Pratyahara and Pandemic

Kelly offers a reflection of one of the yoga sutras, Pratyahara, followed by a full, 45 minute home practice. We are grateful to her for this offering.

The stay at home order happening in the United states, and across the globe, feels strange yet somehow very familiar to me. Withdrawing is a skill that I have learned on my yoga mat. Honing this skill is key to living our yoga off of the mat during this time of quarantine. 

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the author outlines the eight-limbed path of yoga. This is the basic “how to” instructional guide to a general understanding of a yoga practice. The fifth limb, pratyahara, has always been of significance to me. It is the lynch-pin joining together the outer forms of yoga, which focus on right living, care of the body and enhancement of our life-energy, with the inner forms, which focus on strengthening and developing the inner consciousness through meditation. 

The term “pratyahara” is composed of two Sanskrit words, prati, a preposition meaning “against” or “away from” and ahara which can be translated as “food,” or more specifically “anything we take into ourselves.”

Pratyahara can be translated then to mean, moving away from the things that we consume. Simply put, pratyahara can be defined as “withdrawal” or commonly as “withdrawal of the senses”. 

This limb, arguably the most important on the path of yoga, is meant to help the student to move toward the higher limbs of a yoga practice. Pratyahara is key in helping us to recognize that we are more than just physical. It introduces us to the mental and spiritual aspects of our being. When practicing pratyahara, we become a temporary renunciate; withdrawing from outer distractions in order to focus on the inward realms of our mind and heart.

Most, if not all religions, value some practice of pratyahara.  Often exercised as a spiritual discipline, the practice of withdrawal helps us to focus on what is important and strengthens our inner being. 

As a Christian, this concept of withdrawal is familiar and is woven throughout Scripture as a way of stepping away from life and all of its distractions in order to draw near to the Lord. Some examples include Isaac who went into the field to meditate, Daniel who goes up to his room three times a day to pray, and both Moses and Elijah, who both climb up on top of Mountains in order to seek the Presence of God. (Genesis 24:63; Daniel 6:10; Exodus 24:15-18; & 1 Kings 19:11-12)

As we study the life of Jesus, we see glimpses of pratyahara as he frequently withdraws in order to commune with God the Father. Scripture says that He:

·       Withdrew to the wilderness (Luke 5:16)

·       Sent the multitudes away (Matthew 13:36; 14:22-23)

·       Departed to a solitary place (Mark 1:35)

·       Went up to the mountain to pray alone (Luke 6:12)

·       Withdrew about a stone’s throw in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:41)

How might we apply the wisdom of pratyahara in this time of COVID-19?

Yoga teaches us to withdraw, or to fast, from our senses for a time. We are taught to watch what we are taking in: what are we feeding ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?

During this time of social distancing and quarantine, we might draw deeply from the practice of pratyahara. While those deemed essential are (thankfully) still working to keep the infrastructure of our country working, others are being told to stay home. Essential or not essential, ALL of us are being asked to withdraw into our homes and isolate ourselves from normal social interactions with others. Some may see this as merely a physical distancing. But I would argue that God might have more for us in store if we approach this time intentionally.

Could it be that we are being invited to withdraw in order to refine our desires? To cultivate our prayer life? To be strengthened in our inner beings? To reassess the things that nourish us? To remember that God is our provision? To allow the Word of God to be our nourishment?

My prayer is that the people of God would be strengthened in their spirits during this season. Let us turn our eyes to Jesus, the Living Word, and in doing so let the things of earth grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. 

Please enjoy this brief teaching and a 45- minute practice on exploring pratyahara during a time of social distancing.