Pratyahara: Control of the Senses
In Dr. Frawley’s Yoga & Ayurveda: Self-Healing and Self-Realization, he defines pratyahara as a Sanskrit term combined of the preposition prati, meaning “away” or “against;” and ahara, which translates as “food” or anything we physically, mentally or emotionally internalize. Standing fifth amongst the eight limbs, it connects the first four physical purification branches of the yamas, niyamas, asana and pranayama with last three meditative limbs of dharana dhyana, and samadhi. Meditation is not possible until the body and mind are purified, and have resolved the internal and external conflicts that impede contentment. When we are able to sit (traditionally in lotus position) and focus on the object of our contemplation, then we are practicing pratyahara. Pratyahara should not be considered as an exercise, but a heightened state of consciousness.
The conditioning element of pratyahara involves negating our attraction to information relayed by our sense organs, known as indriyas. This incoming information is stored in chitta, our lower mind, which is referred to in 1:2 of the Yoga Sutras as: Yogaś citta-vritti-nirodhaḥ (Yoga is the restraint of mental modifications). Manas acts impulsively on the desires of the indriyas if buddhi, our higher mind, remains spellbound by maya’s illusory nature. Our ego, known in Yoga psychology as ahamkara, is formed and affected by both manas and buddhi. This relationship underlines the importance of associating ourselves less with the insatiable requests of the indriyas and the habitual patterns recorded in chitta, and more with the wisdom of buddhi, uncovered by adhering to the virtues of the yogic path.
Pratyahara is the initial awareness that our identity is not bound by impressions of our sense organs. This realization occurs by controlling the input and output of incoming information, reducing our focus to the extraordinary tapestry of fabric woven from the strands of our ego. Without the interference of superfluous stimuli, a clarity of manas enables buddhi to dominate and promote holistic interpretations by and instructions to the indriyas. Dharana further affords buddhi to branch this awareness outwards into daily life, free from the subjective awareness of the senses. A clarity of perception will progressively occur, without the burden of the mind’s biases, and will liberate ourselves from unconscious ways of living.
The key or the pratyahara generally refers to the “control of the senses,” but may be further defined in examining its distinctive forms of ahara:
- Food: nourishment composed of the five elements to sustain the body
- Mental impressions: subtle forms of mental stimuli composed of the five sensations (sound, touch, taste, sight and smell)
- Personal associations: exposing ourselves to people with a proper balance of the three gunas (sattva, rajas, and tamas)
Further branches of pratyahara deal with particular regions of sensory control:
- Indriya-pratyhara: control of the sense organs
- Prana-pratyahara: control of prana
- Karma-pratyahara: control of action
- Mano-pratyahara: withdrawal and the mind
- Food: nourishment composed of the five elements to sustain the body
- Mental impressions: subtle forms of mental stimuli composed of the five sensations (sound, touch, taste, sight and smell)
- Personal associations: exposing ourselves to people with a proper balance of the three gunas (sattva, rajas, and tamas)
Pratyahara does not merely suggest the avoidance of the above external exposure, but the replacement of more holistic choices. Nourishing our body and minds will enhance our immunity–physically, mentally, and emotionally–to ward off disease and distress. Enforced sensory deprivation is not a a preferable teaching tool, nor should knowledge be obtained by the “School of Hard Knocks.” What should be nurtured is a sense of self-contained contentment, rather than entertainment. The former experience promotes a deeper sense of true empowerment and all pervasive unity; the latter further conflicts us with how to recreate transitory, emotional surges of excitement.
