Dharana

Having learned to withdraw one's senses, to allow the dust in one's minds to settle, it is time to practice dharana. In pratyahara one becomes entirely passive, allowing thoughts and feelings to simply pass through without becoming attached to these sensations; rather, one acknowledges them and allows them to leave. The goal is not to block out sensations and thought but, rather, to not initiate them in the first place. This allows one to achieve a stillness and single-mindedness. Such single-mindedness is needed to practice dharana. In dharana, one focuses all one's thoughts and senses upon a single object. This may be a mantra or the breath or a visual object or a thought. The intent is to focus soley upon whatever object has been chosen to the exclusion of all other thoughts and senses.

In the syllabus of Yoga Pravesh, one Upasana Program was included. It contained Japa (continuous recitation) of Om as the study of the Dhyana Process. If we study Ashtang Yoga, it is seen that Dhyana as a process comes later in the study. Dharana comes before Dhyana process. Yoga Pravesh syllabus did not cover a thorough study of Yoga and as such the word Dhyana was used only as a popular term. In fact, though termed as Dhyana, it was just a stage, which comes even before Dharana.

While describing the eight aspects (angas) of Ashtang Yoga, Patanjali has stated Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi as the last three aspects. It is also stated by him that all the three aspects are collectively termed as " Sanyam " (Control). This implies that all the three aspects should be considered together. We should also bear in mind while studying that Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are progressively advanced stages of concentration. The highest stage of mental concentration described by the modern psychologists is more or less similar to the description of Dharana i.e. the primary stage of concentration as described by Patanjali.This indicates the thoughtfulness of Patanjali while describing the three stages.

Another characteristic of these three stages is that there is no dividing line in between these stages. When certain progress is made in the studies of Dharana, Dhyana stage is automatically entered into and with the progress in Dharana stage, Sadhaka automatically enters in the Samadhi stage. The three stages mingle into each other as easily as three colours are mixed into each other on the canvass of an artist. During this syllabus we will not study all the three stages. We will consider only the first stage Dharana. We had studied this topic generally during the Yoga Pravesh syllabus. Now we will study Dharana as an independent process.

Patanjali has suggested that Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi should be considered together and not independently. Hence, while enumerating the results, the results of dharana are not stated separately, but the result of all the three are given together. However, he has clarified that the effects will depend on the "Alamban" too, with the examples of different "Alamban". As the topic is not covered in this syllabus, it is not discussed further over here.

The last three limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are the three essential stages of meditation. Dharana involves developing and extending our powers of concentration. This consists of various ways of directing and controlling our attention and mind-fixing skills, such as concentrating on the chakras or turning inwards.

Dharana, the sixth limb of the Yoga philosopher Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, literally means 'immovable concentration of the mind'. The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. This is not the forced concentration of, for example, solving a difficult mathematics problem; rather dharana is a form of closer to the state of mind, which could be called receptive concentration.

In practicing dharana, conditions are created for the mind to focus its attention in one direction instead of radiating out in a million different directions. Deep contemplation and reflection usually creates the right conditions, and the focus on a single chosen point becomes more intense. Concentrative meditative techniques encourage one particular activity of the mind, and the more intense it becomes the more the other preoccupation of the mind cease to exist.

The objective in dharana is to steady the mind by focusing its attention upon some stable entity. Before retracting his senses, on may practice focusing attention on a single inanimate object. After the mind becomes prepared for meditation, it is better able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience. Now if the yogi chooses to focus on the center (chakra) of inner energy flow, he/she can directly experience the physical and mental blocks and imbalances that remain in his or her system. This ability to concentrate depends on excellent psychological health and integration and is not an escape from reality, but rather a movement towards the perception of the true nature of the Self.