Overview & Traditional Lineage
Drawing the Senses In (Pratyahara) is a classical meditation rooted in Yoga Sutras 2.54–55; the fifth limb. Deliberately taking attention back from each sense in turn. The hinge between the outward limbs of yoga and the inward ones.
Primary Goals: Focus. Themes: Overstimulation, Before-Meditation, Screens.
Full Guided Practice Script & Cue Timeline
| Timestamp | Spoken Cue / Instruction | Pause |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Sit upright, eyes closed, somewhere reasonably quiet. | 15s |
| 0:19 | Start with sight, which is already handled — the eyes are closed. Notice what is left of it. Usually not nothing. | 35s |
| 1:08 | Now hearing. Do not block the sounds. Just stop going out to meet them. | 40s |
| 1:57 | Let sound arrive at the ear and stop there instead of travelling on into your attention. | 40s |
| 2:47 | Now smell. Whatever is in the room, let it be at the nose and no further. | 35s |
| 3:32 | Now taste. The mouth has a taste in it. Leave it in the mouth. | 35s |
| 4:16 | Now touch. The clothes, the seat, the air. All of it can stay at the skin. | 40s |
| 5:06 | Nothing has been shut out. You have only stopped sending attention outward to collect it. | 45s |
| 6:00 | Notice how much is left when the senses stop reporting. It is more than most people expect. | 60s |
| 7:11 | Come back out through the same doors, one at a time. Touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight. | 45s |
Contraindications & Guidance
Gentle practice suitable for most practitioners when seated comfortably.
