Dharana, Dhyan & Samadhi = Meditation
Meditation is one of the biggest buzz words and concepts of our time. Many want it but don’t know how to get it. Yoga gives us a system for achieving meditation but it should be noted that it is the last step in a holistic system insinuating that there are other steps to take in preparation for meditation.
Choose an object
Dharana
Dhṛ means “to hold.” The essential idea in the concept of dhāraṇā is holding the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. We create the conditions for the mind to focus its attention in one direction instead of going out in many different directions. Deep contemplation and reflection can create the right conditions, and the focus on this one point that we have chosen becomes more intense. We encourage one particular activity of the mind and, the more intense it becomes, the more the other activities of the mind fall away. The condition in which the mind focuses and concentrates exclusively on one point. This point can be anything at all, but it is always just a single object. Dhāraṇā is only one step away from dhyāna, contemplation or meditation.
Focus on the object & sustain
Dhyana
During dhāraṇā the mind is moving in one direction like a quiet river—nothing else is happening. In dhyāna, one becomes involved with a particular thing—a link is established between self and object. In other words, you perceive a particular object and at the same time continuously communicate with it. Dhāraṇā must precede dhyāna, because the mind needs focusing on a particular object before a connection can be made. Dhāraṇā is the contact, and dhyāna is the connection.
become one or merge with object
Samahdi
When we succeed in becoming so absorbed in something that our mind becomes completely one with it, we are in a state of samādhi. Samādhi means “to bring together, to merge.” In samādhi our personal identity—name, profession, family history, bank account, and so forth—completely disappears. In the moment of samādhi none of that exists anymore. Nothing separates us from the object of our choice; instead we blend and become one with it
The Progression Dharana via Dhyana to Samadhi
The Yogic Process of Mediation
Step 1 - CHOOSE and Object = Dharana
Step 2 - FOCUS on that object = Dhyana
Step 3 - Become absorbed and merge with the object = Samadhi
