Chase Bossart on Pratyahara



In this episode of Chat & Chai, we have a very special guest. Chase Bossart coming from San Francisco, was in Miami this summer to teach our Ashtanga Practitioner’s Intensive students the Bhagavad Gita and an introduction to Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting. Chase has been teaching in our past 4 month-long intensive courses and each time we learn something new, each time gaining a fresh perspective on these ancient teachings.

This time he also shared with us his understanding of the Yoga Sutras in his talk on Pratyahara or ‘withdrawal of the senses’ and the 5th limb along the 8 limb path of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Taking us into the ‘internal’ limbs, he breaks down the traditional interpretations and explains them to us in a way we can relate to our modern day world. As always, our MLC students chime in, sharing their ideas and finding ways to understand what pratyahara actually looks like in practice.

These last four limbs especially, are difficult concepts to grasp for their intangibility and experiential qualities, but with guidance from experienced and knowledgeable teachers like Chase, it becomes a bit more familiar. Listen in to keep going down this 8 limb journey with us, to become more intimate with the teachings of yoga and gain insight into why we get on the mat.

To learn more about Chase and Yoga Well Institute visit www.yogawell.com