Dharana is the practice of single-pointed concentration, and it is the sixth of the eight limbs of yoga as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. Dharana involves binding the attention to a single object — a physical point, an image, a mantra, or the breath — and sustaining that focus without interruption. It is the first of the three “inner” limbs of the eight-limbed path, together with dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption), which Patanjali groups together as samyama, the combined practice of concentration, meditation, and absorption applied to a single object.
Etymology
The word dharana derives from the Sanskrit root “dhri” (धृ), meaning “to hold,” “to sustain,” or “to fix firmly.” As a noun, dharana means “holding,” “concentration,” or “fixed attention.” The same root gives rise to “dharma” (that which upholds or sustains order) and appears in words describing steadiness and support more broadly, reflecting the shared conceptual link between holding something firmly in place and the discipline of holding the mind in place.
Position in the Eight Limbs
Dharana is the sixth of the eight limbs, following yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, and pratyahara, and preceding dhyana and samadhi. Patanjali defines dharana (Yoga Sutra III.1) as “desha bandhah chittasya” — binding the mind to a particular place or object. It follows directly from pratyahara: only once the senses have withdrawn from external distraction does the mind have the stability required to fix itself deliberately on a single point.
How Dharana Is Practiced
Dharana is typically practiced by selecting a single object of focus and gently, repeatedly returning attention to it whenever the mind wanders. Common objects include the sensation of the breath at the nostrils, a candle flame (trataka), a mantra repeated silently, an image of a deity or teacher, or a specific point in the body such as the space between the eyebrows. Unlike dhyana, which describes a sustained, uninterrupted flow of attention, dharana describes the more effortful, repeated act of returning to the chosen point each time the mind drifts.
Dharana and Dhyana
Classical texts describe dharana as the practice from which dhyana naturally develops. When the repeated effort of dharana becomes uninterrupted — when the mind rests on its object continuously, without the need for repeated redirection — the practice is said to have matured into dhyana. Patanjali treats the two as points on a continuum of increasing depth and stability, rather than as entirely separate techniques.
Dharana in Modern Yoga
Contemporary meditation instruction, including many mindfulness-based approaches, closely mirrors the classical description of dharana: choosing an anchor for attention, such as the breath, and gently returning to it each time the mind wanders. While modern secular framings often strip away the broader eight-limbed context, the core technique — sustained, deliberate concentration on a single object — remains substantially the same practice Patanjali described.
Common Misconceptions
A common misconception treats dharana and dhyana as synonyms, both loosely translated as “meditation.” Classical texts distinguish them clearly: dharana is the effortful practice of concentration, marked by repeated returns of a wandering mind, while dhyana describes the more mature, sustained state that can follow from consistent dharana practice.
A second misconception is that dharana requires an empty or blank mind. The practice does not demand the absence of thought, but rather a stable, repeated redirection of attention back to a chosen object whenever thoughts inevitably arise.