Alley near Pourville by Claude Monet
In my earlier posts on Ashtanga Yoga, I discussed the first four angas or steps (yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama), all of which enable practitioners to become more flexible, stable, and grounded in order to move easily into a regulated breath practice and to further develop inner focus and concentration. Pratyahara is step 5 of the 8 steps. Verse 2.54 in the Yoga Sutras describes pratyahara as:sva vishaya asamprayoge chittasya svarupe anukarah iva indriyanam pratyaharah
When the mental organs of senses and actions (indriyas) cease to be engaged with the corresponding objects in their mental realm, and assimilate or turn back into the mind-field from which they arose, this is called pratyahara. —Swami Jnaneshvara
Most teachers and nearly all of the textual commentaries define pratyahara as “withdrawal of senses.” Our five senses serve as portals or gateways into our body, mind, and consciousness. We are what we taste, smell, see, hear and touch. It is through these senses that we absorb the world around us. If we take in harmonious impressions through our senses, we will in turn be healthier. If we take in that which is unhealthy, the mind and body suffer. If we are not aware about what we draw in through our senses, it can lead to physical and mental instability. The human body and mind can survive on low-quality sensory impressions but cannot thrive. In order to maximize life potential, each person must learn to live harmoniously with their environment through the five senses.
A human being as a whole is a combination of body, mind, and spirit—physical, mental (psychological), and spiritual dimension. When we ignore our connection with the last two dimensions and just think of ourselves as a physical body, we are primarily acting through our five senses. Thus, we are attracted more to material possessions and desires, and try to surround ourselves with them. As we continue to build more material desires, we start making wrong choices, and the frustration and stress builds up triggers mental imbalance/fluctuations (vrittis), leading to physical instability.
So, to me, the definition of pratyahara is more than just “withdrawal of senses.” In this present world, working at a job, staying with a family, raising kids, etc., all require the coordinated use of the five senses. One cannot withdraw the senses from our daily life’s duties unless we give up on everything and retire to the mountains. So, I like to define pratyahara as “using our senses with total/complete awareness.” In my opinion, practicing pratyahara does not mean running away from a situation or suppressing the impression. Rather, it means being present in the middle of it, being aware of what it is and consciously not reacting but instead choosing how to respond.
The practice of pratyahara comes in handy even in the yoga room, whether we are setting ourselves to a silent meditation or practicing asana.Think about it—on the mat we are naturally but unconsciously using all five senses in our practice. Can you become more aware of how your senses are acting during practice? Are you inundated with lot of thoughts, action, and dramas about your practice or a specific pose? Or are you intimidated with your neighbor’s supposedly perfect pose? Do you hear a lot of chatter in your mind? Notice if your mind and senses are very busy with a lot of judgments about perfecting your practice or pose. In all these cases, practice pratyahara by gently shifting your impressions and start focusing on the practice or pose itself. Never judge yourself or others. In your asana practice, if your senses are drifting so your focus is more on a macho body or a slim, skinny body, you need to practice pratyahara. As BKS Iyengar aptly put it:
“It must not be just your mind or even your body that is doing the asana. You must be in it. You must do the asana with your soul.”
"To be in it" means being in the “zone” or being in “flow, ”and this requires cultivating the quality of pratyahara—to let go of the ego, including your body image, to feel open, grounded, calm, and finding your true self (see Positive Psychology vs. Yoga Philosophy). Every time you are “in” your yoga practice, you gain experience and inherently improve your skill level. Very soon, the practice takes your skill sets to a higher level and you able to do more by challenging yourself further. You experience contentment and enjoy a sense of accomplishment. It’s a great positive spiral and it results in improved health and happiness.
You can think of pratyahara as a fulcrum that regulates external practices, such as asana and pranayama, and internal observances, such as dharana (focus) and dhyana (meditation), which are the next two limbs in the Yoga philosophy that I plan to discuss in future posts. Suffice to say that pratyahara exercises help to develop stillness of the mind as well. Meditation or stillness of mind requires for the senses to be regulated, and pratyahara is a powerful technique to induce complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation while maintaining awareness at the deeper levels. It is a state where the you are fully aware without being influenced by the senses. At this stage, the senses are not bringing in any impressions. The mind is quiet and, in that stillness, produces few or no thoughts at all. While all this may seem a difficult task, it is not impossible. Remember that we need to climb or conquer each limb to get to that moment. Even though it may take years to attain the ideal state of stillness or the “perfect pose,”there are benefits that can be experienced at every stage of our progress.
Thus, pratyahara is about going back to intention, rather than outcome. It is being aware of what we draw in through the five senses and returning to harmony. Once back in harmony, the body and the mind have no reason to communicate the imbalances. The body is at ease; the mind attains peace!
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