Care for Your Eyes With Yoga

As the popular saying goes “Eyes are the mirror to your soul”! We have learnt right from our childhood that eye is such an important feature of our physical system. They are the windows that allow us to enjoy the beauty of this world. Have you ever thought how miserable their life is whose eyes get snatched due to mishaps or those who have to wear thick lens glasses? What a pity! We take our eyes for granted and spend hours before television and laptops without even thinking that our eyes might need some rest.

Do you know what causes your eyesight to become weak? When we keep straining our eyes before computers and televisions, the muscles around eyes loses it elasticity over time and become rigid thereby preventing you from focusing at different directions. If you are one who has been wearing specs for years now, there’s good news for you. In yoga there are some very simple eyes exercises that have been proved to restore back your vision with regular practice. Yoga for eyesight improvement has shown real promise. Who knows you may even have to throw away those specs!

Yoga For Eyes

Before you start doing these eye yoga exercises, wash your eyes thoroughly with cold water. Keep your head aligned with your spine throughout the exercise routine.

Exercise 1:

Start this set of yoga exercises for eyes with stretching exercises by first massaging your lower eyelids with your ring fingers in gentle circular motions. First massage clockwise then repeat anti-clockwise.

Now you can proceed with the yoga eye exercises.

Exercise 2:

Close your eyes halfway looking downwards. Now your upper eyelids are trembling constantly. To control this, try concentrating on a distant object. Now slowly close your eyelids. Don’t just shut it down but imagine it puffed up. Now breathe through your nose deeply feeling the oxygen reaching your eyes. Exhale through your mouth. Continue this breathing exercise for 2 minutes. End it with a broad smile.

Exercise 3:

The next yoga is called Nasagra Dhrushti. In this you need to position your eyeballs in such a way that you will be seeing the tip of your nose. Keep your sight fixed for 30 seconds on your nose tip, then close your eyes and blink.

Exercise 4:

The next asana would be to lubricate your eyes. This is beneficial for those who are into software and gaming. At times it happens that you forget to blink when looking into your computers for a long time. From now on, no matter how much work you have to do, don’t forget to blink. Blinking will not only lubricate your eyes but also cleanse them of all dust particles and also massages muscles around your eyes.

Exercise 5:

Sit straight and fix a point in front of you. Now look to your extreme right with your eyes as much as you can. Don’t move your head. Again bring your gaze back to the point in front of you. Blink your eyes to relax. Repeat and blink. This way also stretch your eye muscles to your left, top, bottom, upper right, lower right, upper left and lower left. After every direction remember to blink twice or thrice.

Exercise 6:

Draw a number eight before you with your eyes. Blink to relax the muscles. Repeat and again blink.

Exercise 7:

Draw a circle with your eyes. Close your eyes and blink.

After you are done with this set of seven eye muscle stretching exercises, do palming. It is relaxing your eyes with the palms of your hands. Here is how you have to do it.

• Rub the palms of both your hands together to warm them up.
• Now cross one palm over the other such that an inverted V is formed after crossing palms. The left palm should be below the right palm. See above picture.
• Cover both eyes with your palms such that the inverted V falls over the bridge of your nose.
• Breathe through your nose.
• Now open your eyes and turn towards the sun. See if any light is entering through your fingers. If so, then position your fingers in such a way that no light enters through fingers.
• When you see complete dark in front of your eyes, breathe in deeply.
• Feel the warmth coming to your eyes from your palms.
• Your neck and head should be in a straight line.
• Keeping your breathing normal, imagine dark space in front of your eyes.
• Stay for atleast 2 minutes and then removing your palms open your eyes slowly.

After palming you have relaxed your eyes enough to perform the Dynamic Eye exercises.

Exercise 1:

• Sit straight.
• Look to the extreme right and then to the extreme left.
• Repeat for 3 times and then blink for a few seconds.
• Now look up and down and then diagonally for 3-4 times.
• Don’t miss the blinking in between.

Exercise 2:

Now comes the focusing exercise.

• First look at the tip of your nose and then focus at a distant object.
• Look back to the tip of your nose and again at a far off object.
• Repeat this for 10 times.

Finish off these dynamic eye exercises with palming.

Now some eye exercises for all programmers and video game lovers. Practicing these eye exercises regularly for 10 minutes will relax your eye muscles for the day and you are ready to spend hours before the computers and T.V. screen.

• Close your eyes as tight as you can. Keep it closed for 15 seconds and now open them quickly. Blink for 5-6 times.
• This exercise is done best when lying down flat on your back but sitting at your desk while doing this is fine too. Close your eyes fully and breathe for a minute. Now open them and focus at a distant object. Again close, breathe deeply and visualize the object in your mind’s eye. This exercise is not only good for relaxing tired eyes but also improves concentration.
• The next exercise will be to strengthen your eye muscles. Close your eyes and roll the eyeballs.
• Sit on a chair comfortably. Now opening your eyes, look up as much as you can. Mind you don’t move your head. Continue looking upwards for 5 seconds. Now bring your eyes downwards to view the tip of your nose. Again hold for 5 seconds. Now blink. Repeat doing this for another 5 times.
• Finish this series with palming for a complete eye relaxation.

Your eyes are very precious. Take proper care of them. Yoga for eyes is the way to go now!