Pranayama, Pratyahara

Pratyahara practices lead to a profound state of relaxation, expanded self-awareness, and inner stability. They help us master both the body and the mind.
Instead of deciding what to pay attention to and then executing that decision, the undisciplined mind lets itself be led by the desires and habits of the senses. The untrained senses, run by past experiences and instinct (desire, fear, cravings), latch on to the pleasure of the moment and don’t consider the bigger picture or our long-term well-being. I tend to focus on tasks that are in front of me and I must get these tasks done before moving on to other tasks which maybe more urgent. Reason is that I am used to the pattern of doing things the way I feel. If the urgent or priority task upsets me or takes too much effort from me to accomplish, I will tend to go back to my pattern of working on other non-urgent stuff until the urgent task becomes unbearable, I will have no choice but to do it. I am aware of my behaviour but have never thought of changing it to improve the situations until I attended Tirisula Yoga TTC.
Pratyahara has indeed taught me that not only do I have to constantly practice Yoga to keep my joints and muscles strong and toned, it has changed my pattern of leaving the more challenging poses to the last and sometimes conveniently not do it and focus on easier poses. In terms of relationships, friendships etc, it has changed my old pattern of entertaining friends’ or close ones’  superficial requests/ listening to their unhappy events and be there to comfort them. By doing so, sometimes I tend to neglect my close and love ones. I will continue to be self-aware of my mind and body actions, correct them or change them for the better.
With the awareness of obtaining calmness through Pranayama first thing in the morning followed by my Yoga practice incorporating deep breathing to come into pose, I feel the goodness of Pranayama giving me the feeling of independence and sense of stability by not getting anxious over matter which I cannot control. Also, changing of the old pattern in life through Pratyahara, each by itself is a great start for me at this time of my life.
Student, Jenny Yeng