6

PRATYAHARA

In the preceding chapters we have studied four of the eight limbs of Patanjali's yoga. Let us briefly review them.

The practice of yama and niyama helps to remove restlessness, desires, delusions and wrong attachments from the mind due to misunderstanding and ignorance.

The practice of asana trains us to make the body steady with ease and comfort, in order to ensure that the mind becomes still and quiet in preparation for meditation.

The practice of pranayama purifies and removes distractions from the mind.

Now we come to the fifth limb, pratyahara. This is covered in only two sutras.

Pratyahara is the interiorization of the mind, by reversing the senses’ outward attention from external objects to their source within (the divine Self).

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:54

By conscious interiorization of the mind, the senses function intelligently and in harmony without ego-mind interference. One acquires complete mastery over all the senses.

2:55

The practices of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara are concerned with the body and brain. They constitute the outer phase of yoga. The final three limbs, dharana, dhyana and samadhi constitute the inner phase of yoga, and are concerned with the reconditioning of mind.

Pratyahara is a state in which the attention does not externalize itself. Usually as you look at something, listen to some sound, smell or touch something, your attention is drawn out of yourself. In pratyahara the attention is directed inwards.

Through the practice of asana and pranayama one turns the mind's attention within, being totally aware of where the impulse to breathe in and breathe out arises. Total attention and awareness of that is itself pratyahara, or drawing one's attention into and within oneself.

THE SENSES

The five components of creation — ether, air, fire water and earth — have given us our five senses: hearing, feeling, sight, taste and smell respectively.

The soul (the true Self) shines by its own light; it is the true source of intelligence which gives life to the body, mind and senses. Without the life-force of the soul, the body, mind and senses cannot function at all.

Primarily (as young children prove) the senses are the first instruments to gather knowledge or perception from the world. The reason I use the expression ‘to gather’ is because awareness of sense-perceptions arises only if the information delivered by the senses reaches the mind. Without mind there is no recorded perception and so the senses become useless as instruments.

When the mind receives the collected information from the senses it examines, analyses and discriminates what it has received and acts upon it.

But what makes the senses go out and gather information? It is curiosity. So curiosity has to exist in the mind to determine it to send the senses out to gather information to satisfy that curiosity. But the more you try to satisfy your mind's curiosity, the more curiosity is generated, because each piece of information triggers more questions.

The mind has this inborn curiosity because it is looking for meaning. It wants to enlarge the whole informational picture until it makes sense. So curiosity, or the desire to find out and know things, is a search for meaning.

So why does the attempt of the mind and senses to find meaning in life fail so often? The senses are the means for gathering experience. Experience may be divided into pleasant and unpleasant, like and dislike. Each sensory experience leaves an impression on the mind. For example, when you first perceive an apple and touch it, smell it and taste it, you have knowledge of an apple. An impression (samskara) is immediately formed in the subconscious mind, and at any time this samskara can generate a memory of the object — the apple and knowledge of the apple.

After accumulating a number of experiences that are alike, the mind forms an idea about them. So now the ego, the ‘I’ which is born of ignorance, which is ignorance, intervenes, disregarding the truth or the reality that all these experiences come and go.

The ego says: ‘That was beautiful, I want to keep it. This is horrible, I want to avoid it.’ But neither of these is possible. If the beautiful thing we saw is not present, the mind which registered the experience as memory goes on wanting it; and what is even more unfortunate, the mind also remembers an unpleasant experience and goes on fearing it. It is not there, but you know it might come again. It also might not, again, but the mind retains the impression of that momentary experience of pleasure or of displeasure, and out of these are born desire and dislike. When the momentary experience of pleasure born of sense-contact is allowed to leave an impression on the mind, the mind becomes coloured by it, so that afterwards wherever you look, that thing goes on in the mind — ‘I want that, I must have it’, or ‘I desire something, but I fear it may not happen.’

Gradually the obstinate efforts to repeat pleasurable experiences and avoid unpleasant ones lead one to abandon the initial search — the search for meaning. Instead one becomes addicted to pleasure and comfort, not understanding that pleasure is not in the objects but in the condition of the mind, and that happiness is not in the objects but within one's own Self. Our lives become governed by desire and attachment, and the so-called need to defend what we think we have.

The other intervening phenomenon is a dulling of the senses due to over-repetition. The drug addict starts with marijuana and goes on to taking stronger drugs like cocaine and heroin. The smoker smokes more cigarettes. The drinker drinks more, and ends up becoming an alcoholic. The relationship that becomes more and more sexual, without love (based on physical self-gratification) soon becomes dull and boring, and so one or both partners continually look to more stimulating and degrading sexual practices, where the partners are mere objects of stimulation. Whether it is drugs, alcohol, sex, smoking, coffee or sugar, indulgence in any pleasure dulls the sensitivity of the senses and the nervous system. In the end it will either bore you or enslave you, and in that there is no freedom, beauty or joy. The initial stimulus is no longer strong enough to cause pleasure. The initial sharpness and awareness of the sense-experience wears off and the senses need a stronger one in order for the ego to have the kind of pleasure it expects.

The way the ego relates to experience is also wrong, in that it wants to possess the objects of its attachment. The ego is frustrated by the fleetingness of pleasure and wants to eternalize it through possession. In fact, possession is a delusion. We do not even own what we eat. We just recycle energies, and not even that process is a conscious one. Possessiveness ‘freezes’ the relationship with the object or person.

Instead of using our senses to discover the meaning at the interface of any process of relating, we want to ‘have’ this or that experience out of it. What gets lost again is the meaning, the teaching that we receive. We unwittingly refer to the ego rather than the Self.

Please understand that it is not the object that binds or enslaves you. It is the identification of the thought with the object that causes desire, possessiveness, attachment and fear. It is the identification and labelling of things as ‘desirable’ and ‘undesirable’ by the ego that causes all the problems. The mind labels a sensation or experience desirable, which automatically makes its opposite or absence undesirable — pleasure creates pain. The sensation becomes a feeling at the point when thought arises to label the sensations. The labelling creates a division between the thought and the experience. In pure experiencing there is no labelling. In the state of pure awareness, the mind is undivided and steady. If the mind seeks the experience of something other than the inner joy and inner peace of the self, the awareness of its own nature is lost. That is why self-discipline is emphasized by the yoga Masters, not as something important in itself, but as a condition in which the subject becomes aware of itself.

When the futility of desire and the pursuit of sensory objects is seen, the mind is left with the feeling that something is lacking. That which is lacking is soul-fulfilment, inner joy and inner peace. It is forgetfulness of our true blissful self. Due to the soul's forgetfulness of its own blissful nature, it tries to satisfy itself with the illusory and fleeting joys of sensory pleasures. In all of us, the soul is inwardly conscious of losing its blissful contact with God, the source of all joy, peace and love, and can never remain satisfied with the limited pleasures of the senses.

The true purpose of life is to know God. Worldly temptations were given to help you develop discrimination: will you prefer sense pleasures, or will you choose God? Pleasures seem alluring at first, but if you choose them, sooner or later you will find yourself enmeshed in endless troubles and difficulties.

Loss of health, of peace of mind, and of happiness is the lot of everyone who succumbs to the lure of sense pleasures. Infinite joy, on the other hand, is yours once you know God.

Every human being will have, eventually, to learn this great lesson of life!

Paramhansa Yogananda, from The Essence of Self-Realization
by Sri Kriyananda

MASTERY OF THE SENSES

Lord Krishna warns us in the Bhagavad Gita that if the senses are not controlled, the mind will be distracted and captivated by attachment to sensory experiences, leading to forgetfulness of one's true Self-nature.

Just as a tortoise draws in its limbs within its shell, the wise yogi, fixed in higher consciousness, disconnects the senses from their objects of perception at will, resulting in steadiness of mind.

Those who deprive the senses from experiencing their objects experience that they still crave for them. These sense cravings only come to an end when one attains a higher knowledge and realizes the Self.

The force of the stimulated senses is sufficient to disturb even the most discriminating of aspirants in the midst of all their efforts for self-control.

Having brought the senses under control one should be joined in yoga with the mind ever established in Me. The wisdom of one who has mastered the senses becomes steadfast and unwavering.

The senses become attached to an object when it is continually thought of As a result of such involvement, the desire to enjoy the object arises. When such a desire is unfulfilled or obstructed, anger arises.

Anger clouds discrimination and one becomes easily illusioned, losing the memory of one's own true self. From loss of memory one loses the faculty of discrimination and eventually from the confusion of intelligence misses the goal of human life — Self- realization.

However those who can supervise the involvement between the senses and sense-objects by exercising enlightened self-control, and who become free from craving and false repression, attain inner calmness and peace.

In that inner calmness and inner joy comes the end of all sorrows. For the intelligence of the calm-minded soon becomes firmly established in the Self.

For one whose mind and senses are unsteady, there is no knowledge of the Self. When the mind is restless it cannot concentrate or meditate; it has no peace. Without inner peace, how can there be joy?

Just as a boat on the sea is carried away by the wind in a storm, so can a person's intelligence and understanding be carried away by the force of sense desire.

Therefore, one whose senses are completely mastered, becomes firmly established in wisdom of the Self.

Just as the vast ocean remains calm and unperturbed, even though many rivers flow into it from all sides, so a person should remain undisturbed by the continued arising of sense-desires. One who is controlled by desire cannot attain true peace.

True inner peace arises when all sense-desires are transcended and orientated to higher levels of consciousness; and when one acts free from identification with the false ego, and the illusion of the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’.

Bhagavad Gita 2:58–71

THE PRACTICE OF PRATYAHARA

The difference between a Master of yoga and an ordinary worldly person is that the yogi experiences true joy and inner peace by inwardly reversing the searchlight of perception from the senses to the divine source within, consciously at will. The worldly person, whose ego-mind identifies with and is attached to the senses, becomes disunited from the inner source of joy and peace — the Self. Instead, the worldly person suffers restlessly with anger, fear and loss of inner peace and joy.

The worldly person can only disconnect the mind from the senses in the subconscious state of ordinary sleep. In the deep inertia of sleep, the life-force that connects the mind with the senses reverts back to the Self-conscious force of the soul. In this state of sleep there is no consciousness of ‘I’. There is no desire to experience, there is no ego-sense. In sleep you are not aware that ‘I am’, otherwise you are awake! What remains is pure experiencing — there is no contact with the objects of the senses, and since there is no contact, the mind is not divided. That is why you do not experience pain or suffering at all during sleep.

In the dream state during sleep, the senses of perception are still and absorbed in the mind. It is only the mind that is actively operating during dream; it becomes both the subject and the object. During the wakeful state objects exist independently of the mind. Whether you are asleep or awake the objects are always there. However, in dreams the objects exist only as long as there is the mind to create them and for as long as the dream lasts. When you awake from your sleep all the dream objects disappear.

YOGA NIDRA: THE PSYCHIC SLEEP OF THE YOGIS

Yoga nidra is one of the best techniques for developing awareness and to achieve a state of pratyahara.

Yoga psychology realizes that relaxation is a natural behaviour and can be relearned by those whose faulty living and thinking habits have caused unnatural, neurotic, over-reactive behaviour. Yoga techniques develop the faculty of concentration as well as bringing about relaxation. Concentration, the ability to focus the mind on one thought form, is a very effective way of removing the mind from worrying and anxiety-provoking thoughts. Yoga nidra is therefore not only a powerful form of relaxation, but its repeated practice aids in the development of the mental faculties as well. Since relaxation is the first step in the development of meditation, yoga nidra is the ideal first practice of pratyahara for the student of yoga.

In the yoga nidra state one is completely and totally relaxed on all levels — physical, mental and emotional. In this state the brainwave pattern changes and becomes slower, from the usual busy, waking beta level to the deeper, slower alpha level.

In yoga nidra one does not actually sleep in an unconscious way. The body, brain and nervous system are completely relaxed, while the consciousness remains totally alert, awake and aware. In this state of consciousness, which is on the borderline between sleep and wakefulness, there is contact with the subconscious and unconscious mind — the deeper layers of your personality. Through the practice of yoga nidra we are able to recognize, release and eliminate our suppressions, fears, phobias, neuroses and deep-rooted tensions — all things that condition our conscious thoughts and experiences in a negative way.

The main elements of yoga nidra practice are:

1  Body relaxation/awareness and rotation of consciousness: The consciousness is rotated through the different parts of the body a number of times to reduce the mind's attention on external stimuli, thus introverting the mind, and relaxing the physical body.

2  Pratyahara: The mind is very rebellious; it does the opposite of what you want it to do. So in yoga nidra we deliberately focus our attention on external things with complete awareness. In this way the mind loses interest in the external things and naturally withdraws and goes within.

3  Breath awareness: With breath awareness, there is no attempt to force or change the breath. You just silently watch the natural breath flow in and out. This practice takes you into a deeper state of physical relaxation.

4  Awareness of feelings or emotions: Through the practice of visualization, using stories and images, we are able to awaken or recall, and voluntarily bring to the surface, suppressed and deep-rooted feelings and emotions from the subconscious and unconscious levels of our minds. When these deep-rooted fears and anxieties rise to the surface, we watch them with awareness and detachment — we recognize them, then release them. This process can be useful to cleanse unwanted patterns from the mental field and emotional life.

5  Affirmation: Having released the negative feelings and impressions from the subconscious it is important to implant a positive affirmation. During the deep relaxation of yoga nidra, the deeper layers of the subconscious are very impressionable to suggestions from the conscious will. Affirm with conviction, faith and deep concentration the statement of truth which you aspire to absorb into your life.

Practise yoga nidra in shavasana (the relaxation pose), in a quiet, warm room. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and lie down on a folded blanket or rug. Keep the body warm by covering yourself with a blanket. Once yoga nidra has begun, there must be no physical movement. One must remain completely aware and awake throughout the whole process.

You can either be guided through the process by a teacher who instructs clearly and slowly in a relaxed tone of voice, or be guided by listening to a yoga nidra cassette tape especially recorded for this purpose.

OTHER PRATYAHARA PRACTICES

•  First practise a few rounds of kapalabhati (see chapter 4) and bhastrika pranayama (see chapter 5), then practise yoni mudra (see chapter 4).

•  Practise savitri pranayama (see chapter 5) in the ratio 8: 4: 8: 4. This breathing ratio is used for the basis of pratyahara and concentration.

•  Practise the sarvangasana (shoulder stand) (see chapter 2), followed by halasana (plough pose), then practise karnapidasana (ear-knee pose) (see below). It is by relaxing for some time in karnapidasana that you can experience pratyahara.

•  Practise japa, (the repetition of a mantra or a Name of God — see chapter 3).

•  Practise nada (listening to inner sounds — see chapter 3).

•  Practise kirtan (chanting devotionally — see chapter 3), first loudly, then softly, whispered, mentally and superconsciously.

•  Practise Kriya Yoga (see chapter 8).

Halasana (plough pose) and karnapidasana (knee-ear pose)

Method:

The plough is practised after the shoulder stand (sarvangasana).

1  From the shoulder stand exhale and lower your legs gradually to the floor behind your head.

2  If you can bring your toes to the floor without any back strain then stretch out your arms away from your back, and clasp your hands together to give a good stretch. Then stretch your hands behind your head to touch your toes. Relax in this pose, breathing normally.

3  If you are supple enough you can exhale as you bend both knees and drop them down to the floor, either side of the ears. This is called karnapidasana (knee-ear pose)

4  Wrap your arms around your knees with your hands clasped together. Relax, breathe normally.

5  To come out of the pose, stretch your arms on the floor palms down away from your back. Press against the floor with your arms and palms so that you can gradually lower your back to the floor with control. Completely relax and breathe normally.

Caution: Do not practise halasana or karnapidasana if you suffer from:

•  sciatica

•  high blood pressure

•  detached retina

Females are advised not to practise during menstruation.

Benefits:

•  The plough (halasana) stretches the entire spine, particularly the cervical area.

•  It tones and stretches the posterior muscles of the entire body.

•  It stimulates the nerves and tones the internal organs and glands, especially the kidneys, liver and pancreas.

•  It regulates the thyroid gland in the throat.

•  It strengthens the heart and improves blood circulation.

The benefits here apply to karnapidasana as well.