vated than we are, and by that contemplation aligning our own mind
with that more peaceful and collected state.
As we begin to withdraw our ego and the attachment to our feel
ings that disturb us, as we use the Healing Qualities to calm our hearts
and minds, we also begin to withdraw from the vicissitudes of life. This
withdrawal is called Pratyahara. It is an important part of experiencing
inner peace.
Pratyahara
Earlier we examined pranayama, the fourth petal of the flower of yoga.
We have seen that it creates energy and purifies the body and its organs
and functions. It even calms the six emotional disturbances. I also men
tioned that when we turn our attention fully to the inner movement of
breath, our senses lose their acuity in relation to the external world.
This is in the same way that when we are concentrating on writing an
essay for school or university, we cease even to be aware of the road
work going on in the street. Though asana practice takes one's mind to
peep inside the body, it is in pranayama that one begins to learn to
withdraw the senses and mind from their external engagement. By this
the awareness and energy are invested within. This is the opposite of
what happens when you are having a hectic day at the office.
The fifth petal of yoga (pratyahara) is a continuation and intensi
fication of this process, leading to mastery of mind and senses. I said
that for a beginner, exertion through sweat is greater than the pene
tration to one's core, and that in pranayama penetration gathers mo
mentum. I called it a hinge. In the same way, pratyahara is considered
to be a hinge or pivotal movement on yoga's path, when the energies
created by practice (abhyasa) need to be matched and balanced by the
prudence of detachment (vairagya). Practice generates a centrifu�al
force, a spinning and expanding energy. Trouble comes when this com-
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