Pratyahara in Class

I recently got a new cell phone with some cool new bells and whistles. I can now text, email, check Facebook, Tweet, surf the internet, and all sorts of new and exciting things that I used to have to lug my laptop around to do (which is kinda funny, anyway, given that just a few short years ago the idea of actually having a portable computer which could wirelessly connect to this invisible network of communication portals was the stuff of science fiction...now even those cool Star Trek communicators that I longed to have as a youngster seem pretty low-tech!). I admit, I was hooked! Now, even when I'm travelling from class to class, I can stay connected, though not while I'm actually driving. (Note to any of my friends who text or surf the internet while driving: STOP! Whatever it is, it can wait! If you must, pull over somewhere safe *stepping down from soapbox now*.) And it's a great time-killer if I'm waiting in line somewhere, or grabbing a bite for lunch, or even sitting in my car between classes. So, to all of you Crackberry/iPhone/Sidekick toting friends of mine, I GET IT! I am a convert. I have seen the other side of the mountain, and it is wondrous.

The one time when I have never felt the need to update my FB status, or tweet my location, or check my emails, or answer my phone is when I am involved in my yoga practice. That's my "disconnect from YOU and connect with ME" time. That's my time to recharge my batteries and clear my mind. My time to let go of all of the crap that builds up in my psyche all day, much of which is created by the constant pressure THAT I'VE CREATED to stay connected to friends and family, so that when I DO reconnect with y'all, I can do so in a centered, focused, relaxed way. I view my practice space, whether it's the area I use in my home, or my mat in a public classroom, as sacred. That is the space where all of the sweat and toxicity and stress and the deadlines and the fears and the attachments and the junk that crowds my mind is left. That is the alter of the sacrificial ego. That is the place where I receive sanctuary and sustenance and nurture and peace of mind. That is the place where I return to myself.

So, I am very disturbed by a recent trend I've noticed. People in classes keeping their portable communication devices next to their yoga mats, powered on, and turned so that the screen is visible to them while they are in Down Dog or Childs Pose or any other time when the attention and focus might be directed towards their breath or, God forbid, on the chatter and stories and all of the other stuff that is running rampant through their minds. I had one person in class recently who, while in Pigeon Prep pose, picked up her Blackberry and started texting someone. "Is there an emergency at home?" I quietly asked. "No, just making plans," she replied, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. And to her, it was.

I have asked people in class to set aside their mobile devices, and from the reactions I received you would have thought I was asking them to sacrifice one of their limbs. One person replied "But my daughter is sick at home!" At first I considered that this might constitute a situation where it might be appropriate to keep the phone handy (and on vibrate mode!), but the person kept checking the phone every time we rested, often time tapping out a quick text in the process.

I don't want to be unreasonable. I do have a doctor who comes to class when they are "on call." They informed me of this before they started taking my classes, and I told them that I didn't mind if they kept their pager (remember those?) handy, as long as they set their mat up close to the door. I've even had regular students of mine tell me that they need to keep their phones handy due to an emergency, a work situation, a family problem, etc. I get that. I get that sometimes in our busy lives our desire to get our yoga practice in requires sacrifice in other areas, or even accomodations. But one of the biggest benefits of our yoga practice is the inward journey that we take. The self-observation, being a witness to our minds and our breath, the recognition of our patterns and habits, the places where we hold ourselves back, or push ourselves too far, or commit any number of acts of aggression toward ourselves and those around us, the simple act of just being without any goals or agendas of attachments...all of these take the ability to focus and let go. Our Pratyahara practice asks that we withdraw our senses from the stimulation of the outside world. When we choose not to do this, we rob ourselves (and oftentimes others) of the opportunity to be still, and from that stillness emerge refreshed and reinvigorated, ready to deal with the outside world with clarity and awareness.

Technology is amazing, and has created amazing tools when they are utilized in appropriate ways. When our attachment to technology begins to take over every aspect of our lives, however, we begin to become enslaved by the very things which were created to free us.