Whybe a Yogi - Intentional Attention
When you spread yourself too thin, you start to realize that nothing has been getting 100% of your attention.
When I spread myself thin, I realize nothing and no one, especially those most important to me, has been getting 100% of my attention.
Trying to maintain all relationships in your life? No one feels like they’re getting the attention they deserve.
Trying to get ALL the items on your to do lists done? Not one thing gets crossed off.
Trying to master multiple things at once? You end up being mediocre at everything.
And boy, I will tell you, I’ve spent a majority of my life accepting mediocrity. In fact, most of my life, I had resolved to accepting that I would never achieve the BEST, and that I was simply ‘average.’
Now I am starting to realize that
I’ve missed out on a lot by taking on this mindset — I’ve been left feeling unfulfilled, incomplete, & lacking.... & in that, feeling like I deserve only that.
And guess what — this way of being is not WRONG. In fact, it’s sustainable. I know this because I’ve sustained this way most of my life, as most people do. So many of us move through our lives distracted and overstimulated by the real world around us — it’s hard not to with everything happening in life right now.
So, while it is possible to continue surviving in this way, I am here to tell you that there is a more fulfilling way to live.
A yoga tool that is part of my consistent yoga practice is ‘Drishti.’
Drishti is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘sight’ or ‘focused gaze,’ and it is the practice of intentional attention. While the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali does not mention ‘Drishti’ by name, the 5th limb, Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), and the 6th limb, Dharana (concentration), describe the actions of practicing Dristhi.
Most literally, Drishti involves focusing the gaze intentionally while holding a yoga pose. This can refer to the physical gaze or an internal gaze (where the mind is focused). It can also support a focused mind during. meditation. The idea is that the mind follows the gaze. More figuratively, drishti involves intentionally placing your attention and energy on one single thing at a time.
This intentionality cultivates value, strength, purity, focus, and many other things.
“Where your attention goes, energy flows.”
Something my yoga practice has taught me is
is that when I put my attention on things that truly matter to me & fulfill me, things that aren’t important, or are not as important, start to fade away.
The inverse is also true — when I start to let go of the things that don’t serve me (aka shift my attention, intentionally, away from these things), I have more energy & space to dedicate to the things that fulfill me & light me up.
The opposite is also true and something important to be aware of —when we spend too much time putting our attention on the things that AREN’T important to us, THOSE things take up a majority of our energy.
Like all tools of yoga,
this is an ongoing practice.
Just like in a yoga pose, when your eyes dart away from the back of your mat in downward facing dog, the practice is simply noticing, and then intentionally bringing it back. When you realize you’re trying to tackle all the items on your to-do list at once, the practice is putting your attention on finishing one single thing at a time.
Where has most of your attention been (and therefore your energy)?
What is truly important to you in your life? (focus on what you DO want in life, not what DON’T want)
What is ONE thing you can put your attention on today that will make a difference?
What could you fulfill upon if you intentionally put your attention on that one thing?
