This method proposes to recover body awareness to relieve visual stress with exercises that adapt to the nature of our vision system.
With eye yoga we can learn to see, changing habits and attitudes that may be damaging vision.
It is a method to recover lost vision through the relaxation of what in yoga is called “visual mind”, the elevation of the vital ocular tone and the recovery of the natural way of seeing.
The word “yoga” is justified in this case because the practices derive from that Indian art and concern especially the eyes.
In addition to the exercises, which must be practiced regularly and constantly, this technique proposes a change of attitude: the health of the eyes is closely related to the being in its totality, physical and psychic, so that it can only recover its sharpness if a true regeneration of the whole organism is carried out.
Likewise, as Manuel Palomar, psychologist and teacher of ocular yoga, insists, it is about recognizing that we have eyes, because “we attend to what the eyes see, but never to the eyes that see”.
Another advantage is that it is a method that does not force you to depend all your life on your practice, since it leads to the acquisition of habits of good vision forever.
It is easy to train in it and anyone can follow it from the age of six.
BENEFITS OF EYE YOGA FOR THE EYES
The eye exercises themselves are aimed at optimizing the different visual skills, such as convergence, divergence, the abilities to stimulate or relax the focusing system or the improvement of eye movements and even visual perception processes.
They are recommended to all those people (children, young people or adults) who suffer from a visual dysfunction that has not been completely solved with an adequate optical prescription, as well as to those who present symptoms associated with any visual task and who, consequently, have a low school or work performance.
Of course, in terms of the results, Josep Dolz is clear: “vision therapy works but it is not a recipe but it has to be personalized”.
In addition, we should not ask for impossible, because “if a person has eight diopters for ten years he can hardly do without glasses”. In contrast, “in small myopia, a person can learn to relax the tone of the focusing system and have an acceptable functional degree of distance vision without using glasses,” he explains.
In addition to myopia, the main non-pathological visual ailments, that is, they are not a consequence of any disease, are hyperopia, astigmatism and eyestrain or presbyopia.
Hyperopia is characterized by difficulty in near vision, while in astigmatism blurriness is as close as far and, therefore, vision is distorted. In this case, with specific exercises it is possible to learn to see better, more clearly and leave the glasses.
Regarding eyestrain, a disorder that sooner or later we will all suffer, Dolz comments that, “although it cannot be avoided with eye exercises, it is possible to delay its appearance a few years and with it the need to use reading glasses”, for example.
Good results are also achieved in the case of lazy eye, such as that of a 17-year-old boy who in three months went from 30 to 80% vision.
But, as with any physical activity, when working the vision you need regularity, so that the exercises will be more effective if you perform a quarter of an hour each day than if you practice half an hour twice a week.
And depending on the eye disorder, one or the other will be more useful, so they should be advised by a specialist.
RELIEVE EYE STRESS
According to experts, our eyes are designed to see at long distances and in open spaces. But today’s civilization faces a continuous use of vision over short distances and a change of the environment.
Reading, television and computers carry a pressure that is causing a continuous advance of myopia. Its first symptom is poor distance vision while up close it looks less blurry.
“The visual system is one of the most dynamic we have, but we usually keep it still and tense, looking at a fixed point and barely remembering to blink,” laments Josep Dolz, optometrist optician at the Integral medical center.
“We have transferred the stress of today’s societies to our eyes and we must learn to relax them,” says Manuel Palomar, who says that “the tense eye is weak and does not work.”
Thus, the fundamental premise of eye yoga is to achieve mental stillness, because it considers that the source of all visual defects lies in tension.
To do this, he considers it convenient to work on body awareness and relaxation at the beginning of the method through a brief chain of some yoga postures. Once achieved, the vision is worked.
HOW YOGA IMPROVES VISION
Eye yoga uses the following elements to re-educate the eyes:
- Eye gymnastics. It allows to achieve a good state of the motor and ciliary muscles, which are those that favor the mobility of the eye towards the point of focus, as well as a good functioning of the nervous system. The processes of convergence and accommodation are also worked on.
- Eye awareness. It must be awakened and cultivated, as it helps to relax the muscles of the eye when performing the act of seeing.
- Breathing. If it is serene and conscious, it favors a quality blood supply and provides more vital energy.
- Healthy habits. Eye yoga also recommends the practice of exercise, a healthy diet, relaxation, massages …
GYMNASTICS AND EYE AWARENESS EXERCISES
While the benefits of exercises are evident in most eye disorders, they are also helpful for those who, despite having good vision, want to tone this organ so punished in modern life.
Indeed, nowadays visual stress (artificial light, television, computer…) is enormous. Who has not rubbed their eyes after a while of study or has ever covered them with their hands?
These are involuntary ways to relieve them that can be improved by performing eye yoga.
By exercising vision, circulation is activated, fatigue and tension are eliminated and muscles are strengthened. In addition, it provides well-being.
When performing these exercises, it is important that they are done in a quiet and relaxed place, with comfortable clothes and without glasses or contact lenses.
It is advisable to intersperse small breaks and blinks between each one and accompany them with breathing, as well as keep in mind that it is not about exhausting the eyes but about noticing them, feeling their processes and rhythmically recovering them from the fatigue they endure throughout the day.
The simplicity of most exercises allows them to be performed in a short time and at any time and place:
- Palmeado. It is done sitting and consists of covering the eyes with the palms of the hands slightly cupped, without pressing the eyes. The fingers of one hand are placed on top of those of the other, on the forehead. Then you close your eyes, you breathe deeply and you imagine that it is the eyes that breathe. He continues to imagine a pleasant landscape in which a pleasant activity takes place. This exercise can be done in the middle of the workday ten minutes and repeated at the end of it.
- Blinks. With your eyes closed and relaxed, gently peel off your upper eyelid. It then closes again until it feels glued to the eye and peels off again. It can be repeated 5 to 10 times and should be done often if working with a computer.
- Swinging. Standing, facing the light, with your legs slightly apart and your back straight, feel the contact of the ground under your feet. The head should be upright and the eyes closed. Now, shift the weight of the body from one leg to the other. Breathe in, the weight is on both legs. Then, exhale, carrying the weight on the right foot. Breathe in, return to the center, exhale and load the weight on the left foot and so on.
- Rotation. Lying on your back and with your eyes closed, you should make rotational movements of the eyes with the exercises, and alternately visualize the toes of the right foot and, later, those of the left. Do the same with the fingers of both hands.
- Adaptation. Two calendars are necessary in this case, a large one hanging on the wall and a pocket one to have it in your hand. He fixes his eyes, first with one eye and then with the other, on the number one of the small calendars and then on the number of the large calendar, and so on with each number of the two calendars. The adaptation is especially beneficial for myopic eyes, since it accustomes them to change focus and visualize, from the small calendar, the numbers of the larger calendar. You can refresh your eyes with cold water after the exercise is over.
- Movement to infinity. Place your index finger one inch in front of your nose, the end at eye level. Without moving it, he inspires and looks at the sky, at infinity. Pause and blink. Now exhale directing the gaze towards the end of the finger. Blink again and repeat again, for about two minutes. Once this exercise is finished, it is not necessary to clap or cool off.
VISUAL HEALTH IN THE BODY: BREATHING AND MORE
The optimal observation of breathing is another irreplaceable element for good vision and one of the pillars of eye yoga, not only for its role in relaxation but because it increases the circulation of oxygenated blood that reaches the eyes.
That is why you should maintain a deep and rhythmic breathing when performing the exercises.
“If your eyes hurt when reading, you just have to try to do it while breathing deeply and you will immediately notice the difference; the pain almost disappears and visual ability improves,” explains Manuel Palomar.
In addition to breathing, food also plays an important role in good visual health.
Thus, eating a healthy diet especially rich in beta-carotene (carrot, peach, spinach, sweet potato …), vitamin C (citrus, kiwi, pepper, cabbage …) and vitamin E (wheat germ, nuts) helps prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.
GOOD HABITS AND VISUAL ERGONOMICS
Other good eye habits are:
- no smoking;
- practice physical exercise;
- protect yourself from sunlight and high temperatures;
- avoid rubbing your eyes or touching them with dirty hands;
- keep them moist and relaxed with blinking or a cotton soaked in chamomile, thyme or rosemary infusion;
- Do not neglect the annual visit to the specialist to evaluate the current state of the eyes and the evolution of our vision.
In addition to the general ones, visual hygiene habits are basic that in the case of television, for example, consist of looking at it from the front (not lying down), with general light and at a minimum distance of three meters.
Visual ergonomics prevents disorders through postural and environmental advice.
- Lighting. General lighting and a non-dazzling work light are recommended and will be placed on the left side for right-handers and on the right for left-handers to avoid shadows.
- Distance. Between the eyes and the table there should be at least about 30-40 cm. And the distance between the eyes and the computer screen must be about 50 cm. It is important that it does not reflect and that it is parallel to the plane of the eyes.
- Posture. The back should touch the back of the chair from below, the feet should be well supported on the floor and the legs at right angles. Ideally, the table should be tilted about 20°. The head and trunk should not be turned when reading, only the eyes.
- Time. After every half hour of work involved in fixing your eyes, there will be five-minute breaks in which you look into the distance. This way you can maintain concentration and improve performance.
BOOKS TO IMPROVE EYESIGHT
- The yoga of the eyes; Kiran Viyas. Ed. Obelisk
- Practical course on visual recovery; Manuel Palomar Ed. Kaicron