SIMPLE EXERCISES WHEN FEELING EYE STRAIN
In Part 1 of this series about Yoga for the eyes, we demonstrated a few simple exercises that you can do whenever you feel eye strain or eye tiredness coming on.
In Part 2, we will explore a set of “thumb-and-eye” Yoga techniques that can have far-reaching effects in arresting vision deterioration and maintain general eye health and fitness.
Make a routine out of these yoga moves, practice them daily, and the benefits will soon be visible to you in a few short months.
Focus Shifting
• Sit or stand in a comfortable position and hold your head and spine straight.
• Take a few relaxing deep breaths and bring your concentration to the movement you’re about to do.
• Raise your right arm straight in front of you. Ball your fingers into a loose fist with the thumb pointing straight up.
• Now, slowly move the thumb closer to your face without losing your focus on it.
• As the thumb comes really close to the nose, you will gradually lose focus.
• Hold still in that position, take a few deep breaths and then stretch out your arm again. Repeat this technique 10 times.
Sideways Viewing
• Sit comfortably on the ground with your legs stretched out in front.
• Raise both your arms straight in front of you. Ball your fingers into loose fists with the 2 thumbs pointing straight up.
• Holding this position, and keeping your head firm, look at a point directly in front of you, at eye level.
• From here, you will now shift your gaze in the order given below:
• Move your eyes sideways and inwards, and try to look at the space between your eyebrows.
• Shift glance to the left thumb held in front of you.
• Look back at the space between the eyebrows.
• Shift glance to the right thumb held in front of you.
• Look back at the space between the eyebrows.
• Repeat this exercise 10-20 times, and do each movement slowly and deliberately.
• An advanced option: Once you have mastered the Sideways Viewing technique, you can align your breathing with each movement – inhaling each time you look at your thumbs, and exhaling when the gaze shifts between the eyebrows.
Up And Down Viewing
• Sit with your legs stretched out in front.
• Make 2 fists with your hands and rest them on your knees with the thumbs pointing straight upwards.
• Slowly raise the right thumb, holding out the right arm straight. Follow this upward motion with your eyes.
• When the right thumb is raised as high as you can go, start bringing the arm down until the fist is resting again on your right knee. Follow this downward movement with your eyes.
• Repeat the same up and down exercise with your left thumb. Practice 5 times with each thumb.
• Advanced option: Inhale deeply when raising the thumb. Exhale completely with the downward motion.
Rotational Viewing
• Sit comfortably on the ground with your legs stretched out in front.
• Extend your right arm straight above your right knee. Make a fist, with the right thumb pointing straight up.
• Draw a large circle in the air with the thumb in a slow, deliberate motion. Follow this circle with your eyes. Do not lose focus of the movement of the thumb.
• Remember to keep your head and neck still as your eyes are following the thumb.
• Do this 5 times, clockwise and anti-clockwise. Repeat the process with the left thumb.
• Advanced option: Inhale deeply as you draw the upper half of the circle. Exhale completely as you draw the lower half of the circle.