Bandhas: The Secret of the Yogis

Elodie Abadie • 14 juillet 2025

Bandhas: The Secret of the Yogis

Introduction: Why Engage the Bandhas in Yoga?
Have you ever heard your yoga teacher say, “engage your abs,” “squeeze your pelvic floor,” or “draw your belly in”?
These cues are not just about posture—they refer to precise internal actions known as Bandhas, or energetic locks in yoga.
Activating the Bandhas helps you protect your body, especially your spine, while also stimulating the flow of vital energy, or Prana. They play an essential role in asana practice, pranayama, and even meditation.

What Are Bandhas in Yoga?

In Sanskrit, Bandha means “lock”, “seal”, or “binding.” In yoga, Bandhas are internal energy locks that are consciously activated to contain, redirect, and intensify the flow of Prana (vital energy).


The Connection with the Vayus

Prana flows through the body via subtle currents called Vayus, which move energy upward or downward.
Without control, this energy disperses. Bandhas help retain the energy within the body and guide it consciously, often to awaken Kundalini, the spiritual energy located at the base of the spine.


Why Should You Activate the Bandhas?

  • Energy stimulation: awakens dormant energy and guides it upward through the chakras.
  • Postural support: stabilizes the spine and supports internal organs.
  • Core strengthening: develops power, balance, and body awareness.
  • Mental clarity: certain Bandhas calm the nervous system and help focus the mind.


⚠️ According to ancient texts, practicing pranayama without engaging the Bandhas may lead to energy imbalances.



The 3 Main Bandhas and How to Activate Them

1. Mula Bandha – The Root Lock

  • Meaning: Mula means "root" – this Bandha is connected to the pelvic floor and the Muladhara (Root Chakra).
  • Area activated: pelvic floor, deep lower abdominal muscles.

🔸 How to Activate Mula Bandha:

  1. Sit cross-legged, spine long, pelvis slightly tilted forward.
  2. On an exhale, contract the pelvic floor as if stopping the urge to urinate or pass gas.
  3. Imagine energy rising from the earth toward your navel.
  4. Hold the contraction for a few seconds, release, and repeat.

✅ Benefits of Mula Bandha:

  • Grounding, stability, and core awareness.
  • Lumbar support and improved posture.
  • Energetic ascent through the chakras.

🧘‍♀️ Mula Bandha can be maintained throughout your practice unless otherwise advised.


2. Uddiyana Bandha – The Upward Lock

  • Meaning: Uddiyana means “to rise” or “fly upward.”
  • Area activated: deep abdominal muscles, diaphragm, second and third chakras (Svadhisthana and Manipura).

🔸 How to Activate Uddiyana Bandha:

  1. Practice on an empty stomach, seated or standing.
  2. Exhale fully.
  3. Draw the lower belly inward and upward toward the diaphragm without inhaling immediately.
  4. Keep the chest lifted, belly hollow.
  5. Release gently and inhale.

⚠️ Never force it or practice after eating. Build up slowly with time.

✅ Benefits of Uddiyana Bandha:

  • Detoxifies digestive organs through internal massage.
  • Strengthens the deep core.
  • Eases lower back pressure.
  • Lifts energy upward.
  • Improves breath control and retention.


3. Jalandhara Bandha – The Throat Lock

  • Meaning: Jalandhara refers to the “network of energy at the throat.”
  • Area activated: throat, neck, Vishuddha Chakra (5th chakra).

🔸 How to Activate Jalandhara Bandha:

  1. Sit cross-legged, spine straight.
  2. Inhale deeply, then hold the breath.
  3. Gently lower the chin toward the chest while lifting the back of the head upward.
  4. Keep a slight space between the throat and the jaw to avoid compression.
  5. Release on the exhale.

🌀 Jalandhara Bandha is often used with breath retention techniques like Ujjayi Pranayama.

✅ Benefits of Jalandhara Bandha:

  • Protects the neck and cervical spine.
  • Calms the mind.
  • Enhances focus and mental clarity.
  • Prevents energy from escaping upward.


Conclusion: How to Integrate Bandhas into Your Practice

Bandhas are not just for advanced yogis. With gentle, mindful practice, anyone can begin to explore them.
Start with Mula Bandha to build awareness and grounding. Then progress to Uddiyana Bandha for core strength and energy lifting, and finally Jalandhara Bandha to refine breath control and focus.


🌟 Activating the Bandhas connects body to energy, and energy to consciousness.


Bandhas – Everything You Need to Know

👉 Why engage the diaphragm in yoga?
Engaging the diaphragm, especially through Uddiyana Bandha, creates a suction effect that lifts the organs, massages the abdomen, and supports deeper breathing.


👉 Can you practice Bandhas every day?
Yes, gently. It's best to practice on an empty stomach, in the morning, or before your yoga session.


👉 What are the risks of improper Bandha activation?
You may feel breathlessness (Jalandhara), abdominal discomfort (Uddiyana), or pelvic fatigue (Mula). Always practice with awareness and never force it.


Ready to Go Deeper in Your Practice?


Explore our full yoga training and learn how to master the Bandhas step by step.
Transform your body, your breath, and your energy with expert guidance → www.yogadanse.eu


Namaste 🪷

Why Teaching Yoga Is Never a Neutral Act

par Elodie Abadie • 19 janvier 2026
Teaching yoga is never a neutral act. Behind every class, every transmission, every guided posture, there is a deeper intention than it may seem. For some, teaching yoga comes from an inner calling—almost visceral.
For others, it is a fully structured profession, grounded in economic reality.
And for many, it is also—sometimes without intending to be—an engaged, almost militant act in a world that moves fast… too fast. So, teaching yoga—
Is it a vocation?
A profession like any other?
Or a conscious stance toward society? The truth is that teaching yoga often sits at the crossroads of all three.
And that is precisely what makes it so powerful… and so complex.

🌿 How to Find Your Path: A Journey Back to Yourself

par Elodie Abadie • 5 janvier 2026
Finding your path.
These words sound like a promise… and sometimes, like pressure. We’re constantly told to “find our purpose,” “follow our heart,” “live our passion.”
But in reality, it’s rarely a straight road. It’s more of a winding path — full of doubts, sparks, turns, and awakenings.
A deeply inner journey before anything else. So how do you find your path when you feel lost?
How do you know what’s truly right for you — without being influenced by others’ expectations?
And most importantly, how do you move forward even when the answers aren’t clear yet? This article is an invitation to come back to yourself — not to search harder, but to listen differently.

🧘‍♀️ How I Stay Organized as a Yoga Teacher & Entrepreneur

par Elodie Abadie • 29 décembre 2025
Between teaching, creating, managing projects, running trainings, and nurturing a personal life, being a yoga teacher and entrepreneur can easily feel like a balancing act.
You’re expected to inspire, teach, plan, organize, create — all while leaving space for yourself, your family, and your breath. People often ask me: “How do you manage it all without burning out?” So today, I’m opening the doors to my own routine — not a perfect or rigid system, but a living, breathing, adaptable rhythm that changes with my energy, priorities, and inspiration. If you’re a yoga teacher, a creative entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to find balance between structure and flow, this is for you.

🪷 Yoga: Spiritual, Physical or Political?

par Elodie Abadie • 15 décembre 2025
Yoga intrigues, fascinates, and sometimes even divides.
Some see it as a physical practice, others as a spiritual path, and some as a symbol of engagement or resistance. But deep down… what is yoga really?
Is it a lifestyle? A path of awareness? A way to connect with yourself and the world? In this article, we explore the many faces of yoga — physical, spiritual, and even political — to rediscover its essence: a living, embodied, and profoundly human practice.

🌿 Living Yoga Every Day

par Elodie Abadie • 1 décembre 2025
What if yoga wasn’t just about postures?
What if, beyond the mat, this ancient practice became a way of inhabiting your life — acting with awareness, breathing with presence, and connecting deeply to yourself and the world around you? Through its eight branches, yoga offers far more than a series of physical exercises.
It’s a complete philosophy of life, a daily art of living, and an inner compass to navigate with balance, authenticity, and serenity. In this article, you’ll rediscover the 8 limbs of yoga — known as Ashtanga Yoga — and learn how each one can transform your life, step by step, breath by breath.

Yoga Alignment: Beyond the Postures

par Elodie Abadie • 17 novembre 2025
You might think that alignment in yoga means placing your knee perfectly above your ankle, keeping your hips square, and your spine long and straight.
But what if it was so much more than that? In our culture of “doing things right,” alignment is often reduced to a technical cue — a matter of perfect lines and precision.
Yet in yoga, true alignment goes far beyond the body .
It extends into the breath, the energy, the emotions — and the way you connect to yourself. This article invites you to revisit this word we hear everywhere and rediscover its deeper meaning — on your mat and in your life.

Simple Yoga: Returning to What Really Matters

par Elodie Abadie • 3 novembre 2025
What if we practiced yoga to return to simplicity? 
Not to perform.
Not to master a thousand postures.
Not to impress.
But to come back to what truly matters: one breath, one presence, one body we truly listen to. Today, yoga is often seen as a performance discipline — associated with the image of the perfect body or the most advanced pose. 
Yet, in its essence, yoga is a practice of awareness and unity .
It’s not about doing more, but about being more present. This article invites you to drop the masks, let go of the “shoulds,” and rediscover yoga as a path back to yourself — to slowness, to simplicity, and to truth.

Emotional Release Through Movement

par Elodie Abadie • 20 octobre 2025
What if your body had messages that your mind can’t put into words?
What if free movement was a doorway to everything you feel deeply but don’t dare to express? The body remembers.
The body speaks.
And sometimes, all it takes is letting it move differently so it can finally set itself free. In this article, let’s explore the emotional intelligence of the body, the blocks that manifest through physical tension, and the power of spontaneous movement to bring back breath, clarity, and inner peace.

Dancing Your Yoga: Freedom and Expression

par Elodie Abadie • 6 octobre 2025
What if your yoga mat became more than just a space for postures?
Imagine it as an inner playground, a sacred space where you can move differently, breathe deeply, and express yourself freely. Dancing your yoga is a unique practice that blends free movement, breath awareness, and spontaneous creativity.
It’s a yoga that both grounds and liberates.
A yoga that isn’t limited to “doing it right,” but one that invites you to feel, create, and vibrate. In this article, discover what it means to dance your yoga, the benefits of this practice, and how to integrate it into your daily life.

How to Overcome the Fear of Failure?

par Elodie Abadie • 29 septembre 2025
The fear of failure affects everyone, regardless of age, background, or life path. It often prevents us from taking action , seizing opportunities, or truly believing in ourselves. Combined with the fear of judgment from others, it can become paralyzing if we don’t learn how to understand and transform it. In this article, let’s explore why the fear of failure exists, what the signs are, what failure can teach us, and above all, how to overcome it to regain confidence, serenity, and motivation.