Pratyāhāra - Cultivation of Inward Focus

Sensory stimulation is so prevalent in our lives that we often feel unsettled and restless when it is removed. According to the classical teachings of yoga, the outer mind (manas) is connected to our senses or our organs of perception (eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin). The senses perceive a stimulus and manas goes to work attempting to make sense of what we are interacting with by sorting, compartmentalizing, and retrieving memories. Once manas completes its job, we come to a conclusion. For example, the scent that we have been smelling is in fact the jasmine bush outside of the window. If the senses are perpetually turning outwards provoked by sensory stimuli, the mind will follow suit. If we learn to regulate our senses and guide them inwards, restless mental activity will lessen, providing the practitioner with a greater sense of ease and clarity. Pratyāhāra can be considered the threshold we must pass through in order to still the mind and experience the profound peace which resides within the depths of our being.  

Pratyāhāra has been described as “mastery over external influences.” It is a practice which consciously unburdens, regulates, and ultimately heightens our awareness. A more common definition of pratyāhāra is sensory withdrawal. The implication is that the senses must turn inwards for higher states of meditation to be realized. However, for many of us today, pratyāhāra can be practiced as sensory awareness or discipline. Understandably, pratyāhāra can sound inaccessible or unappealing–there are so many beautiful things to see, taste, and experience, why would I want to deny myself such pleasures? Unfortunately, if we do not practice some restraint from time to time, we exhaust our resources which can lead to physiological and psychological imbalances. 

Pratyāhāra can be reframed as a way to reclaim one’s power, vital resources, and as a conscious form of peaceful civil resistance. As an example of active engagement with pratyāḥāra, consider where you place your attention throughout your days. Is the object that you are giving your attention to contributing to your health, growth, and well-being or is the object creating more distraction, restlessness, and anxiety? When we gain more clarity of where and what we are giving our attention to, we have greater agency to choose where to place our awareness. Otherwise, we become susceptible to the ever increasing influence of individuals, corporations, and ideologies that are vying for our attention in an attempt to convince us to buy or subscribe to their product or ideology. Pratyāhāra reminds us that the source of our true contentment and wisdom resides within us. 

Breitenbush Hot Springs is an ideal setting for the subject of this yoga retreat. Technology has many benefits, but it also creates a field of dissonance. As Breitenbush is a WIFI free zone, we are able to unplug ourselves from our devices and open our senses to the natural world. Although the common definition of pratyāhāra is sensory withdrawal, its application begins by first consciously directing our senses to different focal points. Natural focal points such as the sound of the river or looking at the sky are examples of how we can restore our over-stimulated sensory organs. When we are unburdened by the constant sounds from our technology and the hustle of our daily lives, we are much more capable of deep listening, as well as preparing the mind to be receptive to meaningful insights.