Generally,
Pratyahara means sense withdrawal. In Hatha Yoga, it is achieved when prana
is maintained in sushumna nadi for about 2 minutes. In Raja Yoga, it is the
fifth limb bridging between external yoga (Yama or discipline, Niyama or ethics,
Asanas or postures and Pranayama or breathing exercises) and the internal yoga (Dharana
or concentration, Dhyana or meditation and Samadhi or meditative absorption).
In essence, Pratyahara lays
the foundation for concentration and meditation in order to achieve a state of
absorption.
In day to day life, Pratyahara refers to the combined techniques that foster meditation. According to the yogic literature, it involves tackling one’s worldly preoccupations, adopting a sattvic vegetarian diet, developing patience, controlling impulses, controlling negative emotions, doing sama, practicing dama and cultivating detachment.
It is not possible to rest the mind and engage in a spiritual quest when one is struggling to survive. With appropriate assistance, it is therefore important to manage health, financial, legal, family and work related issues.
It is said we are we eat. One of the simplest ways to calm the mind and control its activity is to adopt a sattvic vegetarian diet which includes foods such as cereals, fruits, grains, herb tea, honey, legumes, milk products, nuts and vegetables.
The key to steadily progress in yoga rests on the cultivation of patience expressed in the form of attention to details, constancy of practice and perseverance. To ascertain patience, it is recommended to pledge one’s resolution on paper and ease progressively into a regular yoga practice by establishing a daily routine and avoiding being affected by lapses of practice. A diary should be kept in order to measure progress, record insights and identify areas in need of improvements.
Impulses can be tamed by having ideals. Ideals provide a focus in life and help maintaining composure in time of crisis.
Some of the most prominent negative emotions cited in the yogic literature requiring to be checked are anger, arrogance, egoism, fear, greed, hatred, jealousy, lust and pride. Negative emotions can be prevented by doing mouth yoga or lifting the corners of the mouths, smiling, laughing, not taking one seriously, seeing obstacles as opportunities, accepting mistakes and developing tolerance. Tolerance is achieved by embracing diversity and by changing one’s perspective, opinion or attitude on topics or situations that generate negative emotions. Also, showing compassion and forgiving others helps in the development of tolerance. When they surface, negative emotions can be controlled by evoking the opposite emotion and/or using distraction. They can be eradicated through introspection during which the root cause of the negative emotions is pinpointed. Once the source of negative emotions is recognized, alternative behaviors to prevent their appearance are identified and implemented in one’s life.
Sama is defined as concentration of the mind. It is best established by practicing mouna which is to keep silent in speech and thought. Silence is the hallmark of the universal consciousness, encompassing all sound, thoughts, intuitions and creative power. Silence can be easily accomplished by watching the mind. When the mind knows that it is being watched, it becomes shy and keeps silent. Other techniques consist in paying attention to the task at hand, developing situational awareness and gently bringing back the wandering mind to focus.
Dama is defined as the control of the organs of knowledge (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, and smelling). It is essentially achieved by avoiding situations that would rouse the senses thus distracting and stimulating the mind. As such, it implies a mastery over the organs of actions (speaking, grasping, walking, excreting, and procreating) in order to avoid compromising situations. Dama is best accomplished by checking impulsions for which the use of distraction is a powerful weapon when a craving surfaces. One who has established dama is said to be in control of thoughts, words and deeds.
Detachment is characterized by the performance of one’s work to the best of one’s ability for the sake of doing it while being indifferent to the benefit gained or the loss incurred. Detachment can be enhanced by practicing introspection during which one reflects on the motive of one’s actions. One may also ponder on the nature of the various pairs of opposites such as pain and pleasure, life and death, gain and loss in order to realize that they are in fact two sides of the same one reality. When one realizes that one opposite does not matter over the other, it is easier to remain unaffected by the outcome of one’s action. Detachment can be cultivated by realizing that where there are attractions (likes) there is pleasure and where there are repulsions (dislikes) there is pain. Because it is not possible to have likes without dislikes, it is not possible to have pleasure without pain. If one has no dislike, everything in life brings pleasure. To this end, repulsions can be eliminated by searching a silver lining in what is causing pain. As one is progressively finding something positive in every activity, dislikes slowly vanishes which gives rise to pleasure in every undertaking. When one is enjoying every enterprise, one gains vairagya or a genuine dispassion for worldly desires. It is only with the achievement of vairagya that one can truly perform actions for their own sake.
Pratyahara is more than mere techniques. It is a way of living and as such it may prove to be one of the most difficult limbs to implement.
Namaste
Yves Panneton
In day to day life, Pratyahara refers to the combined techniques that foster meditation. According to the yogic literature, it involves tackling one’s worldly preoccupations, adopting a sattvic vegetarian diet, developing patience, controlling impulses, controlling negative emotions, doing sama, practicing dama and cultivating detachment.
It is not possible to rest the mind and engage in a spiritual quest when one is struggling to survive. With appropriate assistance, it is therefore important to manage health, financial, legal, family and work related issues.
It is said we are we eat. One of the simplest ways to calm the mind and control its activity is to adopt a sattvic vegetarian diet which includes foods such as cereals, fruits, grains, herb tea, honey, legumes, milk products, nuts and vegetables.
The key to steadily progress in yoga rests on the cultivation of patience expressed in the form of attention to details, constancy of practice and perseverance. To ascertain patience, it is recommended to pledge one’s resolution on paper and ease progressively into a regular yoga practice by establishing a daily routine and avoiding being affected by lapses of practice. A diary should be kept in order to measure progress, record insights and identify areas in need of improvements.
Impulses can be tamed by having ideals. Ideals provide a focus in life and help maintaining composure in time of crisis.
Some of the most prominent negative emotions cited in the yogic literature requiring to be checked are anger, arrogance, egoism, fear, greed, hatred, jealousy, lust and pride. Negative emotions can be prevented by doing mouth yoga or lifting the corners of the mouths, smiling, laughing, not taking one seriously, seeing obstacles as opportunities, accepting mistakes and developing tolerance. Tolerance is achieved by embracing diversity and by changing one’s perspective, opinion or attitude on topics or situations that generate negative emotions. Also, showing compassion and forgiving others helps in the development of tolerance. When they surface, negative emotions can be controlled by evoking the opposite emotion and/or using distraction. They can be eradicated through introspection during which the root cause of the negative emotions is pinpointed. Once the source of negative emotions is recognized, alternative behaviors to prevent their appearance are identified and implemented in one’s life.
Sama is defined as concentration of the mind. It is best established by practicing mouna which is to keep silent in speech and thought. Silence is the hallmark of the universal consciousness, encompassing all sound, thoughts, intuitions and creative power. Silence can be easily accomplished by watching the mind. When the mind knows that it is being watched, it becomes shy and keeps silent. Other techniques consist in paying attention to the task at hand, developing situational awareness and gently bringing back the wandering mind to focus.
Dama is defined as the control of the organs of knowledge (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, and smelling). It is essentially achieved by avoiding situations that would rouse the senses thus distracting and stimulating the mind. As such, it implies a mastery over the organs of actions (speaking, grasping, walking, excreting, and procreating) in order to avoid compromising situations. Dama is best accomplished by checking impulsions for which the use of distraction is a powerful weapon when a craving surfaces. One who has established dama is said to be in control of thoughts, words and deeds.
Detachment is characterized by the performance of one’s work to the best of one’s ability for the sake of doing it while being indifferent to the benefit gained or the loss incurred. Detachment can be enhanced by practicing introspection during which one reflects on the motive of one’s actions. One may also ponder on the nature of the various pairs of opposites such as pain and pleasure, life and death, gain and loss in order to realize that they are in fact two sides of the same one reality. When one realizes that one opposite does not matter over the other, it is easier to remain unaffected by the outcome of one’s action. Detachment can be cultivated by realizing that where there are attractions (likes) there is pleasure and where there are repulsions (dislikes) there is pain. Because it is not possible to have likes without dislikes, it is not possible to have pleasure without pain. If one has no dislike, everything in life brings pleasure. To this end, repulsions can be eliminated by searching a silver lining in what is causing pain. As one is progressively finding something positive in every activity, dislikes slowly vanishes which gives rise to pleasure in every undertaking. When one is enjoying every enterprise, one gains vairagya or a genuine dispassion for worldly desires. It is only with the achievement of vairagya that one can truly perform actions for their own sake.
Pratyahara is more than mere techniques. It is a way of living and as such it may prove to be one of the most difficult limbs to implement.
Namaste
Yves Panneton