The Art of Drishti in Yoga & Meditation

Drishti is the art of staring, but not creepily, at a singular point. Practitioners of yoga and meditation often “find a Drishti” to envelope and cull a state of concentration.

The intention is to keep your focus singular and soft to roll into a gazing state. The spot where you rest your attention could be anything from a crumb on the floor, a candle wick’s flickering, an electrical outlet, ooze inside a lava lamp, or a symbol on a mandala.

How might finding a Drishti help your practice?

Improved balance in yoga

A still, subdued gaze allows for increased harmony in yoga. Wandering eyes do affect balance when intending to move with slow movements. Drishti, loosely meaning ‘gaze’ in Sanskrit, isn’t typically used in a vinyasa flow but comes in handy when transitioning from warrior II to warrior III and moving into a tree pose.

Other pose combinations that use a Drishti include:

• Standing wind release pose
• Tree pose side bend
• Tree pose volcano arms
• Standing hand to big toe pose in front
• Standing hand to big toe pose extended to the side
• One-legged standing garland pose