Dharana is the sixth of the eight steps of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga. Dharana can be translated as "holding steady", and it is the initial step of deep meditation, where the object being meditated upon is held in the mind without consciousness wavering from it. The difference between Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi is that in the former, the object of meditation, the meditator, and the act of meditation itself remain separate. That is, the meditator is conscious that he or she is meditating (that is, is conscious of the act ...

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dharana

Fixed mental concentration, the seventh of the eight steps in the yoga method of Patanjali. When dhyana, meditation, is more deeply focused it becomes dharana.

(See also: dharana, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

dharana:

yogic concentration or attention

(See also: dharana, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Dharana (Concentration)

Fix the mind on some object either within the body or outside. Keep it there steady for some time. This is Dharana. You will have to practise this daily. Laya-Yoga has its basis on Dharana.

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Dharana: Concentration in Yoga - Dharana

The sage Patanjali postulated an eight-fold system of spiritual yogic practice for achieving the divine goal. It comprises:

Yam (Controls) Niyam (Rules and regulations) Asan (Bodily Postures) Pranaayam (Breath Control Exercises) Pratyahaar (Sense control) Dharana (Concentration) Dhyaana (Meditation) Samadhi (Mergence)

(See also: Patanjali, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

The Sanskrit word 'yoga' is derived from the root verb yuj, which means union. The supreme union of individual mind and cosmic mind is yoga. In his Yogasutras , Patanjali advocated the eight-fold path of astanga yoga . Its eight limbs are: yama (self-restraint), niyama (life-regulating moral rules and observances), asana (postures of bodily restfulness), pranayama (breath control), pratyahar (withdrawal of senses), dharana (fixing the mind on the Supreme), dhyana (absorption of self), and samadhi (liberation of the soul).

Read more here: » Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Supreme Union of Body, Mind, Soul with the Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Yog means union. Union with a supreme power which is the source of creation, perfection and destruction. Union with the supreme intellect and the guiding force behind the perfect mechanism of the universe. Yoga is merging oneself with this force that guides the human being to a state of total bliss. A human being is a small universe in itself. When the consciousness of this small universe unites with the energy prevailing in the vast canopy of the universe the union is complete and the light of wisdom starts flowing in the human body. The light contains everything a human needs to evolve. A human is a part of nature and constantly striving for perfection. This is the natural course of evolution because god is the personification of ultimate perfection.

Read more here: » Yoga Philosophy: Yoga - Beyond The Body And Mind

Yoga Philosophy explained thru the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. The roots of Yoga can be traced back roughly 5,000 years to the Indus Valley civilization, where seals depicting people performing asanas (yoga postures) were used in trade along the river. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" meaning to yoke, join or unite. It is the union of all aspects of an individual: body, mind and soul. Hence, Yoga reunites all opposites - mind and body, stillness and movement, masculine and feminine, sun and moon - in order to bring reconciliation between them. Yoga is one of the six branches in Indian philosophy and is referred to throughout the Vedas – the ancient scriptures of India. There is a legend that says that the knowledge of Yoga was first offered by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and then passed on to the world.

Read more here: » Patanjali: Yoga Philosophy and the Patanjali Yoga Sutras

The sage Patanjali postulated an eight-fold system of spiritual yogic practice for achieving the divine goal. It comprises:

Yam - Controls, Niyam - Rules and regulations, Asan - Bodily Postures, Pranaayam - Breath Control Exercises, Pratyahaar - Sense control, Dharana - Concentration, Dhyaana - Meditation, Samadhi - Mergence

Read more here: » Patanjali Yoga: Patanjali System Of Yoga

Yogi Bhusunda

Yogi Bhusunda is one of the Chiranjivis amongst the Yogins. He was the master in the science of Pranayama. It is said that a big nest, like a mountain, was built by him on the southern branch of the Kalpa Vriksha, situated at the northern summit of the Mahameru. Bhusunda lived in this nest. He was a Trikala Jnani.

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Yogis: Yogi Bhusunda

Hinduism and Yoga

Yoga means union. Yoga aims to bring this union through the integration of various components of the body and mind into one harmonious whole and in the next stage through the union of the individual self with the Higher Self. Yoga unites a disorganized body and mind into one performing whole leading to the opening of energy channels and flowering of his consciousness. 

Read more here: » Hinduism: Hinduism and Yoga

Here is a part of Patanjalis yoga-aphorisms describing the supernatural powers of a yogi. An extract from the Patanjali Yoga Sutras.

Read more here: » Sidhis - Supernatural Powers Patanjali Yoga Sutras - Illumination (Part IV of IV)

In the language of yoga, the purpose or the effect of continuous nada sadhana on the human mind is ananda - extreme bliss.

Nada, or sound, is divided into two parts - aahada and anhada, heard and unheard. Heard means that which is possible for you to hear 'through the physical ears', and unheard means 'felt', which is the condition of nada before it is musically shaped and regularised. Then come the shrutis, then swaras, notes, which from time to time have been explained by the masters.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Movement of the Mind

After a short practice of meditation you will feel that the body gets lighter in a short time, say fifteen or thirty minutes after you have taken your seat on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana according to your taste and temperament. You may be semiconscious of the body and surroundings or you may become quite unconscious of the body.

Read more here: » Mystical Experiences: Movement of the Mind

This body becomes lean, strong and healthy. Too much fat is reduced. There is lustre in the face. Eyes sparkle like diamonds. The practitioner becomes very handsome. Voice becomes sweet and melodious. The inner Anahata sounds are distinctly heard. The student is free from all sorts of diseases. He gets established in Brahmacharya. Semen gets firm and steady. The Jatharagni (gastric fire) is augmented.

Excerpt from the book Kundalini Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Pranayama: Benefits Of Pranayama

Instructions On Siddhis

By the process of Hatha Yoga, the Yogi attains perfect physical body-Rupalavanya Bala Vajrasam-hanana Kaya Sampat. "The perfection of the body consists in beauty, grace, strength and adamantine hardness." The power to bear extreme cold and heat (Titiksha), the power to live without water and food and other powers come under the category of Kaya Sampat (perfection of body).

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Siddhis: Instructions On Siddhis

The word Yoga comes from the root Yuj which means to join. Yoga is restraint of the activities of the mind, and is the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul.

Hiranyagarbha is the founder of the Yoga system. The Yoga founded by Patanjali Maharshi is a branch or supplement of the Sankhya. It has its own charm for students of a mystic temperament and of a contemplative type. It claims greater orthodoxy than the Sankhya proper by directly acknowledging the existence of a Supreme Being (Isvara).

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Yoga: Hindu Philosophy - The Yoga

According to the renowned German scholar Max Mueller, the study of mental states is unique to India. He also opined that ekagrata or one-pointedness that India spoke of was unknown, and to a large extent, incomprehensible to the Western world. And this viewpoint holds true even today.

Dhayana or meditation is a state of concentration or mental activity in which the mind can stay focused on an object chosen for concentration without wavering and without getting distracted. When we are engaged in an activity, which will increase our attention span on `our chosen object of concentration' then we are trying to generate a meditative experience by improving our concentration or attention span.

(See also: Meditation and Concentration, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

dharana: (Sanskrit) "Concentration." From dri, "to hold." See: meditation, raja yoga, shraddadharana, yoga.

(See also: Dharana, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

raja yoga: (Sanskrit) "King of yogas."

Also known as ashtanga yoga, "eight-limbed yoga." The classical yoga system of eight progressive stages to Illumination as described in various yoga Upanishads, the Tirumantiram and, most notably, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

The eight limbs are as follows.

1)    yama: "Restraint." Virtuous and moral living, which brings purity of mind, freedom from anger, jealousy and subconscious confusion which would inhibit the process of meditation.

2)    niyama: (Sanskrit) "Observance." Religious practices which cultivate the qualities of the higher nature, such as devotion, cognition, humility and contentment- giving the refinement of nature and control of mind needed to concentrate and ultimately plunge into samadhi.

3)    asana: "Seat or posture." A sound body is needed for success in meditation. This is attained through hatha yoga, the postures of which balance the energies of mind and body, promoting health and serenity, e.g., padmasana, the "lotus pose," for meditation. The Yoga Sutras indicate that asanas make the yogi impervious to the impact of the pairs of opposites (dvandva), heat-cold, etc.

4)    pranayama: "Mastering life force." Breath control, which quiets the chitta and balances ida and pingala. Science of controlling prana through breathing techniques in which lengths of inhalation, retention and exhalation are modulated. Pranayama prepares the mind for deep meditation.

5)    pratyahara: "Withdrawal." The practice of withdrawing consciousness from the physical senses first, such as not hearing noise while meditating, then progressively receding from emotions, intellect and eventually from individual consciousness itself in order to merge into the Universal.

6)    dharana: "Concentration." Focusing the mind on a single object or line of thought, not allowing it to wander. The guiding of the flow of consciousness. When concentration is sustained long and deeply enough, meditation naturally follows.

7)    dhyana: "Meditation." A quiet, alert, powerfully concentrated state wherein new knowledge and insight pour into the field of consciousness. This state is possible once the subconscious mind has been cleared or quieted.

8)    samadhi: "Enstasy," which means "standing within one's self." "Sameness, contemplation." The state of true yoga, in which the meditator and the object of meditation are one.

See: yoga, asana, samadhi, raja yoga.

(See also: Raja Yoga, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)