Pratyahara translates to “withdrawal” in Sanskrit. In Yoga, it is the 5th limb of the Ashtanga (8 limbs) practice. It is the redirection of senses (which we normally use for perceiving the outside world) inward. Part of the Yogic practice is the discovery of our true nature, and Pratyahara is an essential technique on that journey, as these insights do not lie outside of us, but within.
The Pratyahara practice involves directing senses such as sight, hearing, touch — which are normally directed at objects outside of our bodies — to sensations inside or very close to our bodies. As an example, Ujjayi Pranayama, the breathing practice often paired with Vinyasa flow, is an audible, slowed-down breath encouraging our sense of hearing to focus on a sound originating in our throat.
The Role of Boundaries
Clarity on what is outside and what is inside is helpful in the Pratyahara practice. After all, if we can’t tell the difference between our outer and inner experience, how can we possibly know which direction to go when it’s time to go inward? While it may seem paradoxical, engagement with the outside world with a health sense of detachment can help us define that boundary for ourselves.
On a physical level, the Pada Bandha (foot lock) and Hasta Pandha (hand lock) can serve in this manner. By pressing our feet and hands actively into the ground, we draw our awareness to where our bodies stop and where the tactile outside world begins. Following the idea of “Root to Rise“, a push in one direction leads to an equal and opposite push. A push outward with the feet into the ground, creates a paradoxical sensation of lift upward into the body.
Drawing to Center in Kakasana (crow) and Bakasana (crane)
In crow or crane pose, we press down into the ground with our hands while contracting our bodies into a tiny ball, then rest our knees on our upper arms (immediately above the bent elbows in crow, or higher up with elbows straight in crane). By curling in tightly, we make it easier control our center of gravity and try to shift that center over the hands for balance.
This inward, centric pull is partly assisted by the Mula Bandha (the pelvic floor drawing up into the abdomen). While we might think of Mula Banhda as an upward draw, it is effectively downward because we’re upside down. From the other direction, the lift is created by the Hasta Bandha – the opposite and equal effect of pressing the hands into the floor. Everything is drawn the center.
Directing Energy with Our Senses
Eknath Easwaran said “desire draws vitality away from the will“, speaking to Prana (our vital energy) and its tendency to pour out in the direction of objects of desire. We know this as feeling drained after scrolling through social media – being fed ads between feeling envious of our friends’ vacation adventures – our vision is attached to objects of desire outside of ourselves, and we are emotionally exhausted afterwards. It’s challenging to create a “lock” preventing this leak of personal energy into our phones!
The act of becoming aware of our Pada or Hasta Bandha is an act of drawing a healthy boundary to our outside world. We say to the ground: “Thank you for being here and supporting my body — this is where you end and I begin. It helps me understand myself as an embodied being.”
Establishing boundaries in Asana practice by way of Bandhas helps us clarify where our center is to support our balance postures. It also helps build sensory habits which help us develop a nuanced sense of our relationship to the outside world, as well as other people. By defining our boundaries to what is not us, we better understand who we are.