What is Pratyahara

https://www.rishikeshyogisyogshala.org/what-is-pratyahara/ Pratyahara is mentioned in Patanjali Yoga Sutra (one of the most powerful, authentic and spiritual texts available on yoga.) as the fifth Limb of eight Limbs yoga system of this text. The inner journey starts and Before Pratyahara, body is aligning and making its own fitness for the real meditative states. Bodily fitness and the meditative states has a link through Pratyahara. It is only after Pratyahara, the inner journey starts thereafter understanding self starts understanding the self happens through Pratyahara. Understanding Pratyahara Through Desire Lets understand this way. We all have desires and we want to fulfill them. Desire is nothing but to connect to a certain kind of energy in the outside world to fulfill ourselves. When you are done with one Desire, you have another desire waiting on the way. Fulfilling different kinds of desires, doing different kinds of work and feel attracted towards the outside world is the normal human tendency. when we start practicing yoga by following Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam we would understand and realise that all our journey, our wantings, desires and cravings in the outside world has no meaning. What we are searching outside is already there within us. When we understand that something better, more meaningful, divine and the centre of ourselves lies within us suggests we are already in this phase. Inner Journey In Yoga Sadhana From Pratyahara, the journey of the inner world starts. After which 3 more limbs are mentioned and are termed as 1-Dharna, 2-Dhyan, 3-Samadhi. This is also called Rajyoga. Rajyog is a combination of three limbs. Dharna, dhyan and samadhi, which takes us in ourselves. if we don’t go through Pratyahara, dharna, dhyan and samadhi, these three limbs also doesn't work. I don't think it is you don't want to get into the Pratyahara. Pratihara is just a transition period. Also when you have a strong craving, to know yourself, to know the truth and to realise yourself, Pratyahara has already taken place because some of your energies have moved inwards.This is the reason you have been trying to understand yourself. This powerful craving happens when the energies start to move inwards.This is Pratyaharaa. Energy is one. It can be moved outwards or inwards. When it starts moving inward, you have less attraction in the outside world.The energy is moving less outside and inside and that is why when it happens.   So knowing the self is only through Pratyahara. knowing the self means you take energy from the outside world and move towards your inside world. When it starts moving in your inner world, it is the journey of meditation. The journey to be close to our own selves starts. Where the conversion of the flow of energy from the outside world to the inside world happens is called Pratyahara. Pratyahara means most of your energy starts moving in your inner self and stops moving in the outside world and when all this energy starts moving into the innerself you go ,into the state of meditation. And when I talk about the movement of energy from the outside world towards inner world for a  long period of time, it becomes the permanent state. It's the permanent state where your body energies are now bent inwards and you know now that there is also some inner world exists. Because you have been practicing it and thinking about it for a long time, your energy is now molded in a way that it flows inside and inwards and this permanent moulded state leads to the state of meditation.   Conclusion Pratyahara is the molding of the energies which were previously flowing outside and now molded and flowing inside.The turning of the energies and the changing of direction is called Pratyahara In this evolution, all people are moving towards liberation and whosoever takes the path to self has to undergo Pratyahara. People who take meditation as a play and a recreational activity  have no idea about Pratyahara and that is why these people even after a long time of meditation practice cannot succeed because meditation has to go through Pratyahara, knowingly or unknowingly. For the Pratyahara to take place, your will power to understand yourself and be close to yourself plays an important role. We now know that Pratyahara is more of a mental phase rather than a physical phase Read More...  Read Less...

Hridayakasha Dharana

https://www.rishikeshyogisyogshala.org/hridayakasha-dharana/ In Sanskrit hridaya means heart and akasha means space. Therefore Hridayakasha Dharana is translated as a technique to focus or concentrate on the heart space. Here from the point of view of the practice, space also represents field and Dharana is a stage of meditation where intensive attuning of awareness takes place.  This technique of Hridayakasha Dharana is a process of getting our awareness attuned to the field of emotions and deeper emotional impressions. You may find this practice simple and easy, or you may find it complex and difficult. It all depends on the intensity of feeling you are able to generate, because this particular dharana deals with intensity of feeling. While doing this practice makes sure that the intensity of feeling does not alter your mental perception. In this type of meditation it is very easy to feel totally depressed or totally elated. Therefore it is highly recommended that this technique of Hridayakasha Dharana should be practiced under the supervision of a qualified teacher. The psychotherapeutic aspect of meditation is actually a form of hridayakasha dharana because many impressions which are suppressed and blocked are allowed to surface. There are certain stages of the practice which are of immense psychotherapeutic significance and benefits. This Dharana practice deals directly with one’s feelings and emotions. Focus here is to generate the feelings or emotions to their full intensity and witnessing the manifestations in Hridayakasha. When one feels swelling of emotions; avoid trying to control it; try to witness the reactions and associations with a specific feeling or emotion. Focus is to develop the awareness and experience of the feelings without moving into analysis of the feelings. During the practice through guided instructions practitioners are guided to intensify and then witness their feelings. Key points of the practice are to access, acknowledge, and witness the association with the existing or created feelings in the moment in meditative state. In this process of Dharana there is active engagement with the spectrum of feelings and at the same time practice of witnessing awareness of inner reactions/experiences. Any effort to suppress the feelings is discouraged rather through systematic guidance practitioners are trained to even witness their most challenging emotions and feeling with control. Following are the key stages of Hridayakasha Dharana Existing Feeling and Flame In this particular stage one is guided to acknowledge one’s existing Anxiety, mood, happiness, excitement, contentment, peace, silence etc. or whatever is present at this moment. Behind the existing feeling see the flame or point of light symbolizing the seat of the soul. Identify with that seat or image of the flame as your being which is eternal and permanent amidst changes. Colour of the Feeling  Focus to see the spontaneous colour being manifesting at the time of observing the feeling. Mainly keep the awareness in Hridayakasha (Heart Space) while watching the feeling and see the space saturated with any spontaneous colour at that time. Join Our 10 Day Yoga Meditation Retreat Program in Rishikesh   Creating the Feeling In this stage you create one feeling and then intensify that experience. It prepares the awareness to deal with the reaction or intensity of the feeling. The reactions produced sometimes may associate with completely different experience and might take another form of feeling. Therefore one is constantly guided to watch the expressions with detached awareness. These reactions are part of memory activation. Memory Enacting In this particular stage we bring out the older memories which had impressions created in childhood. During the stage we dissect and then watch the spectrum of associations with a particular event, person, situation, place and experience. While going through the stage we watch the child and its association and reactions with all these situations and consequent impact on him/her and secondly how that it associated at present in Hridayakasha i.e. the present repercussions. This stage helps in resolving the impressions (samskara) associated with one’s experiences of childhood. While observing the past memories from childhood one is advised to visit one’s past as a visitor. As a detached visitor one observes all the details relating to experiences of one’s childhood but without analytical judgement. And if certain emotions or feelings relating to one’s past are experienced during that moment then one is encouraged to acknowledge the presence of reactive impressions with non-reactive awarenes Read More...  Read Less...

How Mantra Alleviates Stress & Anxiety

https://www.rishikeshyogisyogshala.org/how-mantra-alleviates-stress-anxiety/ Mantra chanting is found to be a very effective to alleviate anxiety. Mantra Chanting is both religious and spiritual practice, found in different cultures, religions and spiritual traditions across the world. Apart from its uses in spiritual and religious traditions, mantra chanting has immense potential to improve psychological wellbeing of a person. What is a Mantra? Mantra is a sacred utterance, a sacred formula, a sound syllable or simply a sound vibration; used as a tool to focus the awareness, strengthen the mind and attuning to the subtle sound vibrational energies within. In both Tantra and Vedic traditions mantras are used for many purposes. These mantras may or may not have a literal meaning. In both Yoga and Tantra, mantra is one of the important tools to centre or focus the mental and vital energies. In meditation practices mantra is used as a centering device to internalize and intensify the awareness resulting in the altered state of consciousness. Mantra is also defined as the force or instrument that liberates the mind from bondage. Bondage here means identification of mind with its contents i.e. thoughts, impressions, memories resulting in impurities (mala) and oscillation (vikshepa). The impurities are the sum total of all negative impressions deep in the mind. They are the result of past problems in all areas of our mental being, and relate to different areas of our life. Mantras helps to dissociate the awareness from all these negative impressions cluttering the mind. The other aspect of the mind, vikshepa, is the oscillation and distraction of the mind. This results because of the negative patterns of mind created by our identification with the effects of past, present and worry of future. By being identified with the negative impressions of experiences the internal monologue goes on all day, the desires, the fears, the plans, the disappointments, the mind is never at peace. By repeating the mantras with one-pointed awareness, the oscillations can be quietened and the mind becomes tranquil and peaceful. How Mantra Alleviates Anxiety: In today’s time, anxiety needs no introductions. Everyone feels anxious now and then. It’s a normal reaction of the mind. One may feel nervous when faced with a situation which are demanding in nature. But this may become a disorder when worrying becomes overwhelming and constant. Vibrational effects of Mantras A mantra is a combination of various sound vibrational frequencies. Mantra is used in many different yogic practices from all different traditions. When used as a tool in meditation, mantra helps to internalize the mind and awareness. Constant chanting of mantra leads to one-pointed awareness which helps dissociate the mind from the cycle of unnecessary, unproductive and crippling thoughts. This helps in creating a state of ‘relaxed-alertness’. If defined in physiological term, it is alpha brain rhythm. Here receptivity of the mind is heightened and this leads to attuning the awareness to the experience of subtle sound vibrations. Mantra meditation can lead one into a very deep and relaxed state of mind. It helps to develop power of concentration and will power; by strengthening the ability to hold the awareness on one tool i.e. mantra.   Mantra and Nervous System A mantra is an energy composed of certain frequencies that have a pattern of their own and a vibrational field that creates different intonations. These frequencies and the sympathetic overtones generated by them influence our sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, which are spread in a fine network around our internal organs. The sympathetic response generates the neuro motor response and influences the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex. Neuroscience has demonstrated that the key to restructuring the nervous system in dramatic ways is to use repetitive therapeutic inputs that are precise and highly patterned. Studies show that the largest and most prominent neural circuits are formed by repetitive practices such as finger tapping, making music, and the gross, repetitive movement of limbs that occur during physical therapy. The phenomenon of neuroplasticity provides a basic explanation of how the practice of mantra affects the central nervous system. Effect of Incantation: - Incantation is the process of repetition of an alphabet, word, sentence or mantra. One of the major causes of anxiety is the impulses coming to the conscious mind from the wrong impressions stored in the sub-conscious mind. Thus the wrong reactions of the conscious mind originate from the wrong impressions in the various centers of the sub-conscious mind. The only way to overcome wrong reactions of the conscious mind is to wipe out the wrong impressions in the various centers in the sub-conscious mind and to prevent the further development of wrong impressions in them. This is done by incantation. By incantation, a powerful center is created in the subconscious mind which can send strong impulses to the conscious mind. In short, the principle of the ‘dominant thought replaces the weaker one’ is used to prevent the conscious mind from receiving any useless internal impulses. [Sassy_Social_Share title="If you loved reading this, please share it with friends and family"] Read More...  Read Less...