Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 1.32
॥
Devanāgarī
ततः पद्मासनं बद्ध्वा समग्रीवोदरः सुधीः । मुखं संयम्य यत्नेन प्राणं घ्राणेन रेचयेत्
Transliteration (IAST)
tataḥ padmāsanaṃ baddhvā samagrīvodaraḥ sudhīḥ | mukhaṃ saṃyamya yatnena prāṇaṃ ghrāṇena recayet
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततः पद्म-आसनं बद्ध्वाtataḥ padma-āsanaṃ baddhvāthen binding the lotus posture
सम-ग्रीव-उदरः सुधीःsama-grīva-udaraḥ sudhīḥwith neck and belly even, the wise man
मुखं संयम्य यत्नेनmukhaṃ saṃyamya yatnenahaving closed the mouth with effort
प्राणं घ्राणेन रेचयेत्prāṇaṃ ghrāṇena recayetshall he release the breath through the nostrils
Translation
"Then, binding the lotus posture, with neck and belly even, the wise man, having closed the mouth with effort, shall release the breath through the nostrils".
Version
dca422514361 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The description of bhastrika, "bellows-like," begins, and the first thing said is how to sit, and that the mouth must be tightly closed. The reservation yatnena, "with effort," at the closing of the mouth is no accident: this technique is forceful, and the mouth tends to fly open in it. A word must be said about the phrase sama-griva-udara, "with neck and belly even." The neck was already discussed (1.6); the belly is spoken of here for the first time, and it is a precise detail: during rapid breathing the belly must not heave about on its own — it is drawn in and held.
This whole breath section, looking back over it, is, in essence, a craftsman's manual: how to sit, what to close, what to draw in with, what to release with, how many times. There is no theology in it at all, and this is its merit. The Vaishnava side treats such an exposition with respect and notes only one thing. The craft is described, but why is said sparingly, in bodily promises; and only in the third chapter will the book say what all this is for. Reading it, one should keep in mind that we are in the middle of the matter, not at its meaning.
It is worth adding that the instruction to sit in the lotus posture during this technique is sound, in a craftsman's way: with such rapid breathing the body sways, and a stable posture holds it in place.