The Seventh Limb of Yoga: Dhyana

Dhyana: When Attention Becomes Meditation

The seventh limb of The Eight Limbs of Yoga is dhyana, meditation. It grows naturally out of concentration.

If dharana is the practice of placing the mind on an object, dhyana is the sustained flow of attention toward that object.

Patañjali writes: “Meditation is the steady, uninterrupted flow of attention toward the object of our focus.” - Yoga Sutra 3.2 (Sutras Yoga)

This distinction can help demystify meditation. Meditation isn't necessarily about having no thoughts. It isn't about achieving a particular mystical experience. It is about cultivating a different relationship with attention.

We notice.

We return.

We remain.

Over time, the effort involved in returning becomes less dominant, and awareness becomes steadier.

The yogic tradition understands this steadiness as transformative because we begin to see the patterns of the mind without being completely swept away by them.

Dhyana in everyday life

Meditation can happen on a cushion in a quiet room, but the qualities of meditation can begin to influence everything else. You might take three quiet minutes before opening your email. You might sit with your morning tea without reaching for your phone. You might listen to someone you love without planning your response. You might notice a difficult emotion without immediately naming it a problem that needs to be solved.

Meditation teaches us to stay.

Not forever.

Just long enough to actually experience what is here.

Check out yoga class schedule to find meditation workshops and classes at our Hillsboro yoga studio.