57 Drishti, the Potency of Our Focus: Research Roundup

Today host Katja speaks with returning guest Diane Malaspina Ph.D. about the concept of Drishti and the potency of our focus. Diane is a yoga teacher with a B.S. in Psychology, a Master's degree in Education, and a Ph.D. in educational and developmental psychology. In this episode, we take a broader perspective on gaze and consider our visual system as a gateway to our nervous system and our environment. Diane also explains why we should regularly spend time staring at a wall. Listen in to learn how the visual system relates to our autonomic nervous system, how to work actively with our vision to influence our emotional state, and how to incorporate these ideas into your yoga practice.  Show Notes:  Defining Drishti [1:45] Why is the visual system important to humans [2:45] Sight versus vision [3:54] Understanding our pattern recognition system [9:29] The relationship between the autonomic and visual systems [18:08] How and why to reset our visual system [26:51] Ways that eye movement relates to emotional state [36:38] Incorporating Drishti into your yoga practice [41:28] Cues for teachers incorporating Drishti into their classes [47:31] Diane's takeaways [51:55] Understanding interocular pressure [54:48] Vision's relationship to inner vision [58:48] Links Mentioned: Watch this episode on YouTube Drishti Resources Doc Mental Health & Wellness Yoga Teacher Training Online Connect with Diane Malaspina: Facebook | Instagram | Diane Malaspina You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-57. And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com. To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.