Finding Your Drishti

Drishti means soft focused glaze. The Sanskrit word is connected to the fifth and sixth limbs of yoga - pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and dharana (concentration).

Energy flows where your attention goes. Just like your body will naturally move its attention to the part of the body you are focusing on, the same goes for energy. Gaze is vital to concentration since when the eyes move, the mind and attention follow. It is easy to become caught up in distractions when looking around a room, so the practice of drishti enables the practitioner to engage in a one-pointed focus.

When finding one's drishti in a yoga posture or meditation practice, the eyes are fixed on a single point the mind is diminished from being stimulated by all other external objects. When the gaze is fixed on a single point within the body, our awareness draws inwards and the mind remains undisturbed by external stimuli. Finding this point of focus allows the mind to enter a deep state of concentration connecting movement with intention and control. It is a fundamental principle of yoga and meditation practice as a means of stilling the fluctuations of the mind.

Drishti is used in all the yoga poses and especially during ashtanga vinyasa or vinyasa flows. Combined with other practices like pranayama and meditation, Drishti can support your asana practice and help you stay in the posture and feel more steady. This technique can especially be helpful for balancing and meditation practices on the YOGA365 app.