Jalandhara bandha

Continuing our discussion of the Bandhas, which seems to be popular according to the little poll on the left, the Yoga Sutras tell us that "Jalandhara bandha catches the flow of nectar in the throat". On a fundamental health level, Jalandhara bandha can be used to reduce throat inflammation, tonsilitis, etc. It also opens up physical and energetic channels up the back of the neck, while compressing these channels in the front of the throat. Holding this position causes prana and nerve impulses to collect in the cervical plexus of the throat, and when the bandha is released, they flood into the skull, activating higher centers in the brain.

Jalandhara banda becomes especially important once the Kundalini energy really begins to make its way up the spine. Kundalini energy is its own creature, and it behaves like one: it has been asleep for a long time, and so it does not wake easily. It must be awoken, again and again like a sleepy child, until at last it comes out of its slumber and begins to journey upward. As you work with prana and Kundalini energy during your practice, you can use Mulabandha and Uddiyana bandha to lift the energy up through the body, and Jalandhara bandha to keep it flowing upward with each inhale, not letting any "slip back down" with the exhales. Visualize holding this precious pool of nectar at the base of the throat, using the energy lock.

Going back to Western medicine, the activation of Jalandhara bandha is a means to consciously control the body's metabolism. Activating this bandha applied pressure to the thyroid, which secretes the hormone thyroxine (T4). T4 is responsible for the rate of tissue metabolism - that is, nutrient consumption, cell turnover, and tissue aging. The influence of T4 goes right down to the microscopic level where it activates enzymes and oxidation in cells. "Massaging" the thyroid by using Jalandhara bandha helps regulate this organ & keep it in good health. We begin to connect with the body's processes on a very deep level, a cellular level. So whether we want to use the traditional yogic visualization of a pool of nectar in the throat, or to think about the T4 hormone being regulated, this third bandha offers us tremendous physical and energetic health benefits.