Abdomen Lock / Uddhiyana Bandha
Initially when doing bhastrika/kapalabhati breath infusion, the abdomen retraction uplift lock is important. It is stressed but there are variations of this lock in its physical and psychic practice. For new students it is mostly a physical body practice only. For the advanced ones more and more it becomes a subtle body activity.
The abdomen lock itself cannot compensate for bad diet and for bad times of eating even a good diet. Yoga events in anyone’s life has limits. Yoga cannot compensate for every incorrect lifestyle habit which a yogi (yogini) has. Why is it, that many great yogis who exhibited perfect final postures in youthful bodies, showed increasing bloat as those same bodies aged?
- Was this due to bad diet and addiction to self-destructive foods?
- Was it due to habitual overeating with a result of having stretched stomach, intestines and colon?
- Was it due to eating large mainline meals in the later afternoon or at night?
- What about the willpower of such yogis?
- What was the strength of will against the demanding tongue?
- Why were these yogis controlled by disciples, relatives and friends who insisted on eating a good diet at the wrong time of day or in the wrong quantity?
The abdomen lock cannot compensate for bad diet, late eating of the major meal, more food than necessary even of a good diet.
Even though initially the abdomen lock is a compression inward towards the spine. It develops further into a lifting compressing action upwards under the rib cage with some downward pressure towards the groin area. This is a three thrust with the top of the compression going upward, the middle of it going back to the spine, and the lower portion of it, going down and backward.
There is also an out compression which is rarely applied but is used in kundalini yoga. This is with the abdomen being pushed outwards and held firm, while the yogi is vigilant to perceive energy movements with the psyche which may result.
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"There is also an out compression which is rarely applied but is used in kundalini yoga. This is with the abdomen being pushed outwards and held firm, while the yogi is vigilant to perceive energy movements with the psyche which may result."
My experience with the outward abdomen compression:
I use the abdomen out compression lock on occasions. I find it interesting in the sense that when there has been sufficient admixture of sex hormonal substances and infused breath, it can be as efficient in propelling the life force out of its basal posture as the regular compression.
I normally apply it only in standing position. Even though the abdomen is pocked outward, my instinct applying it which started about 3 years ago, is still aware that there is compression all around. Although they are directed differently, the diaphragm, the rib cage, and the abdomen muscles are still involved, even if coordinated differently.
I feel that the lower abdomen, in the reverse abdomen compression is not pulled in as tightly as in the diagram above, though there is pressure applied inward, which loops into the small of the back more so than otherwise. And of course, the psychological locks remain equally important.
