Bandhas-- An Overview

 

Dr. Parimal Devnath

Lonavla Yoga Institute (India)

Lonavla, Pune (India)

 

Introduction:

Ancient wisdom of Yogic sciences envisages a chartered path of awakening of higher Consciousness. It keeps an objective of spiritual freedom.  Such an objective, Yoga stresses, requires concerted and well-defined and also effective course of practice to ensure success.  This goal is often variously marked as ‘God-union’, mergence of the personal self with the Supreme Self, Samadhi, etc.

 

Yoga has suggested number of alternatives having identical potentiality to attain self-control, physical and mental purification, modification of attitude, unification of life-force (prana) with its source within the body and so on and / or Self-realization. Hathayoga in particular has made special efforts to convincingly make use of the principle life force (prana) to move from its base and coarse usage or wastage or under-utilization by serving  the lower life purposes and turn it other-way-round for higher goals of human life.

 

For such higher objectives, Hatha recommends certain techniques which on a cursory look, do not seem to bring about promised goals as there appear no apparent linkage between the practice and the said goal.  For example, practice of Bandhas (neuro-muscular contraction) can result into evolvement of spiritual emotion or Bhakti (devotion) which well-channelized may subsequently lead to unity of individual self with Supreme Self.  (It is to be noted that even an Asana posture has capability to bring about Self-realization (sva-svarupe samasannata- SiddhaSiddhaPaddhati-SSP-II.34).  So also various mudras, pranayama etc.). 

 

Background

It may also be noted here that one may get adequate conceptual clarity on certain basic tenets of Hatha on which this system was founded which serves well for understanding their context in relation to bandhas.

 

a)      The universal creative force works for an individual as well.  But this power (shakti) remains latent at the base of the spine (mula-adhara—meaning the prime source).  Why it remains latent is not known though.

 

b)      The entire process of creation, universal as well as personal, occurs through prasara (expansion) and sankoca (contraction)— which are ever continuum and therefore eternal (SSP-IV.19).  Therefore this shakti is called mula.

 

 

This dormant shakti lying in human body is responsible for all activities of life.  Yoga considers this distraction.  When a yogi raises this shakti upwards, it releases one from bondage of karma.

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