harder you fall. Temptations of a quality one might even describe as
celestial should come as no surprise to the higher practitioner, nor
should he greet them with attachment. The Sirens do not easily
abandon their song. The nearer the victory, the more bitter the battle.
Senses that have trained on greed are bound to suffer eventually from
indigestion. So we have to make them go on a fast to rejuvenate them.
In this way we tame the senses and the mind, actually enhancing their
intrinsic qualities. Because it is not extreme there is no backlash. It is
the gradual involution of the sense and stilling of the mind with the aid
of breath to make the practitioner fit for concentration and meditation.
Involution means "turning in." It is not rupture. A student once recited
the phrase from a poem "As though a rose should be shut and be a bud
again." This is an apt description of pratyahara.
The role of breath is capital for this reason. Consciousness (citta)
and vital energy (prana) are in constant association. Where conscious
ness is focused, there must be the energy of prana too, and where you
direct the energy of prana, consciousness follows. Consciousness is
propelled by two powerful forces, energy (prana) and desires ( vasana).
It moves in the direction of whichever force is most powerful. If breath
(prana) prevails, then desires are controlled, the senses are held in
check, and the mind is pacified. If the force of desire gets the upper
hand, the breathing becomes uneven, and the mind becomes agitated.
These are things you can actually observe, just as you observe right
measure and balance in asana, and this is why and where the practice
of yoga brings self-knowledge (svadhyaya). You will not reach Knowl
edge of the Divine Self without passing through self-knowledge. Your
practice is your laboratory, and your methods must become ever more
penetrating and sophisticated. Whether you are in asana or doing
pranayama, the awareness of the body extends outward, but the senses
of perception, mind, and intelligence should be drawn inward.
This is pratyahara where sustained practice (tapas) and self
knowledge (svadhyaya) blend together. Traditionally self-knowledge
II K � I Y 1·. N 1; 1\ ll