Practicing Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the Senses

Pratyahara originated from two Sanskrit words: Prati and ahara, with ahara meaning food, or anything taken into ourselves, and prati, a preposition meaning away or against. Pratyahara is most commonly translated as the "withdrawal of the senses." This yogic practice is the fifth limb amongst the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga. It is also the beginning stage of the six branch yoga of the Buddhist Kālacakra Tantra. In this practice, Pratyahara refers to the withdrawal of the five senses from external objects to be replaced by an enlightened deity.

"Pratyahara itself is termed as Yoga, as it is the most important limb in Yoga Sadhana."- Swami Shivananda

According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Pratyahara is the bridge between the external aspects of yoga and the internal stages of yoga. Once a yoga practitioner can actualize Pratyahara, he is able to engage in Samyama.

In pratyahara, the consciousness of the person is internalized so that he does not experience the sense of taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell, taking the practitioner to the next stages of yoga – Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (mystical absorption), which is the aim of all yogic practices.

There are two types of Pratyahara. The first is the withdrawal of senses or "Indriya Pratyahara." The second is the withdrawal of prana or "Prana Pratyahara," in which a person's focus is placed on one specific part of the body. The focus is usually placed on the third eye.

Pratyahara centers on the rightful intake of impressions, which is food for the mind. While people tend to focus on the impressions food or exercise has on the body, they tend to forget the impact of the media and other external influences. Pratyahara is about removing these influences into the senses.