Drishti yoga, or Drishti Vinyasa yoga, is a relatively new form of yoga, which was founded in 2009. This style of yoga incorporates a vinyasa style of movement with breath and the concept of drishti, which means insight, awareness or vision.
The various types of yoga range from the physical exercise to more spiritual forms of yoga that combine breath and asana with meditation and spiritual awakening. Drishti is also the focal point where the gaze is fixed during specific asanas or during meditation. In Drishti yoga, this concept is taken a step father to use your inner vision, or drishti, to gain knowledge and understanding of your own presence and inner state of being.
The practice begins with slowing down, finding stillness and awareness on the mat and through the breath and asanas. This type of yoga focuses on breathing, the use of external and internal drishtis, proper sequencing of the asanas and correct alignment of the body. Through correct alignment, the student gains the full benefit of the asanas without risking injury.
Breathing is used in drishti yoga to improve the flow of prana and open areas of the body that are blocked. During the practice, students learn to breathe using deep abdominal breathing, ujjayi breathing and more. You will learn proper breathing and to correct problems.
The drishti is both external, as in many yoga classes, and internal. The internal drishti is where you are fixing your internal awareness, rather than a concrete area to fix the external gaze.
Meditation is an integral part of drishti yoga and meditation is done both moving and in stillness. This type of yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice. You will gain the full physical and emotional benefits of yoga, as well as reaching a new level of consciousness in your practice, and in your daily life.