Pratyahara – the Fifth of the Eight Limbs of Yoga
16 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
Pratyahara is the fifth limb of Pantajali’s Ashtanga Yoga and defined as withdrawal of the senses. It is thought to be the bridge between the external (bahiranga) aspects of yoga namely yama, niyama, asana, pranayama (the first four limbs already discussed in this blog) and the internal (antaranga) aspect of yoga namely dharana, dhyana and samadhi. When the yoga practitioner is at the stage of pratyahara, his or her consciousness is internalized such that the sensations from taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell do not reach their respective centers in the brain (withdrawal) and the practitioner is taken to the next stages (or limbs) of yoga.
So how do you achieve the fifth limb of yoga in our continuously distracted digital world of ours? I wish I could give you the answer from my personal files, but I have yet to achieve total withdrawal of senses, Pratyahara. As long as we are incessantly distracted by our sensory input and sense desires, we will continue to be slaves to our senses. When sense input can be controlled and we try to practice this withdrawal, even for just one minute, meditation can begin, bringing us closer to the subsequent limb of yoga (Dharana – focus, concentration).
Give it a try, just for one minute today, then five tomorrow and so on – turn off your TV, internet, cell phone, resist responding to your i-phone when it “pings”, ignore Facebook. Maybe you can try it for one whole day. You would think it may have been easier for yogis in pre-electronic times to achieve Pratyahara. However, try the task above and you will see that sense desires and distractions always existed and the power of the senses over the mind was just as challenging then as it is now. So does this mean I need to log off now and practice my sensory withdrawal of the day? I suppose so… 
May you find quietness, peace and a pause from sensory overload today and give Pratyahara a try, even if it is just for a minute.
~Sasha
