The theme of the month moves us to the first two internal
limbs of Patanjali’s Eight Fold Path:
Pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and Dharana (concentration on a single
point).
Pratyahara, the
fifth limb, is the bridge between
the four external limbs and movement toward the internal limbs of Patanjali’s
Yoga. In Pratyahara (sense withdrawal) we draw our awareness away from the
external world and outside stimuli.
Often the mind can still wander in asana
and pranayama. In pratyahara
we become self observant. Here we
observe our cravings, and habits that interfere with our inner growth. When we
detach from our senses, we direct our attention internally. Consequently, we have developed
our ability to concentrate through asana
(posture), pranayama (breath control), and Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and now we can deal with
distractions of the mind itself.
In Dharana (concentration on a single point),
we focus on a single point to prepare for meditation. Dhāraṇā is the
initial step of deep concentrative meditation, where the object being focused
upon is held in the mind without consciousness wavering from it.
Here the object of meditation, the meditator, and the act of
meditation itself remain separate. That is, the meditator or the meditator's
meta-awareness is conscious of meditating, on an object, and of his or her own
self, which is concentrating on the object. One way that the Hatha Yoga Pradipika suggests
that we develop this ekagrata (single pointed concentration and focus of
mind) is through the practice of Trataka, or candle
gazing.
