Eye yoga exercises against visual stress

With the eye yoga we can learn to see, changing Habits and attitudes that may be damaging vision.

It’s 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 especially concern the eyes.

In addition to the exercises which must be practiced regularly and consistently, This technique proposes a change of attitude: the health of the eyes is closely related to being as a whole, physical and mental, so that it can only recover its sharpness if it is carried out a true regeneration of the whole organism.

Also, as insisted Manuel Palomar, psychologist and ocular yoga teacherit is about recognizing that we have eyes, because “we pay attention 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 on its practice for the rest of your life, since leads to the acquisition of good vision habits forever.

It is easy to train in it and Anyone you can follow it from six years.

Benefits of eye yoga for the eyes

The eye exercises themselves are aimed at optimize different visual abilities, 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 any visual dysfunction that could not be completely solved with an adequate optical prescription, as well as those who present symptoms associated with any visual task and who, consequently, have poor school or work performance.

Of course, in terms of results, Josep Dolz is clear: “visual therapy works but It is not a cooking recipe but rather It has to be customized.”

Besides, You don’t have to ask for the impossible either., because “if a person has eight diopters for ten years it will be difficult to do without glasses”. Instead, “in small myopias, a person can learn to relax the tone of the focusing system and have an acceptable functional degree of vision distance without the need for glasses,” he explains.

In addition to myopia, the main non-pathological visual ailments, that is, they are not the consequence of any disease, are farsightedness, astigmatism and tired eyesight or presbyopia.

The farsightedness It is characterized by difficulty in near vision, while in astigmatism the blur is the same near as far and, therefore, the vision is distorted. In this case, With specific exercises it is possible to learn to see better, with greater clarity and leave the glasses.

According to the eye straina disorder from which sooner or later we will all suffer, Dolz comments that, “while it cannot be prevented by eye exercises, it can it is possible to delay its appearance a few years and with it the need to wear reading glasses”, for example.

good results they are the ones that are also obtained in case of lazy eyelike that of a 17-year-old boy who in three months went from 30 to 80% vision.

ButAs with any physical activity, regularity is needed when working on visionin such a way that the exercises will be more effective if they are carried out for a quarter of an hour every day than if they are practiced for 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 long distances and in open spaces. But today’s civilization is faced with a continuous use of short-distance vision and a change in the environment.

Reading, television and computers they carry a pressure that is causing a continuous advance of myopia. Its first symptom is poor distant vision while up close it looks less blurry.

“The visual system is one of the most dynamic we have, but we tend to keep it still and tense, looking at a fixed point and barely remembering to blink“, he laments Josep Dolz, optometrist optician of the Comprehensive Medical Center.

“We have transferred the stress of today’s societies to our eyes and we must learn to relax them”, affirms Manuel Palomar, who assures that “the tense eye is weak and does not work”.

So, the fundamental premise of eye yoga is to achieve mental stillnesssince he considers that the source of all visual defects lies in tension.

For this, it deems appropriate 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 on.

How vision is improved with yoga

He eye yoga uses the following items to re-educate the eyes:

eye gymnastics. It allows to achieve a good condition of the motor and ciliary muscles, which are the ones that favor the mobility of the eye towards the focal point, as well as a good functioning of the nervous system. Convergence and accommodation processes are also worked on.eye awareness. It must be awakened and cultivated, as it helps to relax the eye muscles when performing the act of seeing.Breathing. If this 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…

Gymnastic exercises and eye awareness

Although the benefits of exercises are evident in most eye disorders, they are also helpful for those people that, despite having a good visionthey want to tone up this organ so punished in modern life.

Indeed, today visual stress (artificial light, television, computer…) is enormous. Who has not rubbed their eyes after studying for a while or has covered them with their hands?

These are involuntary ways of relieving 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 be done in a quiet and relaxed placewith comfortable clothes and no glasses or contact lenses.

It is convenient to insert small breaks and blinks between each one and accompany them with your breath, as well as keep in mind that It is not a question of exhausting the eyes but of noticing them, feeling their processes and rhythmically recovering them of the fatigue that 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:

Webbed. It is done seated and consists of covering the eyes with the palms of the hands slightly cupped, without actually pressing the eyes. The fingers of one hand are placed on top of the other, on the forehead. Then the eyes are closed, a deep breath is taken and one imagines that it is the eyes that are breathing. He continues to imagine a pleasant landscape in which a pleasant activity is carried out. This exercise can be done in the middle of the working day for ten minutes and repeated at the end of it.Blinks. With the eyes closed and relaxed, the upper eyelid is gently lifted. Afterwards, it is closed again until it feels stuck to the eye and it comes off again. It can be repeated 5-10 times and should be done often if you work on 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 transfer your body weight from one leg to the other. Inhale, the weight is on both legs. Then exhale, loading the weight on the right foot. Inhale, return to the center, exhale and put the weight on the left foot and so on.Rotation. Lying on your back and with your eyes closed, you should rotate your eyes with the exercises, and alternately visualize the toes of your right foot and then those of your left foot. Do the same with the fingers of both hands.Adaptation. In this case, two calendars are necessary, a large one hanging on the wall and a pocket one to keep in hand. Fix your gaze, first with one eye and then with the other, on number one of the small calendar and then on the large one, and so on with each number of the two calendars. The adaptation results especially beneficial for myopic eyes, since it accustoms them to change focus and visualize, from the small calendar, the numbers of the larger calendar. Eyes can be refreshed with cold water once the exercise is over.Movement to infinity. Place your index finger a hand’s breadth in front of your nose, the end at eye level. Without moving it, she breathes in 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, there is no need to clap your hands or refresh yourself.

Good habits and visual ergonomics

In addition to the general ones, some habits of visual hygiene which 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.

The visual ergonomics prevent disorders through postural and environmental advice.

Lightning. General lighting and a glare-free work light are recommended and should be placed on the left for right-handers and on the right for left-handers to avoid shadows.Distance. Between the eyes and the table there must be…