DHARANA

Sanskrit Dharana, in the Yoga system of Indian philosophy, the sixth of the eight stages intended to lead the aspirant to samadhi (self-collectedness), the state of perfect concentration. In dharana, the mind concentrates its attention on a single external object. Sufficient prolongation of dharana results in a deeper state of concentration, dhyana (Sanskrit: concentrated meditation), in which there is a constant identification between the meditator and the object of meditation. These two stages and the final one of samadhi are much alike and may be difficult to differentiate from one another.