A concept, not a twelfth named technique
Kumbhaka means retention in this discussion. This page completes the collection’s vocabulary; it is not presented as another member of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika’s eight-name list. The text distinguishes Sahita, associated with inhalation and exhalation, from Kevala. Sivananda’s explanation also keeps this distinction.
How a lock enters the account
The classical passages bring bandhas into the regulation of breath and the movement of prana. Jalandhara, Uddiyana, and Mula bandha are therefore relevant neighboring subjects. These are not finger arrangements. Prana and subtle channels describe the tradition’s model and should not be silently relabeled as measured air, nerves, or blood vessels.
Why this library keeps the beginner route separate
The complete introductory breathing entries do not add holds. A time ratio found in a traditional manual belongs to its particular method and teaching setting; this index does not combine those ratios into a new routine. When comparing two instructions, ask whether a hold is present, where it occurs, and which edition or teacher is being followed. The answer often explains why familiar names conceal different practices.
Sources and scope
Main edition
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 2
Passage for this reading
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 2
Sanskrit verses 2.44–47 and 2.71–77.
Svātmārāma; Sanskrit and Pancham Sinh’s 1914 translation. References on these pages use the Sanskrit numbering.
- The Science of Pranayama
“Three Bandhas”; Chapter Four, “Kevala Kumbhaka”.
Swami Sivananda; Divine Life Society, sixteenth edition 1997, authorized web edition 2000. Traditional teaching, not clinical evidence.
- Gheranda Samhita, James Mallinson (2004)
3.10 and translator note: bandha is a type of mudra, printed p. 62.
YogaVidya.com publisher excerpt, introduction and chapter 3, printed pp. 60–71. This is a sample, not the entire book.
What this edition covers
An original reference essay comparing the traditional descriptions. It is not a translation of the entire source chapter.
Limits and differences
The prose above identifies material differences. Traditional explanations and promised attainments are attributed to their sources; they are not clinical evidence. Review date: September 11, 2026.