Dhyana

(“meditation”) In the ashtanga yoga
(eight-point discipline) first arranged by
the philosopher Patanjali, dhyana is the
seventh of the eight elements of yoga
practice. Along with dharana (“concentration”) and samadhi (“trance”),
dhyana is one of the three parts known
as the “inner discipline” (samyama), the
culmination of yogic training. Dhyana is
described as an extension of dharana, in
which the fixed concentration upon an
object acquired in dharana is continued
and extended without break. In more colloquial modern usage, the word dhyana
can be used to describe any sort of
focused meditation.