The beginning of the practice of pratyahara - the withdrawal or refinement of the senses

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the practice of pratyahara.

Even as a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise can draw in their senses at will.

- Bhagavad Gita

What a marvelous simile! Just imagine a tortoise being approached by a group of school children with sticks in their hands. He sees the children coming, and the command is given to the limbs, "Retire!" Immediately, the head, the tail, and the four legs withdraw into the shell. The children come; they tap on the shell with their sticks, trying to get the tortoise to come out. He is safe inside.

After the children leave and all is quiet, the tortoise ventures to stick his neck out, then his tail and legs. He continues his journey, unconcerned. He goes where he likes.

If we want to live in freedom, we must train our senses. We learn when to welcome an experience, and when to withdraw for our own safety. We become masters of our lives. Then we will be like the giant tortoise I saw at the zoo -wandering freely while all the other animals were in cages. A notice on his back read: "I am free. Don't report me to the management."

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to closely follow your senses and where they lead you. Use the pause at the end of your exhalations to observe the mind. Be a witness to the process. Ask yourself if your actions are based on an intellectual decision that you’ve made? Or are your actions based on the unconscious drive for more or less of the sensual experience? This is the beginning of the practice of pratyahara - the withdrawal or refinement of the senses.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003