The Secret of the Sun: Suryabheda
The Eight Kumbhakas: Part I
]Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.
सूर्यभेदनमुज्जायी सीत्कारी शीतली तथा ।भस्त्रिका भ्रामरी मूर्च्छा प्लाविनीत्यष्टकुम्भकाः ॥SooryabhedanamUjjaayee seetkaaree sheetalee tathaaBhastrikaa bhraamaree moorchhaa plaaviniItiAshtaKumbhakaahThe eight Kumbhakas are Suryabheda, Ujjaayi, Seetkaari, Sheetali, Bhastrika, Bhraamari, Moorchhaa, and Plaavini.
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2.44
The fourth limb of Yoga, Praanaayaam, is the practice of lengthening the Praana. While the Praana includes a number of the so-called “involuntary” life functions, the breath is used as the doorway since it falls within our span of voluntary control.
In this way, the breath is a bridge between the voluntary and the involuntary - we can control it when we want, and if we let go, it controls itself.
Additionally, controlling the breath has an effect on the mind, as we have seen through the exercises over the past several weeks.
The breath has four possible movements, called vrittis. You can experience these for yourself right now:
Puraka: The inhale
Antara-kumbhaka: The hold after the inhale
Rechaka: The exhale
Baahya-kumbhaka: The hold after the exhale
Notice, of the four vrittis, two of them are called kumbhaka. Kumbhaka literally means a pot (as in a pot made of clay). One can imagine, therefore, the holding of the breath to be like a pot that is either filled withm or completely empty of, water.
Perfecting the kumbhakas is traditionally considered to be the most important aspect of Praanaayaam. To achieve this perfection, Hatha Yoga has eight techniques, often referred to as “the eight Kumbhakas.”
The purpose of these techniques is not just to calm or excite the mind - that is secondary. Here, the aim is to grasp hold of the Praana.
P: What does that even mean?
Normally, when we breathe, we are not really aware of it at all. We are focused on the objects of the world, the thoughts in your head, and so on. However, as we start to practice Yoga, especially the shatkarmas and the preliminary practices such as samavritti and vishamvritti praanaayaam, we start to become more and more aware of our breathing throughout our daily life. We may start to actually notice that we are breathing fast when we feel anxious, or that we are breathing slowly and steadily when we feel calm.
Eventually, we may start to decide when we want to feel calm or energetic, and alter our mental state by altering our breath.
At this stage, what we are really doing is adjusting the flow of our Praana by using the tool of our breath.
Consider this example.
As you are reading this article, you are scrolling on your screen using your thumb. You may not have the skill or the patience to manipulate the individual pixels on the screen by manipulating the underlying electronics. Yet, you are able to get the job done.
However, if you learned the skill, and gathered the patience, perhaps you could do a lot more with your screen than what your current skill allows you to do.
Another example - imagine you are making Maggi noodles. You boil the water, put in the noodles, and mix in the packet of masala. As a result, you get a bowl of Maggi, as per specification.
However, if you know how to cook well, you may decide to alter the recipe. Now, instead of adding the pre-made masala packet, you can add the spices, vegetables, and other ingredients to get whatever taste you actually want.
Praanaayaam is like this. Initially, you don’t know how to manipulate your Praana, so you use the breath, since you can control it without much expertise. Eventually, you start to notice the details of how the Praana moves, and how it affects your mind and body, and through practice, you gain the skill to manipulate it the way you wish.
With the kumbhakas, we are going a level deeper into the practice of Praanaayaam. While these techniques have an effect on the mind and body, and can be used in this way, their purpose is to train the Yogi to grasp control over the underlying Praana - beyond the breath. This cannot be explained through words as effectively as it can be grasped through practice - so practice!
Don’t take my word for it - reading this is completely useless if it is not translated into action.
The Eight Kumbhakas are:
Suryabheda: Sun-secret breath
Ujjaayi: Victorious breath
Seetkaari: Hissing breath
Sheetali: Cooling breath
Bhastrikaa: Bellows breath
Bhraamari: Bee breath
Moorchha: Swooning breath
Plaavini: Gulping breath
As with the previous techniques, some of these come with warnings. Please take note of the warnings, and be honest with yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, stop immediately, lie down, and breathe diaphragmatically - in for four counts, and out for eight counts - until you feel alright again.
You may find that some of these techniques alter your mood. Make sure to remain vigilant of how your mood changes, and how it affects the people around you.
Finally, don’t worry if you can’t practice these. While they are helpful to progression in Yoga, they are not ultimately necessary to move on to the next stage. There is no compulsion. Harming yourself by trying to practice these will ultimately create an obstacle to your practice.
Be careful.
Recap: The Bandhas
In order to properly practice Kumbhaka, one must have a basic understanding of the bandhas.
The word bandha (pronounced bun-the (as in the word “the”)-uh) means “lock” or “knot”, and refers to the tightening of particular muscles to “lock” or “tie” the Praana within certain areas of the subtle body.
If this does not mean anything to you, don’t worry, you will experience it for yourself through practice.
The three bandhas are as follows:
Moolabandha: The root lock
In this bandha, the perineal or cervical region is contracted, without any anal contraction. It should feel similar to when you are blocking urination. Additionally, if you are able, try to keep your heel as close to your perineum as possible while sitting.
Normally, there is a tendency to contract both at the same time. However, the moolabandha requires the Yogi to isolate them from each other. This takes some practice. Before incorporating this into your Praanayaama practice, try it by itself.
Jaalandhar Bandha: The throat lock
In this bandha, the throat is contracted by touching the chin to the collarbone (or as close as you can get). If you have pain in your neck that prevents you from practising this, do as much as you can, but be careful.
This can be done in a standing position as well, but is usually done seated during kumbhaka.
If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, do not practice this bandha.
Uddiyaana bandha: Abdominal lock
In uddiyaana bandha, the abdominal organs are pulled upward towards the diaphragm through a false inhale. It can be practised in any position, but should always be done on an empty stomach.
It is usually practised only during baahya kumbhaka (holding the breath after the exhale), but there are some exceptions.
Additionally, it is practised after jaalandhar bandha, which can be considered a sort of safety net.
To practice this, completely exhale all the air in your stomach and hold your breath with the skin of the stomach as close to the spine as possible. Then, pull the stomach and the abdomen upwards and inwards as though pulling it into the ribcage (don’t pull too hard!). To make it easier, you can place your hands on your knees.
When practised together, these three are called the mahaabandha.1
P: How should I use these bandhas when it comes to the kumbhakas?
पूरकति तु कर्तव्यो बन्धो जालन्धराभिधः ।कुम्भकति रेचकादौ कर्तव्यस्तूड्डियानकः॥Poorakati tu kartavyo bandho jaalandharaAbhidhahKumbhakati rechakaAdau kartavyasTuUddiyaanakahJaalandhara bandha is done at the end of inhalation. At the end of the kumbhaka, and at the beginning of exhalation, uddiyaana bandha is done.
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2.45
This is true in most cases. Once the inhalation is complete, the chin touches the chest in jaalandhar bandha. Uddiyaana bandha is generally not practised upon inhalation. Then, once the breath is completely exhaled, ie. baahya kumbhaka, the jaalandhar bandha is done again, but this time in conjunction with the uddiyaana bandha. Moolabandha can be practiced in both kumbhakas.
This can be used as a rule of thumb for all the eight techniques we will discuss over the next few articles. Any exceptions will be clearly marked out.
Before moving on, try to practice the bandhas by themselves. That way, it will be easier to practice the techniques correctly.
Suryabheda: Sun-stimulating breath
आसने सुखदे योगी बद्ध्वा चैवासनं ततः । दक्षनाड्या समाकृष्य बहिःस्थं पवनं शनैः ॥आकेशादानखाग्राच्च निरोधावधि कुम्भयेत् । ततः शनैः सव्यनाड्या रेचयेत्पवनं शनैः ॥Aasane sukhade yogi baddhvaa chaEvaAasanam tatahDakshaNaadyaa samakrishya bahihstham pavanam shanaihAakeshaadaaNakhaagraachcha nirodhavadhi kumbhayetTatah shanaih savyaNaadyaa rechayetPavanam shanaihSitting comfortably in their Aasana, the Yogi should stabilize the posture and slowly inhale through the right nostril.
Then, the breath should be retained until it diffuses to the roots of the hair and the tips of the nails. Then, [they should] slowly exhale through the left nostril.
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2.48-49
The word “Suryabheda” is a compound of two words - Surya (pronounced soo-r-yuh) and Bheda (pronounced bhay-duh, with a soft d).
Surya means “sun” and refers to the right side of the body, which is said to activate the fight or flight, or energizing response. This is called the Pingala Naadi.
Bheda has several meanings - “to separate”, “to pierce”, or “secret.”
This technique has an energizing effect on the body, but unlike the energizing techniques discussed previously, with practice it leads to a faster experiential understanding of the underlying Praana.
It should only be practised on an empty stomach. Additionally, in order to avoid any jitteriness, if your right nostril is currently more active than your left nostril, wait until the left nostril becomes more active. This usually shifts during the day.
Two quick reminders:
1. Naasikaagra mudra is the technique to close one nostril at a time, as shown in this diagram.
2. Deergha Shvaasam is the diaphragmatic belly-breath as shown in in this diagram.
Here is the technique:
Sit in your Aasana, and take a few deep breaths, relaxing and stabilizing the body.
Perform naasikaagra mudra with your right hand, and close the left nostril.
Inhale slowly and deeply through the right nostril, using Deergha Shvaasam.
Once the body is full of air, close both the nostrils and touch the chin to the chest, performing jaalandhar bandha.
Now perform moolabandha, and hold this for as long as possible.
When you feel some air hunger, release moolabandha.
Then release jaalandhar bandha by raising the head.
Keeping the right nostril closed, exhale slowly and gently through the left nostril until all the air has left your lungs.
This is one round.
You may feel out of breath. If this is the case, take a break with a few normal breaths before trying again. In one sitting, practice up to ten rounds, and increase with practice.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions by responding to this email, commenting down below, or posting anonymously at r/EmptyYourCup.
Until next time:
If appropriate, practice the bandhas in isolation.
Once you are comfortable with the bandhas, if you feel ready, practice Suryabheda Praanaayaam.
Take notes, and be vigilant of how this affects your mood.
Next time: Breathing with sound: Ujjaayi and Seetkaari
There is some disagreement in the traditional literature on this point. Some say that the mahaabandha is only the combination of the first two mentioned here, alongside the shaambhavi mudra, where the eyes are focused on the eyebrow center.