The Fifth Limb of Yoga and the Five Senses

The fifth limb of yoga is Pratyahara.  Continuing on from Pranayama (see last week's post) which is concerned with controlling and directing the breath, Pratyahara is concerned with training the senses.  

During your busy day you are being constantly stimulated.  Your brain is working hard to process all the sensations of touch, the images you see, the sounds, tastes and smells that are always present in life. Pratyahara offers you a chance to step back from sense overload and to look within, rather than outwards, to gain clarity and serenity.  

The easiest way to experience Pratyahara is in Savasana, or relaxation, at the end of a yoga class. When you close your eyes and sink down into deep rest, your senses withdraw. You are not asleep but neither are you aware of, or responding to, external stimuli.   

Maybe you have a hobby that you become completely absorbed with so you are no longer aware of sounds or images distracting you?  Musicians, artists and athletes often say they are so immersed in their activity that they don't notice their surroundings. I've done yoga classes in London where traffic is roaring by and there are people in the bar below noisily enjoying a Friday night out but I've been so focused on the yoga that I haven't noticed the distractions outside. 

It is important to remember though that the senses are part of our survival mechanism and warn us of impending danger. For example, if you pick up a hot pan you obviously need to react immediately to minimise the pain. 

However, regular practice of the Asanas (postures) and Pranayama (breathing practices) will teach you to notice whether you are being controlled by your senses. With practice you can become aware enough to make a conscious decision to eat the food, or not, rather than be enticed by the smell of it. You can make a conscious decision whether to respond immediately, or not, to the noise your phone makes when you receive a text and you can make a conscious decision to justify and defend yourself, or not, if someone criticizes you.

The fifth limb of yoga isn't widely taught, mainly because it isn't really something you can just decide to do, rather it evolves out of the other practices of yoga and is part of the journey towards enlightenment.  

I hope this makes some sense to you, but it is all a little bit puzzling so I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't! This is one of the reasons Pratyahara isn't taught very much! Next time you get to the end of your Savasana take a moment to listen to the sounds outside, feel the air on your skin and take a look at your surroundings - you might realise you've been doing this elusive practice without even trying! 

This week I'm visiting... Whole Foods Market, 305-311 Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction, London SW11 1LN

Whole Foods is a US store selling healthy, high quality natural and organic products.  It has a growing number of branches here in the UK and I'm looking forward to more!

You can't quite call Whole Foods a health food shop - it's more than that.  I'd call it a supermarket that sells good stuff.  It has all the sections you'd expect to find in a High Street supermarket - fruit and veg, chiller cabinets, cupboard essentials, household items and toiletries etc, but without the nasty chemicals that you'd really rather weren't in your food!  It has a cafe too, where you can get smoothies, juices and coffees and also a section for hot foods and salads if you'd like to take some of their delicious meals home with you.

decisions, decisions!

the organic fruit section

I spent a good 40 minutes wandering around the Clapham Junction store on Saturday afternoon, choosing lots of interesting ingredients including, amongst many other things, vegetarian Worcester Sauce (the traditional stuff has anchovies in it), gluten-free lasagne sheets, pure grade Maple Syrup and chemical-free shower gel.  As we'd come by train, we packed it all into backpacks and carried our bounty home again.

the enticing cosmetics section

Take a look at the Whole Foods website here to find the most convenient store for you to visit, and check out the other resources too - lots of healthy recipes for you to try, meal plans, a blog and, if you can't get to a store, there is the option to do your shopping online.

This week I'm making...Almond and Honey Face Scrub

This is a very quick, easy and cheap way to make your own chemical-free face scrub.  I also used it on my hands and it made them feel really soft and smooth.  

It uses whole almonds which are ground up into fine particles. I didn't grind mine quite enough the first time so the pieces were a little too big and a bit rough on my skin, but I think that the ready-ground almonds that you buy in the supermarket would be too fine and powdery.  A little experimentation is called for!

You will need:

50g whole almonds 
1 tablespoon almond oil, or you could use olive oil
1 teaspoon of raw honey (a lot of honey that you buy in supermarkets has been heat-treated so all its beneficial enzymes and anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties get destroyed - check the label says "raw").
Optional: Two to three drops of your favourite essential oil

How to make it:

• Grind the almonds to a fine consistency. I used a spice grinder attachment I have for my hand blender.
• In a bowl mix the ground almonds with the almond oil.
• Add the honey and mix well.
• Add the essential oil if you are using it and mix well again.  I used Lemon oil for its astringent qualities but this might be too zingy if you have sensitive skin. 

How to use it:

• Dampen your face with water.
• Scoop out about a teaspoonful and massage gently all over the face.  Remember its an exfoliator and will remove dead skin cells, so be gentle and don't scrub too hard.
• Rinse off carefully and pat your skin dry.

It will keep in a sealed jar for a couple of weeks but if you're using it to do hands, feet, elbows and knees it probably won't last that long!


This week I'm growing... Chillies

If you like a little spice in your cooking, why not try growing your own chillies this summer?

"Hungarian Hot Wax" Chillies

There are many different types of chilli, varying in size, colour and intensity of flavour.  The seeds need to be sown now as they need time to flower, fruit and ripen before the frosts come next autumn. Here's how to do it:

• Fill a flower pot with multi-purpose compost - I used a 12cm pot.
• Evenly space 5 seeds on top of the compost.  The seeds are tiny like tomato seeds, so you'll need to do this carefully.

• Cover with a fine layer of compost.
• Label them so you don't forget what they are.
• Water them.
• Cover the whole pot with a  clear plastic bag and secure with an elastic band.  This will create a moist, humid environment which will aid germination. 
• Place on your kitchen windowsill as they like warm, bright conditions.

Once the seeds have germinated you can take the plastic bag off.  When the seedlings have 2 pairs of leaves you can carefully pot them on into their own bigger pots.  This technique is called "pricking out" and I'll give you step-by-step instructions on how to do this in a couple of weeks' time.

Chilli seeds in their plastic bag on my kitchen windowsill

When there is no longer any threat of a frost (usually the very end of May is considered safe here in the south of England), the chilli plants can be moved outside.  You can either plant them straight into the ground or keep them in large pots if you prefer.  They will need watering regularly and feeding weekly with tomato food (which you dilute in a watering can) over the summer but other than that they don't need much looking after. You can harvest the chillis when they are green, or wait for them to ripen and become red, when they become a bit hotter.

Quick tip for watering newly sown seeds:  if the seeds are big you can use a watering can with a rose (sprinkling nozzle) but if the seeds are very small they can get washed away out of the compost. Instead, fill a tray with water and stand the flower pot in it so the water soaks up into the compost from underneath and the seeds stay in place. Plastic strawberry cartons are ideal for this job if they don't have holes in the bottom.

Finally, here's a picture of my Calendula seeds today just two weeks after sowing - they're up already!