Pratyahara

…continuation of the 8 limbs of yoga

Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses

The fifth of Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga is Pratyahara. Wow is this a tough one to practice in our world. Constantly bombarded by noise, activity, work, family, news, gossip our brains, unless we meditate or sleep well, we never get a break. Our brains spend all day shifting from one external stimuli to another, processing the information, and making assumptions, decisions on what makes us feel happy or suffer. All of this constant bombardment of activity and the senses reduces our ability to calm an already restless mind.

A good example of pratyahara happens when I practice asana, especially when I am taking someone else’s class. I tend to watch as a teacher and become overactive in my mind, so I close my eyes as much as I can when I practice. This is me, withdrawing my senses, from the woman in the back corner not aligning her knee over her heel in a lunge. Me withdrawing from hearing how the teacher is cueing to move and taking mental notes, me withdrawing from what I look like and simply being present in my own sensations and watching my emotions drift from pose to pose.

Lets think about how we can put other limbs into practice for a moment. Swadhaya, self-study, sitting for a moment reflect on what keeps your attention; news, food, sex, gossip, emotions?

Ahimsa, a yama or ethical guideline of practicing non-harming, we have worked on previously helps assist us to pratyahara by listening to that which is like sweetness to our ears, that which keeps us from harming others with our words, or ourselves and observing negative self-talk and curbing that reaction to more positive words of kindness.

Aparigraha, non-covetness, think about your obsessions with things you need or want and how it constantly draws your attention until you want it even more. A new boy toy, a new car, alcohol, a particular job, triggering our minds to be consumed with our obsessions and ego. If we focus on our energy, our pranayama, we can notice what arises and disconnect from the impulses that may have become habitual.

Which yamas and niyamas that we have discussed to you need to practice more of to support the withdrawal of your senses?

My Ayurvedic practitioner, Teresa O’Brien of Sunheart Holistic, used pratyahara as an exercise for me a few weeks ago. She asked me to sit and have an alcoholic beverage and do nothing else and asked me to pay attention to why I was drinking. Why did I have the desire to drink? When and how often does my want to have a drink arise? This is a step to becoming conscious of the why behind our wants, a disconnecting from our impulses, so that we can understand we don’t always have to satisfy our cravings and receive gratification.

As I sat with it I realized, I think about drinking many times a day, especially since the pandemic. When I had the drink it my hand sometimes it was a matter of enjoyment, a celebration, a chance to feel like I was somewhere else just for a moment. Other times, it was a feeling of “I need this drink” to feel calm, to feel relaxed, to let go of my day. These are totally different reasons to drink. One I consider much healthier than the alternative. The latter one creating a habit that leads to addiction. Without pratyahara, I wouldn’t have been able to understand this.

Sit and be a witness to something you are doing and ask yourself why.

When we limit the senses and bombardment of constant activity we can recognize unhealthy patterns of thought or behavior.