Have you ever been in such deep concentration that you lose track of time? Dharana is the practice of focus which leads the mind to rest and serves as a prelude towards meditation.
This is the sixth part in a series of eight articles about what “Ashtanga” really means, as derived from Patanjali’s ancient text of wisdom called the Yoga Sutras.
(Asht = Eight, Tanga = Limbs. Not to be confused with Ashtanga Yoga, a practice founded by yoga guru Pattabhi Jois.)
By Sherri Melwani
Have you ever been in such deep concentration that you lose track of time? I recently started attending a jewellery school, and when I am practicing a new technique, my attention is so focused on the project that I find hours have passed by and I have forgotten lunch. In some ways, such intense concentration provides a “break” from vrittis, the mental disturbances.
Dharana is the practice of focusing the mind towards ekagrata, or one-pointed focus. Dharana leads the mind to rest and serves as a prelude towards meditation.
Pratyahara is the withdrawal of energy from the senses. When we realize we are beyond the senses, we feel empowered and in control of our life experiences. Dharana builds upon Pratyahara as we work more specifically with the mind. The ability to direct and focus the mind on one point for a period of time leads us to a meditative state of concentration, or Dhyana—and then bliss, Samadhi, follows.
READ Pratyahara, The Fifth Limb of Ashtanga
Taming the Monkey Mind
The mind is in the habit of jumping around—like a monkey—always gravitating towards drama and the desires of senses. Sounds, sights and constant stimulation keep our nervous system on overdrive. When we get used to this state of being, keeping ourselves still and focused becomes very difficult.
However, through the complete practice of yoga, where each limb builds upon the previous limb, we learn to train the body and mind to work for us. When we focus attention solely on one thing, such as a project, pose or object, it is almost impossible to get distracted by worries or other stimuli. Of course there will be moments in our training where our concentration shifts and we get distracted, but we can be gentle with ourselves and keep trying. This is the practice of Dharana, where we are attempting to direct the mind into that single-pointed focus that can lead to self-mastery. We then realize that we are beyond the mind… because “we” are the ones who control the mind.
Fight or Flight
The nature of the mind is to think and create. Our ego urges us to believe that in order to be successful in life, we need to do a million things that can be quantified and seen. As the ultimate multitaskers, we have too much on our To-Do Lists, which leaves us overwhelmed and unable to focus. It also leads to being in hyper drive most of the time, which prompts the hypothalamus in the brain to activate the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal-cortical system to switch on the ‘fight or flight’ response. However, we can find relief from stress when we learn to direct the mind and focus it using certain Dharana techniques.
Dharana through Asana
Some poses, especially the balancing poses, can give us a taste of experiencing ekagrata. For this reason, we often feel an overall sense of well-being after an asana class where poses are held for longer duration of time.
When I started a yoga class for patients at The Institute for Mental Health in Singapore, I discovered that many minds were overwhelmed and enslaved by their thoughts, which had become the master and dictator of their lives. Consequently, their quality of life had been diminished, and they, along with their families or communities, sought professional assistance to lessen their suffering and balance their mind. I continue to work with these patients using non-invasive techniques, such as asana, pranayama and meditation, to stimulate their ability to practice Dharana—and I have witnessed a dramatic improvement.
One of our favourite poses is the Tree Pose, Vrksasana. During this pose, just as with other balancing poses, it is nearly impossible to think about anything other than maintaining the pose. Such intense concentration provides a much needed break from other worries and fluctuations of the mind. It is evident how relaxed and satisfied they appear on completing the pose. They experience empowerment through these simple techniques, and learn how accessible peace of mind can be once they fix their attention on something other than their mental suffering.
Two simple ways to practice Dharana
1. Mantra & Kirtan: By repeating a word or phrase, we steer the mind into silence. You can easily find, listen and chant/sing along to many mantras and kirtans online these days.
2. Candle Gazing: Light a candle in a dim or completely darkened, still room. Begin to focus on the tip of the candle flame without breaking concentration for about one or two minutes. Allow your eyes to blink as they need, but don’t look away from the flame. Be comfortable. Concentrate only on the light. Nothing else. Set a timer if you need. If you’d like to go further, after gazing at the flame for one to two minutes, close the eyes softly and “see” how long you can maintain the image of the flame behind closed eyelids. When you lose the image, open the eyes again and gaze at the candle for another minute or so, then close the eyes once more and try to “see” the flame. This technique is an easier version of Trataka, the candle meditation that focuses on drishti, or steady gaze, where you shouldn’t even blink while you stare at the candle flame.
Thus, Dharana techniques teach us how to rely on our own inner light and become self-reliant. When we can hold Dharana for a while, we merge into a state of Dhyana, or meditation, which is the seventh limb of yoga and will be discussed in the next issue.
READ Dhyana, The Seventh Limb of Ashtanga
Sherriann Melwani is a yoga teacher who teaches in Asia and Europe.
