On Turning Inward, Mental Health and Yoga with Dr Lauren Tober
These ordinary moments are doorways into the final four limbs of yoga, where we head inward.
This is the last episode in our five part series on Patanjali’s eight limbs.
Now that we’ve moved through the yamas, the niyamas, asana and pranayama, we now turn fully inward, through pratyahara and on to dharana, dhyana and samadhi.
These aren’t limbs that we can force or achieve. They’re what unfold on their own when the conditions are right.
In this episode, we explore:
- Pratyahara, the turning inward, and why it can’t be forced any more than sleep can
- ‘Throwing the mind a bone’, and why a busy mind settles when we give it something simple to rest on
- What a Byron Bay heavy metal band next door taught me about pratyahara
- Why we never instruct our students to close their eyes, and how to offer the choice safely
- Dharana, dhyana and samadhi as the fruits of practice, rather than practices in themselves
- Why ‘I’m meditating’ really means ‘I’m creating the conditions in which meditation might arise’
- Why these deep inward states can be destabilising for some
- How all eight limbs, in the end, point us home to ourselves and our own inner wisdom
Download the accompanying Patanjali’s Eight Limbs and Mental Health Aware Yoga ebook
Join the online Mental Health Aware Yoga training in September
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY + EVERY WHERE YOU FIND GREAT PODCASTS
Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) is a Clinical Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, founder of the Yoga Psychology Institute, host of the A Grateful Life podcast and author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers.
Lauren developed the Mental Health Aware Yoga training to help yoga teachers make their classes safe, nourishing and transformative for all.
FOR THE SEEKERS
COMMUNITY
FREE EBOOK
The information provided on this blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice.
Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs for professional training.
Any statements, claims or endorsements expressed by our guest authors, speakers and podcast sponsors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Mental Health Aware Yoga and the Yoga Psychology Institute.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARE YOGA
Ready to support your students' mental health with confidence, compassion and skill?
Join the hybrid training in Mullumbimby Australia. Start the online component today, then join us in-person on 17-18th October 2026.
Or join us for the online training starting the 16th of September instead.
MORE BLOG POSTS
On Innate Wholeness and Awakening with Richard Miller
What if nothing is fundamentally wrong with you? What if awakening isn’t something to achieve, but something to...
On Seeking a Guru with Jai Uttal
What does it really mean to have a guru? Is this path still relevant today? In this episode on the A Grateful Life...
On Practice, Partnership and Coming Home to Yourself with Sarah and Ty Powers
In today’s podcast episode, I’m joined by Sarah and Ty Powers, long-time partners in life and practice, and two...
BLOG CATEGORIES
Western Psychology
Yoga Psychology
Safe Container
Therapeutic Skills
Yoga Practices
Mental Health Crisis
JOIN OUR ONLINE SANGA
Are you on Facebook?
Awesome, so are we!
Come and join our brilliant community of like-mind Yoga Teachers and tune into (mostly) weekly video episodes with our founder Dr Lauren Tober.
It's all happening over in our FREE Facebook group.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
Hi, I'm Dr Lauren Tober!
As a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Teacher of nearly two decades and the author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers, I'm passionate about integrating yoga and psychology on the mat, in the counselling room and in the world.
With the growing interest in mental health and yoga, yoga students are attending yoga classes for the mental health benefits in unprecedented numbers.
In fact, 79.4% of yoga students report practicing yoga for the mental health benefits.
It's important that Yoga Teachers know how to support them.
I'm glad you're here.
LET'S STAY CONNECTED
Be the first to hear about online and world wide in-person trainings BEFORE registration opens
Receive your invitation to join our closed Mental Health Aware Yoga Facebook group for teachers
Download the Patañjali's Eight Limbs of Mental Health Aware Yoga ebook by Dr Lauren Tober