Freedom of the Senses ~ PRATYAHARA ~ | ’ask dorothy’ | The WISDOM podcast | S3 E66

<p align="center"></p> <p align="center">PRATYAHARA ~ Freedom of the Senses ~ </p> <p style="text-align:center;">The Fifth Limb of The Yoga Sutras</p> <p style="text-align:center;">'ask dorothy' | Q & A</p> <p style="text-align:center;">The WISDOM podcast  Season 3  Episode 66</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p> <p align="center">~ Hold awareness in the absence of thought ~</p> <p style="text-align:center;">💜</p> <p> </p> To be in the presence of each moment is to be wilfully attentive. To act upon your life with discerning choice is to hold wisdom and the skill of pratyahara. To be free is to hold freedom from the senses. <p> </p> In the fifth stage (limb) of the yoga sutras ~ pratyahara, the seeker of a spiritual practice or way of life (<a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%81dhaka'>sādhaka</a>) goes through a search of self-examination. Pratyahara is truly the ability to act upon life with discerning choice. <p> </p> <p>In some ancient texts, the thinking on pratyahara is to overcome the spell of sensual objects ~ to choose good over pleasure. Yet it is even more than this.</p> <p> </p> <p>If you allow yourself to be bound by objects of a material nature ~ of thoughts and beliefs that govern, that constrain, that evoke states of sadness, disillusionment and suffering, you are allowing your senses to rule and to overtake the wisdom that you have access to ~ thatmay guide your heart in blissful action.</p> <p> </p> The wisdom and clear knowing of your heart that is always in communication with you ~ is often a quieter and peace-filled voice. <p> </p> Pratyahara ~ as a practice becomes a pivotal answer to lead us.  Pratyahara is a sanskrit word that is translated as: taking away the engagement of our senses with the outside world. <p>Simply, it is the skill we hold for redirecting the focus of the mind within and to our genuine needs which can be fulfilled ease fully.</p> <p> </p> How does one do this? How do we quiet the mind? How do we recognize better when we have become fixated on the external