Uddiyana Bandha: How to Do the Abdominal Lock Safely
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 19 September 2026
Uddiyana bandha is the one bandha you can see. After a full exhalation, with the breath held out, the abdominal wall is drawn back and up under the ribs, leaving a hollow beneath them. *Uddiyana* means flying up, and the hatha texts explain the name in their own terms: the great bird of prana flies up the central channel. The single most important practical point is simple — it is done on empty lungs, never with air in.
The short answers
- Uddiyana bandha is performed after a complete exhalation, while the breath is held out.
- Never do it on a full breath or while inhaling.
- The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists Uddiyana among its ten mudras, with strong claims of longevity that we report as tradition, not fact.
- Learn it standing, feet apart, knees slightly bent and hands on the thighs, before trying it seated.
- Three to five short rounds is a normal practice. It is not a hold-as-long-as-possible contest.
- Avoid it entirely in pregnancy, with a hernia, ulcer, uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or a recent abdominal surgery, and practise only on an empty stomach.
What the texts claim, and what we will say
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika treats Uddiyana as one of its ten mudras and makes vivid claims for it — that it is the lion that kills the elephant of death, that it grants long life when practised consistently. The Gheranda Samhita likewise places it among the practices leading to mastery of prana.
These are claims from inside a tradition's own physiology. Nothing in the modern literature supports longevity effects from abdominal locks, and we do not pass those lines on as if they were findings. What the texts are reliable about is the method and the seriousness with which they treat it.
Why empty lungs matter
The hollow under the ribs happens because the diaphragm rises into the chest when the lungs are empty and the glottis is closed while the abdominal wall is drawn back. With air in the lungs, attempting the same action just increases pressure inside a closed, full chest — a valsalva-type strain, with the cardiovascular consequences that come with it and no bandha to show for it.
So the sequence is fixed: exhale completely, hold the breath out, then draw in. Release the abdomen before you inhale, and let the inhalation come slowly.
How to practise it
Standing is easier to learn than sitting because you can use your hands.
- Practise on an empty stomach — first thing in the morning, or at least three hours after eating.
- Stand with feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart, knees softly bent, and place your hands on your thighs.
- Inhale fully, then exhale completely — actively, until the lungs feel genuinely empty.
- Hold the breath out. Keep the throat closed and lift the chest slightly as if you were about to inhale, without actually taking air in. The abdomen will draw back under the ribs.
- Hold for three to ten seconds at first. This should feel firm, not desperate.
- Release the abdomen fully, keep the breath out for a moment, then inhale slowly through the nose.
- Breathe normally for several breaths before the next round. Three to five rounds is a full session.
When the standing version is comfortable and you can keep the face and jaw relaxed throughout, the seated version — often combined with jalandhara bandha — is the next step, ideally with a teacher.
Uddiyana bandha and nauli
Nauli (churning the abdominal muscles side to side while in uddiyana) is a further practice that depends on this one. It looks impressive and is frequently attempted from videos before the basic lock is stable. Learn uddiyana first, and learn nauli in person if you learn it at all.
Common mistakes
- Doing it with air in the lungs. The most important error to avoid.
- Sucking the belly in with brute force instead of letting the diaphragm's rise create the hollow.
- Holding until panic, then gasping in. The inhalation after release should be calm.
- Practising after a meal, which is uncomfortable and pointless.
- Squeezing the eyes, jaw or throat. The lock is abdominal; the face has no part in it.
Where this fits
See the three bandhas for the overview, bandhas in pranayama for the retention context, and who should not practise bandhas for the full contraindication list.
In practice
Practise on an empty stomach
Morning before eating, or three hours after a meal. This is one of the few instructions the texts and common sense fully agree on.
Stand and brace lightly
Feet hip- to shoulder-width, knees softly bent, hands on the thighs so the torso can stay long without effort.
Exhale completely
Empty the lungs actively. The quality of the exhalation decides whether the lock is possible at all.
Hold out and draw back
Keep the throat closed, lift the chest as though inhaling without taking air, and let the abdomen draw back and up under the ribs.
Release before you inhale
Soften the abdomen first, pause, then inhale slowly through the nose. Never inhale against the lock.
Rest between rounds
Several normal breaths between rounds, three to five rounds total. Length of hold matters far less than calm.
Cautions worth reading
- Bandhas are muscular and breath practices, not treatments. Stop if you feel dizzy, breathless, pressured in the head or eyes, or any pelvic pain, and speak to a doctor, midwife or pelvic health physiotherapist before practising if you are pregnant, recently post-partum, recovering from abdominal or pelvic surgery, or managing high blood pressure, glaucoma, hernia, epilepsy or heart disease.
- Never perform uddiyana bandha with air in the lungs or while inhaling.
- Avoid it in pregnancy, and after abdominal, pelvic or chest surgery until cleared by your surgeon.
- Avoid it with a hernia, active ulcer or reflux flare, uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or retinal problems, and during menstruation if it feels uncomfortable.
- Do not practise it after eating, and stop for the day if you feel light-headed or see spots.
- Learn nauli only after uddiyana is easy, and preferably in person.
Where the evidence stands
There is no clinical evidence that uddiyana bandha extends life, cleanses organs or corrects digestive disease, and the longevity language in the hatha texts is traditional rather than empirical. What is uncontroversial is the mechanics: with empty lungs and a closed glottis, drawing the abdominal wall back lowers pressure in the abdomen and allows the diaphragm to rise, which is why the hollow appears. Because holding the breath and changing intra-thoracic pressure affects circulation, the contraindication list matters more here than the benefit list.
Questions people ask
+ How do you do uddiyana bandha step by step?
+ Is uddiyana bandha done on inhale or exhale?
+ How long should I hold uddiyana bandha?
+ Does uddiyana bandha flatten the stomach?
+ Can I do uddiyana bandha during pregnancy?
+ Why can't I feel the hollow under my ribs?
Sources
- *Hatha Yoga Pradipika* (Svatmarama), chapters 2–3 — the eight kumbhakas and the ten mudras, including Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha and Mahabandha. Sanskrit with translation: Brian Dana Akers, YogaVidya.com.
- *Gheranda Samhita*, chapters 3 and 5 — its own list of mudras and its staged approach to retention. Sanskrit with translation: Brian Dana Akers, YogaVidya.com.
- James Mallinson & Mark Singleton, *Roots of Yoga* (Penguin Classics, 2017) — on mudra and bandha in the tantric and hatha corpus.
- Mark Singleton, *Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice* (Oxford, 2010) — on how twentieth-century schools reframed these practices.
Educational content, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting new practices if you have a health condition or are pregnant.