Miscellaneous Religion

Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions Further reading

Pratyahara

Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology | 2001 | Copyright

Pratyahara

One of the advanced stages of the Hindu system of yoga practice. According to the Indian teacher Patanjali (ca. 200B.C.E.), the following stages are prescribed: yama and niyama (ethical restraints and moral observances), asanas (the physical positions of hatha yoga ), pranayama (breathing exercises), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), and dhyana (meditation ), culminating in various degrees of samadhi (superconsciousness).

Pratyahara involves withdrawing sensory perception from external objects to concentrate on single-minded contemplation as a preliminary phase of meditation.

Sources:

Inengar, B. K. S. Light on Yoga. New York: Schocken Books, 1966.

Majumdar, Sachindra Kumar. Introduction to Yoga Principles and Practices. Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1976.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Pratyahara." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Pratyahara." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403803634.html

"Pratyahara." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403803634.html

Learn more about citation styles

Pratyāhāra

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Pratyāhāra (Skt., ‘withdrawal’).
1. In Hinduism, sense-withdrawal, the fifth ‘limb’ of ‘eight-limbed’ (aṣṭaṅga) or rāja yoga, referring to the contraction of consciousness from the external world and senses, as a tortoise contracts its limbs.

2. A technical sense in Sanskrit grammar meaning the compression to one syllable of a series of letters or affixes, by combining the initial letter with the final.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Pratyāhāra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Pratyāhāra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Pratyhra.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Pratyāhāra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Pratyhra.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Books: Beautifully illustrated guide through Yoga sutras.(Features) Newspaper article from: The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland); 1/7/2002
	Through yoga to Christianity: Losana Boyd tells how yoga brought her back to... Magazine article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life; 2/1/2011
	Commentary: yoga two ways.(COMMENTARY) Newspaper article from: Our Planet; 9/24/2007