- Concentration is the confining of the mind within a limited mental area
(object of concentration).
As has been pointed out already, the first five Angas of Yoga eliminate, step by
step, the external causes of mental distraction. Yama and Niyama eliminate the distur-
bances which are caused by uncontrolled emotions and desires. Asana and Pranayama
eliminate the disturbances arising from the physical body. Pratyahara, by detaching
the sense-organs from the mind, cuts off the external world and the impressions which
it produces on the mind. The mind is thus completely isolated from the external world
and the Sadhaka is thus in a position to grapple with it without any interference from
outside. It is only under these conditions that the successful practice of Dharana, Dhy-
ana and Samadhi is possible.
Although the different Angas of Yoga appear to be independent of each other
and it may be possible to a certain extent to practise Asana, Dhyana etc. independently
of other Angas, still, we have to keep in mind that they have also a sequential relation-
ship and the effective practice of one Anga required at least a partial mastery of those
which precede it. The main reason why the vast majority of aspirants for the Yogic life
keep struggling with the mind year after year and then generally give up the effort as a
hopeless task lies in the lack of systematic preparation without which even the elemen-
tary practice of Dharana is very difficult, to say nothing of the further stages of Dhy-
ana and Samadhi. Theoretically, it is possible for the student to start right away with
the mind and he may succeed in practising meditation to a certain extent but he cannot
go very far in this manner and his progress is bound to come to a stop sooner or later.
It is only when he has prepared himself in the manner indicated above that he can go
on steadily right up to the end. In the rare cases where people have practised medita-
tion successfully without any other kind of preparation it will be found that they had
already developed the necessary qualifications, even though they did not go through
all the practices in this life. It is the possession of the qualifications and not gbing