How many of you remember this advertising campaign? It was very popular in India, years ago and Nescafe, instant coffee came into great demand. There was a very sweet joke about it and the kids used to love telling the joke. A man lost his dog and every day he visited the grave of the dog with a cup of coffee. He was asked why was he doing this and he replied that his dog would come alive with the coffee. Think about it, it is funny and sad.

If you take the advertisement literally, it shows the effect of sensory stimulations on us. Our senses are assaulted by stimulations, and we feel that we have to respond. Take the news, television, and print media. We are listening and responding to these stimulants, it effects our thinking and thoughts. It crowds our mind, influences us and the advertising companies are very comfortable with enabling us to buy and consume their products.

What should one do?

Pratyahara, sensory withdrawal is the way. To experience, sensory withdrawal, one should practice breath awareness, with counting one’s breath backwards, without errors. When one does this, the outcome is that one becomes aware and detached. Awareness is on the normal, spontaneous breath and concentration is on the counting. Detachment is accomplished because one is engaged in a neutral activity. The result is that one is not engaging with one’s thoughts and the prana is uninfluenced by negative interactions. One’s judgement is balanced, and one is able to energise oneself and not be susceptible to false claims and promises. Incidently, pratyahara is the first step in the path of spiritual travel.

Aim Hrim Klim

Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash