Pratyahara: When the Mind Ceases to Follow

Pratyahara : When the Mind Ceases to Follow

Saturday, May 23rd, $30

Swami Swami Sivananda says: “Pratyahara itself is termed as Yoga as it is the most important limb in Yoga Sadhana” –  this is true today, more than ever. Our senses are constantly bombarded by external stimuli, and the mind is easily drawn outward, becoming accustomed to and even dependent on this stimulation.

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, pratyahara is the fifth limb of yoga, standing at the threshold between the outer practices and the inner limbs of concentration and meditation. It is described as the withdrawal of the senses from their objects. In simple terms, it is learning not to be automatically pulled by what we see, hear, and feel.

These objects may be external or internal – appearing as thoughts, memories, and movements of the mind shaped by past impressions (samskaras). Ordinarily, the mind follows these movements without question. In pratyahara, this habitual pull begins to subside. Experience continues, but the mind is no longer pulled by it. The mind becomes steadier and is no longer compelled by past patterns.

Pratyahara thus not only calms the mind, but prepares it for insight and deeper understanding, which arise through concentration and meditation.

Teacher: Sarasvati