Downward Facing Blog

How to correctly focus the eyes while doing yoga

Although most people say there are THREE rules for ashtanga vinyasa practice, I always teach FOUR. The three are:

Mula bandha and Ujjayi form a pair, and the point of holding bandha is to redirect the flow of breathing (prana) upwards as you inhale. Read this post for more details on this.

Although it is not generally taught, Drishti forms a pair with Shambhavi Mudra. If you’ve taken my classes before, you probably remember me telling you to “smile”, so you can experience Shambhavi while practicing. It’s also just fun to say When you use your eyes in asana practice, the objective is to gaze in a steady way at one point, directing your eyes but not with analysis. If drishti is practiced without “smiling” (shambhavi), then you build excessive heat (tejas) and your temper gets hot. Drishti is good for heat and focus, but you simultaneously need to develop compassion or you’ll blow your top. Intense drishti without shambhavi leads to this:

can you feel how good his drishti is?

If you can simultaneously practice Shambhavi Mudra while staring, the mind is freed from it’s constant judgments. It’s really very lovely.

These FOUR points are to be used the entire time while practicing, from the very first posture all the way to relaxation. I always say that if you are able to do these four, it is nearly impossible for you to think about anything other than what you are doing at that moment: yoga.

Traditionally there are nine different spots to hold your focus while practicing yoga:

1. Third eye

2. Nose

3. Hand

4. Thumbnail

5. Right side- as far as you can (used in twists)
6. Left side- “

7. Navel
8. Big toenail on foot
9. upwards

I think some of these have meanings, while others do not… they just serve to bring the mind to a single point, to develop the skill of concentration.

(without concentration, meditation is impossible)

Generally in transitions, when you breathe-in, you look up towards the third eye or the upraised hands and when you breathe out, you will look towards the nose.

Drishti on the third eye will help to psychic development (6th chakra), while drishti on the nose may help to raise your spiritual energy: The nose has an energetic link to the chakra at your pelvic floor; which is the storage point of kundalini, thehigher aspect of prana within the self. You can do an entire practice of just focusing on those two points, which is intense and strong on the mind.

Actually there are many drishtis all with their own effects and powers (vidya and siddhi). For example, focusing on the middle of tongue will grant powers of subtle hearing (I need to do this one), and focusing on a line from the tip of the tongue back to the throat is said to give you convincing speech (saraswati nadi). Patanjali gives a number of them in the chapter on powers, such as focusing on the top of the head giving vision or company of realized people/spirits, and many more. Siddhi has been totally de-mystified for me, but more on that later.

Much love to all of you, Adrian Cox