The Role of Pratyahara in Nada Yoga

By George A. Boyd © 2002

Pratyahara, or withdrawal of the sensory currents, is a common occurrence in Nada Yoga methods. The objectives of Nada Yoga are to:

(1) Focus your attention on the spirit using a feeling, visualization or mantra

(2) Withdraw your spirit’s energies from the senses and the mind

(3) Allow your spirit to rise up into the Nadamic channels of light, sound, etc., in the spiritual domain upon which you are focusing

Pratyahara helps to fulfill the second objective of Nada Yoga: sensory withdrawal. Pratyahara brings about laya or absorption of the attention in the sensory currents. Four main conduits are utilized in this practice:

Sense

Attention is absorbed in

Name of technique

Sight

Inner light

Jyoti laya

Hearing

Inner sound

Shabda laya

Smell/taste

Nectar

Amrita laya

Touch/kinesthesia

Breath

Prana laya

Pratyahara, when practiced for sufficient time, may successfully permit egress to different depths of the mind. These are shown below:

Bands

Level

Description

Mental bands

One

Gates of the Conscious mind (1) – ahamkara dwara (2)

Two

Gates to the Superconscious mind at the edge of the Metaconscious mind – swa dwara

Three

Gates of the Superconscious mind to the higher unconscious behind the Soul – atma dwara

Bands of spiritual absorption

Four

Union with the spiritual heart, domains 1-4

Five

Union with the spiritual heart, domains 5-11

Six

Union with the spiritual heart, domain 12

Seven

Liberation of the spirit in its origin in any of the 12 domains

Pratyahara that accesses only the mental bands produces absorption in vehicular Nada (the inner sound within the vehicles) but not the true Nadamic current in which the spirit resides. Authentic contact with the spiritual heart may be said to be of three depths: Subtle-Planetary-Lower Cosmic (level 4), Upper Cosmic-Supracosmic-Transcendental (level 5) and at the highest band of the Transcendental Sphere, Satchitananda (level 6).

The deepest work of opening the Nadamic channels to their core in one of the domains results in liberation of the spirit (level 7). In this scenario, the liberated spirit becomes one with the Divine at its origin in that domain, and at one with the entire Nadamic Path.

Select individuals may be empowered at this stage to become a Nadamic Master, and open the path to others. These become part of the lineage established in the origin of the path. This succession is of two types:

(1) To occupy the next contiguous spiritual throne – this is immediate succession and is typically revealed during the lifetime of the current Nadamic Master

(2) Future succession, in which the individual will assume the mantle of the lineage at a discrete time in the future, and functions as a guardian and guide upon the path until that appointed time.

The Role of the Nadamic Master

The attention, at times, is blocked at inner gates, which makes deeper absorption impossible. A Nadamic Master has the keys to open these inner gates, and can free the attention to achieve genuine spiritual absorption.

In addition to opening these inner gates, a Nadamic Master may also provide additional services to the meditation student. The Nadamic Master

  • Guides the attention to unite with the spirit

  • Makes an attunement with the spirit to assist in the withdrawal of sensory and mental energies

  • Uses the Light to actively move the spirit through the channels of the Nada in order to confer initiation (diksha) on the Nadamic Path, and to assist it to advance to deeper steps of the Path

  • Appears in the inner guide form to lead the spirit on the Nadamic Path

  • Gives teaching (satsang) to instruct the spirit in the mysteries of the Nadamic Path

  • Mirrors the goal of the Path and gives the meditator a vision of the Divine Beloved (darshan)

Keys to Nada Yoga Practice

Once the senses and thought energy are disengaged, the spirit can rise upward in the Nadamic current. It is important to understand and facilitate this three-fold process of focusing on the spirit, withdrawal of sensory and mental currents, and travel in the Nadamic current by the spirit in order to succeed in Nada Yoga.

Practitioners of Nada Yoga need to understand that it is the journey of the spirit in the inner channels that produces the opening of the unconscious zones of the Nadamic channels and brings about purification and transformation, not the focalizing of the attention upon the spirit. The purpose of the attentional focus is to make you aware of the process.


Endnotes

(1) The bands of the Conscious mind and the Gates of the Conscious mind may be visualized as follows:

Grounded state of awareness

Awareness of the present time unfolding as this moment of life

Awareness of sensory information from the environment in the present time

Awareness of sensations within the body in the present time

Awareness of feelings arising in the present time

Awareness of thoughts arising in the present time

Awareness of I AM statements arising in the present time

Awareness of impressions welling up from the Subconscious mind in the present time

Gates of the Conscious mind - gate of light (front), gate of sound (right), gate of taste/smell (left), and gate of breath/life force (rear)

(2) The Sanskrit word, ahamkara, may be translated as the zone of activity of the ego, the part of the mind that identifies itself with roles, assumes ownership of beliefs and behavior, and claims possession of objects and people.

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