In Astang yoga, Pratyahara is the half-way house. It is a fifth limb of Astang yoga. We are very familiar with the words Asana and Pranayama. However, Pratyahara is probably the least known in yoga.

Pratyahara is the key between the outer and inner aspects of yoga. The word Pratyahara is itself interesting. Pratya means “control or withdraw;” Ahara means “food” or anything we take from the outside. Pratyhara means literally control of ahara or gaining mastery of external influences. It is compared to a turtle, who withdraws its limbs into itself- the turtle shell is the mind and the senses are the limbs. The term is usually translated as withdrawal from the senses, but much more is implied. In yogic thought there are three levels of ahara. The first is physical food, which brings in five elements that nourish the body. The second is the impression, which brings in certain substances necessary for nourishing the mind. These are the sensations of sound, sight, smell, taste and touch . And third level of ahara is association of the people we hold in our hearts who serve to nourish the soul and affect us with the gunas of Sattva, Rajjas , and Tamas.

In Yoga sutra and even in Bhagwad Gita, pratyahara is an action of the turtle who withdraws its limbs into the body when it needs to. What makes the turtle live so long? For one thing it is never in a hurry; it eats slowly and sparingly. It is peaceful and passive. When it sees danger, it draws within itself. The shell is its mobile home, so it doesn’t have to worry about home building, as it has evolved its home around its body. It breathes very slowly; in fact, it is said that it breathes once a minute!

As humans, we can learn from the turtle. To begin with, we can learn to breathe slowly. This will have a quieting effect on our nervous system. This in turn makes the mind peaceful and our concentration improves.

The next important lesson is withdrawal of our senses from various objects. Our five senses are powerful. The indriyas (senses) are the five cognitive senses as well as organs of action. Through the cognitive senses, we receive data from the outside world and using the organ of action, we communicate. Each and every sense has particular qualities and features. The eyes relate to sight, ears to sound, and nose to smell. In Pratyahara, if things are spread out with all their attraction before our senses, they are ignored. The sense remains unmoved and uninfluenced. In effect, the brain will disregard what it has received by the various sensory organs and will only accept and process the signals sent by sensory organs at the command of the brain. In other words, we have control over our senses rather than being controlled by them.

To many who seek a better life, yoga provides a human with individual therapy to overcome the fear, anxiety, and tension of day-to-day living. There are simple exercises to keep the body and mind young and healthy. The study of the senses brings us progressively at a higher level of insight into the nature of mind and senses. It also makes us aware of habits. When we observe ourselves, we will discover much about our sensory habits.

It is important to be gentle with yourself in regard to guilt and self-deprecatory emotions. Pratyahara does not mean forcing ourselves to shutting our eyes or plugging our ears. It is not a rigid, uncompromising, and unpleasant task. The process leading to pratyahara requires you to pay attention to your thoughts and action. Watch the senses and observe their interplay. It helps to sharpen Buddhi. Much of our emotional imbalance is our own creation. A person who is influenced by outside events and sensation can never achieve inner peace and tranquility. This is because he or she will waste much mental and physical energy in trying to suppress unwanted sensation. This will eventually result in a physical or mental imbalance and as a result we suffer illness.

Yoga is the process of self-study and self-observation by which we can understand our true nature.
Renu Vakharia is an instructor at Vedic Heritage {Sri Hanuman Mandir}