06/09/2026
The moments before movement are yoga too. 🧘♀️
At the beginning of each class at MarDiSol, we take a few minutes to arrive.
We notice the sounds around us.
The temperature of the room.
The feeling of the body touching the mat.
The movement of the breath.
We don’t try to reject these sensations. We observe them and then, little by little, allow our attention to return inward.
This is an introduction to Pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga.
In Yoga Sutras 2.54–2.55, Patanjali describes Pratyahara as the senses releasing their automatic pull towards external objects and beginning to follow the inward direction of the mind. From this develops greater mastery over where our attention goes.
The world does not have to become completely silent.
Sounds can remain.
Sensations can remain.
Thoughts can arise.
The practice is learning that our attention does not have to follow every one of them.
In a world that is constantly asking us to look, listen, respond and consume, this quiet skill becomes deeply practical.
Sometimes Pratyahara can begin with something very small:
• drinking your tea without your phone
• walking without headphones
• pausing the background noise
• closing your eyes and following three breaths
Arrive. Notice. Return.
That is why we begin this way. 🤍
Which of your senses most easily carries your attention away?
Further reflection: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2.54–2.55 and Kino MacGregor’s Yogi Assignment: Listen.
MarDiSolYoga
Awareness is the doorway
The senses are not the problem. They are simply doing what they were designed to do.
They notice sound, light, movement, touch and temperature. Pratyahara does not ask us to fight or switch them off.
First, we observe.
Can I hear a sound without following it?
Can I feel a sensation without immediately reacting?
Can I notice what is around me and still return to my breath?
Awareness comes before withdrawal. 🪷
Pratyahara is often described as a bridge.
In the eight limbs of yoga, it sits between Pranayama, the practice of working consciously with the breath, and Dharana, the practice of concentration.
Breath hel
