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Practice note: Do not inhale or exhale until the chin lock and
armlock have been released and the head is fully upright. If any sensation of suffocation is felt, immediately stop and rest. Once the sensation has passed, resume the
practice. Note: The Sanskrit word jalan means 'net' and dhara means 'stream'
or 'flow'. One interpretation of jalandhara bandha is the lock which controls the network of nadis in the neck. The physical manifestation of these nadis are the blood vessels and nerves of the neck. An alternative definition is that'll means 'throat', jalan, 'water' and that dhara refers to a tubular vessel in the body. Jalandhara bandha is therefore the throat lock which holds the nectar or fluid flowing down to vishuddhi from bindu and prevents it from falling into the digestive fire. In this way prana is conserved. There is also a third meaning. Adhara means 'base' or 'substratum'. There are sixteen specific centres in the body called adharas which refer to the major and minor chakras. Jalandhara bandha may also be defined as the practice that locks the pranic network of the neck and redirects the flow of subtle energy from this adhara to sushumna nadi in the spine.
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