Foundations · Reading
Pratyahara
The fifth limb: drawing the senses inward.
Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.
Philosophy
The senses face outward by nature. Pratyahara is the practice of drawing them back, so that they follow the mind inward rather than pulling it out.
It sits between the outer limbs, which work on conduct, body and breath, and the inner limbs of meditation. Practices such as Antar Mouna and Yoga Nidra work directly with it.
Further reading
- Yoga Sutras 2.54
Practices
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, pp. 2–3
- Patanjali, Yoga Sutras, 2.54