Lately, on my morning beach walks, I’ve been playing with my gaze, throwing it way out like a YoYo so my eyes take in the big picture all the way to the end of the beach, then slowly reeling it in and enjoying the scenery along the way, until I’m finally looking straight down at my feet.
I discovered that there’s a spot where my gaze is most comfortable. It’s where my eyes, neck and head are in their ‘rest’ position and it’s approximately 12 feet ahead of me.
Looking at the crescent shaped swath of beach before me, I see where I am headed and what I can expect. People and objects in the distance are small and indistinct but as I bring my gaze in closer everything gets bigger and clearer until, up close and personal, things are life sized and fill up my field of vision like my big toe in the sand at the end of my close up gaze.
12 feet ahead provides the perfect little world in which to walk, including the footsteps of those who’ve come and gone before, shells, sea gulls, sand crabs, a peripheral view of the sea, approaching people and a peaceful, private inner place.
The word Drishti popped into my mind. It’s a Sanskrit word that refers to where to place your gaze in each yoga posture. When I got home I got down David Swenson’s Ashtanga Yoga Practice Manuel and,sure enough, what I been doing on the beach was experimenting with my Drishti.
Each asana (yoga posture) has a Drishti associated with it – a suggested place to focus your gaze to enhance the benefits of each posture: increasing your stretch by gazing in the direction of the stretch or deepening a bend by gazing at your big toe. In Yoga the Drishti also refers to an internal gaze and inner awareness that, like a microscope, allows us to examine what we may not be able to see externally.
In the same way that there’s a Drishti to enhance each yoga posture, for outer and inner benefit, I’m discovering that there’s a Drishti associated with all our activities, whether we are walking on the beach, washing dishes, having a conversation, sitting at our desks, doing pirouettes, reading a book, driving a car etc. There’s an ideal positioning of the body, head and gaze that is comfortable, good for our bodies (ergonomic), expends the least effort (efficient) and helps us to be present and focused on what is immediately before us and immediately within us.
I thought of occasions where the notion of Drishti (conscious focus) had produced great results like walking on the Camino de Santiago ( a pilgrimage route) in France. When the going was steep and long, looking up and ahead made me feel discouraged, so I learned to look up once at the beginning to take stock and then kept my gaze (Drishti) about 12 feet ahead of me. I stayed in the present, enjoyed the journey and celebrated summits. It worked on downhill runs too with me in the lead leaping sure-footed like a goat.
I learned that it’s good to have a destination and then not to get too far ahead of yourself en route.
A friend confirmed my theory with her account of climbing up out of the Grand Canyon. She said it was daunting to keep looking up and be reminded of how far she had to go, so she focused on one step at a time, kept her gaze relaxed and lived to tell the tale.
I notice the same thing when I’m paddle boarding. If I’m gliding around scanning the horizon for turtles and dreaming of dolphins, my gaze ranges far and wide but when I’m determined into the wind and mustering strength to move the board through the water, I focus on the water just in front of the board (probably about 12 feet ahead), gauge my speed and cultivate momentum.
In Buddhist meditation, it is suggested that you sit and mediate with your eyes half open and your gaze cast downward, relaxed and in front of you – a Drishti to enhance the purpose of the practice – being fully present, inside and out.
Once we know where we are going, we’d do best to return to a manageable chunk of the present and keep our focus on the here and now to enhance whatever we are doing, inside and out.
Here’s to finding your Drishti, the perfect gaze for whatever you are up to today and always.
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