Indriya of Internal Sound

Pratyahara is the practice of systematically removing attention from the external world and turning it inward. While our sense organs (Indriyas) usually direct our attention outward, we can use sound to accomplish pratyahara by plugging our ears and listening to internal sounds.
Attention, Internal vs External

pratyahara is the practice of systematically taking our attention and removing it from the world and putting it internally. And so we the interesting thing is that we can actually use sound to accomplish that and the simplest way to do that is to actually plug our ears and listen to the sounds within.

With ears plugged, focus on noticing sounds from three main organ systems:

1. Respiratory system: breath sounds in the nose, throat, and lungs
2. Cardiovascular system: various heart sounds, tones, and pitches
3. Gastrointestinal system: stomach gurgling, air movement

So what I want you to do as we do this practice is, is as you plug your ears just notice what sounds come from our body. And at the very beginning with our ears, plug those sounds will be very, very, very loud. But if we really think about it, those sounds exist all of the time, right? You’re breathing all the time and that’s creating the friction of air going through your windpipe through your trachea and into your lungs.

As you practice and refine your attention, you’ll be able to detect internal sounds even without plugging your ears. This trains your attention to become focused like a laser beam, allowing you to notice previously undetected subtle sounds.
Focused Attention, Subtle Perception

So once we know what to look for, and as we refine our attention, as our attention moves from being diffused to being focused like a laser beam, we will actually be able to detect sounds even without plugging our ears. In. The cool thing is as we look for the sound, what we’re going to sort of be doing is training our attention to be like a laser beam. We’re going to be training our attention to pick up and notice things that we weren’t really able to notice before.

Developing full control over your attention makes many aspects of life easier, such as avoiding distractions, blocking out external noises, and even falling asleep more easily.
Attention Control, Overcoming Distractions, sleep

And as we develop full control of our attention, a lot of things in life become more easy, because as we have full control of our attention, we won’t get distracted by things. We won’t get distracted by notifications, we’ll be able to block out external noises we’ll be able to block out snoring in our bedroom so that we can fall asleep. So all kinds of things will start to become easier for us once we get control of our attention and control of our mind.

1. Plug ears and close eyes for 30 seconds, noticing internal sounds
2. Pause and return to the external world briefly
3. Repeat for another 30 seconds
4. Pause again
5. Practice for 60 seconds, focusing on one specific sound that pulls your attention most strongly
6. Aim to practice for 5-7 minutes daily for 1-2 weeks, using earplugs if needed for comfort
7. Advanced practice: close eyes and listen for internal sounds without plugging ears

Now that you’ve gotten the span of what sounds there are two here. Which one pulls you in the most? Which one sucks you in to your internal attention in the strongest way. So I’m going to focus on breath for example, but you’re welcome to focus on cardiovascular system or if you’re hungry, you can kind of focus on your GI system.

As you withdraw your senses from the external world and tune inward through pratyahara, your desires will begin to weaken. For those who master pratyahara, desires can melt away almost entirely.
Desire Reduction, Mastery of Pratyahara

And the cool thing about that is as you practice that you’re sort of engaging in Pratyahara you’re engaging in withdrawing your senses from the outside world, and as you withdraw your senses from the outside world and tune yourself kind of internally, a lot of different things will come with it. Your desires will actually start to weaken and even for people who are experts in breath era melt away almost entirely.

This practice of using sound to turn attention inward is a powerful tool for developing pratyahara, refining your focus, and ultimately gaining greater control over your mind and desires. Consistent practice can lead to profound shifts in perception and inner experience.

see also:: Internal Sound Meditation