Dharana Philosophy

• The sixth limb is dharana, defined as “keeping the attention on a single place.” (Nicolai Bachman)
• Dharana is often defined as concentration.
• Dharana may be considered the beginning of meditation or as a practice that leads to the state of meditation. (See also: Meditation & Mindfulness Introduction.)
• This process can be described as letting go of everything that is not the object of meditation.
• Nischala Joy Devi points out that by defining dharana as “concentration,” we may be implying an intensity that brings on tension. She points out that the easeful aspect of dharana may be better cultivated by defining it as “contemplation” or “reflection” instead.

DHARANA IS TRAINING THE MIND

When the chittam, or sum-total of the mind, is being bound by one thing or bound in one place, it is in dharana. In other words, in dharana you are training the mind. It is the beginning of meditation. Concentration is the beginning of meditation; meditation is the culmination of concentration. They are more or less inseparable. – Sri Swami Satchidananda 

CONCENTRATION IS ONE-POINTEDNESS OF MIND

Concentration is one-pointedness of mind, the ability to hold the awareness of the mind on one point, one place, without wavering. The perfection of concentration leads to meditation… Just as we need a sharp pencil to write with or a sharp knife to cut with, the mind also must be sharpened through the practices of concentration… In yoga, by focusing all the faculties at one point, we concentrate and relax the mind. Instead of a hundred things happening simultaneously, perhaps ten things will happen and ninety percent of our faculties will be at one point. This is the concept of dharana, the aspect of mental training in yoga. – Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati