Your yoga practice is a personal journey inwards, an interiorization. One concept connected to that is the inward turning of the mind and senses, pratyahara.

It is often misunderstood as pushing away experiences and shutting the world out, forcing yourself into avoidance and isolation, believing this is true withdrawal.

Kaya Mindlin poses a beautiful question in her yoga philosophy teachings of what if we were to open ourselves instead? To soften, to surrender to open in such a way that the pathway inwards was peaceful and delightful? Creating a type of pratyahara that makes you want to go inside with no denial, no force and no resistance but simply delight in discovering the mystical realms with it.

I was originally taught to visualise a tortoise withdrawing inside its shell, still aware of the outside world, still furnished with choice to re engage in it or not and to imagine the sheer pleasure of retreating writhing to a space you take time and practice to make familiar, safe and comfortable. A lot of yoga is learning to tolerate yourself, to spend time with yourself and the poses don’t really come into much at all other than part of a vehicle system to help you make it there.