Drishti (dṛṣṭi): The Gaze Point, and Which Parts of It Are Modern
दृष्टिdṛṣṭi
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 27 September 2026
Drishti is the gaze point — where the eyes rest during a posture or meditation — used to steady both balance and attention.
In short
- Dṛṣṭi means sight, gaze or point of view.
- Gazing at the nose tip (nāsāgra) and between the brows (bhrūmadhya) appear in the Bhagavad Gita and hatha texts.
- The systematic list of nine drishtis belongs to the twentieth-century Ashtanga Vinyasa system, not to the medieval texts.
- A fixed visual reference reduces postural sway, which is why it helps balance.
- A soft gaze is the instruction; hard staring causes eye strain and is unsuitable with eye conditions.
Derivation
Dṛṣṭi comes from the root dṛś, to see. It means sight or gaze, and by extension a point of view or a doctrine — the same double sense English gives "outlook".
What the texts actually say
The Bhagavad Gita (6.13) instructs the meditator to hold the body steady and the gaze at the tip of the nose, without looking around. Hatha texts describe trataka, steady gazing at a small object or flame, as one of the six cleansing practices, and mention bhrūmadhya dṛṣṭi, the gaze between the brows, in connection with certain mudras. What the older sources do not contain is a systematic assignment of a gaze point to every posture.
The list of nine
The nine drishtis recited in Ashtanga Vinyasa classes — nose tip, between the brows, navel, thumb, hands, toes, far right, far left, upward — belong to the Mysore teaching of the twentieth century, where each posture is assigned one. That is a modern refinement of an older instruction, and worth naming as such.
Why it helps
Balance is substantially a visual task. Giving the eyes one still point removes the sway that comes from scanning the room, and it also curbs the habit of watching other people in class, which is where most comparison and most forcing begins.
Doing it without strain
The gaze should be soft, not a stare. Turning the eyes hard towards the nose or brows for long periods causes eye strain and headaches. Anyone with an eye condition should keep the gaze neutral, and if a drishti hurts, looking straight ahead is the correct adjustment — the purpose is steadiness, and a strained eye is not steady.
Where this is practised here
Questions people ask
+ Should eyes be open or closed in meditation?
+ Does drishti actually improve balance?
+ Is nose-tip gazing safe?
References
- Bhagavad Gita 6.13.
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 2 (trataka among the shatkarmas).
- Gregor Maehle, "Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy" (New World Library, 2006).
Educational content, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting new practices if you have a health condition or are pregnant.