Practicing Pratyahara: Elevate Your Savasana, Meditation and Well Being Both On and Off the Mat April 12 2026

Savasana Gazing At Tree Tops

When I started the blog this week I noticed that I inadvertently skipped writing about the fourth limb (pratyahara) the last few years during my review of the eight limbs. Interestingly, it is often called “the forgotten limb”, yet its intention is anything but forgettable. The fourth limb is Pratyahara, removal of the senses. The translation from Sanskrit evolves from “ahara” which means nourishment and “prati” which means withdraw.  So, we are removing our senses from the things that stimulate. I love this picture, I felt it invoked the eight limbs as well as incapsulating one of the most peaceful moments of savasana during outdoor practice under the trees. Invoking pratyahara.

In the Sutras, Patanjali discusses this limb saying, “The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction, and the senses disregard the different objects around them to faithfully follow the direction of the mind.  Then the senses are mastered.”  Yoga Sutras 2.54-2.55 as translated by T.K.V. Desikachar.

When I try too hard to withdraw my senses, block out surroundings or practice savasana I am often frustrated. The harder I try, the louder every minute sound becomes and voices in the background are magnified. This effort seems to have the opposite effect of its intentioin and I find myself trying to wrestle my mind into submission. It never works.

What I have found is that pratyahara is not something to be forced.  If we allow ourselves to relax, we allow it to happen organically. As we practice our physical poses, engaging our breath, we are working our way toward the more inner journey of meditation. As we work the body physically, we may find ourselves being “lost in the practice”, focusing inward and settling into our body’s rhythm. As we engage our breath, we enhance our practice creating steady momentum, further calming the mind. As we become increasingly absorbed in our practice, we may be surprised to notice that we are fully focused on the breath and movement and our mind is still.  We begin to experience a sense of inner quiet, a space where we can notice without being swept up into what is happening around us. This is pratyahara a conscious turning inward while withdrawing from the onslaught of sensory information. I have have found this happen to me while taking a hike, surrounded by nature’s sights and sounds and suddenly realize I have been walking, immersed, without any sense of time passed.

Pratyahara happens by itself both on and off the mat, we cannot make it happen, we can only practice how it might happen. 

Our Practice – Practicing Pratyahara On and Off the Mat

Savasana Challenge

Sometimes I wonder if we would do well to practice savasana at the beginning of class. When we come to class from work, a full day or in a rush having woken up late, we are often harried, stressed or just focused on the day at hand. We then jump right into active practice. If we started with a grounding meditative rest, perhaps we would be prepare our mind and body for a deeper practice, one without the interference of monkey mind. This is how we can think of pratyahara and incorporate that into our practice from the start. I like to start with a few moments of quiet reflection, letting go of the day, breathing, and centering.  As we begin to move, we draw our attention inside and practice this withdrawal of the senses. We breathe, we move and as our practice deepens, we may cultivate our practice of pratyahara whether consciously or not.

When we practice savasana, we are also withdrawing our senses.  We might fidget, listen to the sounds around us, but eventually all of us at some point experience that magical savasana reaching a beautiful meditative state.  Do not fret if it does not happen all the time, even for the most experienced yogis it can be a real challenge.  For me, it is the most challenging pose of my practice.

Practicing Pratyahara off the mat can mean some uninterrupted quiet time (no screens, no people) for an hour. It may be a walk in the woods, a stroll on the beach, listening to sounds of nature and nothing else. Eventually you may find yourself realizing you are engrossed in the horizon, the scent of flowers or the buzz of the bees, it sneaks up on you!

We have talked before about walking meditation; walking with head phones listening to the news is not meditation! Start slow, I may spend the first half of a walk listening to NPR and then the second walk simply focusing on noticing nothing (or everything) in nature that presents itself. I am often surprised at all that I see and how much calmer I feel when I finish.

Meditating on Pratyahara

As B.K.S. Iyengar beautifully puts it, “The ability to withdraw our senses and so control the noisy mind may sound like a kill-joy, but in reality it restores the pristine flavors, textures, and discoveries that we associate with the innocence and freshness of childhood.” This is the gift of pratyahara—a return to simplicity, where we can taste life’s moments with fresh eyes and a quiet heart.

“Pratyahara, the movement of the mind toward silence, not toward things” – Donna Farhi

See you on the mat!

Namaste

Julia Anne