PRATYAHARA: LAST ANGA OF YOGA

Yog Sutras of Patanjali were documented 5000 years back… When the whole world was living in caves and jungles (modern historian’s interpretation), then the highly developed people of Bharat were revealing the secrets of creation… scientifically; so scientifically that till date the modern sciences are copying from them and lots is not yet understood.

Patanjali Yog sutras are an encyclopaedia on human behaviour and psychology. There is no aspect of a human being, which is not touched or explained and evaluated. The mind is so beautifully explained that it amazes when one wonders… all this 5000 years back??!

They give not just explanations but also solutions to all human maladies and fears… just that we should have a developed mind to understand them and not interpret them as a physical exercise. They explain the complete being and his various levels of existences and how to go beyond… practically.

Nowadays, Asana practice is often seen as the main element of yoga although it is only one part of it. The classical yoga system, as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, has eight steps that can be divided into external and internal yoga.

The first four limbs are seen as the external yoga. Here we are focused on our ethical standards (yama), our self-discipline (niyama), our physical yoga practice (asana), and the control of our breath (pranayama).

The fifth limb of yoga, pratyahara, can be seen as the bridge between external and internal yoga. It moves the practitioner towards the more subtle art of subtle concentration (Dharana) and meditation(Dhyana), and finally merging to samadhi (enlightenment).

We will dive into the Lost Anga of Yoga… The Fifth…

Yog Sutras of Patanjali were documented 5000 years back… When the whole world was living in caves and jungles (modern historian’s interpretation), then the highly developed people of Bharat were revealing the secrets of creation… scientifically; so scientifically that till date the modern sciences are copying from them and lots is not yet understood.

Patanjali Yog sutras are an encyclopaedia on human behaviour and psychology. There is no aspect of a human being, which is not touched or explained and evaluated. The mind is so beautifully explained that it amazes when one wonders… all this 5000 years back??!

They give not just explanations but also solutions to all human maladies and fears… just that we should have a developed mind to understand them and not interpret them as a physical exercise. They explain the complete being and his various levels of existences and how to go beyond… practically.

Nowadays, Asana practice is often seen as the main element of yoga although it is only one part of it. The classical yoga system, as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, has eight steps that can be divided into external and internal yoga.

The first four limbs are seen as the external yoga. Here we are focused on our ethical standards (yama), our self-discipline (niyama), our physical yoga practice (asana), and the control of our breath (pranayama).

The fifth limb of yoga, pratyahara, can be seen as the bridge between external and internal yoga. It moves the practitioner towards the more subtle art of subtle concentration (Dharana) and meditation(Dhyana), and finally merging to samadhi (enlightenment).

We will dive into the Lost Anga of Yoga… The Fifth…

Pratyahara:

The word ‘pratyahara’ stems from the Sanskrit prati and ahara. Prati means “against or away,” and ahara is anything we take into ourselves from the outside.