The 8 Limbs of Yoga - Pratyahara, the 5th Limb

The Eight Limbs of Yoga - 5th Limb: Pratyahara

We’ve previously explored the first four limbs of yoga;

• 1st Limb: Yama – Ethical guidelines or moral disciplines (how we relate to the world)

• 2nd Limb: Niyama – Personal observances or self-discipline (how we relate to ourselves)

• 3rd Limb: Asana - Physical postures that we practice in classes

• 4th Limb: Pranayama - The art of conscious breathing

Today, we’re diving into the 5th limb of yoga: Pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses.

When we think of yoga, we often picture physical postures, breathwork, and maybe even meditation. But the deeper layers of yoga as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, invite us into a more subtle and transformative practice. Among these layers is the fifth limb of yoga: Pratyahara, often translated as withdrawal of the senses.

Whilst it might sound incredibly hard to practice, Pratyahara is actually one of the most practical, accessible, and life-changing limbs of yoga, especially when practiced off the mat.

What Is Pratyahara?

Pratyahara is the bridge between the outer and inner practices of yoga. In Sanskrit: Prati = away, against and Ahara = food or intake

So Pratyahara refers to withdrawing from or consciously choosing what we “take in”, not just through food, but through our senses, environment, media, habits, relationships, and mental patterns.

It’s not about shutting out the world entirely; instead, it’s about filtering and becoming intentional about what we allow to influence our inner state.

In our modern day way of living, we have constant sensory stimulation: notifications, multitasking, bright screens, noise, advertising, an influx of global news and disaster and a never-ending flow of information.

This overload keeps our nervous systems activated and our minds completely scattered.

Pratyahara acts like a gentle inner “reset,” helping us:

• reduce overwhelm

• maintain mental clarity

• centre ourselves in chaotic environments

• build deeper focus and concentration (super helpful for meditation)

• cultivate calm and self-awareness

In short, it’s yoga’s version of a modern day digital detox. You can create emotional boundaries, and cultivate mindful living, all through practicing Pratyahara.

5 Ways to Practice the 5th Limb of Yoga Off the Mat

1. Create Micro-Moments of Sensory Reset: We don’t always have time for long meditations, but micro-practices go a long way. You can try closing your eyes for 10 seconds during a busy day and refocusing on your breath, stepping outside for one minute of fresh air, sitting in your car in silence just pausing before you go into the next activity of the day. These small pauses teach the mind to retreat inward, even when life is loud.

2. Practice consciously decided what you have on your TV/Phones: Pratyahara in modern day life means actively choosing what you consume. Ask yourself the question of whether what you are choosing to watch is helpful or stressful. If it’s stressful, can you do anything about it? If no, turn it off. Social media is here to stay and it can be a really useful tool, if we use it wisely. Clean up and unfollow the accounts on social media that make you feel sad, angry or small. Show the algorithms that you only want happy information and to show you only joyful things and things that you are interested in. AI and the algorithm shows you what you interact with so choose wisely. Above all else, give yourself permission to protect your peace. This is sensory withdrawal at its most accessible.

3. Set boundaries around noise, interruptions and accessibility to your energy and time: With all the technical gadgets we have these days, we are constantly accessible and it’s exhausting. We were never meant to be in touch with 100 different people all of the time and our energy is depleted by every interaction we have. Choose to turn off your gadgets, watch notifications, phone notifications for a while every day. Perhaps when you are practicing yoga or meditation, or especially then. Giving your senses less to process naturally cultivates a calmer mind.

4. Eat your meals mindfully: How many of us eat on the go, or whilst doing something else, scrolling phones, watching TV, working? All of us. We all do it. Eating is a really powerful sensory ritual. So, perhaps a new habit you can set could be that during meal times, you make it a priority to turn off screens, chew slowly, appreciate the food you are eating and avoid multitasking.

5. Create a bedtime, evening ritual: Before bedtime, dim the lights, choose some calming scents, put your phone down, turn the TV off and perhaps read a book. Disconnecting from devices is a form of sensory self-care and you are guiding your nervous system inwards, preparing for rest. I know that I find it so much harder to get to sleep when I’m on my phone until late.

Pratyahara teaches us that inner peace isn’t found by escaping the world, it’s created through intentional relationship with the world. Every time you choose calm over chaos, silence over noise or awareness over autopilot, you are practicing the fifth limb of yoga.

Off the mat, Pratyahara becomes a lifestyle, one that brings you home to yourself, again and again.

Next time, we’ll explore the sixth limb: Dharana (concentration): This is the practice of focused attention on a single point or object, laying the groundwork for meditation ✨🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️