Do you lose time mindlessly scrolling?

You’re obviously not the only one.

I recently watched The Social Dilemma and learned the extent to which social media platforms are designed to keep us online and addicted. Even worse, they’re designed to change your behavior ever so slightly without you even realizing it.

Knowing this, I’m grateful for the practices rooted in ancient wisdom that I’ve cultivated over the years that strengthen my mindfulness muscle.

They are powerful antidotes to algorithms designed to manipulate your attention and steal your time through mindlessness.

These ancient strategies are based in the 5th Limb of yoga: Pratyahara. Commonly translated as ‘withdrawal of the senses.’

Throughout my yoga training the focus of Pratyahara was on sitting quietly without distraction to prepare for meditation.

My study of Ayurveda has given me a wider and deeper understanding of this limb. Interestingly, when you Google the meaning of Pratyahara this is what comes up:

“Pratyahara is derived from two Sanskrit words: prati and ahara, with ahara meaning food, or anything taken into ourselves, and prati, a preposition meaning away or against. Together they mean “weaning away from ahara”, or simply ingestion.”

We tend to think that we only ingest food, but that isn’t true. We ingest through all 5 senses, and when we don’t ingest mindfully we become pawns to our desires, or worse, the desires of others who want to manipulate us.

Have you ever been on a multi-day river trip where there is no cell service or internet?

The pause allows your mind to settle and be more present. Then, when you get back to cell service your calm mind isn’t grasping for your phone because you’ve disrupted the habit.

River trips are Pratyahara practice. They disrupt your ingestion of social media, email and texting, and increase your present moment awareness. In other words, they increase your ability to take back your power to live life now.

Taking on a week-long Ayurvedic cleanse is also a powerful practice of Pratyahara.

Wean yourself off your favorite foods and mindless habit patterns around eating, and instead, powerfully flex your mindfulness muscle.

It’s transformational, not only in the benefits of weight loss, clear mind, and refreshed taste buds, but also in greater awareness of the power of living life now.

Becoming more mindful in one area of your life makes you more mindful in all areas of your life. When you live mindfully, you live powerfully.

If you’d like to flex your mindfulness muscle and take back your power, I invite you to join my 5 day Guided Cleanse. It’s a beautiful and powerful practice of Pratyahara supported by me and a wonderful group of health-minded and fun women. Click Here to learn more and register. 

The last day to register is Monday October 12th so don’t waste anymore time! Stop scrolling and register 🙂