THIS POST IS CONTIUED FROM PAT 22, BELOW--
Somebody called me up and cried
It is ridiculous for fake female yoga teachers to say that Ashtanga Yoga is about two toes, two knee caps, two tits and two palms touching the ground
This is the absurd extent to which Yoga has been hijacked or denigrated by the jealous west.
Listen
Nine years ago , I penned a post on Ashtanga yoga
http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2013/08/ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga-vagus-nerve.html
By practicing the eight-fold (Astanga) YOGA, comprised of YAMA, NIYAMA, ASANA, PRANAYAMA, PRATYAHARA, DHARANA, DHYANA, and SAMADHI, one attains the highest state of consciousness and is freed from ignorance and egocentricity (which are the cause of one’s pain and suffering).
7000 years ago Patanjali dwelled on Pratyahara
एवंबुद्धे: परंबुद्ध्वासंस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना|
जहिशत्रुंमहाबाहोकामरूपंदुरासदम्|| 43|| Bhagavad Git – 4000 BC
evam buddheh param buddhva sanstabhyatmanam atmana
jahi shatrum maha-baho kama-rupam durasadam
Translation
BG 3.43: Thus knowing the soul to be superior to the material intellect, O mighty armed Arjun, subdue the lower self (senses, mind, and intellect) by the higher self (strength of the soul), and kill this formidable enemy called desire.
The Upanishadic detailed the method of introspection for withdrawal of ego from the outer world of sense objects to the inner world of the soul for the purposes of curbing desire oriented tendencies and thereby achieving Self-discovery is commended
The physical body is gross, external and limited. As compared to this the senses are superior because they are subtler and more internal and have a wider range of activity. Superior to the senses is the mind as it can direct the function of the senses (as it can undertake the work of the senses also). Superior to the mind is the intellect because it is endowed with the faculty of discrimination and finality; when the mind doubts, the intellect decides.
The soul is superior to even the intellect because the intellect draws its power to illuminate from the soul alone. The soul is the indweller in the body, the Witness of the activities of the body, senses, mind and intellect.
Krishna advises Arjuna to conquer desire with this understanding of the superior power of the soul, though it is difficult to achieve. Krishna points out that a man of discrimination and dispassion will be able to achieve this by increasing his Sattwic quality and by appealing to the indwelling Presence, the soul through introspection/ meditation. This controlling of the lower self i.e. the mind with the knowledge of the Higher Self is termed here as ‘restraining the self by the Self’.
AT THE VADAKAYIL ASHRAM OF KALKI CONSCIOUSNESS WE LEAD YOUR TO YOUR OWN SOUL..
Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses (indriyas) of cognition and action from both the external world and the images or impressions in the mind field . The senses are said to follow the mind in the same way the hive of bees follows the queen bee. Wherever she goes, they will follow. Similarly, if the mind truly goes inward, the senses will come racing behind.
त्रैगुण्यविषयावेदानिस्त्रैगुण्योभवार्जुन|
निर्द्वन्द्वोनित्यसत्त्वस्थोनिर्योगक्षेमआत्मवान्|| 45||
trai-gunya-vishaya veda nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kshema atmavan
Translation
BG 2.45: The Vedas deal with the three modes of material nature, O Arjun. Rise above the three modes to a state of pure spiritual consciousness. Freeing yourself from dualities, eternally fixed in Truth, and without concern for material gain and safety, be situated in the soul.
PRATYAHARA CALMS YOUR SOUL..
Gheranda Samhita is a 7 tier yoga:--
Shatkarma for purification Asana for strengthening Mudra for steadying Pratyahara for calming Pranayama for lightness Dhyana for perception Samādhi for isolation
The white invader has kicked forward Gherand Samhita by an amazing 6600 years –thank god that they did NOT claim to have written it like our Vedas .
Gherand Samhita which means Gherand’s collection was recorded as a conversation between Chanda Kapila and Gherand in which Chanda Kapila asked Gherand to impart him knowledge about the physical discipline of Yoga that would lead to knowledge of the tattvaas (truth).
Gherand responds by saying that there are no fetters like those of illusion, no strength like that which comes from the discipline of yoga, no friend better than knowledge and no enemy greater than ego. Just as by learning the alphabet, one can read, similarly by practicing yoga one can obtain knowledge of the truth.
Different pranayams, 3 forms of meditation and 32 asanas (poses) are mentioned in the Gherand Samhita.
Gherand says that the body should be purified and strengthened and the exercises that lead to this purification and strengthening can be put in the following seven categories:---
1. Purificatory- through the shat karmas or six steps
2. Strengthening-through regular practice of asanas/poses
3. Steadying-accomplished through mudras
4. Calming-through pratyahar
5. Lightness of body-through pranayam
6. Perception-through meditation
7. Solitude or isolation-accomplished through Samadhi
Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses (indriyas) of cognition and action from both the external world and the images or impressions in the mind field . The senses are said to follow the mind in the same way the hive of bees follows the queen bee. Wherever she goes, they will follow. Similarly, if the mind truly goes inward, the senses will come racing behind.
The pranamaya kosha is the “vital sheath” .. The pranamaya kosha, which is connected to the five motor organs (excretory, urino-genital, feet, hands, and vocal organ), contains our urges for survival, reproduction, movement, and self-expression. It provides us with enthusiasm and motivation for all we do.
Most of us are dominated by the vital body and its deep-seated urges, which are necessary in order for us to remain alive. The vital body is the home of the subconscious ego, which harbors our various fears, desires, and attachments.
Most of us spend our life seeking enjoyment through this kosha in the form of sensory pleasure and acquiring material objects.
People with a strong vital body are able to impress their personality on the world and often become prominent in life.
Pranamaya kosha is the vital life energy which organises the body parts and provides movement for mental and physical expression. It allows the invisible indweller, our True Self to be able to animate in the external world.
Pranamaya Kosha, regulates the physical and mental energies through the Chakras and Nadis. To connect with this layer we practise the fifth and sixth branches of yoga Pranayama and Pratyahara, control of the breath and control of the senses, respectively.
Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, prana means "vital life force", and yama means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with the prana, thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the prana shakti, or life energies.
Without a strong spiritualized pranamaya kosha, we lack the energy to do our practices in an intense and sustained manner.
During pratyahara the two poles of time and space begin to separate from normal conscious perception. In dharana they reach their opposite position. In dhyana they begin to move closer together and in samadhi they meet again at the nucleus. Then the explosion takes place and awareness of the mantra is left behind in the reality of the finite mind.
Thus consciousness breaks out of the limited, individual experience represented by HAM SO into the cosmic experience of OM ( charlatan Sri Sri Ravishankar lifted this bullshit SO HUM hyperventilation from here )
The techniques of yoga restructure the internal body system so that prana can flow freely without blockages. The quantum of prana has to be increased so that it becomes powerful and vital. Only in this way can we awaken the dormant areas of the brain. This is where swara yoga becomes essential.
Tantra is related to vijnanamaya kosha. The tantric practices act as a catalyst . All energy is inherent in matter. In the same way, vijnanamaya kosha is inherent within you but it is hidden in you like butter is hidden in milk. You have to separate it; you have to release your vijnanamaya kosha.
Vijnanamaya kosha is the realm of your unconscious mind or psyche. It is a world of signs and symbols, colours and lights. And your unconscious is a part of the collective unconscious.
It is directly linked to the collective unconsciousness or hiranyagarbha, the cosmic womb, that holds everything that has ever come into existence or is waiting to come into existence. It is the cosmic storehouse to which the unconscious mind of each and every individual is linked.
That is why when you have experience of vijnanamaya kosha you become intuitive, because you begin to perceive things which belong to the four dimensions of time, the past, present, future and beyond that to eternity.
To awaken vijnanamaya you have to transcend the influence of mind and intellect. The easiest and quickest way to influence the analytical mind and logical intellect is to provide it with a set of practices that defy all logic.
According to yoga and tantra, this really works you can easily use the practices of yoga, such as asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, mantra, pratyahara, dharana and dhyana, to awaken vijnanamaya kosha
A KOSHA , USUALLY RENDERED "SHEATH", IS A COVERING OF THE SOUL ACCORDING TO VEDANTIC PHILOSOPHY.
There are five koshas, and they are often visualised as the layers of an onion in the subtle body.
The five sheaths summarised with the term Panchakosha are described in the Taittiriya Upanishad (2.1-5) 5000 BC From gross to fine they are:
Annamaya kosha, "food" sheath (Anna)
Pranamaya kosha, "energy" sheath (Prana)
Manomaya kosha "mind" sheath (Manas)
Vijñānamaya kosha, "discernment" or "Knowledge" sheath (Vigynana)
Anandamaya kosha, "bliss" sheath (Ananda)
According to Vedanta the wise person, being aware of the subtle influences of the five elements within each kosha, ever discerns the Self amidst appearances.
Dharana practice requires a preliminary mastership in certain aspects of prana energy control. This is why when someone sits to meditate without first doing pranayama , he cannot be successful even though he may imagine for himself in peace happiness and light. Dharaṇa means single minded focus. The prior limb Pratyahara involves withdrawing the senses from external phenomena
Pratyahara makes the mind calm. Dharana steadies the mind. Dhyana makes one forget the body and the world. Samadhi brings infinite Bliss, Knowledge, Peace and Liberation.
Svadhyaya Yoga begins with a practice of pratyahara. We turn the awareness inward and focus on the state of inner being. We observe the anna maya kosha (the physical), the prana maya kosha, (the pranic body), the mano-maya kosha (the emotional and intellectual bodies), the jnana maya kosha (the intuitive body).
Here is a 7000 year old Patanjali Yoga sutra.. Cockeyed Trisha Shetty thinks Yoga is gymnastics. For a Noel prize childless traitor Modi and lap dog Ajit Doval are on her side.
2.29— yamaniyamasanapranayamapratyaharadharanadhy anasamadhayo-a-shtava anggani – Patanjali Yoga sutra 5000 BC
Although asana, pranayama and pratyahara are separate entities, they depend on one another for expressing the hidden aspects of yoga. These stages, which enable the seeker to heighten in the art of yoga, are called progressive sadhana.
Moral injunctions (yama), fixed observances (niyama), posture (asana), regulation of breath (pranayama), internalisation of the senses towards their source (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and absorption of consciousness in the soul (samadhi), are the eight constituents of yoga.
Again, the eight limbs of yoga ( ashtanga ) , prescribed by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. : 5 yamas, 5 niyamas (yamas and niyamas are social, moral and ethical guidelines), asana (physical posture), pranayama (breathing techniques), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption).
The involutionary path of renunciation necessitates pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. This inward journey disengages the consciousness from external objects. To be proficient in yoga, yama and niyama must be observed carefully all through the yogic sadhana.
The art of making the mind introspective or turned inward upon itself is through the Yogic Kriya, Pratyahara (abstraction).
In a world of information overload, the yoga practice of pratyahara offers us a haven of silence. This is what we do at the Vadakayil Kalki ashram.
Pratyahara is defined as “the conscious withdrawal of energy from the senses.”
Most of us know this state; when you’re in it, you feel like you’re at the bottom of a well. You register the sounds that occur around you, for example, but these sounds do not create disturbance in your body or mind. It is this state of nonreaction that is called pratyahara.
You still register input from your sense organs, but you don’t react to that input. There seems to be a space between the sensory stimulus and your response. You are in the world but not of it.
As we learn to see beyond our ego, we connect to a much greater energy source than our individual soul and tap into profound vitality and ease.
The practice of pratyahara enable you to respond instead of reacting kneejerk powered by ego.. Pratyahara means remaining in the middle of a stimulating environment and consciously not reacting, but instead choosing how to respond.
Pratyahara is the key to the relationship between the outer and inner aspects of yoga; it shows us how to move from one to the other. Just as a healthy body resists toxins and pathogens, a healthy mind resists the negative sensory influences around it.
If we say someone has a ‘big ego’ or is ‘full of themselves’ this essentially means that they identify a little too closely with their story, their body and their grossest level of being.
It’s not the ego itself that’s the problem, it’s our over-identification with, and attachment to, the story that comes with it.
We confuse our soul, our true self – the most pure essence – with the ego and we get pushed and pulled around by the storms of the mind, also known as ‘Maya’.
A sannyasi will never have road rage..
https://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2014/01/road-rage-when-your-amygdala-hijacks.html
Pratyahara provides a bridge from the outer practices of yama, niyama, asana and pranayama (from the gross) to the inner practices of dharana, dhyana and samadhi (to the subtle).
The energy freed from focusing outward, freed of the desire to act and to collect information can be wisely channeled instead to the realization of who we really are, which is pure consciousness.
Pratyahara is a tool for taking control of our lives and opening up to our inner being. Pratyahara is not an escapist attempt to flee from difficulty, to escape by withdrawing into thought.
https://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2017/06/anger-management-capt-ajit-vadakayil.html
https://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2017/06/anger-management-part-2-capt-ajit.html
2.54- – svasvavishayasanprayoge chittasy svaroopanukar ivendriyanan pratyaharah Patanjali Yoga Sutra 5000 BC
Withdrawing the senses, mind and consciousness from contact with external objects, and then drawing them inwards towards the seer, is pratyahara.
Now the mind is able to concentrate and the senses no longer pester the mind for their satiation. They lose interest in the tastes and flavours of their respective objects, and are drawn back from the external world in order to help the mind in its inner quest. This is pratyahara. This is the basis of the path to renunciation. As a bird cannot fly if one of its wings is cut off, so is it in the case of the sadhaka. The two wings of yoga are practice, from yama to pranayama, and renunciation, from pratyahara to samadhi. Both are necessary for flights. Then the yogi dwells in his soul, perceiving all things directly, without the intrusion of citta – the conscious faculty.
In ordinary everyday life, consciousness helps the senses see the objects of the world with thoughts of acquisition, rejection and resignation. They become hypnotised by them, and are drawn outwards, towards pleasure. In pratyahara, the senses are directed inwards, towards the realisation of the soul. Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the mind from its contact with the senses of perception and organs of action; then its direction is towards the soul.
The relationship between the mind and the senses is justly compared to that of bees following the queen bee. If the queen bee moves, the others follow. When she rests, the others rest. They do not function independently from their queen. Similarly, when the mind stops, the senses, too, stop working. This is pratyahara.
It is the beginning of man’s return journey towards his Maker. It is the science of restricting the senses by depriving them of that that feeds them – the external objective world. It liberates them, by denying the supply of nourishment in the form of desires and their fulfilments.
Through over-stimulation and misuse, the organs of action lose their power and are no longer capable of stimulating the organs of perception or the mind. Owing to the force of past impressions, one continues to ache after renewed sensation. But one can never be satiated. This spawns unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
Here lies the true role of pratyahara, the fifth aspect of yoga. When the senses withdraw themselves from the objects and imitate, as it were, the nature of the mind-stuff, this is pratyahara. Withdrawing the senses, mind and consciousness from contact with external objects, and then drawing them inwards towards the seer, is pratyahara.
When the mind is withdrawn from sense-objects, the sense-organs also withdraw themselves from their respective objects and thus are said to imitate the mind. The restraint of senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction and the senses disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind. When the mental organs of senses and actions (indriyas) cease to be engaged with the corresponding objects in their mental realm, and assimilate or turn back into the mind-field from which they arose, this is called pratyahara, and is the fifth step.
Pratyahara means literally “control of ahara,” or “gaining mastery over external influences.” It is compared to a turtle withdrawing its limbs into its shell — the turtle’s shell is the mind and the senses are the limbs. The term is usually translated as “withdrawal from the senses,”
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.
Indriya pratyahara 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.
Most of us suffer from sensory overload, the result of constant bombardment from television, radio, computers, newspapers, magazines, books etc. . Our commercial society functions by stimulating our interest through the senses. We are constantly confronted with bright colors, loud noises and dramatic brain washing sensations.
We have been raised on every sort of sensory indulgence; it is the main form of entertainment in our society. The problem is that the senses, like untrained children, have their own will, which is largely instinctual in nature. They tell the mind what to do. If we don’t discipline them, they dominate us with their endless demands.
We are so accustomed to ongoing sensory activity that we don’t know how to keep our minds quiet; we have become hostages of the world of the senses and its allurements. We run after what is appealing to the senses and forget the higher goals of life.
Pratyahara is an important limb of yoga for people today. The old saying “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” applies to those of us who have not learned how to properly control our senses. Indriya-pratyahara gives us the tools to strengthen the spirit and reduce its dependency on the body. Such control is not suppression (which causes eventual revolt), but proper coordination and motivation.
Prana pratyahara- control of our senses requires mastery over the flow of prana, as that is what drives the senses. Unless our prana is strong we will not have the power to control the senses. If our prana is scattered or disturbed, our senses will also be scattered and disturbed.
Pranayama is a preparation for pratyahara. Prana is gathered in pranayama and withdrawn in pratyahara. Yogic texts describe methods of withdrawing prana from different parts of the body, starting with the toes and ending wherever we wish to fix our attention — the top of the head, the third eye, the tip of nose, heart or one of the other chakras.
To stop the scattering of valuable vital energy of the body or prana, we need to seek control over its flow, and harmonize it. This is done through various practices including bringing the entire focus to a single point in the body. These two lead to the subsequent two types of pratyahara, the Control of Action or ‘Karma pratyahara’, which entails not just control of motor organs, but also right action or work, and Karma Yoga, surrender of every action to the divine and performing it as an act of service.
We cannot control the sense organs without also controlling the motor organs. In fact the motor organs involve us directly in the external world. The impulses coming in through the senses get expressed through the motor organs and this drives us to further sensory involvement.
Because desire is endless, happiness consists not in getting what we want, but in no longer needing anything from the external world. Just as the right intake of impressions gives control of the sense organs, right work and right action gives control of the motor organs. This involves karma yoga — performing selfless service and making our life a sacred ritual.
Karma-pratyahara can be performed by surrendering any thought of personal rewards for what we do, doing everything as service to God or to humanity. The Bhagavad Gita says, “Your duty is to act, not to seek a reward for what you do.” This is one kind of pratyahara. It also includes the practice of austerities that lead to control of the motor organs.
For example, asana can be used to control the hands and feet, control which is needed when we sit quietly for extended periods of time. 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 .
We take in sensory impressions only where we place our mind’s attention. In a way we are always practicing pratyahara. The mind’s attention is limited and we give attention to one sensory impression by withdrawing the mind from other impressions. Wherever we place our attention, we naturally overlook other things.
We control our senses by withdrawing our mind’s attention from them. According to this Yoga Sutra: “When the senses do not conform with their own objects but imitate the nature of the mind, that is pratyahara.” More specifically, it is mano-pratyahara — withdrawing the senses from their objects and directing them inward to the nature of the mind, which is formless.
The mind is like the queen bee and the senses are the worker bees. Wherever the queen bee goes, all the other bees must follow. Thus mano-pratyahara is less about controlling the senses than about controlling the mind, for when the mind is controlled, the senses are automatically controlled.
We can practice mano-pratyahara by consciously withdrawing our attention from unwholesome impressions whenever they arise. This is the highest form of pratyahara and the most difficult; if we have not gained proficiency in controlling the senses, motor organs, and pranas, it is unlikely to work. Like wild animals, prana and the senses can easily overcome a weak mind, so it is usually better to start first with more practical methods of pratyahara.
Pratyahara is related to all the limbs of yoga. All of the other limbs — from asana to samadhi — contain aspects of pratyahara. For example, in the sitting poses, which are the most important aspect of asana, both the sensory and motor organs are controlled.
Pranayama contains an element of pratyahara as we draw our attention inward through the breath. Yama and niyama contain various principles and practices, like non-violence and contentment, that help us control the senses. In other words, pratyahara provides the foundation for the higher practices of yoga and is the basis for meditation.
It follows pranayama (or control of prana) and, by linking prana with the mind, takes it out of the sphere of the body. Pratyahara is also linked with dharana. In pratyahara we withdraw our attention from ordinary distractions. In dharana we consciously focus that attention on a particular object, such as a mantra. Pratyahara is the negative and dharana the positive aspect of the same basic function.
Many of us find that even after years of meditation practice we have not achieved all that we expected. Trying to practice meditation without some degree of pratyahara is like trying to gather water in a leaky vessel. No matter how much water we bring in, it flows out at the same rate. The senses are like holes in the vessel of the mind.
Unless they are sealed, the mind cannot hold the nectar of truth. Anyone whose periods of meditation alternate with periods of sensory indulgence is in need of pratyahara.
Pratyahara offers many methods of preparing the mind for meditation. It also helps us avoid environmental disturbances that are the source of psychological pain. Pratyahara is a marvelous tool for taking control of our lives and opening up to our inner being. It is no wonder some great yogis have called it “the most important limb of yoga.”
We should all remember to include it in our practice. 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. 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. Pratyahara or abstraction is that by which the senses do not associate with their own objects and imitate, as it were, the nature of the mind-stuff (Chitta). The senses are assimilated in the mind which is rendered pure through the practice of Yama, Niyama and Pranayama.
The mind becomes more calm now. The nature of the Indriyas is to have always connection with the objects. Where the vision is turned outward (Bahirmukha Vritti), the rush of fleeting events engages the mind. The outgoing energies of the mind begin to play. When they are obstructed by the practice of Pratyahara, the other course for them is to mix with the mind and to be absorbed in the mind.
The mind will not assume any form of any object. Hitherto, the Indriyas were following the mind like the other bees which follow the queen bee.Pratyahara itself is termed as Yoga, as it is the most important Anga in Yoga Sadhana. This is the fifth rung in the Yogic ladder. The first four rungs deal with ethical training and purification of body, mind and Nadis.
Now with Pratyahara, proper Yoga begins which eventually culminates in Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Hence in Kathopanishad also in Part VI, Sloka 11, you will find: That firm control of the senses, they regard as Yoga. Again in the same Upanishad it is stated in Part IV, Sloka 1: The Self-existent created the senses outgoing, therefore, one sees outside and not the Atman within. Some intelligent man, with his senses turned away from their object, desirous of immortality, sees the Atman within.
From the practice of Pratyahara, comes the supreme mastery over the senses.Worldly persons enjoy with Raga and Dvesha.The Yogi, will not become a slave of the Vishayas, as he is a maaster out of his own free will. The Indriyas cannot grasp the objects even though they are placed before them. This is Indriya Jaya.
There is a difference between control and supreme control. By controlling one Indriya alone, the other four will not come under your control. When the mind is rendered pure and one-pointed and when it is turned inwards towards the Purusha, then and then alone supreme control of all organs follows. He who has practised Pratyahara can have good concentration and meditation. His mind is always peaceful.
This demands patience and constant practice. It takes some years before one is well-established in Pratyahara. He who has mastery over Pratyahara will never complain of Vikshepa or distraction of mind. He can sit in a place in a busy city where four roads meet and meditate whenever he likes. He does not want a cave for meditation.
Just as the tortoise draws in on all sides its limbs, so also, the Yogi withdraws all his senses from the objects of sense through the practice of Pratyahara. Pratyahara gives power to the practitioner. When the Indriyas are withdrawn from the objects, then you can fix the mind on a particular point. Pratyahara and Dharana are interdependent. You cannot practise one without the other.
2.55 - – Tatah parama vasyata indriyanam, Patanjali Yoga Sutra, 5000 BC
Pratyahara results in the absolute control of the sense organs.
The effect of pratyahara is felt when the senses are mastered, and the mind is mature and fervent for its spiritual quest. When the senses have ceased to pursue after pleasures obtained from the phenomenal world, they can be yoked to serve the soul.
Pratyahara sublimates both senses and mind. Pratyahara practice when mastered, gives the student yogin, the qualification to practice higher yoga, which are mainly actions on the mystic plane. Mastery of the senses comes about by learning to withdraw them. Through that turning inward of the organs of senses and actions (indriyas) also comes a supreme ability, controllability, or mastery over those senses inclining to go outward towards their objects. Since five senses create sensory overload, Indriya Pratyahara thwarts the collection in the mind.
There are six ways of controlling the Indriyas: (i) through Vichara, (ii) by will-force, (iii) by Kumbhaka (retention of breath in Pranayama), (iv) by Dama (restraint), (v) by Pratyahara (abstention) and (vi) by Vairagya and Tyaga. Perfect control can be made only through Vichara. Tapas thins out the Indriyas and eventually leads to control of mind.
When the Indriyas are withdrawn from their respective objects, it is Indriya-Pratyahara. Mental abstraction takes place when the mind is disconnected with the Indriyas. Pratyahara is a general, broad term which includes Dama also. The effect of Dama (restraint of Indriyas) is Pratyahara. Pratyahara is the stepping-stone to inner spiritual life.
He who has succeeded in Pratyahara can concentrate his mind quite readily for a very long time. Dharana and Dhyana come automatically if Pratyahara is perfect. An aspirant has to struggle hard to have mastery over Pratyahara. Perfect Vairagya is indispensable for success in Pratyahara. You can succeed after strenuous and incessant struggle for some years.
If Pratyahara is perfect, all the organs are under perfect control. If you have the reins of the horses under your control, you can have a safe journey. The Indriyas are the horses. If you have the senses under your efficient control, you can have a safe journey in the path of Moksha
Dharana practice requires a preliminary mastership in certain aspects of prana energy control. This is why when someone sits to meditate without first doing pranayama , he cannot be successful even though he may imagine for himself in peace happiness and light. Dharaṇa means single minded focus. The prior limb Pratyahara involves withdrawing the senses from external phenomena. Dhāraṇā builds further upon this by refining it further to ekagrata or ekagra chitta, that is single-pointed concentration and focus.
3.01— deshabandhashchittasya dharana.. Patanjali Yoga Sutra, 5000 BC
Fixing the consciousness on one point or region is concentration (dharana). Dharana means focus of attention. Centring the attention on a chosen point or area, within or outside the body, is concentration. By it the functions of the mind are checked and brought to one focal point. Once mastery of the five stages of yoga from yama to pratyahara is achieved, the art of focusing the mind and consciousness is guaranteed
Dharana is established when the mind learns to remain steady on its own, or hold on to an unmoving object. Through the practice of yama and niyama, the sadhaka develops emotional firmness. Through asana, he keeps his body, the abode of the soul, free from disease.
In pranayama, he learns to stop the dispersion of energy by regularising its flow for proper distribution all through his body and mind. Through pratyahara, he develops will-power, detaches himself from the organs of senses and acquires precision in thought. This is the beginning of culturing the brain. Once he has become unresponsive to worldly matters, he is fit to continue on the inner quest, enriching the mind through dharana.
Dhyana and samadhi lead the consciousness on the innermost quest (amaratma sadhana), to the soul itself. The eight components of astahga yoga are interwoven, though each is delineated individually for the sake of convenience
When the student enters into dharana, he can know something of his personal structure. He becomes an observer of himself and an object of his study. The rationale behind the practice of dharana has been earlier explained under the context of pratyahara.
The reason behind the effort at concentration of mind is the same as that underlying the need for pratyahara. It is a psychological necessity with a deep philosophical background. Unless the ‘why’ of concentration is properly answered, one will not have satisfaction within and hence cannot take to the practice wholeheartedly. Concentration is the channelizing of the chitta or the psychic structure within towards universality of being. This goal is achieved by many stages, with a graduated movement of the finite to the infinite. Sincere effort is necessary on the path to keep the mind in balance; for balance is yoga.
It is only when the balance is upset, due to some factor in life, that worry sets in. Hence, the first step in yoga is not pratyahara or dharana, but a psychological disentanglement, or a stock-taking as people do in business, and a striking of the balance-sheet of the inner world.
One has to find out where one stands. Yoga is a positive state, different from all moods of the day. There is nothing of the negative in the yoga way of life, neither in the mind nor in the perspective of one’s vision. Misgivings about yoga are due to a want of proper understanding of its meaning
Asana and pranayama are intended for establishing peace and harmonious relations with the muscles, nerves and the vital force. Pratyahara establishes peace with the mind. Yoga is the science of peace.
The world outside having been properly coordinated with our personality by the yamas and our having come to proper understanding of ourselves by the niyamas and by vichara or self-analysis, having also achieved some sort of control over the muscles by asana, the nerves and prana by pranayama, having brought compromise within by pratyahara, the student is face to face with the problem of concentration.
. Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara constitute the external (bahiranga) yoga, while dharana, dhyana and samadhi are the internal (antaranga) yoga. The internal yoga is a pure activity of the mind-stuff (antahkarana), independent of the senses.
While the senses had a part to play in pratyahara, they do not operate in dharana, any further. We have come nearly to the innermost point of the personality and the outer activities as well as relations are given up. The mind has become powerful because now it does not waste energy through sensory activity.
Pratyahara teaches us to withdraw our focus from the external to the internal, the practice of Dharana teaches us to ‘zoom in’ so we’re able to focus on one thing alone. This, of course, is not an easy thing to do!
Most of us have experienced what we call in yoga the ‘monkey mind’ – restless thoughts jumping around like clamorous monkeys leaping from from tree to tree – so it takes some discipline and patience to learn how to focus our attention on a single thing.It’s impossible to ‘empty’ the mind but we can train it to become so completely and utterly absorbed with one thing that we lose all sense of time and space and most significantly, the soul
We all had the experience of ‘losing track of time’ because we’ve been immersed in something that has held our undivided attention. Often these moments are entirely unplanned.. One minute we’re tackling the task at hand, the next, 3 hours have flown by and we don’t know where the time went. However, it’s often when we consciously set out to focus our attention while sitting quietly that the mind decides it doesn’t want to play ball. Mantra chanting is a helpful practices of Dharana.
One-pointed focused concentration needs intention, relaxation, softness, and ease – and for these to arise, we also need patience and practice. Antar darshan is a practice of pratyahara. Pratya comes from the word pratyaya. Pratyaya are the internal seeds, the basic tendencies in our nature which are there from birth to death. They are the basis of our personality.
The word ahara means food or nutrition. Normally in our day-to-day lives, we are concentrated and extroverted in the outside world, so the mind, the senses and the pratyaya, these internal tendencies and seeds of consciousness, are receiving nutrition from outside, from objects, events, situations and interactions in the external world.
So, pratyahara means a practice which internalizes the senses and the mind so that the mind begins to receive its nutrition from within. The pratyaya begin to receive nutrition from within. This is the first stage in mental training, when we can learn to internalize the senses and the mind at will. Pratyahara is not just one practice but a series of practices which aid the mind to complete this process and to be able to internalize at will.
Perhaps at some point we will be able to internalize and externalize at the same time. This is total perfection of this stage, where we are aware internally and externally at the same time. Right now, however, we are only aware outside, and when we are aware outside then we are not aware inside. Sometimes we shut it all off, we go into a room and put on some music, or we sit in a chair, close our eyes, relax and go inside. Then we become aware inside, depending on the degree to which we have developed.
Pratyahara means to go inside but to keep the awareness at the conscious level, around the level of manas. In the stage of pratyahara we are not attempting to go deep. Only when we have mastered pratyahara will we begin to dip into chitta, the subconscious mind. Dipping into the subconscious mind while we are still awake is actually an achievement. This can be done when the mind is in the alpha mode.
When we practise meditation techniques, beginning with pratyahara, we gain the ability to go into this subconscious dimension consciously. This will come only in the last stages of pratyahara, not in the beginning. In the early stages we try to work on developing our internal conscious state and becoming aware of what is happening in manas.
Watching the thoughts, watching the emotions, seeing how they interrelate, how a thought engenders an emotion and how that emotion engenders another emotion. This is the stage where the practice of antar darshan comes in. Antar darshan is not a kind of rebirthing technique where you go very deep into your subconscious and unconscious emotions and try to bring them up.
That practice comes later when we have mastered and understood exactly what is happening at the conscious level. We have to clean out the area where we live – our bedroom, the living room, the sadhana room, the workplace. We do not try to clean out the attic or the cellar first; we have to start where we are. This all takes place within the area of manas, through the practices of pratyahara. In the practice of antar darshan we can expect to look at the more conscious feelings and emotions.
We should not try to have intense experiences during this practice. If an intense experience arises, that is fine and we can just experience it, but that is not the aim of this practice. It is important to understand the development of the process.
It is like learning to swim. First you go to the beach, enter the water and stay in the shallows. You walk in up to your knees, then up to your waist, then up to your shoulders and then you submerge yourself in the water. You submerge in the mind, and you start to swim in this shallow area. If at any time you feel a bit uneasy or unsafe, you can just put your feet down and touch the bottom and find your stability there.
When we go out of pratyahara and into the next stages of dharana and dhyana, it is like going out of the shallow water into the depths. Dharana is like the first depths where you go in maybe ten to twelve feet over your head. When you go into dhyana you go deeper, maybe twenty-five or thirty feet. In order to swim in the depths you must be a good swimmer, you must be confident that you can swim, otherwise it is not safe.
The same thing applies to the mind. You must first train your mind in the different stages and practices of pratyahara. You must develop a strong mind. A strong mind is a mind that is not afraid of itself, that can face the experiences that arise within without becoming unbalanced
Again, the involutionary path of renunciation necessitates pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. This inward journey disengages the consciousness from external objects. To be proficient in yoga, yama and niyama must be observed carefully all through the yogic sadhana..
Dama is the ability to control the five senses – smell, taste, vision, touch and hearing. these five senses are constantly in contact with the outside world which is full of various objects that the senses are attracted to. Dama is the ability to keep the senses in control, and make them inward focused. in patanjali’s yoga sutras, this is similar to the state of “pratyahara” (sense withdrawal) which is one of the eight limbs of yoga.
https://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2014/01/shambhavi-mudra-bypassing-amygdala-by.html
Nada yoga is the yoga of deep inner listening.. . Nadis are the subtle channels through which consciousness flows. the nada yogi first practices pratyahara by drawing the senses inward and forcefully shuts out as many external sights and sounds as possible.
The first stage of pratyahara is to become still and quiet, and allow an inner tranquility to permeate the senses.
The nada yogi longs to pulse with the inner pulse of life itself.
ममैवांशोजीवलोकेजीवभूत: सनातन: |
मन:षष्ठानीन्द्रियाणिप्रकृतिस्थानिकर्षति|| 7||
mamaivansho jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-shashthanindriyani prakriti-sthani karshati
Translation
BG 15.7: The embodied souls in this material world are My eternal fragmental parts. But bound by material nature, they are struggling with the six senses including the mind.
Again, the senses cannot do anything, if the mind is not connected with them. The eyes may be wide open during sleep. They do not see anything, because the mind is not there.
There are six ways of controlling the Indriyas: (i) through Vichara, (ii) by will-force, (iii) by Kumbhaka (retention of breath in Pranayama), (iv) by Dama (restraint), (v) by Pratyahara (abstention) and (vi) by Vairagya and Tyaga.
Perfect control can be made only through Vichara. Tapas thins out the Indriyas and eventually leads to control of mind. When the Indriyas are withdrawn from their respective objects, it is Indriya-Pratyahara. Mental abstraction takes place when the mind is disconnected with the Indriyas.
Pratyahara is a general, broad term which includes Dama also. The effect of Dama (restraint of Indriyas) is Pratyahara. Pratyahara is the stepping-stone to inner spiritual life. He who has succeeded in Pratyahara can concentrate his mind quite readily for a very long time. Dharana and Dhyana come automatically if Pratyahara is perfect.
An aspirant has to struggle hard to have mastery over Pratyahara. .. Indriyas cannot do anything without the help of the mind, their master and commander. Control of the Indriyas means control of the mind only. Control of thoughts leads to the control of mind and Indriyas also. It leads to the attainment of infinite bliss and eternal life.
Control of thought is indispensable. In the advanced stages, the electrical currents, which pulsate through the nerves and even the reflex muscles, are turned off by the practitioners. This may be achieved through Pranayama. .
3.09 — vyutthananirodhasanskarayorabhibhavapradurbhavau nirodhakshannachittanvayo Nirodhaparinamah – Patanjali Yoga Sutra – 5000 BC
Study of the silent moments between rising and restraining subliminal impressions is the transformation of consciousness towards restraint (nirodha parinamah).
Transformation by restraint of consciousness is achieved by study of the silent moments that occur between the rising of impressions and one’s impulse to hold them back, and between the restraining impulse and the resurgence of thought. Sensory involvement leads to attachment, desire, frustration and anger.
These usher in disorientation, and the eventual decay of one’s true intelligence. Through the combined techniques and resources of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara one learns control. These are all external means of restraining consciousness, whether one focuses on God, or the breath, or in an asana by learning to direct and disseminate consciousness. All this learning develops in the relationship between subject and object. It is relatively simple because it is a relative, dual process.
The stuff you read in books and on the internet by indophiles and others is all BULLSH#T. Just as a healthy body can resists toxins and pathogens, a healthy mind can ward off the negative sensory influences around it.
If you are easily disturbed by the noise and turmoil of the environment around you, or jolted out of your mind by every small pothole of stress on the street of your life, practice pratyahara.
Without it, you will not be able to meditate.
There are higher levels of Pratyahara.
Examples?
Prana- pratyahara — control of prana . Karma-pratyahara — control of action, mano-pratyahara — withdrawal of mind from the senses. These are beyond the scope of this post.
The first level of pratyahara, i.e. dissociation of the senses from the outside world, which prepares us to go inside for the second stage.
https://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2015/01/yoga-only-complete-exercise.html
https://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2015/01/yoga-only-complete-exercise-part-2-capt.html
Kechari induces the state of Pratyahara (or withdrawal of the senses) and is used for attaining higher states of consciousness – Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. It awakens the kundalini Shakti of the practitioner. It is said that once the mudra is mastered, the body can survive without food or water for long time.
Doing this mudra, the yogi gets to taste a substance that falls from the roof of the nasal cavity, which is described as ‘amrit’ or nectar. Even a snake bite does not affect a yogi who is adept in Kechari mudra. The yogi becomes immortal and can defeat death and live for a long time.
Without moving the Kundalini, there are no other means that will clear away the impurities of the 7200 Nadis. The Great Goddess Kundalini, the Energy of the Self, sleeps in the Muladhara. She has the form of a serpent, having three coils and a half. As long as she is asleep in the body, (finer body), the jiva is a mere animal, and true wisdom does not arise.
Some of the important Mudras: Maha , Nabho , Udiyana, Maha Bandha, Maha Vedha, Kechari, Jalandhara, Yoni, Viparitakarna, Kaki, Sambhavi etc
Mudras will NOT be taught by a Guru, unless he sees that you are worthy of being taught. Or it is like giving a tinderbox to a mangy monkey.
Mudras are NOT mere finger and hand gestures . They are closed electrical circuits” of the subtle channels in physical and etheric bodies which offer psychic protection. They have been created by ancient Hindu seers . . They retain the efficacy of the audible shabda brahmAn with more potency.
The Gherand Sanhita and the Vajrayana Tantra advise that the Mudras are capable of bestowing great psychic abilities ( siddhi ) on their practitioners.
Ancient Indian sculptures show various Mudras. There are 108 of them in Mantra Shastra (the book of incantations), Upasana Shastra (the book of worship and prayers) and the Nritya Shastra (the book of classical dances
The gains from all mudras are permanent and achieved without interfering with the natural working of the body mind or spirit.
By touching together of the tips of the fingers or the finger tips to other parts of the palms this free energy (Prana) is redirected back into the body along specified channels, back up to the brain. Great secrets lie in Mobius coils.
The redirected energy traveling through the nerves stimulates the various chakras. Keeping the hands on the knees stimulates the Gupta Nari and makes the energy start from the Mooladhara Chakra.
Tension applied to the nerve/s and/or the neural or psycho-neural circuits formed by the mudras help in balancing the five basic elements (or building blocks).
Kechari mudra is a hatha yoga practice carried out by curling the tip of the tongue back into the mouth until it reaches above the soft palate and into the nasal cavity. In the full practice, the tongue is made long enough to do this with many months of daily tongue stretching and by gradually severing the lingual frenulum with a sharp implement over a period of months.. The goal is to attain liberation in the body, by sealing in the energy of bindu in the head so that it is not lost.
Practice of the bandhas along with suitable mudra can reverse cell ageing and increase cell voltage.Kechari, the king among mudras is said to prevent aging and fills the body with divine nectar (amrita).
Kechari induces the state of Pratyahara (or withdrawal of the senses) and is used for attaining higher states of consciousness – Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. It awakens the kundalini Shakti of the practitioner. It is said that once the mudra is mastered, the body can survive without food or water for long time.
Doing this mudra, the yogi gets to taste a substance that falls from the roof of the nasal cavity, which is described as ‘amrit’ or nectar. Even a snake bite does not affect a yogi who is adept in Kechari mudra. The yogi becomes immortal and can defeat death and live for a long time.
There are two types of pratyahara: natural pratyahara (think sleep, rest, and relaxation) and the pratyahara that comes to us from the practice of yoga.
Sleep is a great example of natural pratyahara. Sleep is where the Soul loves to rest and recharge. All five senses are silent
Through pratyahara we travel from the outer fixation to inward revelation. Let the dance of the soul begin- Capt Ajit Vadakayil
TO BE CONTINUED
CAPT AJIT VADAKYIL
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