My Exploration of Pratyahara
For the past few months, I’ve been exploring the eight limbs of yoga, specifically Pratyahara. Withdrawing from our five senses (touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste), Pratyahara allows us to fully engage the next limb, which is concentration (Dharana). The simple way to practice this is during yoga asanas. During my practice, I explore a particular sense, especially sight or hearing, and how it impacts the mind and body.
Sight—I close my eyes during the practice and allow the movements to flow within. I become aware of the depth of my poses and that I have the ability to go farther into the pose. I become aware of my fears—the inability to see, the darkness, the lack of stability as I transition from one pose to the other. All fears that I feel in my everyday life I can see within the one hour yoga class. Then, I take the opportunity to understand and relinquish those fears. I tune into my thoughts and feelings as I move through my practice, allowing myself to be One with the mind and body. And when I open my eyes, I see my surrounding with crystal clarity and the beauty that it envelops.
Hearing—Recently, I have begun to explore hearing by becoming more in tune with the sounds around me. In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali said, “Integrated meditation upon the relationship between space and sound, an organ for spiritual hearing will be developed allowing distant and divine hearing” (III.42). Simply put, by concentrating on sound around us, we can tap into the sound or Voice of the Spirit within us. I am aware of the music that is playing, the sound of the teacher’s voice, the cars outdoor, the birds chirping and the beat of my heart. I, then, allow the external sounds to internalize as I move to the sounds that I hear. I am just at the first stage of withdrawing from hearing because I have not yet let go of the sounds. But I can only imagine the depth of this sense as I continue to explore it.
As I continue my practice, I will begin to focus on my other senses. It is important that I take the time and effort to work through one sense and allow it to naturally withdraw before moving onto the next. This is just the beginning of my journey and as I continue to practice, I will gain more insight and awareness that will gently lift me to a place of peace and Consciousness. I invite you to explore an element of Pratyahara and to observe the depth of this exploration in the mind and body. With Love.