For about 2 years, I was practicing yoga without knowing anything about Drishti. This was because the yoga teacher didn’t tell the class or the teacher didn’t emphasize it throughout the class or I neglected in the class, or because I just didn’t do any research to know how to withdraw our senses (jnana indriyas) inward when practicing yoga. I was very distracted in yoga class, which I didn’t like about this at all. I thought that’s why we have to go to yoga classes, in order to train our mind to concentrate. Hmm, I even didn’t know where to focus.
And one day I read a yoga book which mentions about Drishti, gazing point in practicing yoga, I was very interested in this knowledge and started applying gazing points in any posture. It is a very useful tool that helps me not looking to other people and looking in mirrors.
Distractions actually can take us away from yoga, that’s why we need Drishti. Every posture in Ashtanga yoga has a specific gazing point. There are some gazing points such as toes, thumbs, nose, navel, third eye, corners of eyes. It is a technique for mind to train concentration, from then we can develop precision and sharpness of mind. Drishti also helps to increase inner awareness and level of stability.
Thanks to Drishti, I could focus more in my breathing and have more awareness within my body. Which muscle is tighter and which muscle needs me to be more careful, not to overstretch there. I give more attention in re-adjusting alignment and I feel peaceful and happy every time I get on the mat.
Thuy
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