What is Pratyahara?

Photo by Osarugue Igbinoba on Unsplash

Happy full moon! We are going into this lunation seeking CLARITY. One of the ways that we can do that is with Pratryahara.

Pratyahara is the fifth limb in the eight limbs of yoga of Patañjali, following Yama (ethical restraints), Niyama (observances), Asana (physical postures/poses), and Pranayama (breath control). Pratyahara can be translated as "withdrawal of the senses" or "control of the senses". To read about my recent experience with pratyahara, click here.

The main goal of pratyahara is to turn your attention inward, separating yourself from external sensory stimuli. In our daily lives, our senses are constantly engaged with the outside world. Our attention is constantly getting pulled in different directions and this can lead to distraction, agitation, energetic imbalance, and a cluttering of the mind-stuff. Pratyahara helps us gain mastery over the senses and quiet the mind, paving the way for deeper concentration and meditation, which will in turn create a more clear channel for Spirit and your Highest Self to come through.

Our senses are tied to memory. Our memory says, “I saw/smelled/tasted/heard/felt this thing before, and I want it again”. Memory is tied to pleasure. Memory is insatiable. It always wants more. Memory (pleasure) triggers the mind and often bypasses intelligence in order to experience the memory (pleasure) again.

The mind leans more towards memory because it wants to experience pleasure more or again, which feels better than intelligence or discernment. In the world we live in now, we have access to the most instantaneous pleasure that we have had since the dawn of creation. Memory is a tool of the ego to keep it (the ego) alive. When pleasure is not experienced, this begets unhappiness, or misery if there is consistent unhappiness. Pratyahara can be the “cure” for unhappiness where the person turns their senses inward towards the origin of their soul.

During pratyahara, the mind is forced to call on [internal] intelligence rather than on the memory of past pleasurable experiences. By engaging with pratyahara, one is “actively going against the current of memory and mind.” -B.K.S. Iyengar

By practicing pratyahara, you can develop a greater sense of self-awareness, introspection, and a more focused and tranquil mind. Your mind stuff is attuned to Spirit instead of unstable external stimuli, which in turn, causes a rapacious desire for pleasure. This inward journey is essential for progressing on the path of yoga, as it prepares you for the subsequent stages of Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation), which eventually lead to Samadhi (a state of profound meditative absorption or enlightenment).

Pratyahara is often considered a bridge between the external aspects of yoga (restraints, observances, physical postures, and breath control) and the internal, more subtle aspects (concentration and meditation). Through this practice, one gains better control over their thoughts, emotions, and reactions to external stimuli, thus fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and the world around them. Pratyahara creates a deeper level of peace and a more stable sense of coming or being home with one’s self.

Stay tuned for the next blog post that outlines how you can incorporate pratyahara into your life. Join the comeUNION tribe for breathwork, virtual meetups, and group coaching on our monthly theme.