“The Sense-Telephones” and The Sacred Journey of Interiorization

The Reversal of Consciousness

In the ancient science of yoga, interiorization represents the sacred process of withdrawing consciousness from its habitual outward flow through the senses, turning it inward toward the divine Self. This profound journey transforms the practitioner from a being enslaved by external phenomena to one established in inner spiritual freedom.

Paramahansa Yogananda beautifully described this process: “The mind of man has been given an impossible task: that of making the soul happy through the instrumentality of the senses. The soul can be satisfied only by the perception of the presence of God, and the senses can never contact God.”

The Sense-Telephones: Gateways Turned Inward

The ancient yogis understood that the five senses function like telephones, constantly transmitting information from the external world to the consciousness within. These “sense-telephones” – sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell – ordinarily keep the mind scattered and externalized. The practice of interiorization involves consciously disconnecting these lines of outward communication and redirecting that same energy toward inner spiritual perception.

As Yogananda explained: “The five sense-telephones in the body are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. In ordinary waking consciousness, the life force flows outward through these five telephones, making one conscious of the material world. But when the life force is withdrawn from the five sense-telephones and centralized in the brain and the single eye of intuition, then one becomes conscious of the astral and causal worlds.”

Dharana: The Foundation of Concentration

Dharana (धारणा) represents the sixth limb of Patanjali’s eightfold path and marks the beginning of the inner journey. The word derives from the Sanskrit root “dhri,” meaning “to hold” or “to maintain.” It is the practice of sustained, one-pointed concentration.

The Yoga Sutras define dharana as: “Desha bandhas chittasya dharana” – “Concentration is the binding of consciousness to a single point or region.”

In dharana, the practitioner learns to gather the scattered rays of attention and focus them like a laser beam upon a chosen object – whether physical, mental, or spiritual. This might be concentration on the breath, a mantra, a visualization of light, or the spiritual eye (the point between the eyebrows).

Yogananda taught that true dharana occurs when “the mind becomes so absorbed in the object of concentration that the meditator forgets body, breath, and environment.” This represents the preliminary withdrawal from sense-consciousness.

Dhyana: The Flow of Unbroken Awareness

When dharana is sustained without interruption, it naturally evolves into Dhyana (ध्यान) – meditation or contemplation. While dharana requires effort to maintain focus, dhyana represents an effortless flow of awareness toward the object of meditation.

Patanjali describes this transition: “Tatra pratyayaikatanata dhyanam” – “Meditation is the uninterrupted flow of consciousness toward the object of concentration.”

In dhyana, the sense of effort dissolves. The meditator no longer struggles to maintain attention; instead, consciousness flows naturally and continuously toward the chosen focus, like oil poured from one vessel to another in an unbroken stream. As a

The Bhagavad Gita illuminates this state: “Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pashyanti yam yoginah” – “The yogis behold the Supreme Being through a mind established in meditation.”

Yogananda described dhyana as a state where “thoughts are stilled, and the soul communes with God through intuitive perception rather than through the intermediary of thoughts.”

Samadhi: Union and Transcendence

The culmination of interiorization is Samadhi (समाधि), literally meaning “to place together” or “to unite.” This represents the complete absorption of consciousness in the object of meditation, where the sense of separate self dissolves into unity.

Patanjali defines the transition: “Tad evarthamatra-nirbhasam svarupa-shunyam iva samadhih” – “When meditation deepens to the point where only the essence of the object shines forth, devoid of the form of the meditator, that is samadhi.”

The ancient texts describe various levels of samadhi, from savikalpa (with seed or form) to nirvikalpa (without seed or form). In the highest samadhi, even the object of meditation dissolves, leaving only pure consciousness aware of itself.

The Mandukya Upanishad speaks of this ultimate state: “Shantam shivam advaitam chaturtham manyante sa atma sa vijneyah” – “The fourth state is peaceful, blissful, non-dual; that is the Self, and that is to be realized.”

The Neurological Revolution

Modern neuroscience has begun to validate what the ancient sages intuited: that consciousness can indeed be withdrawn from sensory channels and concentrated in higher brain centers. The practice of interiorization activates the prefrontal cortex while calming the sensory processing areas, literally rewiring the brain for inner awareness.

Yogananda explained this from both spiritual and scientific perspectives: “When you withdraw the life force from the five sense-telephones by the practice of concentration and meditation, that energy becomes centered in the brain. The more life force you have in the brain, the more you can manifest divine qualities – wisdom, love, joy, and peace.”

The Vedic Foundation

The Rig Veda contains one of the earliest references to this inward journey: “Antar-bahishcha tat sarvam vyapya Narayana sthitah” – “The Divine pervades all, both within and without.” This verse suggests that while God exists everywhere, the inward path is the most direct route to realization.

The Katha Upanishad provides the classic metaphor: “Paranci khani vyatrinat svayambhuh tasmaat paranchi pashyati na antaratman. Kashchid dhirah pratyagatmanam aikshat avritta-chakshur amritatvam icchan” – “The Self-existent Being created the senses with outgoing tendencies; therefore, humans see the external world, not the inner Self. But rare individuals, seeking immortality, turn their gaze inward and behold the eternal Self.”

The Progressive Stages

The journey of interiorization unfolds through distinct stages:

Initial Withdrawal – Learning to consciously disconnect from sensory input without falling into unconsciousness or sleep.

Concentrated Attention – Gathering scattered mental energy into focused awareness (dharana).

Sustained Flow – Maintaining unbroken contemplation where effort gives way to natural absorption (dhyana).

Transcendent Union – Complete merger of subject and object in the bliss of samadhi.

Yogananda taught that this progression happens naturally when the preliminary conditions are met: “First, withdraw the life force from the senses through proper technique. Then concentrate that gathered energy at the spiritual eye. With practice, concentration becomes meditation, and meditation deepens into communion with God.”

Practical Guidance

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika offers practical wisdom: “Pratyahara indriyagramo manasash chakshushi layah” – “Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses, and the merging of the mind in the single eye of intuition.”

This “single eye” refers to the spiritual eye, the doorway through which consciousness passes from material to astral awareness. Yogananda consistently emphasized focusing attention at this point between the eyebrows as the most direct method for achieving interiorization.

The Ultimate Purpose

The Svetashvatara Upanishad reveals the ultimate goal: “Yadatmani pashyati atmanamatmanam atha sa sarva-gatah sarva-bhutantaratma” – “When one beholds the Self in the self through the Self, then one realizes the all-pervading Self dwelling within all beings.”

Interiorization is not escapism from the world, but rather the discovery of the divine presence that underlies all existence. Through dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, the practitioner awakens to their true nature as infinite consciousness, temporarily inhabiting but never limited by the physical form.

As Yogananda beautifully concluded: “The purpose of all yoga practice is to withdraw the consciousness from its identification with the body and realize its true nature as the ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new joy that is the soul.”

In this sacred reversal of awareness – from the sense-telephones back into the brain, from the external world back to the eternal Self – lies the profound promise of human spiritual evolution: the direct, personal realization of our divine nature.