Welcome to Season 3

(ocean waves) Welcome to Season Three of Inner Workings. So this is where things are gonna start to get a little funky. So as we dive inward, we are gonna be assuming that you spent some time with the lessons explored in Season One and Season Two. That doesn't mean you're not welcome to join, but as you run up against what seems like secret, inside information, you're right. (laughs) No, mostly what we'll be doing here in Season Three is we'll be deepening our practices of what the yogis refer to as "pratyahara." Pratyahara, when literally translated, means to eat in reverse.

What you usually see in the texts is a description of to withdraw the senses inward. Whatever we give our attention to, okay, and the way we give attention to things is through the senses. What are we looking at, what are we listening to, what are we speaking about, what are we touching, what are we smelling. Whatever we give our senses to requires some of us. Okay?

The Daoists refer to the sense organs as "The Six Thieves." And sometimes you don't realize this until you're really sick. I mean, have you ever been like so sick, so exhausted, so weak that you don't even have the energy to read a book, or watch a movie? It's that level of awareness that everything requires some of you. And so the call of pratyahara, again which usually gets translated as drawing the senses inward, at first that could seem like an invitation to a really boring existence. Like it could seem like okay, no more soft kittens, no more chocolate cake, no more blue sky.

That's not the call. The call is to start to use these sense organs, the eyes, the nose, the ears, et cetera, to use these sense organs to begin to touch, taste, and sense and see inwardly. Because when we can turn these sense organs in and start to see inwardly because we're not giving that energy away, a couple things happen. One, it's incredibly and deeply nourishing, okay? Two, you start to become intimately aware of this interior landscape, which, until we put some attention to, remains hidden.

And three, one of the most magical things that starts to happen is, it's not that you've removed yourself from the exterior world. What's happened is it's become much richer because as you find yourself looking at a beautiful sunset, having a wonderful meal and conversation with friends, spending time with your pet, there's a depth of the experience. The experience has more meaning, more richness, more tactile, because you can feel it on the inside. Okay, so the main purpose of this Season Three is to start to become more sensitive inwardly with the hope of becoming more intimate with the magic that's available. Now one little extra detail that feels useful to share.

Because most of these clips, it will look like we're not doing anything, (laughs) so this work can appear boring. This is how these teachings stay secret. You know, sometimes you will hear this remark "Oh, those are very secret teachings. "Do not share them." Nothing needs to be kept secret. Things just remain secret, okay, because until we're ready they won't be revealed.

Okay. Now, another little piece to that though, is because it can sometimes seem like we're doing nothing, sometimes there's the temptation to over-do. So we'll be doing something very subtle and very simple with breath retention. And the temptation will be to over hold the breath. Or over reach the awareness.

And in our experience strain in the subtle realm, lasts, the effect of strain in the subtle realm lasts a lot longer than strain in the grosser, more physical layers of self. Okay so we just as the suggestion in the physical realm is to like back off a little bit, it's even more important in the subtle realm. So, I'm gonna do my best as we make our way through these sequences to try to really communicate baby steps, slow beginnings, ch-ch-ch-ch, but you're on the honor system. Okay. So glad you're here.

So fun to be sharing these. And as you know, in the sharing they become more vivid, so please do not hesitate to reach in with any questions or results or feedback. You know we're in this together. These teachings only exist in relationship. So happy you're here.

Love.