Healing Practice
Jalandhara Bandha
Sanskrit: Jālandhara Bandha
The "Chin Lock" — drawing the chin toward the chest during breath retention, used throughout the Hatha Yoga Pradipika's kumbhaka practices.
- Tradition
- Yogic Tradition
Introduction
Jalandhara Bandha is performed by drawing the chin down toward the chest or collarbone during breath retention. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes it as protecting the head and neck during kumbhaka and preventing prana from escaping upward, and it appears as a companion lock throughout many of the text's other named practices, including Mahamudra, Mahabandha and Murchha Pranayama.
Jalandhara Bandha is widely and safely taught in contemporary pranayama instruction; those with neck or cervical spine conditions should practice a gentler form or consult a qualified teacher before holding it for extended retention.
Sources & References
- The Hatha Yoga Pradipika — Svatmarama; trans. Pancham Sinh, The Panini Office (Sacred Books of the Hindus, vol. XV) (1914) · Link
Public domain. Classical c. 15th-century Sanskrit hatha yoga text; this early-20th-century English translation is the standard public-domain edition consulted for these entries.