Ashtanga Yoga - the 8 fold path

Part 5 - Pratyahara

Pratyahara is the 5th component of Yoga and the first step in de process of meditation. There are 3 stages in the practice of meditation: sense withdrawal (Pratyahara), concentration (Dharana) and meditation (Dhyana).

Patanjali defines meditation as: “When the mind has been able to transcend the knowledge of smell, sound, touch, form and taste and at the same time the consciousness is functioning around one point”. The purpose of Pratyahara is to withdraw the senses and eliminate the sense impressions communicating to the brain. As of our birth we are conditioned to remain aware of the outside world only. The goal of Pratyahara is to internalize our awareness.

Pratyahara prepares the next 2 steps of Dharana (concentration on an object) and Dhyana (meditation). In order to concentrate or meditate we must get past the obstacle of a disturbed mind. The mind constantly receives impressions and information from the external world through the medium of our senses. These impressions are like food for our mind. Our whole being is mostly focused on the external experiences and it is very difficult to focus the mind internally on our awareness, this is not an easy barrier to overcome.

Pratyahara is meant to disconnect our awareness from the sense organs and to instigate the internalization of awareness. A lot of people experience that excessive effort to forget the outside world leads to an increase of the external perception. Induction of Pratyahara depends on a regular an intense practice and of course the state of your mind.
A calm mind will make Pratyahara easier, if the mind is disturbed it may take months to attain the disconnection. Without mastering Pratyahara it is impossible to induce either Dharana or Dhyana.
Our mind keeps constant contact between the sense organs and intellect in the present. At the same time it remains busy with memories in the past and imagining the future. The object of Pratyahara is to eliminate the constant contact between the sense organs and the intellect in the present.

We can help ourselves cutting of external disturbances by practising the previous steps of the Ashtanga Yoga. The Yamas help us to cut off the disturbances due to interaction with other people while the Niyamas can help us to eliminate the disturbances due to body and mind. Asanas eliminate the disturbances due to limits of the body and Pranayama reduces the disturbances caused by irregular breathing.

PranaYoga - Yoga & Relaxation	Last Update: 6-11-2007