Sensory Withdrawal (Pratyahara)

Pratyahara means to withdrawal from external sensations.

Everything up to this point has been the antechamber or preparation to meditation. With pratyahara we are now crossing the threshold from preparation toward actual meditation.

We need to withdrawal from external sensing and focus on the mind itself. When we close our eyes, we are going inside, to see just the flow of internal mental activity.

This can be quite difficult if one is not prepared properly. In such cases, instantly, the student starts to fall into dreams, fantasies, worries, etc. It may appear that such things become worse when we attempt to withdrawal. They are not worse; they are just more apparent. When external sensations are impacting the mind, it causes mental waves (disturbances). They prevent us from seeing clearly what is going on inside.

This is obstacle is very real, and you must overcome it. You can help yourself by doing extended preliminary practices (relaxation, breathing, pranayama, mantra recitation, etc.) before withdrawing inwardly. Nevertheless, even with all of this, you may find great difficulty. You must keep at it, returning to the practice every time you find yourself losing it.

Observe the activity of the mind, and nothing else. By doing this, you are turning your attention away from external sensations.

Proper practice of pratyahara brings serenity of the mind. Imagine a lake with stone being thrown into it constantly. These stones are the impressions of the external sensations. The lake is the mind. As you turn inwardly, external sensations (stones) no longer impact the lake (the mind). Therefore, it becomes placid, and you can now see within the water.

But why is it difficult? It is because we are identified with our thoughts and feelings. Upon their appearance, the whole of our consciousness gets sucked into them. Then, instead of watching the mind with consciousness, consciousness has become enslaved by the thoughts and feelings of the mind. These thoughts and feelings are called samskaras, or simply the ego. As we pay attention inwardly, we feel a ‘sense of self’ within our thoughts and feelings. They may be pleasant or unpleasant - yet even when they are unpleasant they are still attractive to our attention. We sense an irresistible quality to embody our thoughts and feelings, to become wrapped up in them, to live inside of them. We feel comfort in them.

Yes, we feel a sense of comfort even in our anxiety. Otherwise why would it persist?! Perhaps we are worried about what someone thinks of us. Upon starting the practice of pratyahara, anxiety is observed. It is seen by the consciousness - and like a person under a spell, we feel compelled to embody the thought completely. This thought is actually a series or a stream of thoughts. It is like a train rolling by slowly - if we step on the train, suddenly it starts to race and we cannot get off it. Then, 10 minutes later, we are still thinking about it.

So why do we step on the train? It happens so quickly we hardly notice it. Often we only notice later when it is too late. The consciousness falls asleep under the spell so quickly.

We step on the train because of fundamental ignorance. This is the lack of understanding our true nature. Because we lack understanding, we reflexively attach our consciousness to things we are not our true nature. This occurs a very deep level, much deeper than the intellect. Intellectually you can be easily convinced that your thoughts and feelings are not ‘you’ fundamentally. Yet, the deeper aspects which are unconscious do not know this.

The whole practice of meditation accesses these deeper levels to bring light into the darkness.

Our consciousness should be free, liberated, joyful. Yet, we get sucked into our very our creations, the ego, and then what was once conscious is now unconscious.

As serenity deepens it becomes single pointed concentration (ekagrata), which is the stage of Dharana.