Eye health is essential for physical health, mental health and well-being. There are many factors in our modern day lives that may cause strain and stress on one’s vision and thus affect the quality of eye health and overall well-being. Hours behind the computer screen has brought an increase in adults suffering from blurred vision, itchy and watery eyes, headaches, double vision, and other symptoms of eye strain.
Eye yoga exercises may help reduce strain, ease stress, and strengthen your eye muscles.
When mindfully practiced, these simple exercises rest overused muscles, reduce tension in the face and eyes, and help strengthen muscles that help the eyes focus. By making the eyes more flexible and adaptable, you can keep eye problems from getting worse, and can even improve them. Aside from the physical benefits, these exercises may help to draw one’s attention inward. This, in turn, can help cultivate a keener sense of body awareness, inner presence, and well-being.
The next time you find yourself rubbing your eyes while staring at a screen, experiment with the following exercises. They can be practiced individually, or as a sequence, and can be repeated through-out the day as needed.
It is always recommended to splash your eyes with cold water a few times before starting these movements. Remember to keep the head and spine straight throughout the exercise.
1. Palming
- Start by sitting quietly with eyes closed and take some deep breaths to relax completely.
- Rub the palms of your hands vigorously, until they become warm and place the palms gently over your eye lids.
- Feel the warmth of the palms being transferred onto the eyes and the eye muscles relaxing. Your eyes are being bathed in soothing darkness.
- Stay in this position until the heat from the hands has been completely absorbed by the eyes.
- Keeping the eyes closed, lower the hands.
- Once again rub the palms and repeat the process at least three times.
2. Blinking
- Sit comfortably with your eyes open.
- Blink around 10 times very quickly.
- Close your eyes and relax for 20 seconds. Slowly take your attention to your breath.
- Repeat this exercise about 5 times.
3. Rotational viewing
- Sit with legs straight in front of your body.
- Place the left hand on the left knee.
- Hold the right fist above the right knee, with the thumb pointing upwards. Keep the elbow straight.
- Now keeping the head still, focus your eyes on the thumb.
- Make a circle with the thumb, keeping the elbow straight.
- Repeat this exercise five times each in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction.
- Repeat the process with the left thumb.
- Close and rest the eyes and relax completely.
Observe the following breathing pattern during this exercise:
Inhale while completing the upper arc of the circle.
Exhale while completing the lower arc.
Eye Health & Wellness.
Did you know eye exams can help detect serious health conditions such as diabetes?