Dharana

Dhāraṇā

To seek mind with the discriminating mind is the greatest of all mistakes.

~Hsin Hsin Min

Dharana prepares us for the final limbs that comprise the samyama: dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. The English translation of dharana, “to hold,” is the initial practice for the further meditational practices of dhyana. The mind is unbounded by negative, self-deprecating thoughts or insatiable quests for sensory satisfaction. Although interrupted, the focus is maintained on the object, the meditator and the act of meditation; in dhyana, we are only aware of the object and that we exist. The body and mind are content with the regular adherence to the purifying stipulations of the earlier four limbs of Patañjali’s Ashtanga system. By this stage, we have noticed yoga’s  purifying effects in our body and mind.

The discerning intellect can not unwind its own habitual patterns solely by finding answers through language. By calming our thoughts, true awareness may arise and peace may emerge. Dharana seeks to maintain our focus on a static or dynamic object—similar to the gaze held in drishti—freeing the discriminating mind to subside, so that  unity, although interrupted, with the object will be harnessed upon. While pratyahara is considered an introspective discrimination into the reality we have created for ourselves, we use the freedom and empowerment this knowledge has illuminated within us to allow for the outward direction–in a  non-discriminatory fashion.

Although the illusory mental disturbances will still prevail, we are more adept at recognizing the triggers and their psychophysiological correlation. This will allow us to identify the precursors to anxietal responses and use de-stressing techniques to calm us down. Such autoimmune responses must be remedied in the short term to ensure a long-term change in our neural networks. Repetition of anxious states may be changed to more adaptive qualities, allowing us to view each trade as a new, non-threatening, and potentially positive event. We should not have determined a negative speculative outcome before we embark on a task. Freedom from a debilitating mind that’s caught-up in past or future events will not allow for concentration on anything, let alone stand up to the complex nature of the markets