Friday, February 24, 2012

8 Limbs of Yoga - Week 5: Pratyahara

Week 5 is Pratyahara - control of your senses. We have 5 senses: Hearing, Seeing, Smelling, Touching, and Tasting. Our senses can sometimes control us - playing a video game and getting so completely lost in it we don't hear our mom calling us, smelling something yummy and indulging. In Pratyahara, our goal is to draw our awareness from outside sensory overload, to a more internal awareness of each one of our senses. It helps us achieve inner growth.
A little Sensory Awareness Test is a great way to start. Relaxing into a Restorative Bound Angle Pose, to be sure our bodies were so relaxed we could focus on our sense of touch. Eyes closed, hands open - the kids were challenged to pick which item brushed their hands from a collection of 8 items. A great way to hone in and encourage awareness of one sense.
We also thew in a Trust Walk to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have our sight. What would it be like to be without one of our senses, such as our sight. A great lesson in empathy as well.

No comments:

Post a Comment