Pratyahara

The darkness that envelops the sky after the completion of my evening classes lets me know that the Winter Solstice is fast-approaching. Our daylight hours are seemingly short and the natural rhythm of nature is beckoning us to welcome the darkness. Although we don't quite go into a full-on hibernation, this is the perfect time to begin reflecting on the past few months and recognize that it's time to drop our own leaves...what can we release? 

My thought of the week is about Pratyahara, often translated as a "withdrawal of the senses". It's the fifth of the eight limbs of "ashtanga yoga', the eight-faceted path as described in the Sutras of Patanjali. The first four limbs: Yama, Niyama, asana, and pranayama have a somewhat physical focus being internal/external observances and ethical behaviors; poses; and the effect we have on energy through the use of the breath. Pratyahara is the pivotal point where we begin the shift from the physical body into the mind/ethereal body. By pulling the senses from the outer world, we begin to awaken the senses of our inner world. This is beautifully experienced when we practice savasana, the corpse pose, at the end of a yoga practice. The corpse represents the death of the physical body so that we can enliven and explore the interior landscape of who we are. When we engage in pulling the senses in, it pivots us towards a quieter space which is concentration, meditation, and moments of merging with Divine energy, also known as the final three limbs of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

I was inspired to talk about this "turning in" for two reasons: the approaching winter Solstice and having spent the past weekend teaching a restorative intensive workshop. Much of the time during the intensive we worked on creating an environment to entice and foster deep states of relaxation and we do that through drawing the senses inward. Keys to finding deep relaxation are: quiet, dark, warm, comfortable, safe, and still. When we support the body with blankets, bolsters, and blocks, then cover the eyes with a lightweight eye pillow we create the perfect circumstances for a shift to occur...from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic part of the nervous system continuum.  

It is within the state of deep relaxation that our body, mind, and spirit have the space in which to heal. This is because deep relaxation has a potent effect on our physiology. The heart rate slows down, blood pressure drops, whatever contents we have in the stomach get digested, and we reabsorb the stress hormones of adrenaline and cortisol. If we are chronically held in the vigilance of the sympathetic nervous system, our biology is impacted and our health suffers.

An example of this is a podcast I recently heard that had the story of a woman working in technology development who was always connected to some device, worked long hours, and was well embedded in the corporate hamster wheel. She began to notice that her memory was poor and she lacked clarity, so she sought medical support which found nothing structurally wrong with her brain so she was at a loss as to what was happening. Eventually, she and her husband headed to Hawaii for a holiday and upon landing, she texted a client saying that she was now available. Her husband suggested that he confiscate all of her devices for the duration of their vacation to which she agreed, but felt anger toward her spouse. However, she recounts that it was day eight when she awoke with her senses vibrantly reawakened...she noticed the texture of her sheets, the smell of the air, and the sound of the ocean. She felt she was back and her memory was as well. When she returned to her corporate role, she tried to make changes within the work environment but realized it was the environment that was "scrambling her brain"...so, eventually, she quit.

As I heard this story I thought that perhaps it wasn't all technology's fault, but the fact that she never disconnected from it. It's vital to our mental and physical health that we take time to turn in and pull our senses away from stimulation. Some of us are still distracted without technology, so let's all do ourselves a favor and shut down whatever it is that constantly tugs us away from our own heart.

Now...take a deep breath, find a comfortable position, and close your eyes. Your entire being will thank you for it!