Lesson 6

Pratyahara and dharana are probably the most violated of the 8 Petals of Yoga, even though basically all of them are. It is important to understand that according to yoga philosophy, pratyahara and dharana as necessary steps in order to master focus, sharpen discernment, as well as to reach enlightenment and gain full control of the mind. That being said, without these essential steps, all of the things just mentioned will be incredibly difficult to achieve. Let’s review pratyahara and dharana.

Pratyahara is redirecting focus from outside to in, as well as fasting with the senses. In yoga, we learn that our senses are extensions of the mind. If you are engaging the senses in the outside world (distractions), it will become harder to focus, and you will only be partially there.

Dharana is all about bringing your focus to a single part and holding it there the best you can. Whenever you get distracted or pulled into the past or future, you bring yourself back to the focus point. It can be the breath, or it can be your AI project. This essential step leads you directly to dhyana, the original yoga word for meditation. Remember, it is defined as sustained, or unbroken, one-pointed focus.

Think about how our world is set up now. There are flashing lights and shiny objects everywhere. Everyone seems to be fighting for our attention all the time. Think about how many advertisements you see daily. It is probably in the hundreds, or even thousands. So many things are trying to pull our awareness away from center, making our ability to focus much weaker.

Building a house is a good way to visualize how powerful dharana is. Imagine there are two separate, but identical situations where a person is building a house. In the first case, the person completely focuses on building the house with no distractions at all. He gets into a flow state, and thinks of innovative ways to build even more effectively. The other guy takes a break every few minutes to check his cell phone, obsessed with his social media notifications. He’s barely thinking of the house at all, even when he is actively building it. Which house will be built faster? Which house will be better quality? The answer is obvious, but in everyday life it is not so obvious, however the same dynamic is happening.