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April 2014 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
Yoga for
the Eyes
By John A.
Patterson MD,
MSPH, FAAFP
Like most people,
I take my eyes and
the gift of sight for
granted.
One of the wonderful benefits
of mindfulness and yoga practice is
the growth in appreciation for our
body and our senses, including the
sense of sight. Many people now
spend several hours a day staring
at the screens of computers, tablets
and phones, requiring them to focus
intently at very short distances.
Without more variety in the length
of focus and range of motion of the
eyes, this constant focusing at near
distance strains eye muscles. This
habit of modern life has associated
health consequences, including
itchy, watery eyes, blurred vision,
headaches, double vision and facial
muscle fatigue as well as pain in the
jaw, neck, shoulder and back.
Thankfully, there are simple and
safe mindfulness and yoga practices for your eyes that you can
do almost anytime and anywhere.
When mindfully practiced, the following exercises rest overused eye
muscles, reduce tension in the face
and eyes and increase flexibility and
strength of the muscles associated
with the eyes. The next time you
find yourself squinting or rubbing
your eyes while staring at a screen,
experiment with the following
exercises, either individually or as a
sequence.
To begin, remove your eyeglasses. Contacts can remain in place
as long as you do not put pressure
directly over the eyes.
Palming — Rub your hands
together until they feel warm. Place
your hands over your eyes, with the
fingertips resting on the forehead,
the palms over the eyes, and the
heels of the hands resting on the
cheeks. Without pressing on the
eyeballs directly, seal out light with
the palms covering the eyes. Feel
the physical sensations of warmth
soothing the
eyelids and eyes.
Imagine your eyes
receiving this
healing energy.
Keep this contact
2-3 minutes or
longer. Palming
can be done
either before or
after any of the
following exercises.
Vertical eye
movements —
With your eyes
closed, and
imagining the face of a clock, open
the eyes and look up at 12 o’clock.
Then look down at 6 o’clock.
Return to 12, then back to 6, continuing back and forth smoothly
and steadily 10-12 times. When you
are back at 12, look straight ahead,
close the eyes and relax them.
Horizontal eye movements
— Once again, with eyes closed,
imagining the face of a clock, open
the eyes and look all the way to
the right to 3 o’clock, then looking
horizontally to 9 o’clock, then back
and forth several times smoothly
and steadily from 3 to 9 o’clock.
After 10-12 cycles, when looking at
3 o’clock, close the eyes and relax
them.
Diagonal movements — Follow
the same instructions above
using 1 o’clock
to 7 o’clock, and
11 o’clock to 5
o’clock.
Circular eye
movements —
Beginning with
eyes closed,
imaging the face
of a clock, opening the eyes and
beginning at 12
o’clock, moving clockwise,
looking at every
number on the
dial, taking your
gaze fully to the periphery without strain, keeping the movement
steady, smooth and fluid. Complete
3-5 clockwise circles, then when
back at 12, close the eyes and relax
Feel the
physical
sensations of
warmth soothing
the eyelids
and eyes.
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them. When you’re ready, perform
the same eye-rolling movement 3-5
times in a counterclockwise direction, close the eyes and relax them.
Here are 2 shifting focus practices that help maintain normal
function of the ciliary body, which
contains tiny muscles and ligaments
that support and alter the curvature
of the lens.
Shifting near focus — Straighten
one arm fully out in front of you in
a loose fist, with your thumb pointing up, focusing on your thumb.
While keeping your eyes focused on
the thumb, slowly move the thumb
toward your nose until you can no
longer focus clearly on it. Pause 1
second, then lengthen the arm back
to its original arms-length position,
continuing to focus on the thumb
the entire time. Repeat 5-10 times.
Shifting distant focus — R \