Think of the last time you were so absorbed in something that the world fell away. A good book. Hands in the garden. Watching the ocean. For a little while there was no to-do list, no worry, no self-judgement. Just the moment itself.
These ordinary moments are doorways into the final four limbs of yoga, where we head inward.
This is the last episode in our five part series on Patanjali's eight limbs.
Now that we’ve moved through the yamas, the niyamas, asana and pranayama, we now turn fully inward, through pratyahara and on to dharana, dhyana and samadhi.
These aren't limbs that we can force or achieve. They're what unfold on their own when the conditions are right.
In this episode, we explore:
Pratyahara, the turning inward, and why it can't be forced any more than sleep can
‘Throwing the mind a bone’, and why a busy mind settles when we give it something simple to rest on
What a Byron Bay heavy metal band next door taught me about pratyahara
Why we never instruct our students to close their eyes, and how to offer the choice safely
Dharana, dhyana and samadhi as the fruits of practice, rather than practices in themselves
Why ‘I'm meditating’ really means ‘I'm creating the conditions in which meditation might arise’
Why these deep inward states can be destabilising for some
How all eight limbs, in the end, point us home to ourselves and our own inner wisdom
This podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice or training. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs at the Yoga Psychology Institute for professional training. While we are grateful for our guests and sponsors, any statements, claims or endorsements made are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Yoga Psychology Institute.
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