eyes yoga.docx

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When Swami Srinivasan, director of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in the Catskills, teaches

abeginners yogaclass, he instructs the students to begin with a few minutes of relaxation in

Savasana (Corpse Pose). Then he asks students to sit in a comfortable posture, such asSukhasana (Easy Pose), as he guides them through Sivananda's basic eye asanas. "These

exercises set the right tone for asana practice," explains Srinivasan. "Our organs of sight are so

sensitive and influential that the normal, competitive approach we bring to exercise can besoftened through working with the eyes."

The first exercise begins with the eyelids open, the head and neck still, and the entire bodyrelaxed. Picture a clock face in front of you, and raise your eyeballs up to 12 o'clock. Hold them

there for a second, then lower the eyeballs to six o'clock. Hold them there again. Continue

moving the eyeballs up and down 10 times, without blinking if possible. Your gaze should be

steady and relaxed. Once you finish these 10 movements, rub your palms together to generateheat and gently cup them over your eyes, without pressing. Allow the eyes to relax in complete

darkness. Concentrate on your breathing, feel the warm prana emanating from your palms, and

enjoy the momentary stillness.

Follow this exercise with horizontal eye movementsfrom nine o'clock to three o'clockending

again by "palming" (cupping your hands over your eyes). Then do diagonal movementstwoo'clock to seven o'clock, and 11 o'clock to four o'clockagain followed by palming. Conclude

the routine with 10 full circles in each direction, as though you are tracing the clock's rim.

These eyeball movements provide balance for people who do work up close, like students who

spend a lot of their time reading or working at computers. According to Robert Abel, author of

The Eye Care Revolution, these brief exercises "compensate for overdevelopment of the muscles

we use to look at near objects."

You might be surprised to learn that the palming part of this exercise provides more than apleasant respite. According to Abel, our photoreceptors break down and are reconstructed everyminute. "The eye desperately needs darkness to recover from the constant stress of light," he

says. "And the simplest way to break eye stress is to take a deep breath, cover your eyes, and

relax."

Along with palming, yoga in general benefits the eyes by relieving tension. While the effect ofyoga on the eyes has not been scientifically measured, studies have shown that a simple exercise

like walking can lower pressure in the eyeball by 20 percent.

Vasanthi Bhat, a yoga teacher in the Sivananda tradition, includes asanas like Adho MukhaSvanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), in her video, Yoga for Eyes. "These asanas bring

circulation to the face, neck, and shoulders, which need to be energized and relaxed for improved

vision," Bhat explains. So even if you have not been doing asanas specifically for your eyes,your overall yoga practice is helping your vision.

Looking High, Looking Low

Once students have mastered the basic eyeball exercise, Srinivasan introduces an intermediate

series of eye exercises which he calls "shifting focus."
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While sitting relaxed and still, pick a point in the distance and focus on it. Extend your arm and

put your thumb right underneath the point of concentration. Now begin shifting your focus

between the tip of your thumb and the faraway point, alternating rhythmically between near anddistance vision. Repeat the exercise 10 times, then relax your eyes with palming and deep

breathing. As you practice this exercise, you are training an organ called the ciliary body, which

adjusts the lens of the eye. Habitual focus patterns degrade the ciliary body's natural flexibility.Shifting focal points counteracts this stiffness by exercising the organ through its full range,much as we work complementary muscle groups in asana practice.

The final eye asana taught in the Sivananda series stresses close-range focus. As in the shifting

focus exercise, gaze at your thumb with your arm extended. This time move the thumb slowly

toward the tip of your nose. Pause there for one second. Then reverse the sequence, following the

thumb with your eyes as you extend your arm again. As before, repeat the sequence 10 times,then relax with palming.

By training the eyes to focus on the ajna chakra(the "third eye," located between and just above

the eyebrows) a yogi trains his mind to turn inward. On a more prosaic level, close-range focusexercises can forestall the need for reading glasses.

Perhaps you've seen a picture of a yogi staring at a candle flame. If so, you've seen trataka, an

eye-cleansing exercise described in the Upanishadsand mentioned in other yogic texts,

including the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Trataka can also be found in the texts ofayurveda(traditional Indian medicine), where it is recommended to stimulate the alochaka pitta,the

energy center related to sight. But as always with yoga, there's a connection between physiology

and the more subtle aspects of spiritual practice. According to Dr. Marc Halpern, founder and

director of the California College of Ayurveda, the practice of trataka decreases mental lethargyand increases buddhi(intellect).

Although traditionally performed with a candle, trataka can use almost any external point offocus, like a dot on the wall. Concentrate your gaze on one object, without blinking, until your

eyes begin to tear. Then close your eyes and try to maintain a vivid image of that object for as

long as possible. Each time you practice trataka, extend the time you maintain the after-image.

This exercise, traditionally believed to remove any disease from the eyes and to induceclairvoyance, also develops the skill of internal visualization. Yogis develop this skill to keep

their minds fixed inmeditationon a sacred imageand, by extension, on the divine experience

associated with that image. The intricate spiritual mandalas you may have see in Indian and

Tibetan holy books are also designed for this purpose. Highly skilled meditators can visualizeeven the most minute details of these elaborate cosmic representations. By perfectly aligning

inner and outer focus, these yogis seek a realization like that of Meister Eckhart, a thirteenth-

century Christian mystic who once declared, "The eye with which I see God is the same eye with

which God sees me."

With benefits ranging from better vision to increased concentration and spiritual insight, theseeye asanas will enhance your yoga practice. Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, they

will help protect your vision from the stresses of light, tension, and environmental toxins. So as
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you grow older, and hopefully wiser, you can direct a soft, insightful gaze at the world, learning

to seeself and otheras one.

.

1. Palming

Rub your hands together for 10 to 15 seconds until they feel warm andenergized. 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. Dont touch

the eyeballs directly, but hollow the hands slightly and allow them to form a curtain of darknessin 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 soothingfor 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 theeyes.

2. Eye Rolling

Sit upright with a long spine and relaxed breath. Soften your gaze byrelaxing the muscles in your eyes and face. Without moving your head, direct your gaze up


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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. Whenyoure ready, perform the same eye-rolling movement three times in a counterclockwise

direction.

3. Focus Shifting

Relax your body and breathe comfortably. Hold one armstraight 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 itsoriginal outstretched position, while maintaining focus on the thumb. Repeat up to 10 times.

4. Distance Gazing

Rest your gaze on a distant object (if youre 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 driftabout 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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..

1. Up and downRaise your eyes and find a small point that you can see clearly without

straining, without frowning, without becoming tense and, of course, without moving your head.While doing this exercise look at this point each time you raise your eyes. Next, lower your eyesto find a small point on the floor which you can see clearly when glancing down. Look at it each

time you lower your eyes. Breathing should be normal. Move your eyes upwards as far as you

can, and then downwards as far as you can. Repeat four more times. Blink quickly a few times 1to relax the eye muscles.

2. Right and leftNow do the same using points to your right and to your left, at eye level. Keep

your raised fingers or two pencils on each side as guides and adjust them so that you can seethem clearly when moving the eyes to the right and to the left, but without straining. Keeping the

fingers at eye level, and moving only the eyes, look to the right at your chosen point, then to the

left. Repeat four times. Blink several times, then close your eyes and rest.

3. On pointChoose a point you can see from the right corner of your eyes when you raise them,

and another that you can see from the left corner of your eyes when you lower them, half closingthe lids. Check your posture: spine erect, head straight and motionless. Look at your chosen point

in right corner up, then to the one in left corner down. Repeat four times. Blink several times.

Close the eyes and rest. Now do the same exercise in reverse. That is, first look to the left cornerup, then to the right corner down. Repeat four times. Blink several times. Close the eyes and rest.

4. RollingThis exercise should not be done until three or four days after you have begun eyeexercises given here. Slowly roll your eyes first clockwise, then counterclockwise as follows:

Lower your eyes and look at the floor, then slowly move the eyes to the left, higher and higheruntil you see the ceiling. Now continue circling to the right, lower and lower down, until you seethe floor again. Do this slowly, making a full-vision circle. Blink, close your eyes and rest. Then

repeat the same action counterclockwise. Do this five times then blink the eyes for at least five

seconds. Tip: When rolling the eyes, make as large a circle as possible, so that you feet a little

strain as you do the exercise. This stretches the eye muscles to the maximum extent, giving betterresults.

5. Changing visionThis is a changing-vision exercise. While doing it you alternately shift your

vision from close to distant points several times. Use your finger (or a pencil), and hold it under

the tip of your nose. Then start moving it away, without raising it, until you have fixed it at the

closest possible distance where you can see it clearly without any blur. Then raise your eyes alittle, look straight into the distance and there find a small point which you can also see very

clearly. Now look at the closer point-the pencil or your finger tip then shift to the farther point in

the distance. Repeat several times, blink, close your eyes and squeeze them tight.

6. ContractionClose your eyes as tightly as you possibly can. Really squeeze the eyes, so the

eye muscles contract. Hold this contraction for three seconds, and then let go quickly. Tip: This


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exercise causes a deep relaxation of the eye muscles, and is especially beneficial after the slight

strain caused by the eye exercises. Blink the eyes a few times.

7. PalmingUse your hands so that your palms cup your eyes. This technique to improve and

strengthen vision is called palming. You dont need to put any pressure on. Make it so that your

eyes can blink if you want them to. Rub your hands together before you do this to help generatesome energy and just let your hands warm your eyes. This really helps heal and nourish them,

and takes out any tension in your eyes

Steps

1.1

Start with massaging your lower eyelids with the tips of your ring fingers.Use short and gentle

circular movements.
http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Do-Yoga-Eye-Exercises-Step-1.jpg


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2.2

Close your eyes halfway down.You will notice that your upper lids constantly tremble withdifferent amplitude. Concentrate your efforts on stopping this trembling. (Little hint it will be

easier to do if you look at further objects). Slowly close your eyes, like your eyelids are made out

of puffy cottony clouds. Think that your eyes get extremely comfortable in their position. The

blood filled with the oxygen flows through your eye sockets. When you inhale imagine the

breezy oxygenated air coming through your nose into the eyes. Exhale through the mouth.

Breathe this way for one or two minutes and end this exercise with a smile.


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4.4

Blink.Always remember about the blinking to lubricate your eyes, cleanse them and at thesame time relax all of the muscles surrounding your eyes.


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5.5

Sit straight, look to the most left side and hold to stretch your eye muscles.Return your gazeback to look straight in front of you. Blink for a few seconds in order to relax your eyes. Repeat.

Blink a few times. This exercise has to be repeated for other eye positions (right, up, bottom,

right top corner, right bottom corner, left bottom corner and left top corner). Do not forget

about blinking.


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6.6

Draw a horizontal number eight with your eyes.Blink.


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7.7

Draw a circle with your eyes.


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8.8

Blink with your eyes closed.


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9.9

Perform palming to relax your eyes.


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10.10

Spend 2 minutes to give yourself an eye acupressure massage to prepare your eyes for thedynamic eye exercises.


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11.11

Sit straight.Look to the most left position and move your gaze to the most right position.Repeat 3 times. Blink a few times. Repeat looking up and down, diagonally (from the left top

corner to the right bottom corner and from the top right corner to the left bottom corner). Each

movement has to be repeated 3-4 times in the beginning. Do not forget to blink.


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12.12

Perform focusing exercises.Look at the tip of your nose and then on the far object and back tothe tip of your nose. Repeat 10 times dynamically. Be inventive. Choose objects on the different

distance and look at each of them.


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13.13

Finish up with palming to relax your eyes.

..

Yoga for the Eyes

Schneider begins his own eye program with palming, massage, blinking, and shiftingexercises

which should be done in a relaxed, effortless way. If there is tension in the body, then the

exercises will only encourage current habits. In all exercises, keep your breathing deep and full.

Palming:Palming, which was originally invented by Tibetan yogis, is done in darkness with the

palms cupping the eyes. Palming soothes the optic nerve, which is often irritated. Sit in adarkened room with your elbows leaning on a table. Relax your back and shoulders, rub your

hands together vigorously to warm them, then place your palms over your eyes. Don't press the

eye sockets and don't lean on the cheekbones. Visualize total blackness, the most relaxing color

for the brain, and breathe deeply. Let the blackness permeate everything: your eyes, your wholebody, the room you sit in, the city, the state, the continent, the planet, the stars, the universe.


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You may see all kinds of lights, which is an indication of irritation in the optic nerve. In fact, you

may not see total darkness until you have completed several palming sessions. Palm for as long

as is comfortable.

Massage:Rub your hands together to warm them and then rub the fingers up the bridge of the

nose and across the eyebrows to the temples. Find the grooves in the eyebrows and massagethem. Then rub the fingers from the nose to the cheekbones and to the ears. Finally, run your

fingers across your forehead. Facial massage helps dissolve tension in the eyes, bringing them to

a more relaxed state. Massage of the face, head, and body can facilitate this process.

Blinking:Often our tendency is to fall into a kind of myopic stare, especially when under stress.

This strains the eyes unnecessarily. Blinking helps keep the eyes moist and tension-free, andincreases circulation in the eyes. Begin reprogramming yourself by opening and closing the eyes

very softly and gently. Then visualize the eyes blinking. Imagine that it's the eyelashes which

open and close the eyes. Breathe deeply. Apply this technique whenever you look at something,

gazing in a soft way and blinking frequently. If the eyes are behaving in this way, then they can't

be tense.

Shifting:This involves flitting the eyes rapidly from detail to detail and encourages the eyes toengage with the world and pick up on more details. Normal eyes shift naturally, making many

micromovements per second.

Shifting works by engaging the macula, the central part of the retina, which is responsible for

clear, detailed vision. By moving the eyes frequently, more information comes through this part

of the retina, thus providing the eyes with more in-focus visual information.

Practice by moving your eyes from point to point on whatever you're looking at. Forget the name

of the thing you're seeing, and look at its individual parts. Never strain or force yourself; alwayslook with "soft" eyes.

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eyes yoga.docx