 sits right at the middle of the bahirangayog and antarangayog. Bahirangayog is where practices can be seen from outside means people can see we are following certain moral instructions, doing some purification process, performing asanas, performing breathing exercises or pranayama and the antarangayog which is difficult to validate from outside which is dharana which is concentration, meditation or dhyan and samadhi. Pratyahar sits right between that. Pratyahar comes from the word prati, ah and hara. Prati means in response to observe opposed to or against a denotes near or towards and hara denotes bring back properly. Together it literally means the act of collection or to step purposely in order to attain the right mode of consciousness in a more powerful way. Assimilating our self is the simple term I use to convey the idea of pratyahar. Getting back within assimilating our life energies so that I can reassess the situation better and employ my life energies in the right direction. According to Patanjali yoga sutra, pratyahar is state of physical cutting means and their respective objects. So, vishaya up a samprayoge chittas sarupanukar eva indriyaanam pratyahara. So, vishaya in the respective areas of dwelling of whom of the indriyas of the mental faculties asamprayoge chittasya and disconnecting the chitta and the moment of indriyas so that chitta can dwell within that is the process of pratyahar. Next sutra says that tatah parama vashyata indriyaanam regular practice of pratyahar lead to attainment of greater control over the senses and functioning of organismic system. So, if we have to achieve dharana or dhyan we need to go through pratyahar that is the clear instruction by Maharshi Patanjali in yoga sutra. Come back to Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita gives excellent practical definition of pratyahar using the allegory or using the example of tortoise. What Bhagavad Gita says? Yad asan harate chayam kurmongaani visarvasah indriyaani indyarthe bhya tascha pragya pratishthita when like tortoise which withdraws its limbs from all sides he withdraws his senses from the sense object then his wisdom becomes steady. So, Lord Krishna is giving example of tortoise kurmongaani visarvasah like tortoise which recollects all its appendages within. Indriyaani indyarthe bhya in the same day the mental faculties indriya as well as the action faculties when they are assimilated brought into within or is centered in this process wisdom arises. Pratyahar was also mentioned in Upanishad like Trishikha Brahman Upanishad says Pratyahar being a introverted state of mind detachment of senses from respective object that is what Pratyahar is detachment of senses from their respective objects. Tej Indu Upanishad says that it is a pleasant state of consciousness that observes the mind preoccupied with the impact of objects of senses. So, as mentioned earlier Patanjali Yoga Sutra beautifully compiles the wisdom spread in hundreds of Upanishad and many other texts in the form of sutras and we can actually trace Patanjali Yoga Sutra in the Upanishadic literature as well these are some examples. In the Shandil Upanishad and Darshan Upanishad there are five characteristics given about Pratyahar. One it is forcible withdrawal of sense organs from object of sensual pleasures with which they interact. Second looking upon everything as one sees as Atman as true self that is the outcome of Pratyahar. Third giving up desires to attain the fruits of one's action that is Pratyahar in action turning one's attention away from all material things and thoughts that is another sign of Pratyahar and fifth is projection of vital energy what we called prana the pranic energy or vital energy and mind on the 18 vital regions of one's body by shifting attention from one point to another. David Frawley very beautifully summarized that Pratyahar happens at three levels at the physical level at the level of mental impressions and at the level of our association. Physical levels it is most connected to our food or whatever we take as food so that it that can be the sound that can be smell that can be of course taste and the stuff we take inside. Impressions these are mental ahar mental food which bring in the subtle substances necessary to nourish the mind so emotions, sensations, thoughts these create impressions and these are also connected with the physical food these can be independent of the physical food or physical aspects of the life as well they can be more abstract they can be more into the subject experience that also come under the purview of Pratyahar that also needs to be controlled and third is Pratyahar at the level of our association. People we hold at the heart level who serve to nourish the soul and affect us with the gunas of Satva, Raja and Thamma our association with the different people also brings some sanskaras or some impressions these impressions can be satvik impressions or related to illumination, light, knowledge, activity ah these impressions can be related to rajasic impressions that can be about ambition about expansion about ah intense activity ah these sanskaras can be also tamasic in nature which is more like inertia or inactivity in our relationships we keep accumulating these impressions Pratyahar that is why has to be performed at all three levels we need to control our physical food we need to need to have Pratyahar or anti ahar at the impressions level and we also need to have anti ahar Pratyahar at our at the level of our association our relationships Pratyahar is two fold it is level one it is about controlling the inappropriate impressions physical food and association and at another level attracting and absorbing right food right impressions and right relationship or associations, but the process of Pratyahar is about going within centering and we are going to look at that in our senses controlling our action controlling our vital energy and withdrawing our mind from the senses enjoying from the outside.