Do you ever find yourself squinting
and rubbing your eyes after a long stretch in front of a computer? If so,
you’re not alone. Average adult Americans now spend more than eight hours a day
staring at screens of one sort or another. And this growth in “screen time” has
brought an increase in adults suffering from blurred vision, itchy and watery
eyes, headaches, double vision, and other symptoms of eye strain.
Screens—including those on computer
monitors, tablets, and smart phones—force users to focus their eyes intently at
a single distance near the face. “The eyes were not made to do extensive close
work,” said Marc Grossman,
behavioral optometrist, licensed acupuncturist, and author of five books on natural
eye care. “But now, almost all of our processing is happening at a near
distance, and that puts extra strain on eye muscles.”
Fortunately, simple exercises can
help rejuvenate the eyes. Several yoga systems, such as Sivananda, Integral Yoga, and the
Himalayan Institute, include them in their repertoires. Eye care professionals
and other holistic healers sometimes recommend them as well. 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,” said Dr. Grossman.
Aside from the physical benefits,
yoga teachers sometimes offer these exercises for another reason: to draw one’s
attention inward. This, in turn, can help cultivate a keener sense of body
awareness, inner presence, and well-being. “By controlling the eyes, you’re
controlling the mind,” says Ananda, a yoga teacher at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga
Farm in Grass Valley, California. “There’s a physical benefit, of course, but
there’s a mental benefit as well.”
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 throughout the day as needed. Dr. Grossman says they are mild enough
for anyone to explore.
1. Palming
Rub your hands together for 10 to 15
seconds until they feel warm and energized. Then gently place your hands over
your eyes, with the fingertips resting on the forehead, the palms over the
eyes, and the heels of the hands resting on the cheeks. Don’t touch the
eyeballs directly, but hollow the hands slightly and allow them to form a
curtain of darkness in front of the eyes. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and
relax. Envision the eyes absorbing the darkness like a sponge, while also
welcoming healing warmth and energy from the hands. Invite the eyes to grow
soft and spacious, and enjoy this break from visual stimulation. Continue this
palming action as long as it feels soothing—for just a few seconds or up to
five minutes. When you are ready to emerge, gently remove the hands from the
face and slowly open the eyes.
This palming technique can also be
done after the eye exercises that follow to further rest the eyes.
2. Eye Rolling
Sit upright with a long spine and
relaxed breath. Soften your gaze by relaxing the muscles in your eyes and face.
Without moving your head, direct your gaze up toward the ceiling. Then slowly
circle your eyes in a clockwise direction, tracing as large a circle as
possible. Gently focus on the objects in your periphery as you do this, and
invite the movement to feel smooth and fluid. Repeat three times, then close
the eyes and relax. When you’re ready, perform the same eye-rolling movement
three times in a counterclockwise direction.
3. Focus Shifting
Relax your body and breathe
comfortably. Hold one arm straight out in front of you in a loose fist, with
the thumb pointing up. Focus on your thumb. While keeping your eyes trained on
it, slowly move the thumb toward your nose until you can no longer focus
clearly on it. Pause for a breath or two, and then lengthen the arm back to its
original outstretched position, while maintaining focus on the thumb. Repeat up
to 10 times.
4. Distance Gazing
Rest your gaze on a distant object
(if you’re indoors, look out a window, if you can). Focus on the object as
clearly as possible, while staying relaxed in the eyes and face. Take a deep
breath, and then slowly shift your gaze to another distant object around you.
Imagine your eyes are gently “drinking in” the image you see. Continue letting
your eyes drift about the world around you, momentarily pausing at objects at
varying distances away from you. As an extra bonus, if you spy something
particularly pleasing, smile, enjoy the vision, and give thanks for your
strong, healthy eyes.
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