July 20, 2025

Dhyāna: The Art of Unbroken Awareness and the Door to Samādhi

28 minutes

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ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: Dhyāna – Meditation as a Stream of Awareness

Meditation is not a technique. It is a state.

In this episode, we explore Dhyāna (meditative absorption) not as a separate practice from āsana and prāṇāyāma, but as a natural evolution of consistent sādhanā. We reflect on how meditation emerges when attention becomes steady, the senses withdraw, and the breath is refined. We also clarify the difference between concentration (Dharana), meditation (Dhyāna), and absorption (Samādhi) in the traditional yogic framework.

DEFINITION AND ETYMOLOGY OF DHYĀNA

Dhyāna (ध्यान) comes from the root dhī – to reflect, contemplate, or hold in mind.

It is the 7th limb of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga.

Patañjali defines it as the uninterrupted flow of concentration on one object (YS 3.2):

“tatra pratyaya ekatānatā dhyānam”
Meditation is the continuous focus on a single object.

KEY CONCEPTS

Dhyāna is not about silencing thoughts, but about sustaining one object of meditation without distraction.

The practice begins with Dharana (placing the mind) and matures into Dhyāna (sustained presence).

It is not a doing—but a being.

The breath becomes a bridge into this quiet state.

When Dhyāna deepens, it becomes Samādhi—the state where the distinction between meditator, object, and meditation dissolves.

TEXTUAL SOURCES

Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali – Chapters 3.1–3.3 on Dharana, Dhyāna, and Samādhi as the integrated process of Samyama.

Bhagavad Gītā (Chapter 6) – describing the seat, discipline, and mindset of a meditator.

Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā (Chapter 4) – linking prāṇāyāma and mudrā to the rise of natural meditation.

INTEGRATING DHYĀNA IN PRACTICE

Cultivate a stable āsana, refine prāṇāyāma, and allow the senses to turn inward (pratyāhāra).

Sit each day—even for a few minutes—in stillness.

Use the breath, mantra, or internal light (jyotir) as a support.

Trust that meditation will reveal itself through repetition, simplicity, and sincerity.

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By Aaron Petty + Paige Taylah

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