Connections
Smiling Eyes ~ Sacred Seeing
Scripture ~ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Matthew 13:16
Spiritual Focus ~ “The eyes are the window to the soul.” William Shakespeare
Breath Prayer ~ Inhale, Open my eyes, Exhale, to love.
Devotion ~ Years ago at a yoga conference the teacher illustrated the importance of drishti, or eye gaze, by having participants sit closely across from a stranger and gaze into each other’s eyes. Sitting in easy pose and staring into someone’s eyes for 15 long minutes was an intense experience! Participants reported a range of emotions: a sense of calm, comfort, laughter, as well as sadness before finding a deeper sense of knowing the other person. Participants focused so intensely on vision that their other senses such as sound, smell, and sensing the surrounding environment, slowly faded away and allowed them to truly connect with the heart and soul of the other through their eyes.
Medical studies show that the brain has the capacity to recalibrate our sensory functions when one of them becomes compromised. For instance, a blind person may have a keen sense of hearing or a deaf person may have enhanced vision. This quirky phenomenon of “sensory juggling” enables people to stay connected in challenging situations, especially when they require us to rely on one sense more than another. Staying connected has been a challenge during the pandemic, exacerbated by the necessity of wearing masks in public spaces. However, making eye contact with a person and smiling with your eyes above your mask can help to overcome that challenge and be a blessing to others.
In our scripture Jesus tries to illustrate how great things would be if his audience had ears to hear and eyes to see God’s new reality of a just and loving society, but they just can’t seem to comprehend his teaching. If they could, Jesus says, they would be blessed. The allegory here is that new vision and sacred listening allows one to experience the soul of the Divine.
Drishti is a steady gaze, a yoga practice that develops balance and concentration. It is related to the 5th limb of yoga, pratyahara, that is, focusing or turning the senses inward. Drishti can have an internal focus, such as breath or directed awareness. It can also have an external focus, like a candle, an icon, or an object of one’s affection. It can be as straightforward as looking someone in the eyes and smiling with the intention to connect to Love at a deeper heart and soul level.
