How often do we feel scattered, disarrayed or off-centered? This is a good question to ask ourselves. Why? This experience of being imbalanced can create many challenging circumstances, situations and events in our life. We can however learn to become more centered which enhances our joy creating lasting happiness.
It is often difficult to pinpoint the reason for feeling imbalanced. Although the cause can be helpful, what’s important is to maintain a sense of equanimity in our transactions throughout the day because we cannot always control our circumstances.
The next question is, how do we train our mind to have this stillness and serenity…?
The answer from a yoga and ayurvedic perspective is through the practice of pratyahara. The purpose of pratyahara practices is to withdraw our senses from external stimuli. Primarily it means to restrain our senses from sounds, sights, tastes, smells and touch.
On another level Pratyahara is having the awareness and means to withdraw our mind from its own thoughts and stories. That’s why it is a practice that precedes meditation and as a result can lead to a deep and effective stillness. Stillness is the key to meaningful yoga both on and of the mat.
There are many reasons to like the practices of pratyahara. Primarily because it gives our mind some peace and quiet while restoring its energy and vitality. In other words it makes us feel good while being calm and composed.
Unfortunately, many activities that we engage in regularly pull us out of our center. Because we often strongly identify with our circumstances and situations we tend to react rather than act from a place of mental composure.
In addition, we often find ourselves ruminating on the day to day problems, ideas or events which lead to attachments or aversions. This creates more likes and dislikes. As a result, we may find ourselves wishing for more stuff or things we don’t have. Or avoiding things that we don’t want. These attachments to likes and aversions to dislikes can become a perpetual cycle that takes us away from our center – our place of presence and being.
Most of the mental turmoil and activities related to likes and dislikes draw us outwards and deplete our energy. This can cause an inner pressure which leads to stress and anxiety. We can have an unpleasant symptom of this as knots in our stomach, shallow or fast breathing, feeling of tiredness, and even melancholy. For example, think about a situation that you don’t want to confront or deal with yet you know it is necessary. How does it make you feel?
Pratyahara can be invaluable for dealing with many situations whether it is something you are so desperately trying to get or get rid of. We can start the process by first bringing ourselves back to our center through body awareness. Here are two basic techniques with a simple step by step process:
- Feeling Sensations. Simply be here and now by feeling sensations in the body and relaxing into those sensations. For example, feel the temperature of the air and how it feels on your skin.
- Body Scanning. This technique allows you to turn your mind away from distractions and consciously place the awareness in various parts of your body. Start by simply bringing the awareness to your toes, feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, fingers, neck, and head. This can be done at any time in any pose whether you find your body seated, standing or laying down.
Another way to practice pratyahara and return to our center is to practice various yoga postures in a quiet, serene and meditative way. This relates particularly to the practice of yin yoga. A posture that is highly beneficial for inducing a sense of balance and calmness is Kurmasana (Tortoise pose). If you find this pose challenging or are unable to perform this yoga posture, you can do butterfly pose as an alternative. Both of these postures can be used in a program for yoga for reducing stress and anxiety.
Kurmasana is practiced for mental relaxation and introversion as it promotes a sense of composure, stability and stillness. It leaves the body and mind refreshed and rejuvenated. In Ayurveda this posture helps to reduce the element of air and balance Vata Dosha. It is also useful for decreasing the fire element and balancing Pitta Dosha.
When practiced with deep breathing the Kurmasana yoga posture helps turn the mind inwards, withdrawing the senses from the external environment. The Bhagavad Gita (a great yogic text) describes the Tortoise beautifully and reflects the human experience by suggesting “When one can withdraw the senses from association with objects, as tortoise withdraws its limbs from external danger, then one is firmly fixed on the path towards stillness and wisdom.”
Lastly, another great pratyahara technique is the practice of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a yogic technique that is meant to be practiced diligently in a step by step sequence. It’s a methodology that needs to be taught systematically by a well trained and experienced yoga nidra teacher. You can get more information on the practice of yoga nidra and yoga nidra training here.
All of the above mentioned actions help train our mind, as well as enhance our focus and concentration leaving us feeling centered, content and complete. In my own experience, the more I do these pratyahara practices the less I get caught up in the spinning, projecting and reacting mind. The more I embrace the sacred practices of Yoga the more I become filled with joy rooted in stillness and presence.