“Pratyahara…the movement of the mind toward silence
rather than toward things.” – Donna Farhi
Pratyahara means to withdraw from the senses, what
we see, smell, hear, taste, and feel. Many
people find this limb of yoga the most challenging. Our senses are great tools, but they can pull
our attention into many directions and entice us to develop cravings for all
sorts of things. In today’s world,
especially, it is even harder to practice pratyahara because we have a constant
stream of information feeding our senses from the enticement of unhealthy foods
to toxic relations and overload of media, TV, and internet. This flow of stimuli can be overwhelming. When we instantly react to the information our
senses feed us, we pull farther away from our inner peace.
The practice of yoga can help us find our inner
peace. By practicing the asanas (postures)
and pranayama (breath control) we can tune out what the senses are bringing to
us from our external surroundings and control the constant mind chatter. Yoga can help us reach inward and quiet our
mind which is healing for our body and spirit.
When we are able to go inward, we become balanced and grounded and are
able to listen to what the Universe has to share with us. This is where our mindfulness and meditation
begins.
You may want to start by practicing pratyahara for
10 or 15 minutes per day and then try increasing the time without distractions
and observe the body, breath and sensations with no expectations. Become aware of your cravings and addictions
and try to challenge yourself to go without.
Notice how you feel and then try to let go. Just like the other limbs of yoga, we must
practice in order to get better. With
time we can rid ourselves of the distractions and find our inner peace and joy.
“Life teaches you the Art of letting go in every event. When you have learnt to let go, you will be
joyful, and as you start being joyful more will be given to you.” – Sri Sri
Shanti,
Betsy and Jesse
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