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Pratyahara
Pratyahara (Devangar , Tibetan , Wylie so sor sdud pa) or the 'withdrawal of the senses' is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga,[1] as mentioned in his classical work, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali composed in the 2nd century BCE.[2] It is also the first stage of the six-branch yoga (aagayoga) of the Buddhist Klacakra tantra, where it refers to the withdrawal of the five senses from external objects to be replaced by the mentally created senses of an enlightened deity. This phase is roughly analogous to the physical isolation (kyaviveka, Tib. lus bden) phase of Guhyasamja tantra. For Patanjali, it is a bridge between the bahiranga (external) aspects of yoga namely, yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, and the antaranga (internal) yoga. Having actualized the pratyahara stage, a practitioner is able to effectively engage into the practice of Samyama. At the stage of pratyahara, the consciousness of the individual is internalized in order that the sensations from the senses of taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell don't reach their respective centers in the brain and takes the sadhaka (practitioner) to next stages of Yoga, namely Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (mystical absorption), being the aim of all Yogic practices.[3]
Etymology
Pratyahara is derived from two Sanskrit words: prati and ahara, with ahara meaning food, or anything taken into ourselves, and prati, a preposition meaning away or against. Together they mean "weaning away from ahara", or simply ingestion.[4]
Types of Pratyahara
Withdrawal of Senses or Indriya Pratyahara
This involves withdrawal of senses, or sensory inputs into our physical being, coming from our five senses, namely organs creating a sensory overload, and hence hinders collection of the mind, as in Dharana, the next stage of Yoga [5]
Pratyahara it as an act of service. This leads to the final form of pratyahara - the Withdrawal of Mind or 'Mano pratyahara', which is practiced by consciously withdrawing attention from anything that is unwholesome, and distracting for the mind such as by withdrawing attention from the senses, and directing it inwards [6]
Practices in Pratyahara
One of the most common practices for Pratyahara is Pranayama, wherein we automatically withdraw from the external and bring our focus inwards towards our breath, as connection with the external senses and stimuli are all severed gradually. Apart from Pranayama, another method that is used to aid in the development of Pratyahara is to concentrate on the point between the eyebrows. This location is known as Ajna Chakra or the third eye. Another common technique for inducing Pratyahara is to first reduce physical stimuli, then concentrate on one sense, such as hearing. The mind has a natural tendency to roam between the sensory inputs. In this situation, as there are no longer any other significant sensory inputs, when the mind gets tired of hearing, it is forced to turn inward. At the advanced levels, the currents which pulsate through the nerves and even the involuntary muscles are turned off by the practitioner. This may also be accomplished through Pranayama or breath-control.
Further reading
Ayurveda and the Mind, by David Frawley, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-36-5. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Translated by James Haughton Woods. Courier Dover Publications, 2003. ISBN 0-486-43200-9. Khedrup Norsang Gyatso. Ornament of Stainless Light. Translated by Gavin Kilty. The Library of Tibetan Classics 14. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2004. ISBN 0-86171-452-0.
References
[1] Pratyahara (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ EBchecked/ topic/ 474079/ pratyahara) Britannica.com. [2] Yoga Sutras 2.54-2.55: - Pratyahara or Sense Withdrawal (http:/ / www. swamij. com/ yoga-sutras-25455. htm) Yoga Sutras, 2.54-2.55. [3] Moving Inward: The Journey from Asana to Pratyahara (http:/ / www. himalayaninstitute. org/ Yogaplus/ Article. aspx?id=934) Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy. [4] Pratyahara:The Forgotten Limb of Yoga (http:/ / www. indiatravelogue. com/ sacr/ refl/ pratyahara. html) David Frawley. [5] Yoga and Ayurveda, by David Frawley, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 2004. ISBN 81-208-1879-2. Chapter 16: Pratyahara: the Forgotten Limb of Yoga, page 261. [6] Yoga Sutras Book II.54.
External links
Pratyahara (http://sathya-sai-baba.org/stages.html#Pratyahara) Comments on the Patanjalis Scheme. Pratyahara, by Yogacharya (http://www.discover-yoga-online.com/pratyahara.html) Patanjali : les Yoga Stras (http://www.spiritualite-livres.fr/yoga-sutras-patanjali/), a Yoga Stras of Patanjali translation by Sylviane Legrand
License
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