Dharana: Sustained Attention Training

Dharana, the sixth limb, is concentration or holding attention steadily on one point. For ADHD brains where attention naturally disperses, dharana is both challenge and remedy. Patanjali describes dharana as "binding the mind to one place." Rather than viewing ADHD as an inability to focus, dharana reframes it as requiring deliberate training of attention muscles. The practice involves choosing a focal point—breath, mantra, visual object, or body sensation—and gently returning attention each time it wanders. Each return strengthens attention capacity. For ADHD individuals, dharana practice is uniquely valuable because it normalizes attention lapses; the practice isn't maintaining perfect focus but the repeated act of noticing distraction and redirecting. Starting with brief dharana sessions (two to five minutes) builds neural pathways supporting sustained attention without the shame of struggle. Over time, dharana develops the executive function capacity that ADHD challenges, while teaching self-compassion for the effort required.