The Yoga Sutras and The 8 Limbs of Yoga - Dhyana and Samadhi
DHYANA – Meditative Absorption
The sixth limb, dharana, requires focused attention on one specific internal or external object, whereas dhyana, the seventh limb, requires a broader meditative state. Dharana may involve fragmented moments of concentration, while dhyana is a continuous flow. Dhyana is a state of being that taps into the practitioner’s self-awareness or soul. Often, dhyana is used interchangeably with the practice of meditation. There is, however, a distinct difference between meditation as a practice and the state of being that is dhyana. Meditation is the pathway to the state of dhyana. Through the mantras and one-pointed attention, you can break through to total awareness. It may feel like complete absorption into oneness - which is beyond time and space. And you will probably only know that you may have experienced Dhyana once you come out of it because if a thought pops up that you may be in Dhyana, we’re already out of it. This is a practice that isn’t a ‘practice’ in the same sense as it is for the previous 6 limbs. This is a state of consciousness that happens organically as a result of having practiced the previous 6 limbs.
SAMADHI – Bliss or Enlightenment, Oneness
These last three limbs - Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are often studied together and are called antaratma sadhana, or the innermost quest. Especially Dhyana and Samadhi may happen spontaneously after practicing the previous 6 limbs with dedication. You probably know the word samadhi as meaning ‘bliss’ or ‘enlightenment’. Looking at the Sanskrit, we see that Samadhi is made up of two words; ‘sama’ meaning ‘same’ or ‘equal’, and ‘dhi’ meaning ‘to see’. The ability to ‘see equally’ and without disturbance from the mind, without our experience being conditioned by likes, dislikes, our pains or traumas, or our habits, and without a need to judge or become attached to any particular aspect; that is bliss. The pure knowledge of seeing and realising just ‘what is’, this stage is not about attaching to happiness or a sensation of ‘bliss’, but instead it’s about seeing life and reality for exactly what it is.