medical care.
Yogic relaxation includes Shavasana (HYP 1.32), short structured techniques such as IRT, QRT and DRT, and Yoga Nidra, Swami Satyananda's systematic method of relaxation with awareness kept awake.
Tri Bandha, Dhyana in Health and Yogic Relaxation Techniques
Quick Answer: Topic 1.13 introduces the three Bandhas—Mula, Uddiyana and Jalandhara—and their health benefits; 1.14 asks why Dhyana matters for health and well-being; 1.15 introduces yogic relaxation techniques with special reference to Yoga Nidra. Step-by-step technique is taught in the practical chapters on Bandhas and Mudras and on practices leading to Dhyana; this section covers concept, purpose, benefits and precautions.
Part I: Introduction to Tri Bandha and Its Health Benefits (1.13)
Concept
Bandha means a lock, bond or seal. In Hatha Yoga a Bandha is a sustained muscular contraction that contains and directs Prana, usually during breath retention. Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.45–46 gives the classic combination: Jalandhara at the end of inhalation, Uddiyana at the end of retention and start of exhalation, and Mula by contracting below, so that the breath enters the central channel (Brahma Nadi / Sushumna).
| Bandha | Where | How it is applied | Classical source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mula Bandha (root lock) | Perineum / pelvic floor | Press the perineum with the heel, contract the anal-perineal region and draw Apana upward | HYP 3.61–69 |
| Uddiyana Bandha ("flying up") | Abdomen | After a full exhalation, draw the abdomen back and up toward the spine with a mock inhalation | HYP 3.55–60 |
| Jalandhara Bandha (chin lock) | Throat | Contract the throat and press the chin toward the chest | HYP 3.70–73 |
Health benefits (traditional teaching with modern correlates)
- Mula Bandha: tones the pelvic floor; useful in rehabilitation for mild urinary leakage and after childbirth, and traditionally recommended for constipation and haemorrhoids.
- Uddiyana Bandha: massages the abdominal organs, mobilizes the diaphragm and is traditionally used for sluggish digestion and constipation.
- Jalandhara Bandha: steadies breath retention and is traditionally said to protect the head from pressure during Kumbhaka; it is commonly linked to a reflex slowing of the heart.
- Together: classical texts present the three as a means of directing Prana into Sushumna and of steadying the mind.
Precautions
- Learn under a teacher; practise on an empty stomach.
- Avoid Uddiyana and strong Mula contraction in hypertension, heart disease, hernia, peptic ulcer, pregnancy and during menstruation.
- Avoid Jalandhara in cervical spondylosis and neck injury.
- At YWI level the Bandhas are demonstrated as concepts and techniques; long retentions are not part of the syllabus Pranayamas.
Part II: Dhyana and Its Significance in Health and Well-Being (1.14)
What Dhyana is
Dhyana is the unbroken flow of attention toward one object (Tatra pratyaya-ekatanata dhyanam, PYS 3.2), developing out of Dharana, in which attention has to be brought back again and again (PYS 3.1). The Bhagavad Gita (chapter 6) gives the setting—a steady seat, an erect body, a restrained mind—and Gheranda Samhita 6.1 describes three grades: Sthula (on a form), Jyotir (on light) and Sukshma (on the subtle point).
Why it matters for health
- Mind (Manomaya): steadier attention, less rumination, calmer reactions to provocation (Chitta-prasadana).
- Body: a calmer stress response—slower breathing and heart rate and lower arousal—which supports sleep and blood-pressure control.
- Behaviour: better self-awareness makes it easier to keep healthy routines.
- Adhi-Vyadhi model: meditation works where psychosomatic illness begins, in the mind.
Reviews of meditation research report reductions in anxiety and stress, and for some methods modest falls in blood pressure. The American Heart Association's 2017 scientific statement concluded that meditation may be considered as an adjunct to standard cardiovascular risk reduction, while noting that the evidence is modest. Teach it as a complement to medical care, never a replacement.
Part III: Yogic Relaxation Techniques with Special Reference to Yoga Nidra (1.15)
Why relaxation is part of Yoga
Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1.32 describes Shavasana, lying on the back like a corpse, as removing fatigue (Shrantiharam) and giving rest to the mind (Chitta-vishranti-karakam). Relaxation after effort is built into every class, between postures and at the end.
| Technique | Duration | Essence |
|---|---|---|
| Shavasana / Makarasana | 1–5 minutes | Lying still, letting the body become heavy and the breath natural |
| Instant Relaxation Technique (IRT) | about 1 minute | Tighten the whole body from toes to head, then release at once (taught at S-VYASA) |
| Quick Relaxation Technique (QRT) | about 3 minutes | Abdominal-breath awareness with mental relaxation (S-VYASA) |
| Deep Relaxation Technique (DRT) | about 10 minutes | Part-by-part relaxation from feet to head, with chanting (S-VYASA) |
| Yoga Nidra | 20–40 minutes | Systematic relaxation with awareness kept awake (Swami Satyananda) |
| Non-yogic comparison | — | Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation and Benson's "relaxation response" (1975) |
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra ("yogic sleep") was systematized by Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga, drawing on the Tantric practice of Nyasa (placing awareness on parts of the body); his book Yoga Nidra was first published in 1976. Lying in Shavasana, the practitioner follows the teacher's voice through preparation, a personal resolve (Sankalpa), rotation of awareness through the body, breath awareness, pairs of opposite sensations, visualization, the resolve again, and a slow return. Its defining feature is that the body sleeps while awareness stays awake: falling asleep ends the practice.
How it differs from sleep and from hypnosis:
- In sleep, awareness is lost; in Yoga Nidra it is kept, so tensions are released consciously.
- In hypnosis, suggestions come from the hypnotist; in Yoga Nidra the only suggestion is the practitioner's own Sankalpa.
Uses: stress and anxiety, sleep problems, fatigue and recovery after illness. Precautions: some people with trauma or severe depression find long guided relaxation unsettling, so offer shorter versions and keep the eyes-open option.
According to Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.45–46, how are the three Bandhas combined with Kumbhaka?
Mula at the start of inhalation, Jalandhara during exhalation and Uddiyana after the practice ends
Jalandhara at the end of inhalation, Uddiyana at the end of retention, and Mula by contracting below
All three only during normal breathing, never with retention
Uddiyana with the lungs completely full, Mula with the lungs empty, and Jalandhara only in Shavasana
Which participant should NOT be taught Uddiyana Bandha?
A healthy adult practising before breakfast
A student who has emptied the bowels and bladder
A person with a hiatus hernia and uncontrolled hypertension
An experienced practitioner seated in Siddhasana
What most clearly distinguishes Yoga Nidra from ordinary sleep?
The body relaxes as in sleep while awareness stays awake and guided
The eyes stay open throughout so that the teacher can check alertness
It is done sitting upright in Padmasana rather than lying in Shavasana
The breath is held after every stage to deepen the relaxation
A teacher has only about three minutes between two parts of a corporate session and wants a structured relaxation based on abdominal-breath awareness. Which S-VYASA technique fits?
Deep Relaxation Technique (DRT)
Yoga Nidra
Instant Relaxation Technique (IRT)
Quick Relaxation Technique (QRT)
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.