4) Harmonious Exercise (sammā-vāyāma)

It is here that the intermediate retreat begins. It is the systematic effort to purify the mind. When this exercise is successfully completed, the purified mind enters the first ecstasy (jhana), which is followed by the second, third, and fourth.

This exercise comprises four parts: 

                Prevention (samvara), 
                Elimination (pahāna), 
                Cultivation (bhāvanā), and 
                Maintenance (anurakkhana).