Drishtis as a Tool for Awareness
Often you will hear your yoga instructor tell you to find a drishti, a focal point to gaze at as you hold a pose.
Drishtis are especially useful in standing and balancing poses. Once your find your pose, return to your breath and set your eyes on something stationary (avoid mirrors and other students). As you hold your focus on an external point on the wall or floor, take this time to turn your focus inward.
Begin an internal scan starting with your foundation. Bring your awareness to your feet and notice how you are holding your weight. Lift your toes and gently let them fall back to your matt one-by-one, evenly distributing your weight on your feet. Next, check-in with your ankles and knees. Discomfort in any of your major joints is a sign to ease up, change your stance, or come out of the pose altogether. Notice areas of tension in your legs. By becoming aware of where you are holding on too tightly, you can begin to shift which muscles you are engaging and make the pose feel effortless.
Moving up the body, notice your hips. You can place your hands on your hips to adjust them or ask if your alignment is correct. Gently lengthen the lower back by shifting the pelvis forward. If you have a tendency to arch the lower back, get a sense of your range of motion by gently arching your back, rounding it, and coming back to a neutral place in-between. Draw your shoulders back and down and become aware of your arms all the way to your active fingertips. The neck is often more comfortable looking up or down, so feel free to experiment to find what feels best for you. Remember, yoga should feel good.
Finally, relax your jaw, let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth, relax the space between your eyes, and smile!
by Lisa-Elena Furrh, Ph.D., RYT-200