Gaze

[Guest guest]

A few days ago, I had posted a couple of

questions regarding gaze. Are there any thoughts out there

or direction? Original message below:<br><br>"Please

explain dristi to me. When the gaze is in between the

eyebrows, do the eyes feel crossed? And the tip of the

nose? Benefits? <br>I do feel that I am able to bring

my practice more within when I focus on gaze more,

but have never quite had the why and how

explained.<br>Namaste. "

[Guest guest]

Well, from personal experience - there are books

out there that explain drsti - my eyes try as they

might to head toward the "third eye" which is between

the brow center. This doesn't mean necessarily in

between the brows. I have heard that this is the point

where some believe the soul leaves the body, and hence

why our eyes roll up toward that spot (ok, so the

muscles relax when we're dead). Anyway, the eyes should

not be uncomfortably crossed. In fact, I don't have

mine crossed. But, they do aim upwards. Be sure you're

also doing a different gaze when Jois says "to the

sky" vs. to the "brow center".<br><br>As for tip of

the nose, I have to admit I sometimes feel my eyes

are crossed- don't like it - so instead I concentrate

on where I *think* the tip of the nose is and look

there, rather than pushing my eyes into an uncomfortable

position and getting a head ache. <br><br>The benefits of

the gaze points is essentially what you have already

discovered- awareness and concentration. I also go more

inward in my practice when I really focus on the drsti

(particularly in the forward bends). <br><br>Hope my completely

anecdotal evidence helps to give you some ideas. If you'd

like to know more about the "how"- the yoga mala

helps.

[Guest guest]

Well, here are the different types of

Drishti:<br><br>Nasagri- Tip of

Nose<br>Hastagri- Hand<br>Padhayoragri- Toes<br>Urdhva- Up<br>Parshva- To the

Side<br>Broomadhya- Eyebrow Center<br><br>And here are the Drishti's for each

pose in the primary series:<br><br>Padangustasana-

Nasagri<br>Padahastasana- Nasagri<br>Trikonasana (A&B)-

Hastagri<br>Parshvakonasana (A&B)- Hastagri<br>Prasarita Padottanasana

(ABCD)- Nasagri<br>Parshvottanasana- Nasagri<br>Utthita

Hasta Padangustasana -

Padhayoragri/Parshva/Padhayoragri<br>Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana-

Nasagri<br>Utkatasana-

Urdhva<br>Virabhadrasana A- Urdvha<br>Virabhadrasana B-

Hastagri<br>Dandasana- Nasagri<br>Paschimottanasana (ABC)-

Padhayoragri<br>Purvattanasana- Nasagri<br>Ardha Baddha Padma

Paschimottanasana-

Padhayoragri<br>Triang Mukekapada Pashimottanasana- Padhayoragri<br>Janu

Shirsasana (ABC)- Padhayoragri<br>Marichyasana (A&B)-

Nasagri<br>Marichyasana (C&D)- Parshva<br>Navasana-

Nasagri<br>Bujapidasana- Nasagri<br>Kurmasana/Supta Kurmasana-

Broomadhya<br>Garbha Pindasana/Kukuttasana- Nasagri<br>Baddha

Konasana- Nasagri<br>Upavishta Konasana-

Broomadhya<br>Supta Konasana- Nasagri<br>Supta Padangustasana-

Padhayoagri/Parshva<br>Ubhaya Padangustasana- Nasagri<br>Urdhva Mukha

Paschimottanasana- Padhayoragri<br>Setu Bandhasana- Nasagri<br><br>For

finishing

series:<br><br>Urdhva

Dhanurasana- Nasagri<br>Paschimottanasana- Nasagri<br>Salamba Sarvangasana-

Nasagri<br>Halasana-

Nasagri<br>Karnapidasana- Nasagri<br>Urdhva

Padmasana- Nasagri<br>Pindasana- Nasagri<br>Matsyasana- Nasagri<br>Uttana

Padasana- Nasagri<br>Shirsasana- Nasagri<br>Yoga Mudra-

Broomadhya<br>Padmasana- Nasagri<br>Utpluthee- Nasagri<br><br>Hope this

is of some help.<br><br>Namaste,<br>Nada

[Guest guest]

It's curious. Since childhood, I've noticed that

every time I point the tip of my index finger closely

towards the spot slightly above the centre between the

eyebrows, without touching my forehead, I feel a kind of

"irritiation" there - it would be too much to say that it's

painful, but it feels as if a very thin needle is passing

through my head. Just wondering: has anyone else here

ever experienced something like this,

too?<br><br>Actually, the "pain" becomes ever stronger the longer I

hold the fingertip close to my forehead. Since,

according to yogic tradition, this is also the place where

ajna chakra is situated, I thought the reason for this

irritation is that there must be some kind of nervous centre

located there after all.

[Guest guest]

Very helpful, nadayoga. But: what about the navel? Isn't it a

drishti,too?<br><br>Regards<br>Thomas

[Guest guest]

Yes, thank you it is... there are two I forgot to mention:<br><br>Angusta ma

Dyai - the thumbs (Surya Namaskara B)<br>and<br>Nabi Chankra - the navel

(downward facing dog)<br><br>:-) Peace,<br>Nada

[Guest guest]

As the psychopath of the !ashtanga club with

a penchant for posting crap - as ezboarder Gabita

politely calls it - and splitting hairs, I would like to

doubt that urdhva dhanurasana belongs to finishing

after all. Rather, it seems to me that urdhva

dhanurasana is a posture from intermediate series introduced

into primary, which belongs neither to the seated

sequence nor to the finishing series, but which simply

acts as a counterpose to the previous forward

bends.<br><br>Also, I would like to add baddha padmasana (dristi:

nasagrai) and panmasana (dristi: third eye) to your

finishing series.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Psychopath :-) Check Yoga Mala to see

where Guruji has placed Urdhva Danurasasna... and to

split another hair, I think you meant to say PaDmasana

(drishti: third eye) instead of

PaNmasana.<br><br>Peace,<br>Nada

[Guest guest]

"I think you meant to say PaDmasana (drishti:

third eye) instead of PaNmasana."<br><br>I think Mr.

Skull is following John Scott's book which lists

PaNmasana and PaDmasana as two different postures in the

Padmasana sequence:<br><br>Baddha Padmasana (nasagrai

dristi)<br>Yoga Mudra (broomadhya dristi)<br>Panmasana

(broomadhya dristi)<br>Padmasana (nasagri dristi)<br>Uth

Pluthi (nasagri dristi)<br><br>Since Pattabhi Jois gave

his approval to the book I assume this is how all the

cutting edge kids in Mysore are doing it these days.

[Guest guest]

Right you are. Cheers!