.Programme with Swami Vedantananda Saraswati
5 th and 6 th September 2026
Saturday 10.00 – 4.30 plus Maha Mrityunjaya mantra at 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00 – 4.00pm
Pranayama and Pratyahara are two of the limbs of Raja Yoga,
considered to be the Royal Path, on the ladder to enlightenment. In the
west we are mostly familiar with Raja Yoga from the treatise of Sage
Patanjali – Patanjali`s Yoga Sutras, which opened our eyes to the fact
that Yoga is not just a group of asanas and that there is a much wider
science involved in the practice of yoga. What many people do not
realise is that Raja Yoga existed centuries before Patanjali and this
system is mentioned in many of the Vedic texts, the Bhagavad Gita and
even Adi Guru, the first teacher of Yoga, Lord Shiva taught Raja Yoga.
Every Path of Yoga has its own system to move from the grossest
aspect of our being to highest and most subtle. It generally understood
that Pranayama and Pratyahara are limb 4 and 5 of the 8 limbs of Raga
Yoga.
Pranayama is the tool we use to control, awaken and increase prana in
the body. Pratyahara means to withdraw the mind from the impressions
of the senses. Whilst the senses are active the body, prana, mind,
emotions and memory, are disturbed we cannot experience the higher
realms of our existence.
We have to learn to recognise and acknowledge these distractions and
drop them. Understanding this process is essential if we wish to move
on in sadhana.
Throughout the weekend we will practice asana, pranayama, Yoga Nidra
and practices of pratyahara addressing each of the 5 senses and how to
release the hold they have on us
