Simple Eye Gymnastics for vision improvement

Improvement of Vision with eye gymnastics

We have all experienced ocular fatigue. Red, irritated, dry, stinging eyes can sometimes be accompanied by a headache. They often occur after working for hours in front of a computer screen or lengthy periods of time texting on a cellular phone or while fixated on achieving the high score on the latest video game!

There is a simple and effective solution for avoiding discomfort while continuing to enjoy daily activities.

If you spend eight or more hours staring at a computer screen every day, your eyes might be in trouble — and you might not even know it! Over time, you could develop a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), which is characterized by several signs:

• Squinting

• Blurred vision

• Dry, red eyes

• Itchy eyes

• Watery eyes

• Double vision

• Headaches

• Neck or back pain

If this sounds like you, you might want to give eye yoga a try. It’s been in use for centuries, helping to combat eye strain, vision issues and more. Try these strengthening exercises for improved eye health.

When having a break at work, spend some time massaging your eyes: stroke your eyelids gently, close your eyes, press your eyeballs with your fingers slightly and rotate the eyes.

It is difficult to overestimate the role of the eyesight. More than 70% of information about the surrounding world we acquire through the visual channel. Human eyes are a major source of knowledge, but they also give a lot of aesthetic pleasure and perform an important supporting function in many activities. It is difficult to imagine a person with poor eyesight driving, dealing with electrical equipment, admiring art or playing golf without glasses. Beyond doubt, the deterioration of the eyesight can considerably decrease the life quality.

However, every year medical professionals observe the rise in the number of eye diseases. Moreover, such illnesses are gradually becoming “younger” and “younger”. The reasons for such a phenomenon are tightly connected with the modern lifestyle. Our eyes definitely experience more workload due to extensive reading, common use of computer technologies in our everyday life and the continuously increasing information stream, which must be absorbed in order to be further processed with our brain. Another important reason is our mainly urban lifestyle. It may sound strange, but the cityscape with its industrial skyline, which does not give the possibility to see the horizon and consists mainly of straight lines lays additional pressure on eyes which have to examine small objects at a very close distance.

This means that the deterioration of vision is predetermined mainly by the urban existence of a modern person. We spend hours in front of the TV or a computer, but very little time enjoying the spectacular natural scenery. However, if the lack of movement has already been recognized by the society as a serious threat to human health and well-being, which resulted in the general interest to fitness, sport and active lifestyle, very few people now realize that eyes need gymnastics not less than body muscles. We tend to forget that a human eye is a sense organ which has its muscles and ligaments, which can and must be trained. There are exercises which can help not only to improve vision and prevent eye diseases, but also fight the consequences of constant fatigue, which influence the eye sight in a negative way.

There are several methods of eye gymnastics, but all of them are based on similar exercises and principles. And although it is difficult to believe that simple eye movements can eliminate the majority of eye problems, hundreds of people who regularly train their eyes prove this fact.

Ocular gymnastics
Also known as eye yoga, ocular gymnastics target the eye muscles by toning and relaxing them. This practice contributes to better visual comfort!

In order for muscles to be fully relaxed it is necessary to perform the exercises regularly. The primary goal is to readapt eyes to focus without tension. But there is no need to worry - these exercises don't take long! You can do them anywhere: at work, at home, on the bus, even while you're out watching a 3D movie!

The more you train, the better: during the day our eyes have to cope with a huge workload, so find several minutes a day to give them a short break. In this way you will improve your vision, boost your energy level and relieve possible headache, which is often the result of eye problems.

4 Yoga Exercises for Eye Strain

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 counter clockwise 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.

Power yoga for your eyes

"When you do yoga for your eyes, you are exercising both, voluntary muscles (rectus muscles that hold the eye ball in place) and involuntary muscles (ciliary and oblique muscles that control eye movement)," he says, adding, "even the optic centre and optic nerve, that make up the optic pathway, are influenced."  

1. Palming

2. Blinking

3. Changing focus of eyes from side to side simultaneously

4. Changing focus of eyes forward and sideways simultaneously

5. Rotational viewing

6. Viewing upwards and down simultaneously

7. Preliminary nose tip gazing

8. Near and distant viewing

Regular practice of these yoga eye exercises helps to relax eyesight and facilitate the normal functioning of our eyes.

Note: Before starting these exercises, it is always recommended to splash your eyes with cold water a few times. Remember to keep the head and spine straight throughout the exercises.