A wise individual once said, When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. It is this thought that encapsulates the concept of Pratyahar. Pratyahar or Pratyahara is one of the eight stages of yoga as mentioned in the 2nd century BC text, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. It is the stage of withdrawal of the senses; the stage where the yogi works towards ultimate enlightenment and towards Samadhi, the ultimate aim of the yogi. Today we look at what Pratyahar is, and why and how to work towards it.
What is Pratyahara?
When one is able to achieve Pratyahar, one can then hope to progress to the more advanced aspects of yoga; the internal aspects of yoga such as Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi. Pratyahar is the in between stage; a link between the external aspects of yoga such as aasan, pranayam, niyam and the internal aspects.
The word comes from Prati or against and ahara which actually means food but here represents any kind of intake. When we hear about yogis who are able to survive in very cold climates without warm clothing or insulation, survive for long periods without sustenance and even lower the heart rate and rate of respiration to well below what is considered normal, it is an extreme or advanced stage of Pratyahar.
Why is Pratyahara desirable for the yogi, the sadhak?
So Pratyahar is the rejection or control of sensory inputs from touch, taste, sight, smell and sound. It is essentially the withdrawal from the senses; where the external recedes and focus in brought inwards by gradual mastery over the senses. This is the yogi’s journey towards escaping the pain and suffering of life as we know it; of transcending this to achieve a higher plane. The idea is to control the flow of energy and prevent its scattering by way of unworthy thoughts and experiences. The ultimate aim is to harmonize the inner self to the point where external discomforts cannot intrude.
How to achieve Pratyahara
One practical method of achieving this stage is for the yogi to constantly shrink and reduce his or her sphere of attention. Where your attention is on the noise of the traffic or the chirping of a bird outside your window, you then bring it closer to within the room: the sound of the fan, the feeling of the floor beneath or the smell of an agarbatti etc. Let your concentration turn further inward to the feel of the cloth on your skin, your inhalation and exhalation, the feel of your pulse until you are able to focus on one single point within yourself.
As the perception of external stimuli gradually fades and recedes, you can try to focus on the point between the eyebrows or the imaginary third eye. Focus your energies upon the ‘Ajna Chakra’ or the mystical eye that reveals the inward world; even perhaps enabling communication with our past and future. As one becomes more adept at this sensory withdrawal, it then becomes possible to control the breath and the body’s involuntary muscles at a later, more advanced stage.