dharana means single-minded focus or concentration as part of practising yoga. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “dharana” is a great word
DHARANA — [Noun] The yogic practice of single-minded concentration, specifically the sixth limb of Patanjali's path, in which the mind is fixed unwaveringly upon a single point or object. From Sanskrit धारणा (dhāraṇā, literally "act of holding, bearing, or retaining"). Unlike *dhyana*, which is the sustained, river-like contemplation that follows, or *samadhi*, the final absorption where subject and object merge, dharana is the initial, rigorous tethering of awareness. It is the unwavering flame of a candle observed in a dark room, the silent repetition of a single syllable in the mind’s ear, and the patient tracing of the breath’s path from nostril to lung—a willful gathering of scattered light into one beam, the difficult art of making a vessel for the mind.
Etymology
From Sanskrit धारणा (dhāraṇā).
noun
- Single-minded focus or concentration as part of practising yoga.