Pratyahara in Ashtanga Yoga (by Maharishi Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras)…
Pratyahara means alternative food. It means to refrain or refuse from eating food that you usually have, and choosing something else to eat (referring to food more conducive to the body for spiritual practices). Our senses have a tendency to go outwards.
To bring them inwards we need a different regime of food and set of thoughts. That is Pratyahara. Just as we give a pacifier to crying babies to calm them, similarly we give alternatives to a mind that is restless and not at peace. That isPratyahara. Going inwards is the first step.
The above content is the excerpt of Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji’s Satsant of Art of Living.