Pratyahara: A Journey Inward

The withdrawing of the senses, translated as Pratyahara, is described in the Yoga Sutras. It says, “The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction and the senses disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.”

We withdrawal our senses because our Essence cannot be perceived by them. It cannot be touched, smelled, tasted, seen or heard. The senses are useful for experiencing the external world, but to know your true self you have to go beyond the senses.

Transcript

Come to a comfortable position in an environment where you feel safe,

Like your home or in nature.

Many of us have life experiences that have left us traumatized and hyper-vigilant.

Notice if there is anything you need to do to feel safe and comfortable.

When you are in a safe environment,

There is no need to hold on to your senses so strongly.

You can feel your body and mind being in a safe environment.

When you are in a safe environment,

There is no need to hold on to your senses so strongly.

Let them rest for a while.

You will lose nothing and you have much to gain.

The withdrawing of the senses,

Translated as pratyahara,

Is described in the Yoga Sutras.

It says,

The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remove the sense of the senses.

It says,

The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction,

And the senses disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.

And the senses disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.

We withdraw from our senses because our essence can't be perceived by them.

It can't be touched,

Tasted,

Smelled,

Seen,

Or heard.

The senses are useful for experiencing the external world,

But to know your true self,

You have to go beyond the senses.

Pratyahara is a deep practice of being present with ourselves.

It is the difference between just sitting in stillness and moving into a state of inner awareness.

It is also the transitional limb in Ashtanga Yoga,

Which moves us out of external actions,

Like asana and pranayama,

And into the more meditative states of dharana and dhyana.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali also says,

Through that turning inward of the organs of senses and actions,

Also comes a supreme ability,

Controllability,

Or mastery over those senses,

Inclining to go outward towards their objects.

Ultimately,

The practice of pratyahara,

In fact all the practices of yoga,

Enable us to choose our responses instead of merely reacting.

We can choose to dance with the stimulus that comes our way,

Or we can choose to step back and not respond to it.

The variable is not what's happening around us,

But how we choose to use our energy.

If we retreat to a cave in the mountains,

We can still agitate our nervous systems.

We can still generate thoughts and relive past reactions.

Practicing pratyahara doesn't mean running away from stimulation,

Which is basically impossible.

Rather,

Pratyahara means remaining in the middle of a stimulating environment and consciously not reacting,

But instead choosing how to respond skillfully.

Now begin to gather your attention into this present moment.

Imagine your sense perceptions moving away from your outer body and towards your center,

Like the lens of a camera zooming in.

You can perceive this as the physical center of your body or the center of your consciousness.

Whichever way you naturally feel it is the right place to start.

Soften your outer body,

Relaxing all the skin from your head to your feet.

Let your awareness move inward to the places inside of you that are undisturbed by whatever is contacting your skin.

Relax the muscles around the eyes,

Including the eyelids.

Let the eyes drop inwards,

Bringing your attention away from any shapes or colors you see behind your eyelids and towards the center of your head.

Gently let go of any concern for what is on the other side of your eyelids.

Relax your nose and the muscles around your nose.

Relax your nostrils and into your sinuses.

Let the air and the smells in it move through your nostrils with no engagement with them whatsoever.

Start to relax the outside of your mouth and jaw.

Soften the inside of your mouth,

Your tongue,

And your gums.

If you have recently eaten or cleaned your mouth,

You may notice there is a taste left.

Release any attention on what you are tasting.

Soften your outer and inner ears.

Become unconcerned with the sounds around you.

Let them come and go,

Just as they are,

Without trying to listen to anything.

When we stop the attachment of our senses with the outer world,

The next step is to stop the engagement of our senses with our own thought patterns.

Just letting the thoughts flow,

Observing them while our senses are not involved.

If we practice this consistently,

The train of thoughts will lose power and even stop for periods of time.

The train of thoughts will lose power and even stop for periods of time.

The train of thoughts will lose power and even stop for periods of time.

The train of thoughts will lose power and even stop for periods of time.

The train of thoughts will lose power and even stop for periods of time.

The train of thoughts will lose power and even stop for periods of time.

Releasing attachment to our thoughts and senses is easier said than done,

Because our senses are like hooks we use to cling to the illusion of the world.

We are strongly attached to this process of constantly perceiving the outer world like an addiction,

An addiction to non-stop stimulation.

When we withdraw our senses from the outer world,

We can start to observe more clearly our thoughts.

The key here is observing,

Being a neutral observer of the thought without clinging to it,

Without engagement,

Without suppression.

When we withdraw our senses from the outer world,

We can start to observe more clearly our thoughts.

When we withdraw our senses from the outer world,

We can start to observe more clearly our thoughts.

When we withdraw our senses from the outer world,

We can start to observe more clearly our thoughts.

Being more present to our inner world allows us to be more aware of our inner world.

Being more present to our inner world allows us to be more in touch with what is real for us.

This can lead us to a place where we are able to be more of who we really are.

This can lead us to a place where we are able to be more of who we really are.

This can lead us to a place where we are able to be more of who we really are.

This can lead us to a place where we are able to be more of who we really are.

Reviews

Wonderful stillness. Very good combination of guided and silent meditation.

Very powerful vipasana meditation. A longer version would be great!

Wonderful. Starting with a explanation and then moving into practice of withdrawal of senses .Thank you 💕

Very nice .Thank you

I enjoyed the guided meditation and found it quite calming.

Amazing insight. Will be using this gift often.

Very relaxing. Loved the teachings and the space to practice. Will come back to this. Thank you!🙏

Thank you for providing such articulate and gentle teachings from the Sutras. Namaste.

After a very busy day of extroversion, this is what I needed to transition my focus inward. I am grateful for both Guide and message.

Thank you, Sierra! Your voice is very soothing and it guided me well. I look forward to more of your meditations.

Omg! Thank you! Wonderful meditation the time flew like in 20 seconds. Super happy

Really loved the explanations of the word and concept as we moved into the meditation. I notice I can feel much more focused if I know about what I’m doing (or at least, in theory...). It satisfies my curiosity. Thank you :-)

Well done, Sierra! The message comes through clearly and I especially like the silences.

I will mention this, the chime at the end sounds a little harsh coming out of meditation.

Calm and clear explanation and guidance in a gentle pace by a smooth voice!
Thank you very much!
Rapha ☯️🙏🏼

Beyond thoughts and senses. Easier said than done. Obrigado!

Wonderful. Thank you so much!

Fabulous thank you ♡

I will come back to this again and again. Thank you.

Wonderful guidance and explanations of the practice
Well done!

Perfect pace and a very well guided meditation! I'll do it again. 😉 Thank you! 😘