Creating Inner Focus with Pratyahara
Pratyahara
is the pivotal point in the practice of yoga where the path leads
from the exterior to the interior landscape of the body.
Pratyahara translates directly as “sense withdrawal” and is
the fifth limb or branch of an eight-staged yogic approach to the
unification of body-mind-spirit. By withdrawing our attention from
the external environment and by focusing inwards on the breath and
sensations, we still the mind and increase our awareness of the
body. With this awareness and focus we can move deeper into the
practice of yoga, learning to move through our limitations, fears
and expectations. The key to practicing pratyahara is
observing the body, breath and sensations as a detached witness,
as if you were watching and feeling someone else’s body. Used with
compassion and discipline, pratyahara enriches the practice
of yoga and leads to deeper stages of concentration and
meditation.
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