Dhyana

Meditation. Seventh limb of Ashtanga Yoga.

Uninterrupted flow of attention toward the object of concentration. The difference from dharana is quantitative: in dharana there is effort and attention is frequently interrupted; in dhyana, concentration becomes continuous and effortless.

Patañjali describes it as “a constant flow of cognition toward the object.” The mind stops oscillating and remains stably focused.

Dhyana cannot be forced. It arises naturally when prior conditions are mature.