desabhandascittasya dhrana
Concentrantion locks consciousness on a single area – Yoga Sutra 3.1
Missed the first 5 limbs? Click here.
And this is where it gets complicated. Because I’m writing about theory rather than practice. Because I’m not convinced I’ll get much further than limb 5 in this lifetime. I guess that’s why we call this yoga practice!
Let’s think about the white rabbit. You know the fellow, from Alice in Wonderland. Always rushing about checking his watch convinced he’s late for something, something important. Something so important in fact that it never happens.
Recognise any aspects of the white rabbit in yourself? I do. There are never enough hours in my day. Never enough time to get everything done. The only person who sets these ridiculous limits, this mysterious “everything” that must get done every day, is me. Well that ego part of myself anyway. Because sometimes when the “everything” doesn’t get done, the sky doesn’t fall in after all and the universe remains much unaffected.
In the west, most of us have grown up surrounded by the flash and the neon, the smoke and the mirrors of modern life. TV, music, radio, books, theatre, newspapers, magazines, endless advertising. Most of that isn’t a bad thing. I for one do not want to live in a world without fiction (film, book or TV based). But it can mean we are pretty hopeless at concentrating on anything for longer than about 3 nanoseconds before our brains go off on a tangent. Be honest now, how many times during savasana or meditation in your yoga class have you started mentally preparing the evening meal, or tomorrow’s to do list? Show of hands please. Yup, thought so! 
So asking the average westerner like myself to sit down and begin a practice of dharana (concentration) would be pretty hopeless. You might as well give me a pen and paper and I’ll write the to do list. We have to work on being in the present moment in other ways.
And this is where once again we bring asana back into the equation (I told you in many ways it’s one of the most important aspects of this westernised practice we call yoga!). Our bodies by their very nature are in the present moment all the time. It is our minds that travel all over the place. So when we come onto our mats and hold a posture, we have to bring the body and mind together (and this isn’t something we do that often during a normal day). As the mind stays with the body and with the posture, so the practice of concentration begins. Ever noticed how life slows down just a little when you’re on your mat? Ever noticed how you can start to feel just a little bit more at one with the world? That’s dharana, right there.
But being in the present moment, being mindful, doesn’t have to wait until the next time you are on your mat. Stay with the present moment next time you’re stuck in a traffic jam, or a seemingly endless and slow moving queue. Practice when you clean your teeth. Practice mindful eating (click here for an exercise in that). Noticing when your mind is racing, noticing when the present moment is running away from you is the hardest part. Once you’ve noticed that pull yourself back and just be.
At first it will be only just for a moment before you lose it again, but it is there. The practice of dharana, like everything, starts with baby steps.
Concentration must be applied stage by stage – Yoga Sutra 3.6
Rachel, you have a wonderful gift for saying familiar things in a simple yet revealing new way. Thank you! Namaste.
Love the white rabbit analogy, so true! I think I’ll slow down, sit down and enjoy my coffee now. Thanks Rachel!