Yoga for Your Eyes - Help Yourself to Better Vision Naturally

Part II - Eye Asanas (postures and exercises)

Almost everything we view is directly in front of us; computer screens,TV, movies, books, and more. Also, most of us do much of our viewing at fairly close range for long periods of time without a rest for our eyes. To make matters worse, if we have received prescription glasses to correct for near or farsightedness and wear glasses most of the time, we are continuing to keep that central focus fixed at a particular degree of refractive error correction that is also rigid and fixed. The eyes get tired and strained from working in the same narrow range and muscles that surround the eye ball (extraocular muscles) and within the structure (ciliary muscles) that control the shape of the lens become tense and weak. Then there is need for stronger prescription lenses and a downward cycle of dependence of these aids continues.

Dr. William H. Bates, M D, an early pioneer in the field of Ophthalmology, states that tension or strain in the extrinsic or intrinsic eye muscles are the reason for blurred vision. He proposed that an imbalance of strength of muscles can produce astigmatism and strabismus. He concludes that these refractive errors can be improved and even cured through the natural methods of eye relaxation, movements and exercises and retraining the mind, from where the vision is first conceived.

Here are a few of the asanas for your eyes that will increase the strength and flexibility of your eye muscles to improve clarity of vision. Just like your leg muscles work in standing asanas to gain greater flexibility and strength, remember to go slowly and gently. Just do a few of these practices each day. Alternate these exercises with gentle blinking and "palming", two relaxation methods given in Yoga for Your Eyes - Part I.

• Standing Swinging from side to side. Place the palms of your hands in front of you with your fingers extended at a comfortable distance from your eyes. Put on some music that you like that you can rhythmically swing to from side to side. Then, along with the music, begin to sway from side to side at a steady, even pace. Keep your hands up in front of you and move them in an opposite direction from your body. (body sways to the right and hands go to the left)
  
  Keep your eyes focused softly on your hands, so that you are using your side field vision within the movement pattern. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
  
  This exercise will get the eyes tracking from side to side and awaken more cellular activity in the rods for an enlarged visual field, along with better clarity and night time vision.
  
  
• Near and Distant Shifting. Place your index finger about 12 inches from your nose and softly gaze at a point on your finger for three seconds. Shift your gaze to a point on a distant object in the room or out the window for about three seconds, then, shift back to the near point on your finger. Go from near to far and back again many times within about three minutes. Do this practice 3 to 5 times daily.
  
  This exercise will increase eye muscle flexibility and accommodation as will clock rotations and tracking the edges of objects in your environment (called sketching).

Read Part III - Natural Remedies for Healthy Eye Care >>

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