Pratyahara

Spirituality
#1

Please feel free to share any suggestions you can offer. I am a relative newbie (2.5 years practice) wondering if anyone has any good suggestions on this topic (ie, simple enough for a newbie, with good benefit for stress relief and relaxation).

I have enjoyed yoga nidra, and the only other pratyahara practice I am aware of (which I enjoyed) was what Anand Kulkarni shared in a recent post, as follows:

"Mahayoga gives us a simple technique for attaining this. This technique is based on the fact that although many say that “everything is an devolute of Prana”, its nature in is that of the movement of breath. So, handing over the mind to Prana would mean following the automatic movement of Prana i.e. following the air that enters and leaves the body on its own.

So do try these steps daily for 3 to 21 minutes. You will be surprised.
? Sit in any position (preferably on a wool floor mat) and relax the body to the maximum.
? Calmly close the eyes with inner readiness to let Divine Prana~Shakti work on her own, through your body and mind. With such inner readiness, Prana will rise up and up in the backbone.
? Allow automatic breathing to take place. Simply follow the air entering and leaving the body. Do not impose any pattern. If some involuntary actions take place, allow them to take place. They are the actions ofPrana~Shakti."

#2

Here’s a little something that might interest you. From the Yoga Chudamani Upanishad:

Pratyahara is the state where sensory organs like the eye do not concern themselves with things outside but turn themselves inwards.* 120

Similar to the Sun taking his rays inwards at the third period of dusk, the yogi who is in the third stage would control his mind.**

from Jabala Darsana Upanishad:

Now I will tell you about Prathyahara. To use force and divert the sensory organs which normally travel according to their nature is Prathyahara. Those who know Brahma say that seeing whatever we see as the form of Brahman is Prathyahara. Prathyahara also is doing clean or unclean acts as those belonging to Brhaman. Further doing daily religious activities after dedicating them to God and similarly doing the activities which we desire is also Prathyahara. Apart from this inhaling air (oxygen) and stopping it in different places is also Prathyahara. The wise man would sit in Swasthikasana, draw his breath till it fills up from head to toe and hold it in two feet, mooladhara, stomach, middle of the heart, bottom of the neck, jaw, middle of the eyelids, forehead and at the top of the skull. Then he should leave out the belief that the body is oneself and make that thought as nirvikalpa and merge it with Paramatma. The experts in Vedanta say that this is true Prathyahara. There is nothing that cannot be attained by those who practice like this

One more time, Sandilya Upanishad:

Then comes Pratyahara, which is of five kinds. It is the drawing away of the organs from attaching themselves to the objects of senses. Contemplating upon everything that one sees as Atman is Pratyahara. Renouncing the fruits of one?s daily actions is Pratyahara. Turning away from all objects of sense is Pratyahara. Dharana in the eighteen important places (mentioned below) is Pratyahara, (viz.,) the feet, the toes, the ankles, the calves, the knees, the thighs, the anus, the penis, the navel, the heart, the well of the throat, the palate, the nose, the eyes, the middle of the brows, the forehead and the head in ascending and descending orders.

#3

Mahayoga gives us a simple technique for attaining this.

One ‘simple’ technique allows you to ‘attain’ pratyahara is an over-simplification. It is a good technique and it some times simulates pratyahara will be its appropriate description.

Pratyahara is a major break through that opens doors for dharana, dhyana and samadhi. It is achieved through a rigorous practice of yama, niyama, asana and initial pranayama, all practiced concurrently. So if a simple technique as above was to achieve pratyahara that would render the first four limbs of yoga totally redundant.

In pratyahara, the detachment from the sense organs is an effect of detachment of mind from the thinking process into which the organs deliver impulses. So, while sensing continues, it is made ineffective. Now, detaching mind is easier said than done. Mind is present in several ways. It is there as our sanskaras, actng as the filters; as "I"ness that colors and skews the impulses; as memory that keeps bringing back our favorite thoughts for re-churning; as emotional residues of earlier thinking and all this presents obstacles and hindrances in detaching the mind. Even when one tries to focus on breathing, focusing itself is thinking and that brings mind into it again and again.

Ground is prepared by the first four limbs through inner purification that eliminates causes of mind’s tendency to succumb to the sensing and its flippant monkey jumps (summarised into “avidya”). This gives success to the means like concentration on breathing etc. Pratyahara is however truly attained as a conscious ability to make mind do an effortless “let go” to involuntary acts, mainly thinking.

While the technique mentioned as from Mahayoga is good, the concept of pratyahara state has to be put in proper persepective.

#4

[QUOTE=Suhas Tambe;65457]

ability to make mind do an effortless “let go” to involuntary acts, mainly thinking.

While the technique mentioned as from Mahayoga is good, the concept of pratyahara state has to be put in proper persepective.[/QUOTE]

Could’nt agree more. I have always thought “control of the mind” as an expression which denotes a lack of basic understanding of the yogic process. We do not control. We" let go" of the mind. Effectively eliminating it for the period that we are in the stages of dharana and onwards.

#5

[QUOTE=reaswaran;65464]We do not control. We" let go" of the mind. Effectively eliminating it for the period that we are in the stages of dharana and onwards.[/QUOTE]

Very insightful comment. I like how you frame the context as putting the mind at ease about letting go, instead of having to apply effort as if it is something we need to accomplish. It comes back to Yoga Sutra 1.2 doesn’t it?

#6

[QUOTE=guitar_yogi;65500]Very insightful comment. I like how you frame the context as putting the mind at ease about letting go, instead of having to apply effort as if it is something we need to accomplish. It comes back to Yoga Sutra 1.2 doesn’t it?[/QUOTE]

Absolutely. “vritti nirodha”. - nirodha has been interpreted as control by many. But in the context of the nature of the mind, which is after all -only a series of thoughts, it is more of relaxing and further relaxing until we are comfortable about “letting go” of the thoughts - thus dropping into deep concentration- teh stage of dharana. From here to Dhyana and thence to Samadhi is only a question of time. The direction has been set.

And you have correctly put your finger on the word “effort”. There is no effort in true skill.

#7

[QUOTE=reaswaran;65618]But in the context of the nature of the mind, which is after all -only a series of thoughts, it is more of relaxing and further relaxing until we are comfortable about “letting go” of the thoughts[/QUOTE]

Excellent thought. I notice clearly from my field, business, those who are happiest of the successful people are the ones who use their resources to simplify their lives and thus can let their minds be totally relaxed and at ease, which is the true wealth (even more than whatever money they have). It also gives them a form of power in getting things done, because they truly don’t need to, but do so for exercise of creative vision. Beyond all the work, they can enjoy state of true relaxation. Not all choose to do so, but those who do are in very good mental state. The lesson, as I take it, is even the people who do not have such material fortunes can still enjoy this mental state. It is a definite effort to stop activity, throughout the week, so to enjoy this relaxation (I utilize yoga nidra, but I am sure there are many other good ways to do so also).

#8

If you look at the quotations, the first one describes Pratyahara as a ‘state’, but the others describe a practice. And not just a single practice but several practices. The one that interests me is the inhaling of the breath, and “stopping” it in various places, in order, ascending and descending. This is described as ‘Dharana’ in the eighteen important places. This is consistent with the Vedanta descriptions of dharana, which is focusing on particular ‘spots’ of the body that symbolically correspond with earth, air, fire, water, and space, along with a particular type of mental activity. It seems to me that these texts do not describe a stopping of mental activity. On the contrary, these practices do require a certain mental focus.