January Gītā: 2.58

yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ 
kūrmo ’ṅgānī'va sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇī’ndriyārthebhyas
tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā

‘One who is able to withdraw the senses from their objects, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, is established in divine wisdom.’

Bhagavad Gītā 2.58

We experience our world through our senses -  our sight, our hearing, our taste, our smell, through our skin in our touch, taking this information from the outside world inwardly we attach feelings and judgements and craft our experience of life.  Eventually we have a large catalogue of painful and pleasurable experiences which underpin our beliefs, desires and our sense of self.  Without any discernment our mind can become a slave to the senses as we oscillate between ‘like’ and ‘dislike’, ‘happy’ and ’sad’, ‘pleasurable' and ’painful.’  As we practise yoga we are learning to challenge our mental processes.  It is not about abandoning the world and our duties but instead controlling our responses to it.   Sloka 2:58 gives a wonderful analogy of how we may be able to do this. 

When I was a little girl I had a tortoise. He was tiny yet over the millennia his shell had evolved to be incredibly strong, protecting him from stress and burdens. Even under strong duress the tortoise's shell would hold strong and not expose his vulnerable organs. As soon as the world had became too much, he would retreat into his shell until the perceived threat had passed and the environment had calmed and he felt safe to come back into it, at which point he would slowly and steadily plod on.

To access the steady wisdom which resides in each one of us sometimes we need to be a tortoise. When the mind is turbulent and being pushed and pulled in the direction of our attachments and desires we can withdraw momentarily inside of ourselves. Finding a quiet space we can simply sit still, close our eyes and feeling only the breath at the nostrils we can withdraw in the same way as the tortoise and go within ourselves to access that deeper wisdom that may skilfully guide us.

– Louise Newton