Wednesday 2 November 2016

Pratyahara practice - advanced

Pratyahara is about slowly regressing to a point of basic existence. Obviously, this means that yama, niyama, asana and pranayama should be continuously performed while winding down.
As expertise in yama and niYama increases, our need for proving ourselves to society decreases, personal ambitions abate; consequences become irrelevant, so anxiety and fear reduce in incidence and intensity. Practice of asana and pranayama bring increased fitness and a consciousness of the body and it’s functioning. Slowly the senses change focus from outside the body to inside the body. This is pratyahara.
Finally, the negation of personal body and its functioning leads to that which drives existence, the concept of existence and the meaning of “Self”. This results in the negation of form or roopa and this is dhyana, dharana and samadhi.
Pratyahara is the point where yama, niYama, asana and pranayama converge and become svadharma or conditioning; that is changed conditioning of the identity, making it ready for samadhi or liberation. In that sense, deep practice of pratyahara will result in dhyana, dharana and Samadhi.
Some of the conditioning (svadharma) changes and their consequent behavioural (svabhaava) changes would be;
Situation
Conditioning (svadharma)
Behaviour (svabhaava)
Relationships
Reduced dependence on others.
Neither seeking nor rejecting

Deep need for introspection
Preferring own company

Unafraid of rejection
Reduced need for praise. Ability to handle praise with grace.

Indifference
Non-judgemental
Stimulus
Knowledge from introspection
Disinterest in external stimulus
Food
Hunger control
Not disturbed by hunger
Breathing
Calm in all situations
Deep equanimity
Body
Capability of deep muscular relaxation
Ability to reach deep homeostasis
The breath goes past the septum. Behind the septum is the nasal cavity. The septum acts like a venturi, so when the air goes past it, it expands suddenly and gets a swirl when it hits the roof of the nasal cavity, resulting in the following;
Ø  There is a rushing sound generated by the swirling of air in the nasal cavity.
Ø  The increased energy downstream of the flow of air results in an increased temperature of air when it enters the nasal cavity.
Ø  The entrance to the auditory tube is also in this cavity, so any change in pressure here will affect the pressure in the Eustachian tube – hearing and balance.
Ø  Finally all the senses of taste and food temperature are centered round the face.  
Why is this important? The experience of breathing comes from the sound and sensation of breath going past the septum and the olfactory receptors which also transmit the sensation of smell. Similarly, all other senses are directly or indirectly associated with the breath and the quality of breathing. Therefore, control of breathing is essential for control of the senses.
When the suction pressure is equalised with the septum-nasal cavity pressure, then there is no sensation of breathing. This should be achieved and retained, even during activity.
What needs to be achieved is the experience of “null” or shunya or emptiness. Sit in any convenient asana (padmasana preferred). Focus on the bahira kumbaka (emptiness after exhalation). Try to get into jaladhara bandha and moola bandha. Hold for as long as possible. Increase duration.
Exercise:
Ø  Sit in a secluded place. The place should be one where one can go to regularly and should have a pleasant atmosphere.
Ø  Sit on a chair or on the floor. Floor postures hold the body more firmly; this is preferred.
Ø  Sit in a comfortable pose. Padmasana, sukhasana or vajrasana are preferred, but it is possible that there is discomfort initially. In such a situation, start with one of the above asanas and re-seat to a comfortable posture for the remainder of the meditation period. Over time, one pose will become the preferred pose and the body will fall naturally into it. The important point to remember is that the back must be erect from the coccyx upwards. The perineum, which is the seat of the mooladhara chakra must touch the ground.
Ø  Relax the body using auto-suggestion (suggestive commands given the person to one self). Start from the top of the head and slowly relax each part. Try to break the command into specific locations. For example; instead of saying “relax the brain”, say “relax the front of the brain, relax the left side, relax the right side, relax the back… etc…” This will lead to quicker and more effective relaxation. Relax completely. Remember that relaxation becomes deeper with practice.
Ø  When the body has relaxed completely, it will be noticed that breathing becomes shallow and even. Observe the breathing. Observe the interval between puraka and rechaka and vice-versa. There is a miniscule period of silence and the breath crosses over from intake to exhale and vice-versa. Focus on this silence. Try to extend the silences even when breathing restarts. Try to keep the breathing even and without ripples or agitation.
Ø  Stay in this position for around 10-20 minutes. This may be performed once or twice a day. It is not recommended to do this for longer periods unless one is interested in deeper spiritual investigation.
Distraction: The sense of identity generally keeps seeking assurance of existence, so keeps pinging to the environment for assurance of existence. It latches on to any form for this assurance. This is distraction. Distraction is any activity that should be avoided if one wishes to eliminate the images that arise when meditating. Some are straightforward, such as watching too much TV, but there are others that are subtle and not easy to define or discriminate. This takes time and often a lot of effort. While the grosser elements may be easy to manage, the subtler elements take enormous effort. But, as a result of this effort, awareness increases.
Ø  External distraction: This comes primarily in the form of noise and is hard to ignore. To avoid this, one could practice in the early morning hours and in a secluded part of the home. If this is not possible, then one should seek a location where this is possible. As one practices this, it becomes easier to control the mind from being hijacked!
Ø  Internal distraction: This is harder to control. As one meditates, the mind will jump off into a thought. This thought moves to different subjects and before one knows it, one has shot off into a tangent. The harder one tries to control the mind, the more it foils attempts at control.
To control this, one must view the thought as an action that is independent of control. Allow the mind to drift but gently draw it back like a grandparent pulling back a child from danger. It is hard, but with practice, one will be able to achieve ananchor in silence and experience clarity and high level of internal awareness.
Hijack: This term has been used to describe what happens if the person does not step back from the associations that the mind continuously makes. The associations lead to emotion and passions, both positive and negative. This leads to anger, lust, greed, jealousy and other emotions that overwhelm one during meditation and completely disrupt the practice. One will actually experience body responses to passions associated and this can be avoided by continuous practice of yama and niyama. Step back!
Exercise: Sit in silence. When the mind goes astray firmly bring it back to the silence within. Start with 5 minutes and try to increase to 20 minutes. Perform twice a day. This is sufficient as a daily requirement.
Measure of success:
Ø  During practice of pratyahara, duality slowly gets eliminated. Darkness and light merge, silence is the preferred mode of communication and there is stillness in the self.
Ø  There is no judgement, no fear of rejection or expectation of victory. An indifference to success, ambition, consequences, opinion, sex creeps in.
Ø  There is no seeking, no reaching out for solution- but if a problem needs resolution, it is done with no expectation of any credit, material or otherwise.

PostscriptI am a novice in pratyahara, my experiences are very elementary. Hence, this post will keep getting updated as my maturity grows.

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