Upaniṣads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 1.47
॥
Devanāgarī
कुम्भकान्ते रेचकादौ कर्तव्यस्तूड्डियाणकः । बन्धो येन सुषुम्नायां प्राणस्तूड्डीयते यतः
Transliteración (IAST)
kumbhakānte recakādau kartavyastūḍḍiyāṇakaḥ | bandho yena suṣumnāyāṃ prāṇastūḍḍīyate yataḥ
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
कुम्भक-अन्ते रेचक-आदौkumbhaka-ante recaka-ādauat the end of the holding, at the start of the exhale
कर्तव्यः तु उड्डियाणकःkartavyaḥ tu uḍḍiyāṇakaḥmust the "flying-up one" be done
बन्धः येन सुषुम्नायांbandhaḥ yena suṣumnāyāṃthe lock by which in sushumna
प्राणः तु उड्डीयते यतःprāṇaḥ tu uḍḍīyate yataḥthe breath, indeed, flies up
Traducción
"At the end of the holding, at the start of the exhale, must the "flying-up one" be done — the lock by which the breath flies up in sushumna".
Versión
175462a12053 · publicado 12 ago 2026, 5:00:00 UTC
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The name uddiyana is explained: the lock is so named because by it the breath uddiyate, "flies up." The verb ud-di means "to fly up, to soar"; from it comes uddiyana, "flight." And the technique is named for what is felt when performing it: the drawn-in belly creates a sensation as though the internal organs are going upward.
Worth noting is the precision of the instruction as to when to do it: kumbhaka-ante rechaka-adau, "at the end of the holding, at the start of the exhale." This detail is technical and important. Drawing in the belly with full lungs is harmful; it is done on empty lungs or during exhalation. And that the book states this shows it was written by someone who did it himself, not one who merely repeated hearsay.
A general rule follows from this, useful beyond yoga too. A sound instruction always says exactly when; an instruction saying only "what" is usually incomplete and therefore dangerous. "Draw in the belly," without "on the exhale," is harmful advice, not half of a useful one.
The Vaishnava side speaks in her guides of timing just as precisely: when to rise, when to sing, when to eat, until what hour not to sleep. From outside this looks like triviality; in fact it is the same thing: an instruction without a time is not carried out.