What Is Drishti?
The ultimate goal of yoga is to calm down the mind. Yoga will assist you in relieving stress and your body and mind focus will help you to see things more clearly. You’ll find that it will aid you on multiple levels. When you fix your gaze on a single point this a drishti. It will help you to hone the skills you need to bring your mind to focus as well. Drishti looks to block off outside distractions so that the mind is totally focused on itself.
When you first start out in yoga, you will find that it can be a very difficult time. You’ll learn the power of drishti once you’ve become a more experienced practitioner. Most instructors stress that the drishti will help you to better the way that you carry yourself and your posture. You’ll also get a better understanding of how yoga works on the mind and body.
In ancient times yoga masters might have said things like “wherever the gaze lies, your attention will follow”. Sounds kind of like the modern day expression, “Keep your eye on the ball”? It’s really the same principle.
Focusing on your breathing is important when it comes to drishti, you’ll definitely want to learn how to. By keeping your eyes open as you meditate, you are able to also use an outside source, like the flame of a candle or the tip of your nose. When practicing yoga, just choose a point in the room and fix your gaze and your mind on it. You’ll want to be sure that you pick out something that you find natural and pleasing to look at. This helps tremendously when holding poses for long periods of time. Remember that as you improve, your use of drishti will improve as well.
Your eyes shouldn’t feel strained at anytime within your yoga routine. Some types of yoga have some drishti used poses. For instance, downward facing dog where you will fix your gaze upon your bellybutton. Don’t worry your teachers will help to explain how to get the most out of drishti and your yoga routine.