Ancient Yoga Techniques

One of the most popular ancient yoga technique is Drishti. Drishti focuses the eyes on a particular stagnant point in a certain posture. This concept is very important in balancing postures. Take this for an example, if your attention happens to be on another moving object or person, you will probably fall apart in your pose or even become unsettled or fickle.

If you have ever been severely engaged in a daydream? Somebody may try to snap you out of it by waving their hands in front of you or even scream your name. They will do all of these things, but your eyes are still stuck in one position. You may be stuck there, but you are still aware of everything that is going on around you. These are the moments where you are past the sense of light. There is only one difference in this when it comes to yoga. Yoga is ultimately a conscious decision, which uses restraint to keep your eyes in a steady position.

How it Works

You may be asking yourself, “How can I use Drishti?” Well you see, drishti can be used in a myriad of different forms, The Ashtanga tradition includes nine points of focus in the eyes. One example is the tip of the nose in mountain pose. It is between the eyebrows and penetrates at the third eye point in the time of meditation. In this this position your navel will be in downward-facing dog, your hand in Triangle Pose with your toes in a seated onward bend.

You should twist far to the right and left to stretch your spine. Your thumbs will be the first movement in the sun salutations, and then proceed up to the sky into infinity Warrior I. The point of these movements are to exercise your eyes, but that is not its only use. You can also use these to organize your energy or prana, and fix the postural alignment.

The ultimate goal in practicing Drishti is to train your body to do what the mind wants. This can be very incapacitating and will allow you to increase the strength of how you stay focused and make you more disciplined. The way the human race has been able to evolve is by transforming. Over the centuries we have been able to transform physical pain, transform the illusion of separation, and even transform our five senses. Drishti makes the possibilities endless.