Posted by Grace on July 23, 2014

Uddiyana Bandha is the second of the inner lock in yoga. Uddiyana in Sanskrit means to ‘fly up’ or ‘rise up’. This suggests all your inner organs – the abdomen, the diaphragm and the stomach – moving up and rising toward your spine. In the abstract, it means moving your energy from your mula bandha upward.

To find Uddiyana Bandha, stand with feet hip distance apart. On an inhale, raise your arms by your ears and on exhale, through the mouth, fold and place your hands just above the knees. Without inhaling, straighten your arms and suction your stomach to your spine, concaving it up and back toward the back. Hold the pose as long as it comfortable before inhaling through your nose while straightening with arms again raised by your ears. Then exhale  through your nose to bring your arms down by your side.

Uddiyana Bandha massages the inner muscles of the lower back while it moves energy upward creating a feeling of lightness. This allows for lightness in movement and deeper twists. It aids in constipation and indigestion as it stimulates the digestive juices, increases your metabolic rate and tone those problematic abdominal muscles.

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Posted under Styles of Yoga