The word Bahya means “outside” and kumbhaka means “breath retention.” Bahya Kumbhaka is when the breath is held for several seconds after the exhalation is complete.
Bahya kumbhaka is used in bandha, agnisarkriya, nauli kriya and various pranayam practices.
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Patanjali ‘s Sutra on Bahya Kumbhaka
Sutra 1.34 “Pracchardana-vidhāraṇābhyām vā prāṇasya”
Exhalation and retention is a great means to cease mental fluctuations.
Exhalation is the process by which the energy of the body gradually unites with that of the mind; merges into to soul of the sadhaka. And dissolves into cosmic energy. It is the path of return from the peripheries of the body towards the source of consciousness know as the path of renunciation (nivritti marga). Bahya Kumbhaka (retention on the exhale) is the state in which the yogi surrenders his very self, in the form of his breath, to the Lord and merges with the Universal Breath. It is the noblest form of surrender, as the yogi’s identity is totally merged with the Lord.
– B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama
Importance of Bahya Kumbhaka
Bahya Kumbhaka is the time of silence. This silence is the most important seed for all the other stages that come after pranayam. In the moment of silence, the intelligence of sense organs is drawn inwards. For the first time, a practitioner experiences world on the inside. He/She gets a firsthand experience of happiness that illuminates his inner being all the time. As the time and duration of retention increase, one gets more and more aware of the futility of looking for happiness in outside world. The expectation for joy and comfort in possessions and relations slowly starts to diffuse. While the anxiety to compete and get all transforms into feelings of cooperation and growth.
Every time you retain your breath after exhalation; remember you are releasing attachment. While ceasing the fluctuations in your thoughts and mental states. Besides, effortless Bahya Kumbhaka reflects progress in one’s sadhana.
Iti Jain
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