Dharana, the sixth limb of yoga menas “immovable concentration of the mind” and is honing the mind toward a single object. It could be a prayer, mantra or intention, a sacred symbol or mandala, chanting, or visualization. Dharana is the first stage of meditation, building the mental ability to focus on only one object at a time, releasing the distractions of the world around us. Once the mind becomes trained for this concentration, mindfulness meditation can proceed. Dharana is different from the concentration used when you are solving a mathematical equation, or working on a cross-word or Sudoku puzzle, it involves holding the mind toward a single direction, rather that allowing it to be drawn in many different directions. You can think of it as training your mind for deeper states of meditation.
- Tratak (Candle Gazing) Practice - We can practice this simply by sitting in a darkened room with a candle burning safely in a holder. Sit comfortably and look into the flame of the candle. Do not allow your awareness to waver from the candle’s flame, even if the eyes begin to water. Every time a thought or emotion comes to the mind, return your attention to the candle flame without judging the ease or difficulty of this exercise.
DHYANA (Meditation)
Dhyana, the seventh limb of yoga, is a profound state of absorption in the object of meditation. Concentration We learn to differentiate between the mind of the perceiver, the means of perception, and the objects perceived—between words, their meanings and ideas. We realize that these are all fused in an undifferentiated continuum. One must apprehend both subject and object clearly in order to perceive their similarities.
During dharana, the mind becomes unidirectional, while during dhyana, it becomes ostensibly identified and engaged with the object of focus or attention. That is why, dharana must precede dhyana, since the mind needs focusing on a particular object before a connection can be made. If dharana is the contact, then dhyana is the connection. We become one with the object of contemplation in order to know the truth about it.
SAMADHI (Liberation)
Samadhi, the eighth and final limb of yoga is the the goal of the yogic process – the liberation of the mind from the confines of our sensory world and physical experiences. In Samadhi we experience the oneness at the center of our being, we are not separate beings with our own problems, our own struggles, our own pain. But we see that our hardships are shared by every creature and that our consciousness is part of a larger pervasive universal consciousness that exists everywhere. Our limited sense of self is dissolved into the universal awareness that is pure bliss and contentment and we become one with this universal flow. This is the goal of yoga, to experience your true nature as divine.
