We have heard so often that, "The eyes are the window to the soul." I guess it's because that old saying is true. We can read people well if we look deeply into their eyes. We are told that it's fairly easy to discern if someone is lying by looking at their eyes as they speak. If they give us little or no eye contact, they are likely lying. Ironicaly, however, if they give us TOO much eye contact (because they've heard that too little eye contact indicates lying), that also may mean they are lying because they are overcompensating.
Regardless, our eyes ARE important and thus it' s not surprising that yoga includes movements designed to strengthen and nourish the eyes. As one yoga teacher said years ago, "We single out eyes for special exercise because eye fatigue and strain are a major cause of tension and fatigue." And, the late news journalist Jess Stearn found that simple yoga eye movements helped his eyes become clear and almost luminous and restored a sense of well-being to the orbital area. Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about how I speculated that yoga eye movements likely helped me improve my substantial myopia because my new contact lenses were now less strong.
Given how much time many of us spend plopped in front of our computers, it makes sense to do yoga eye exercises to relieve eye strain. Because of their importance, below you will find yoga eye movements that I have presented before and that appear in my book, Yoga at Home: Gain Energy, Flexibility, & Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day." Enjoy!
Yours for relaxed eyes with yoga,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez, your low-key beginners' yoga at home coach
Eye Movements
Type of yoga pose: Active, can be done seated or standing
Body parts targeted: Eyes, eye muscles, nervous system
How to do the pose:
- Sit in a comfortable position on your mat or in a chair with your spine erect. Or stand if you prefer.
- Keep your eyes open throughout this exercise.
- Picture a large, ordinary clock in front of you with the numbers 1 to 12 in bold black.
- Look up at the imaginary number 12 on the top of your clock dial and stretch your eyes upward as far as possible in your sockets when practicing this technique. (see photo at the beginning of this blog post
- Begin moving your eyes clockwise around the imaginary dial stopping for one second at each number. Hold your head straight and motionless.
- When you have finished moving your eyes clockwise starting at 12 and ending at 12, perform the same movements going counterclockwise, i.e., moving from 12 to 11 to 10 and so forth. When you have returned to 12, close and rest your eyes. Pause for a few seconds before repeating the movements.
- Perform the eye movements in a complete circle 2-3 times alternating from clockwise to counterclockwise.
Number of repetitions: 2-3 rotations in a practice session. Can also be done any time of the day to soothe and invigorate your eyes.
Key benefits from this pose:
- Removes tension in the eyes.
- Relieves eye fatigue.
- Relaxes the entire nervous system.
- Strengthens eye muscles.
- Can relieve tension, headache, and eye aches.
Variation of the Around-the-Clock Eye Movements
These simple around-the-clock eye movements can also be done with the eyes closed. When the eyes are closed, the movements should be more relaxed and gentle. Never force your eyes to look to the farthest extent of their sockets.
Special hints and Laura’s experience with this pose
After doing these yoga eye movements, lie in the sponge (complete relaxation) pose. This is a soothing way to complete your daily yoga routine. Take a couple of minutes during the day to do these eye movements when your eyes are tired and if you feel stressed. You can also combine these eye movements with other yoga techniques such as the lion or the shoulder stand.
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