How to Practice Pratyahara On and Off the Mat
Pratyahara, meaning “withdrawal of the senses,” is one of the 8 Limbs of Yoga laid out by mystic, sage, and philosopher Patanjali more than 1,500 years ago in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Sutras collect spiritual wisdom into an organized guide for living a yogic life. Pratyahara is the fifth limb, coming in right after asana (poses) and pranayama (breathing exercises) — and it’s the next step toward enlightenment.
By that point in the Sutras, you’ve learned a lot of techniques for discipline and mindfulness. Pratyahara concerns one of the biggest distractions: The senses. Even if you’re achieving a perfect oneness with the universe, a bug landing on your arm, the noise of people passing by, a light suddenly turning on, or the smell of your favorite food cooking can pull you right out.
Just ignoring the senses would be close to impossible. What Patanjali is describing is folding your senses into your inner self: “When the senses withdraw and imitate, as it were, the nature of the mindstuff, that is pratyahara. Then follows supreme mastery over the senses.”
“The senses are like a mirror,” writes Saraswati in the commentary of his translation. “Turned outward, they reflect the outside; turned inward, they reflect pure light… they find peace by taking the form of the mind itself.”
Achieving full, traditional pratyahara can’t be done overnight or even in most lifetimes — but we can practice withdrawing our sense of the external world, both on and off the mat.
Ideas for Practicing Pratyahara On the Mat
Flow (safely) with your eyes closed.
Practice without a guide, so you don’t have to worry about seeing or hearing.
Meditate in ways that focus on observing only your own mind rather than present-body awareness.
Try to focus only on your inner self during Savasana. Resist being called back into your body for a few extra minutes.
Ideas for Practicing Pratyahara Off the Mat
Spend a day with no screen time (and no phone calls!).
Travel to a place with minimal light pollution.
Try doing your commute in silence.
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