Dharana

6. DHARANA:  the sixth limb of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
Concentration.  Dharana teaches the mind to focus on one point or image.  "Concentration is binding thought in one place." -Patanjali.  The objective is to still the mind to quietness by fixing your thoughts on one thing such as a candle flame, a flower, or a mantra.  In dharana, concentration is effortless- there is no sense of time passing.
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The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
This eightfold path of yoga describes the Hatha yoga we practice today:

1. Yama- non-violence, truth, non-stealing, non-lust, non-possessiveness, honesty
2. Niyama- purity, contentment, austerity, study of sacred text, awareness of divine
3. Asana- postures, exercise positions
4. Pranayama- life force or energy
5. Pratyahara- withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana- concentration
7. Dhyana- uninterrupted meditation
8. Samadhi- absolute bliss, enlightenment

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Patanjali

Patanjali, a humble physician, lived sometime between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. and is considered the father of modern yoga.  He compiled 195 sutras or concise aphorisms called The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, which is a fundamental text on the system of yoga, yet it does not describe postures or exercises.  Rather, it is a guide to help you cultivate body, mind, spiritual awareness, achieve a meditation practice, and ultimately attain enlightenment.

HISTORY OF YOGA | Part One

HISTORY OF YOGA | Part One
Yoga originated in India 5,000 years ago.  It has spread from the East to the West and now 20 million people practice yoga.
Indus Valley 3,000 B.C.
British colonization & archaeology discovered the beginnings of yoga.  Excavations unearthed ancient Indian civilization including remnants of yogic practice etched in stone.  Asanas can be seen in terra cotta figurines.  They traded resources with Mesopotamia and gained prosperity and wealth.  Sitting on the floor for long periods of time is ingrained in Indian culture.
Vedic Period 2,500 B.C.

• Sanskrit was their means of expression.  Veda means knowledge; the Hindu's sacred text.  Early yoga had a strong ritual component.  Sacrifice by fire.  Techniques to still the mind. 
• Rigvedic- earliest of Vedic texts.  Contains religious hymns, and allusions to myths and stories.
• Mantra Language- both mantra and prose language including 75 mantras not in the Rigveda
• Samhita prose- beginnings of Vedic canon. The Brahmana part is commentary on mantras and ritual
• Brahmana prose- the 4 Vedas belong to this period including Aranyakas, the oldest of the Upanishads, and the oldest Shrautasutras.
• Sutra language- This is the last stratum of Vedic Sanskrit leading up to 500 B.C.  All but the 5 prose Upanishads are post-Buddhist. 
• Epic and Paninian Sanskrit- language of the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, and the Classical Sanskrit considered post-Vedic after 500 B.C.

Wisdom of Upanishads 1000 - 500 B.C.

• New channels of analysis and critique.
• Texts written in the forest of clear, explicit signs of yoga.
• Bhagavad Gita- most beloved yogi text.

Period of Sutras 500 - 100 B.C.

• 6 systems of Indian thought.  Yoga is one of the orthodox systems of thought.  Buddhism and Jainism were considered unorthodox.
• Yoga was incorporated into Buddhism for the first time.
• Sutras- brought together from sporadic places throughout the Vedas.  It outlines the classical understanding of the mind.
• Most famous definition:  "Of minimal syllabary, unambiguous, pithy, comprehensive, continuous, and without flaw: who knows the sutra knows it to be thus.
• Canonical scriptures, many of which are regarded as records of the oral teachings of Buddha.

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