Yoga Info: Pratyahara - the Forgotten Limb of Yoga by David Frawley

[Guest guest]

Get into this!!

 

""Many of us find that even after years of meditation practice we have

not achieved all that we expected. Trying to practice meditation without

some degree of pratyahara is like trying to gather water in a leaky

vessel. No matter how much water we bring in, it flows out at the same

rate. The senses are like holes in the vessel of the mind. Unless they

are sealed, the mind cannot hold the nectar of truth. Anyone whose

periods of meditation alternate with periods of sensory indulgence is in

need of pratyahara."

 

Pratyahara: the Forgotten Limb of Yoga

by David Frawley, from Yoga and Ayurveda

 

Pratyahara itself is termed as Yoga, as it is the most important limb in

Yoga Sadhana

-Swami Shivananda

 

Yoga is a vast system of spiritual practices for inner growth. To this

end, the classical yoga system incorporates eight limbs, each with its

own place and function. Of these, pratyahara is probably the least

known. How many people, even yoga teachers, can define pratyahara? Have

you ever taken a class in pratyahara? Have you ever seen a book on

pratyahara? Can you think of several important pratyahara techniques? Do

you perform pratyahara as part of your yogic practices? Yet unless we

understand pratyahara, we are missing an integral aspect of yoga without

which the system cannot work.

 

As the fifth of the eight limbs, pratyahara occupies a central place.

Some yogis include it among the outer aspects of yoga, others with the

inner aspects. Both classifications are correct, for pratyahara is the

key between the outer and inner aspects of yoga; it shows us how to move

from one to the other.

 

It is not possible to move directly from asana to meditation. This

requires jumping from the body to the mind, forgetting what lies

between. To make this transition, the breath and senses, which link the

body and mind, must be brought under control and developed properly.

This is where pranayama and pratyahara come in. With pranayama we

control our vital energies and impulses and with pratyahara we gain

mastery over the unruly senses — both prerequisites to successful

meditation.

 

What is Pratyahara?

 

The term pratyahara is composed of two Sanskrit words, prati and ahara.

Ahara means "food," or "anything we take into ourselves from the

outside." Prati is a preposition meaning "against" or "away." Pratyahara

means literally "control of ahara," or "gaining mastery over external

influences." It is compared to a turtle withdrawing its limbs into its

shell — the turtle’s shell is the mind and the senses are the limbs. The

term is usually translated as "withdrawal from the senses," but much

more is implied.

 

In yogic thought there are three levels of ahara, or food. The first is

physical food that brings in the five elements necessary to nourish the

body. The second is impressions, which bring in the subtle substances

necessary to nourish the mind — the sensations of sound, touch, sight,

taste, and smell. The third level of ahara is our associations, the

people we hold at heart level who serve to nourish the soul and affect

us with the gunas of sattva, rajas, and tamas.

 

Pratyahara is twofold. It involves withdrawal from wrong food, wrong

impressions and wrong associations, while simultaneously opening up to

right food, right impressions and right associations. We cannot control

our mental impressions without right diet and right relationship, but

pratyahara’s primary importance lies in control of sensory impressions

which frees the mind to move within.

 

By withdrawing our awareness from negative impressions, pratyahara

strengthens the mind’s powers of immunity. Just as a healthy body can

resists toxins and pathogens, a healthy mind can ward off the negative

sensory influences around it. If you are easily disturbed by the noise

and turmoil of the environment around you, practice pratyahara. Without

it, you will not be able to meditate.

 

There are four main forms of pratyahara: indriya-pratyahara — control of

the senses; prana- pratyahara — control of prana; karma-pratyahara —

control of action; and mano-pratyahara — withdrawal of mind from the

senses. Each has its special methods.

 

1. Control of the Senses (Indriya-pratyahara)

 

Indriya-pratyahara, or control of the senses, is the most important form

of pratyahara, although this is not something that we like to hear about

in our mass media-oriented culture. Most of us suffer from sensory

overload, the result of constant bombardment from television, radio,

computers, newspapers, magazines, books — you name it. Our commercial

society functions by stimulating our interest through the senses. We are

constantly confronted with bright colors, loud noises and dramatic

sensations. We have been raised on every sort of sensory indulgence; it

is the main form of entertainment in our society.

 

The problem is that the senses, like untrained children, have their own

will, which is largely instinctual in nature. They tell the mind what to

do. If we don’t discipline them, they dominate us with their endless

demands. We are so accustomed to ongoing sensory activity that we don’t

know how to keep our minds quiet; we have become hostages of the world

of the senses and its allurements. We run after what is appealing to the

senses and forget the higher goals of life. For this reason, pratyahara

is probably the most important limb of yoga for people today.

 

The old saying "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" applies to

those of us who have not learned how to properly control our senses.

Indriya-pratyahara gives us the tools to strengthen the spirit and

reduce its dependency on the body. Such control is not suppression

(which causes eventual revolt), but proper coordination and motivation.

 

Right Intake of Impressions

 

Pratyahara centers on the right intake of impressions. Most of us are

careful about the food we eat and the company we keep, but we may not

exercise the same discrimination about the impressions we take in from

the senses. We accept impressions via the mass media that we would never

allow in our personal lives. We let people into our houses through

television and movies that we would never allow into our homes in real

life! What kind of impressions do we take in every day? Can we expect

that they will not have an effect on us? Strong sensations dull the

mind, and a dull mind makes us act in ways that are insensitive,

careless, or even violent.

 

According to Ayurveda, sensory impressions are the main food for the

mind. The background of our mental field consists of our predominant

sensory impressions. We see this when our mind reverts to the

impressions of the last song we heard or the last movie we saw. Just as

junk food makes the body toxic, junk impressions make the mind toxic.

Junk food requires a lot of salt, sugar, or spices to make it palatable

because it is largely dead food; similarly junk impressions require

powerful dramatic impressions — sex and violence — to make us feel that

they are real, because they are actually just colors projected on a

screen.

 

We cannot ignore the role sensory impressions play in making us who we

are, for they build up the subconscious and strengthen the tendencies

latent within it. Trying to meditate without controlling our impressions

pits our subconscious against us and prevents the development of inner

peace and clarity.

 

Sensory Withdrawal

 

Fortunately we are not helpless before the barrage of sensory

impressions. Pratyahara provides us many tools for managing them

properly. Perhaps the simplest way to control our impressions is simply

to cut them off, to spend some time apart from all sensory inputs. Just

as the body benefits by fasting from food, so the mind benefits by

fasting from impressions. This can be as simple as sitting to meditate

with our eyes closed or taking a retreat somewhere free from the normal

sensory bombardments, like at a mountain cabin. Also a "media fast,"

abstaining from television, radio, etc. can be a good practice to

cleanse and rejuvenate the mind.

 

Yoni mudra is one of the most important pratyahara techniques for

closing the senses. It involves using the fingers to block the sensory

openings in the head — the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth — and

allowing the attention and energy to move within. It is done for short

periods of time when our prana is energized, such as immediately after

practicing pranayama. (Naturally we should avoid closing the mouth and

nose to the point at which we starve ourselves of oxygen.)

 

Another method of sense withdrawal is to keep our sense organs open but

withdraw our attention from them. In this way we cease taking in

impressions without actually closing off our sense organs. The most

common method, shambhavi mudra, consists of sitting with the eyes open

while directing the attention within, a technique used in several

Buddhist systems of meditation as well. This redirection of the senses

inward can be done with the other senses as well, particularly with the

sense of hearing. It helps us control our mind even when the senses are

functioning, as they are during the normal course of the day.

 

Focusing on Uniform Impressions

 

Another way to cleanse the mind and control the senses is to put our

attention on a source of uniform impressions, such as gazing at the

ocean or the blue sky. Just as the digestive system gets short-circuited

by irregular eating habits and contrary food qualities, our ability to

digest impressions can be deranged by jarring or excessive impressions.

And just as improving our digestion may require going on a mono-diet,

like the ayurvedic use of rice and mung beans (kicharee), so our mental

digestion may require a diet of natural but homogeneous impressions.

This technique is often helpful after a period of fasting from

impressions.

 

Creating Positive Impressions

 

Another means of controlling the senses is to create positive, natural

impressions. There are a number of ways to do this: meditating upon

aspects of nature such as trees, flowers, or rocks, as well as visiting

temples or other places of pilgrimage which are repositories of positive

impressions and thoughts. Positive impressions can also be created by

using incense, flowers, ghee lamps, altars, statues, and other artifacts

of devotional worship.

 

Creating Inner Impressions

 

Another sensory withdrawal technique is to focus the mind on inner

impressions, thus removing attention from external impressions. We can

create our own inner impressions through the imagination or we can

contact the subtle senses that come into play when the physical senses

are quiet.

 

Visualization is the simplest means of creating inner impressions. In

fact, most yogic meditation practices begin with some type of

visualization, such as "seeing" a deity, a guru, or a beautiful setting

in nature. More elaborate visualizations involve imagining deities and

their worlds, or mentally performing rituals, such as offering imaginary

flowers or gems to imagined deities. The artist absorbed in an inner

landscape or the musician creating music are also performing inner

visualizations. These are all forms of pratyahara because they clear the

mental field of external impressions and create a positive inner

impression to serve as the foundation of meditation. Preliminary

visualizations are helpful for most forms of meditation and can be

integrated into other spiritual practices as well.

 

Laya Yoga is the yoga of the inner sound and light current, in which we

focus on subtle senses to withdraw us from the gross senses. This

withdrawal into inner sound and light is a means of transforming the

mind and is another form of indriya-pratyahara.

 

 

 

2. Control of the Prana (Prana-Pratyahara)

 

Control of the senses requires the development and control of prana

because the senses follow prana (our vital energy). Unless our prana is

strong we will not have the power to control the senses. If our prana is

scattered or disturbed, our senses will also be scattered and disturbed.

 

Pranayama is a preparation for pratyahara. Prana is gathered in

pranayama and withdrawn in pratyahara. Yogic texts describe methods of

withdrawing prana from different parts of the body, starting with the

toes and ending wherever we wish to fix our attention — the top of the

head, the third eye, the heart or one of the other chakras.

 

Perhaps the best method of prana-pratyahara is to visualize the death

process, in which the prana, or the life-force, withdraws from the body,

shutting off all the senses from the feet to the head. Ramana Maharshi

achieved Self-realization by doing this when he was a mere boy of

seventeen. Before inquiring into the Self, he visualized his body as

dead, withdrawing his prana into the mind and the mind into the heart.

Without such complete and intense pratyahara, his meditative process

would not have been successful.

 

3. Control of Action (Karma-Pratyahara)

 

We cannot control the sense organs without also controlling the motor

organs. In fact the motor organs involve us directly in the external

world. The impulses coming in through the senses get expressed through

the motor organs and this drives us to further sensory involvement.

Because desire is endless, happiness consists not in getting what we

want, but in no longer needing anything from the external world.

 

Just as the right intake of impressions gives control of the sense

organs, right work and right action gives control of the motor organs.

This involves karma yoga — performing selfless service and making our

life a sacred ritual. Karma-pratyahara can be performed by surrendering

any thought of personal rewards for what we do, doing everything as

service to God or to humanity. The Bhagavad Gita says, "Your duty is to

act, not to seek a reward for what you do." This is one kind of

pratyahara. It also includes the practice of austerities that lead to

control of the motor organs. For example, asana can be used to control

the hands and feet, control which is needed when we sit quietly for

extended periods of time.

 

4. Withdrawal of the Mind (Mano-Pratyahara)

 

The yogis tell us that mind is the sixth sense organ and that it is

responsible for coordinating all the other sense organs. We take in

sensory impressions only where we place our mind’s attention. In a way

we are always practicing pratyahara. The mind’s attention is limited and

we give attention to one sensory impression by withdrawing the mind from

other impressions. Wherever we place our attention, we naturally

overlook other things.

 

We control our senses by withdrawing our mind’s attention from them.

According to the Yoga Sutras II.54: "When the senses do not conform with

their own objects but imitate the nature of the mind, that is

pratyahara." More specifically, it is mano-pratyahara — withdrawing the

senses from their objects and directing them inward to the nature of the

mind, which is formless. Vyasa’s commentary on the Yoga Sutra notes that

the mind is like the queen bee and the senses are the worker bees.

Wherever the queen bee goes, all the other bees must follow. Thus

mano-pratyahara is less about controlling the senses than about

controlling the mind, for when the mind is controlled, the senses are

automatically controlled.

 

We can practice mano-pratyahara by consciously withdrawing our attention

from unwholesome impressions whenever they arise. This is the highest

form of pratyahara and the most difficult; if we have not gained

proficiency in controlling the senses, motor organs, and pranas, it is

unlikely to work. Like wild animals, prana and the senses can easily

overcome a weak mind, so it is usually better to start first with more

practical methods of pratyahara.

 

Pratyahara and the Other Limbs of Yoga

 

Pratyahara is related to all the limbs of yoga. All of the other limbs —

from asana to samadhi — contain aspects of pratyahara. For example, in

the sitting poses, which are the most important aspect of asana, both

the sensory and motor organs are controlled. Pranayama contains an

element of pratyahara as we draw our attention inward through the

breath. Yama and niyama contain various principles and practices, like

non-violence and contentment, that help us control the senses. In other

words, pratyahara provides the foundation for the higher practices of

yoga and is the basis for meditation. It follows pranayama (or control

of prana) and, by linking prana with the mind, takes it out of the

sphere of the body.

 

Pratyahara is also linked with dharana. In pratyahara we withdraw our

attention from ordinary distractions. In dharana we consciously focus

that attention on a particular object, such as a mantra. Pratyahara is

the negative and dharana the positive aspect of the same basic function.

 

Many of us find that even after years of meditation practice we have not

achieved all that we expected. Trying to practice meditation without

some degree of pratyahara is like trying to gather water in a leaky

vessel. No matter how much water we bring in, it flows out at the same

rate. The senses are like holes in the vessel of the mind. Unless they

are sealed, the mind cannot hold the nectar of truth. Anyone whose

periods of meditation alternate with periods of sensory indulgence is in

need of pratyahara.

 

Pratyahara offers many methods of preparing the mind for meditation. It

also helps us avoid environmental disturbances that are the source of

psychological pain. Pratyahara is a marvelous tool for taking control of

our lives and opening up to our inner being. It is no wonder some great

yogis have called it "the most important limb of yoga." We should all

remember to include it in our practice.

 

Pratyahara and Ayurveda

 

Pratyahara, as right management of the mind and senses, is essential and

good for all constitutional types. It is the most important factor for

mental nutrition. However, it is most essential for those with a vata

constitution who tend towards imbalanced or excessive sensory and mental

activity. All vata types should practice some form of pratyahara daily.

Their restless vata distracts the senses, disturbs the motor organs and

prana, and makes the mind restless. Pratyahara reverse harmful vata and

turns it into a positive force of prana.

 

Kapha types, on the other hand, generally suffer from too little

activity, including on a sensory level. They may slip into tamasic

patterns of being lazy, watching television or sitting around the house.

They need more mental stimulation and benefit from sensory activity of a

higher nature, like visualizations of various types.

 

Pitta types generally have more control of the senses than the others

and incline toward martial-type activities in which they discipline the

body and the senses. They need to practice pratyahara as a means of

relaxing the personal will and letting the divine will work through

them.

 

Pratyahara and Disease

 

Ayurveda recognizes that the inappropriate use of the senses is one of

the main causes of disease. All mental disease is connected with the

intake of unwholesome impressions. Pratyahara therefore is an important

first step in treating all mental disorders. Similarly it is very

helpful in treating nervous system disorders, particularly those that

arise through hyperactivity. Most of the time we overly express our

emotions, which loses tremendous energy. Pratyahara teaches us to hold

our energy within and not disperse it unnecessarily. This conserved

energy can be drawn upon for creative, spiritual or healing purposes as

needed and can provide the extra power to do the things that are really

important to us.

 

Physical disease mainly arises from taking in unwholesome food.

Pratyahara affords us control of the senses so that we do not crave

wrong food. When the senses are controlled, everything is controlled and

no wrong or artificial cravings can arise. That is why Ayurveda

emphasizes right use of the senses as one of the most important factors

in right living and disease prevention.

 

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[Guest guest]

Dharam-

Thanks so much for posting this. As usual, I will need to read is

several times before absorbing/understanding most of what is being

said.

 

For me, this post was perfect timing. I have increased my meditation

times from 11 to 22 minutes. But I've found my mind getting

distracted by external things after about 15 minutes. Usually its one

of two things. Either my daughter who likes to listen to the

meditation music too (but isn't the most quiet individual in the

house). Or my dog. She (my dog) usually is pretty good about laying

near, but not up against me. But occasionally she'll put her head in

my lap, or try to bury her head in my side or stomach (her way of

cuddling). It wouldn't be too distracting if she didn't way 90lbs

(she's a lab)!

 

I've been making conscious efforts to allow my body to hear external

sounds, but not allow my mind to listen to them. I wasn't really sure

if that was appropriate though. My original train of thought was that

I should try to 'shut' everything off so that it wasn't a

distraction. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that

instead of trying to 'shut' off external input, I should focus on

trying to train my mind to not listen/pay attention to it. I would

think that would be the 'better' road to take. But I also think it is

more advanced. I may need to work on the first. Then when I'm

comfortable with that, begin adding or being exposed to outside

influences unitl I can control my mental reaction to them as well.

 

As I said. this was a wonderful post and directly impacts several

things I'm struggling with now. Thanks so much for your continued

guidance.

 

Christa

[Guest guest]

Great post! Frawley is a great source. I'll never forget my first experience

with successful pratyahara. It was pouring rain and I could here the

rain banging against the roof. I was doing surat shabd yoga as taught by

Yogananada's group and also YB, listening to the sound current. Suddenly

I thought, it has stopped raining. I continued to meditate for a while then I

stopped and as soon as I stopped it was pouring down rain again!

 

Also, by really working hard to listen and feel and see the mantra, to really

merge with it, I have experienced pratyahara and I think that is

part of the kundalini yoga teachings.

 

Yogananda emphasized pratyahara a lot and his form of kriya yoga was dependent

on it for success. In the Tibet Bhuddist system with which I am

familiar, a lot of emphasis is put on pacifying the "winds" related to the

senses as the senses are seen as both a distraction and a major source

of energy depletion and negativity. In that system the sensory winds are

considered feminine and thus related to feelings and wisdom. In a way,

that goes a long way to explain the huge amount of emotional fatigue and the

lack of wisdom in the excessive commercialism of our culture......and

the fact that we seem to put a low priority on positive impressions and a high

priority on over stimulating impressions. Where are the holy

places, gardens and temples, sacred sites in the west. They have to struggle to

survive. In my local paper there was a big deal made out of a

.......... (the word has escaped me - the opposite of a maze) being

built in one corner of the city. So I went to look. It was built out

of stones in a dirt lot and a couple of people were walking around it drinking

coffee and talking. Real sacred, excuse my sarcasm. I live in an

area very close to the rocky mountains and between the commercial development

and the tourism people can be in the middle of the most sacred site

imaginable in nature and miss it entirely because all they are seeking is

stimulation for their tired emotions and tired senses. It seems like a

never ending cycle. What will they with the 911 site in New York I wonder. Build

a park, a garden and a four-sided temple, or build another

highrise.

 

Manas (sensory mind), we tend to forget, is most susceptible to the excess of

the negative mind. It definately needs pratyahara to avoid being

bewitched and needs positive impressions to avoid becoming dull and negative.

 

I think our culture needs sacred sites and truely positive impressions and rest

for the senses more than it needs anything.

 

Seva Simran Singh

[Guest guest]

Just a further note on the senses/pratyahara. Many people are very exhausted

these days and it is often directly related to the senses. For instance,

how many people have noticed that they can meditate and get into it and not feel

tired and then as soon as they get up and move around they are tired

again?

 

Seva Simran Singh

 

mark terrell wrote:

 

> Great post! Frawley is a great source. I'll never forget my first experience

with successful pratyahara. It was pouring rain and I could here the

> rain banging against the roof. I was doing surat shabd yoga as taught by

Yogananada's group and also YB, listening to the sound current. Suddenly

> I thought, it has stopped raining. I continued to meditate for a while then I

stopped and as soon as I stopped it was pouring down rain again!

>

> Also, by really working hard to listen and feel and see the mantra, to really

merge with it, I have experienced pratyahara and I think that is

> part of the kundalini yoga teachings.

>

> Yogananda emphasized pratyahara a lot and his form of kriya yoga was dependent

on it for success. In the Tibet Bhuddist system with which I am

> familiar, a lot of emphasis is put on pacifying the "winds" related to the

senses as the senses are seen as both a distraction and a major source

> of energy depletion and negativity. In that system the sensory winds are

considered feminine and thus related to feelings and wisdom. In a way,

> that goes a long way to explain the huge amount of emotional fatigue and the

lack of wisdom in the excessive commercialism of our culture......and

> the fact that we seem to put a low priority on positive impressions and a high

priority on over stimulating impressions. Where are the holy

> places, gardens and temples, sacred sites in the west. They have to struggle

to survive. In my local paper there was a big deal made out of a

> ......... (the word has escaped me - the opposite of a maze) being

built in one corner of the city. So I went to look. It was built out

> of stones in a dirt lot and a couple of people were walking around it drinking

coffee and talking. Real sacred, excuse my sarcasm. I live in an

> area very close to the rocky mountains and between the commercial development

and the tourism people can be in the middle of the most sacred site

> imaginable in nature and miss it entirely because all they are seeking is

stimulation for their tired emotions and tired senses. It seems like a

> never ending cycle. What will they with the 911 site in New York I wonder.

Build a park, a garden and a four-sided temple, or build another

> highrise.

>

> Manas (sensory mind), we tend to forget, is most susceptible to the excess of

the negative mind. It definately needs pratyahara to avoid being

> bewitched and needs positive impressions to avoid becoming dull and negative.

>

> I think our culture needs sacred sites and truely positive impressions and

rest for the senses more than it needs anything.

>

> Seva Simran Singh

>

>

> "OUR DESTINY IS TO BE HAPPY"

> - Yogi Bhajan

>

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[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

Fabulous article.

 

Interesting you would share this at this time Dharam because I have just

completed a new book entitled "Love IT with All Your Heart," in which one of

the chapters is on Pratyahara. We are taking this book to Solstice and will

have it for sale on www.yogatech.com by the end of June. The other chapters

include the topics of "The Guru" "Anand-Bliss" and the "Mulmantra." Gordon

will keep you posted when it is available.

 

Sat Nam,

 

Gururattan Kaur

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Christa,

 

spatialagent1 <spatialagent1 wrote:

"I've been making conscious efforts to allow my body

to hear external

sounds, but not allow my mind to listen to them. I

wasn't really sure

if that was appropriate though. My original train of

thought was that

I should try to 'shut' everything off so that it

wasn't a

distraction. But the more I thought about it, the more

I felt that

instead of trying to 'shut' off external input, I

should focus on

trying to train my mind to not listen/pay attention to

it. I would

think that would be the 'better' road to take. But I

also think it is

more advanced. I may need to work on the first. Then

when I'm

comfortable with that, begin adding or being exposed

to outside

influences unitl I can control my mental reaction to

them as well."

 

 

 

Because of the way the mind works (no shut off button)

it seems to me that it might be better to use the mind

to focus on what you want to focus on rather than use

it to try to stop a thought process or control your

response to some external distraction. Moving deeper

into the meditation (or mantra or chant) by focusing

on it might be a better solution. I think the external

stuff (anything external to your meditation) will fall

away.

 

Hari Bol,

Bob

---

> >

 

 

 

 

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