{"id":5921,"date":"2026-10-13T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/holisticecoyoga.com\/?p=5921"},"modified":"2026-10-24T06:40:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T06:40:28","slug":"jivha-bandha-mudras-tongue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/holisticecoyoga.com\/en\/jivha-bandha-mudras-lengua\/","title":{"rendered":"Jivha Bandha and the tongue mudras in pranayama"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Javier Muriel, founder of Pranayam\u00ae<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who practises yoga is familiar with the bandhas: conscious muscular actions that help to contain, direct or stabilise the breath and pr\u0101\u1e47a. The best known are M\u016bla Bandha (pelvic floor), U\u1e0d\u1e0d\u012by\u0101na Bandha (abdomen) and J\u0101landhara Bandha (throat), and in \u0101sana practice, P\u0101da Bandha and Hasta Bandha are also used, in the feet and hands respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a lesser-known lock that proves very useful in pranayama and meditation: Jivha Bandha, the tongue lock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jivha Bandha: the tongue lock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jivha<\/em> means \u2018language\u2019 and bandha<\/em>, closure. This involves resting the tip of the tongue against the hard palate, just behind and above the upper incisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a small gesture with a clear effect: the breath becomes more steady and the mind more calm. That is why I use it mainly during meditation and in the more subtle stages of pranayama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can go deeper by pressing the rest of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, with a gentle suction, and opening your mouth. This gently stretches the frenulum and prepares the tongue for the following mudras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nabho Mudr\u0101: the tongue against the soft palate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Ghera\u1e47\u1e0da Sa\u1e43hit\u0101 (III.9) describes Nabho Mudr\u0101: performing whatever action one is doing with the tongue turned upwards, towards the soft palate, whilst holding one\u2019s breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tradition links him with the am\u1e5bta<\/em>, the \u00abnectar\u00bb which, according to the texts, flows down from the head and which this gesture is said to help preserve. It is a symbolic image; in practice, Nabho Mudr\u0101 intensifies the effects of Jivha Bandha on the stillness of the breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khecar\u012b Mudr\u0101: the advanced form<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Ha\u1e6dha Yoga Prad\u012bpik\u0101 (III.32) defines Khecar\u012b Mudr\u0101 as curling the tongue backwards and inserting it into the cavity above the soft palate, whilst gazing between the eyebrows. The texts attribute to it very slow breathing and longer, more stable breath retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To achieve this, both the Prad\u012bpik\u0101 (III.33\u201336) and the Ghera\u1e47\u1e0da Sa\u1e43hit\u0101 (III.25\u201332) describe a method of lengthening the tongue by gradually cutting the frenulum over a period of several months. We do not recommend this practice:<\/strong> Cutting the frenulum is a procedure that carries risks and is not necessary for using the tongue in pranayama. Jivha Bandha and Nabho Mudr\u0101 provide many of their benefits without any such procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language, Mind and Meditation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When the mind wanders, the tongue and eyes tend to move without us realising it. By holding the tongue in place with Jivha Bandha or Nabho Mudr\u0101, that movement calms down and becomes easier to notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, this translates into a more steady focus, a more refined breath and greater ease in holding the breath-retentions and meditating. I suggest you give it a go and see the difference for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To continue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n