Kumbhaka — With Three Bandhas

Quick Intro

Kumbhaka — With Three Bandhas is a Breathwork / Pranayama exercise built on Kumbhaka’s external retention, applying all three bandhas, the root lock (mula), the abdominal lock (uddiyana) and the throat lock (jalandhara), simultaneously during the empty-lung hold, rather than the retention alone. This is the complete traditional expression of the practice, representing a significant step up in complexity and physiological demand from an unlocked hold.

Equipment Needed

Nothing is required to practice this exercise. A yoga mat is optional, worth having under a longer meditation-posture session.

Why Kumbhaka — With Three Bandhas Matters

Coordination is tested more here than in the unlocked forms of Kumbhaka, since three distinct physical locks have to be applied in order, held and released on top of an already demanding empty-lung hold. The work also spreads beyond the breathing muscles: the root lock engages the pelvic floor and the abdominal lock draws the belly in and up, while the throat lock brings in the neck. It is among the most demanding breathing practices.

When to Do It

This ranks among the most advanced breathing techniques, requiring established comfort with both the internal and external retention individually before ever attempting it, best practiced in a calm, unhurried setting.

Getting Ready

Several rounds of the external retention alone, without any locks, confirm that hold is comfortable and controlled on its own before layering the three bandhas onto it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Settle into a stable, comfortable meditation posture, keeping the spine tall and unforced.
Warm up with a few minutes of ordinary, even breathing, no holds at all yet.
Inhale fully, then exhale fully and slowly.
Begin the external retention, holding the breath out on empty lungs.
Apply the three locks in traditional order: the root lock first, then the abdominal lock, then the throat lock, layering them in across sessions rather than all three from the very first attempt.
Release the locks in reverse order, throat first, then abdomen, then root, before inhaling again.
Let the breath return to normal, waiting until fully recovered before starting another round.

How Many, How Often

This exercise is dosed by how many of the three locks are combined and for how long, built up in stages across many sessions.

Level	Where you’re at	What to do
Beginner at this version	Comfortable with the unlocked external retention	Add the root lock alone, 3-5 rounds
Intermediate	Comfortable with the root lock added	Add the abdominal lock, holding both together, 3-5 rounds
Advanced	Ready for the complete traditional practice	All three locks combined, released in reverse order, 5-8 rounds

Layering the locks in one at a time across sessions matters more here than attempting all three together before each one individually feels secure.

Modifications and Variations

This exercise has one related technique, the easier unlocked retention.

Easier: Kumbhaka. Holding the external retention without any of the three locks removes the coordination demand of managing them, and comfort with that unlocked version is a prerequisite here.

The traditional order layers the three bandhas in progressively across sessions: mula, then uddiyana, then jalandhara.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Attempting all three bandhas from the very first try. The traditional order is mula, then uddiyana, then jalandhara, added one at a time across sessions rather than combined immediately.

Releasing the locks out of order. Release in reverse order before inhaling, to avoid straining the diaphragm; releasing all three at once or in the wrong sequence works against that safeguard.

Skipping the prerequisite comfort with unlocked retention. Both the internal and external holds need to feel comfortable on their own first, since adding three physical locks on top of an already-strained hold compounds the difficulty considerably.

After Your Set

Several minutes of easy, unforced breathing before standing up gives the body time to settle after the combined demand of the hold and the three locks. If any lightheadedness lingers past that first few minutes of normal breathing, the combination attempted was more than this particular session was ready for.

Going Deeper

One safeguard governs the whole practice: the locks come off in reverse order before the inhale, which keeps the diaphragm out of strain. Progress tends to stall on that release sequence, since coming out of three coordinated locks smoothly is a distinct skill from applying them. Getting the reverse release calm and controlled, with no rushed or jarring exit, is a better marker of progress than how long the full three-lock hold is sustained.

How to Know You’re Improving

Each of the three locks can be added and held individually without strain before combining them.
All three locks can be held together for a meaningful count.
The release happens in the correct reverse order every time, without needing to think it through mid-hold.
A complete practice of several combined-lock rounds ends without any lasting lightheadedness.
The diaphragm feels no unusual strain even after the release.

Muscles Worked

Pubococcygeus (one of the two main pelvic floor muscles, drawing upward to form the mula bandha lock)
Iliococcygeus (the second main pelvic floor muscle, working alongside it to hold that lock through the retention)
Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, drawing the belly in and up for the uddiyana lock)
Rectus Abdominis (the abdominal muscles running down the front of the stomach, supporting the hollowed abdominal position on empty lungs)
Sternocleidomastoid (the long muscle running along the side of the neck, drawing the chin toward the chest for the jalandhara lock)
Scalenes (a group of smaller muscles along the side of the neck, steadying the throat while that chin lock is held)

FAQ

Why does a breathing exercise work the pelvic floor? The root lock, mula bandha, is a deliberate lift of the pelvic floor muscles, held for the length of the retention.

What do the three bandhas do? Mula bandha engages the pelvic floor and uddiyana bandha draws the abdomen in and up, while jalandhara bandha tucks the chin toward the chest to seal the throat; together they’re the traditional locks applied during an advanced breath retention.

Is it necessary to master all three bandhas, or can just one be used? They layer in progressively, and plenty of practitioners work with one or two locks for a long time before ever combining all three.

Why release in reverse order specifically? Releasing throat, then abdomen, then root undoes the locks in the safest sequence relative to how they were applied, which keeps the diaphragm clear of strain.

Is this the hardest breathing technique? It ranks among the most demanding, alongside a few other advanced retention and forceful-pumping techniques.

Do all three bandhas need to be practiced in every single session once they’re learned? No, plenty of practitioners with a full understanding of all three continue to work with just one or two on a given day, reserving the complete combination for sessions when focus and preparation both feel especially solid.

Kumbhaka — With Three Bandhas is the complete traditional form of Kumbhaka, built directly on top of the external hold the base Kumbhaka practice introduces.