Yoga for Eyes: Improve Eyesight Naturally

From the Art of Living web site

Many of the yogic poses/asana and exercises are aimed at improving the functioning of specific organs of the body.
Yoga provides a series of eye exercises that improves the functioning of the eyes and helps to overcome various eye-related problems, such as

• Myopia or short sightedness
• Hypermetropia or long sightedness
• Various other eye-related disorders

In the present day world about 35 % of the population suffers from myopia and hypermetropia in varying degrees. These disorders are usually overcome using powerful glasses and lenses which correct the refractive errors of the eye. However one needs to understand that glasses never cure bad eyesight. In fact, using powerful glasses can worsen eye problems. Therefore, one should use glasses only when absolutely necessary.
Other than a few diseases such as cataract and glaucoma which occur due to bacterial infections, many eye disorders are related to the malfunctioning of the ocular muscles caused by chronic mental and emotional tensions. Yoga techniques help to alleviate various disorders related to defects in the eye muscles such as myopia and hypermetropia.
Practicing these yoga eye exercises regularly for a few months can go a long way in facilitating the normal functioning of our eyes.

Therapeutic yoga techniques include exercises such as

• Palming
• Blinking
• Changing focus of eyes from side to side simultaneously
• Changing focus of eyes forward and sideways simultaneously
• Rotational viewing
• Viewing upwards and down simultaneously
• Preliminary nose tip gazing
• Near and distant viewing

Note: Before starting these exercises, it is always recommended to splash your eyes with cold water a few times. Remember to keep the head and spine straight throughout the exercises.

Exercise 1: Palming

• Sit quietly with eyes closed and take some deep breaths to relax yourself 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

Exercise 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.

Exercise 3: Sideways viewing

• Sit with legs straight in front of the body.
• Now lift the arms keeping your fist closed and your thumbs pointing upward.
• Look at a point straight in front of you in level with your eyes.
• Keep the head in this fixed position, focus on the following one after the other, by shifting your vision to the
  • Space between the eyebrows
  • Left thumb
  • Space between the eyebrows
  • Right thumb
  • Space between the eyebrows
  • Left thumb
• Repeat this exercise 10 to 20 times.
• After completing this exercise close your eyes and rest.

Observe the following breathing pattern as you perform the above exercise

• Inhale in the neutral position
• Exhale while looking to the side.
• Inhale and come back to the center.

Exercise 4: Front and sideways viewing

• Sit with legs straight in front of the body
• Then place the left [closed] fist on the left knee ensuring that the thumb points upwards.
• Look at a point straight in front and in level with your eyes.
• Keeping the head in this fixed position.
• Breathing out, focus your eyes on the left thumb.
• Breathing in, focus your eyes at a point in front and in level with your eyes.
• Repeat the same process with the right thumb.
• Then close your eyes and rest.

Exercise 5: 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.

Exercise 6: Up and down viewing

• Sit with legs straight in front of your body.
• With both the thumbs pointing upwards, place both the fists on the knees.
• Slowly raise the right thumb keeping the arms straight. Follow the motion of the thumb upwards with the eyes.
• When the thumb is raised to the maximum, gradually bring it down to the starting position and continue to keep the eyes focused on the thumb all the while keeping the head still.
• Repeat the same process with the left thumb.
• Practice this 5 times with each thumb.
• The head and the spine should be kept straight throughout.
• Close the eyes and relax.

Observe the following breathing pattern as you perform the above exercise

• Inhale while raising the eyes.
• Exhale while lowering the eyes.

Exercise 7: Preliminary nose tip gazing

• Sit in a cross-legged pose.
• Lift the right arm straight directly in front of the nose.
• Making a fist with the right hand, keep your thumb pointing upward.
• Focus both eyes on the tip of the thumb.
• Now bend the arm and gradually bring the thumb to the tip of the nose, all the while having the eyes focused on the tip of the thumb.
• Remain in this position for a while with the thumb held at the tip of the nose with the eyes focused there.
• Continuing to gaze at the tip of the thumb, gradually straighten the arm.
• This constitutes a single round.
• Perform at least five such rounds.

Observe the following breathing pattern as you perform the above exercise

• Breathe in while the thumb is pulled to the tip of the nose.
• Retain inside while holding the thumb at the tip of the nose.
• Breathe out as the arm is straightened.

Exercise 8: Near and distant viewing

• Stand or sit by an open window with a clear view of the horizon. Keep the arms by your side.
• Focus on the tip of the nose for 5-10 seconds.
• Repeat this for about 10 to 20 times.
• Close and relax the eyes.

Observe the following breathing pattern

• Inhale during close viewing.
• Exhale during distant viewing.

After completing all the above exercises, lie in shavasan (corpse pose) for a few minutes and relax yourself completely. Breathe gently and normally, and do not resist any thoughts or sensations during the exercise.
In the present day world about 35 % of the population suffers from myopia and hypermetropia in varying degrees. These disorders are usually overcome using powerful glasses and lenses which correct the refractive errors of the eye. However one needs to understand that glasses never cure bad eyesight. In fact, using powerful glasses can worsen eye problems. Therefore, one should use glasses only when absolutely necessary.
Other than a few diseases such as cataract and glaucoma which occur due to bacterial infections, many eye disorders are related to the malfunctioning of the ocular muscles caused by chronic mental and emotional tensions. Yoga techniques help to alleviate various disorders related to defects in the eye muscles such as myopia and hypermetropia. Practicing these exercises regularly for a few months can go a long way in facilitating the normal functioning of our eyes.

How to Improve Your Vision Naturally

Are you looking for clearer vision, but don't want to use corrective lenses or surgery? Though the jury is still out on whether eyesight can be improved through natural means, you can try a few tips and exercises that might help. Here's what to do.

Three Methods: 

1. Pencil Pushups

2. Lifestyle Changes

3. Professional Vison Therapy

Find a pencil, and mark it somewhere in the middle. Draw a letter, number or dot on the side of the pencil. For this exercise, you'll focus on the pencil and the dot as you move it toward and away from your eyes. Pencil push-ups are reputed to correct double vision and crossed eyes but it can't hurt to try them for other issues — it's free, painless, and only involves focusing and refocusing your eyes.

Hold the pencil in front of your face, at arm's length. Keep the pencil vertical, so that the eraser is pointing toward either the ceiling or the floor.

• If you're having someone else help you with the exercise and hold the pencil for you, hold out your arm to determine how far away it should be.

Focus your eyes on the mark you drew on the pencil. Don't proceed to the next step until you feel like your eyes are solidly focused. 

 

Slowly move the pencil toward your face, maintaining your focus on the same spot. Try to move it in a straight line, toward your nose.

• As the pencil comes closer, your eyes will have to adjust to maintain the same level of focus.

Stop when you see two pencils. As soon as the pencil doubles, stop moving it closer to your face.

Look away for a few seconds, or close your eyes. Without moving your head or the pencil, shift your focus away from the pencil for a moment. Focus on something else in your visual field, and don't worry about looking at the pencil at all for at least 5 seconds. If you're having a hard time, close your eyes for a moment. 

Look back at the pencil. Once your eyes are refreshed, try to focus on the pencil so that you aren't seeing double.

• If you're still seeing two pencils, rest your eyes for a few more seconds and try again. Don't get discouraged if you still see two pencils after your second try — you'll get better! Just move on to the next step.

Slowly move the pencil away from your face. Keep your focus on the mark you drew on the pencil as it moves back. Keep going until it's at arm's length again

 

Repeat the exercise. Pencil push-ups work best when you do them repeatedly, as part of a daily routine. Set aside five minutes a day at first, then try ramping up to 10.

• If you struggle to keep track of the time or stay entertained, try listening to music while you practice. For instance, two songs equal roughly five minutes, and three songs are roughly 10.

 Method 2 of 3: Lifestyle Changes

Eat foods that promote eye health. While you probably can't change your vision with diet alone, you can make sure your eyes have all the nutrients they need. Try to incorporate these foods into your Meals:

• Leafy greens (such as kale, chard, collards and spinach) are great, as well as carrots.
• Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish like salmon and tuna) are great for your body.
• Citrus fruits and juices (such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit) are also good for you body.
• Non-meat protein sources (like bananas, beans and nuts).
• A vitamin supplement that contains omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E.

 

 Give up smoking. Smoking can lead to macular degeneration later in life, as well as cataracts Find a support group to help you quit, or enlist the help of a psychiatrist who applies medical treatments to addiction.

Wear sunglasses. Like smoking, too much exposure to ultraviolet light can lead to macular degeneration and cataracts

• Make sure your sunglasses UVA and UVB rays.
• Wrap-around glasses are ideal, since they'll block light from the sides of your eyes as well as the front.
• Try to wear sunglasses whenever you venture outside.

Reduce eye strain. Like any other muscle, the muscles around your eyes can start to feel fatigued and painful if you strain them too much. Try these tricks to cut back on visual fatigue:

• Practice the "20-20-20" trick. If your work involves staring at a screen for long periods of time, take a break every 20 minutes, and focus on a point 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
• Turn down brightness. If you're looking at a computer or television screen, turn down the brightness to the lowest possible level. You should still be able to see, but you shouldn't feel like you're staring at a bright light.
• Make text bigger. If you're reading on a computer, use your program's zoom function to make the text larger. Or, if reading small print in books is a problem, invest in a reading magnifying glass or buy larger-print editions.

Method 3 of 3: Professional Vison Therapy

 

 Locate a vision therapist. Vision therapy has a few different modalities, but the primary types are:

• Orthoptics: An orthoptist focuses specifically on related to eye movement and coordination. If you have double vision, a lazy eye, or crossed eyes, this is probably the right choice for you. You can ask your eye doctor or family practice doctor to refer you to an area orthoptist.
• Behavioral optometry: A behavior optometrist works on helping patients manage visual skills and tasks. If you struggle to recall visual information, or if you have a hard time looking at complicated visual systems (like maps or puzzles), you might consider behavioral optometry. Ask your eye doctor for a referral.