Dhārana - Gateway to Meditation

Of the several ways to realize the vibrational benefits of gemstones, wearing a gemstone is a important use, referred to as dhārana, meaning holding or wearing.

I'll get into the diversity of gemstone uses (including taking them internally), but dhārana is an especially interesting word, as it also refers to a very important element in the practice of yoga.  It is seated in the ashtanga (eight-fold path) just above āsana (postures), pranāyama (breath control) and pratyahāra (restraint of the senses). Considered the first stage of meditation, in this context dhārana means holding a particular thought or posture within the mind for a short period of time.  It is concentration on a godly idea or vision, or "fixation of attention."

Mastering dhārana opens the door to longer periods of unboken focus called dhyāna, or meditation proper. Practicing dhyana leads to truly sustained focus in a space beyond the mind, called samādhi, (yes that samadhi) which is the goal of all meditation and other yogic practices. Together these three durations of silent focus – dhārana, dhyāna and samādhi – are called samyama and form the basis of a very high practice of yoga, called rāja yoga.

In future posts, I'll offer specific dhāranas for us to work with.