Turn Off, Tune In

Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses

The next stage of our dive into the yoga sutras brings us to pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses. The word pratyahara is made up of ''prati'' against, away and ‘‘ahara'' or food, something that you take in.

What comes to mind when you think of withdrawal of the senses? For me, it means switching off the busy, noisy world and pausing.

During the week I listened to a really good podcast from Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis. He was talking about boredom and how we are never bored anymore. Nowadays, when we feel bored we pick up our phone to check Instagram, or do an activity or read a book. Our minds are constantly active, constantly processing information that's coming in. This can result in higher levels of anxiety, burnout, fatigue.

The benefit of embracing boredom is that it gives our mind a chance to rest and restore itself. Without the noise of external influences, we can find a sea of calm. There are also many benefits to our creativity born from boredom.

Meditation and the act of mindfulness are much the same. How many times do we enter into a meditation practice only for the monkey mind to take over, the to-do lists to rush, overanalysing, replaying scenes, worrying about the future, cringing over the past, wishing our lives were different? It happens a lot. On the flip side, when we have a quieter mind how much more at peace and connected do we feel?

Even though the example above may seem simple to grasp, the practice of pratyahara is not easy.

When we enter a stage of meditation our mind begins to calm, our body lets go of its tensions and we feel like we sink into our seat/mats. It feels comfortable That's like stage one.

Stage 2 is where I believe pratyahara lives. It's fleeting, it doesn't stay long and the second you notice it you've stepped out of it. My experience of pratyahara is as if I know I am in my body, but I don't feel like I am living fully within it. I don't feel individual parts of my meat suit, but I am aware of its presence like a protective shell around me. I can hear sounds and sense smells but they don't register as anything more than just observances. My energy feels drawn downward as if I'm anchored to the bottom of the deepest ocean but I feel light as a feather. I don't feel asleep, nor do I feel awake. It's a tiny opportunity of existence between both areas; where I feel both present but not confined by presence at the same time.

If only I could foster this awareness in the real world, how peaceful would life be! The act of pratyahara is quite a hard one to drop into at a moments notice, especially without deep practice. Many times in a yoga practice, I get too lost in what a shape should look like or feel like instead of withdrawing and observing the shape as it is. That's both the beauty and the challenge with pratyahara... when you can acknowledge its presence you've lost it as your conscious takes over.

How can you practice pratyahara?

Social media/phone detox

I speak from experience here, as my screen time report can be shocking some weeks. This week my phone decided for me that it had enough. I was on a run and the phone fell from my hand, hitting the only stone on the entire road and sent my screen into a million pieces. Luckily, I have a replacement phone but I am taking this as a sign to stay away for a while. I can text and call and nothing more. I'm ready for the break.

Even if you don't want a full break but have noticed you rarely experience boredom or mind-wander lately, perhaps set a time limit on your phone's usage. Embrace your boredom and see what happens.

Meditate

Take a few minutes space for yourself. Set a timer for 5 minutes and get comfortable. Don't worry about your posture or how you're sitting, just be as comfortable as you can. Close your eyes and observe your breath. Nothing more. Thoughts will come, they always will but instead of following them on their wander try acknowledge their presence and let them go. Each time you find yourself wandering then bring your focus back to your breath. This is a practice, it takes time and dedication. Give yourself a limit - say 30 days. Meditate each day and see what happens.

Yoga

Roll out your yoga mat and close your eyes or soften your gaze. Start where you want, either seated or standing but take a few moments to allow yourself space to arrive. Allow your breath to become natural and allow space for your energy to soften and for your practice to begin. Then slowly move your body. Any shape, stretch, posture, twist, pull, push is available to you. The purpose of this entire practice is to do so with utmost mindfulness. Develop a sense of being in your body. Become aware of your corners, of your edges. Be super aware of every reach of your arm, the feeling of the soles of your feet. Each movement you do, do so with just the awareness of the movement. No aim, no goal, no reason.

With closed eyes it's easier to not judge yourself or push yourself into shapes you feel you ''need'' to do. The practice may be entirely floor based, it may last 10 mins, it may be an entire practice of savasana. There are no rules. By creating the routine of an embodied practice, we begin to learn how to tune into the needs of ourselves without influence from the externals.

I hope this week brings you an abundance of opportunities to tune in.

Love, always love,

Leonie xo