Difficulty waking up early in the morning, fatigue and headaches sound familiar? Most of us experience these symptoms due to stress and overwork. However, a relatively new concept has emerged as an answer to physical and mental well-being: eye yoga! Eye yoga combines traditional postures with simple hand movements that gradually improve your eyesight. It doesn’t require tedious workouts or expensive equipment; you only need 10 minutes a day to practice exercises adapted to your specific needs. Find out how this powerful routine can help ease the pain of daily computer work while improving cognitive functions like concentration and focus.
Eye yoga is a relatively new practice for eye relaxation and rejuvenation. The goal of eye yoga is to reduce stress and tension in the eye muscles, improve vision, and increase circulation to the eyes. This can lead to better concentration, better balance, clearer vision, and better overall health.
Reduction of strain on the eyes.
Eye yoga helps reduce eye strain. This means that after practicing eye yoga regularly, people may experience less fatigue when looking at a computer screen or reading a book. Eye yoga can also help with dry eyes and relieve headaches caused by eye strain. By relieving eye muscle tension, eye yoga can also minimize headaches associated with migraine or general stress-related disorders.
Promoting healthy blood flow.
The second benefit of eye yoga is improved blood circulation in the eyes, which leads to healthier tissues around them. Studies have shown that healthy blood circulation helps keep our corneas healthy and reduces the risk of developing common vision problems such as glaucoma or cataracts. Additionally, increased blood circulation around the eyes promotes the flow of more oxygenated blood to that area, resulting in better clarity of vision and more vibrant colors.
Improved visual acuity.
Eye yoga can actually help improve vision over time. With regular practice, individuals will find that their vision becomes sharper and clearer than before and they have better depth perception due to increased muscle strength around the eyes. In addition, this improvement in visual acuity can relieve myopia or astigmatism in people who suffer from it (especially if it is associated with the prescription of glasses).
Improved general well-being.
Finally, eye yoga can also help reduce stress levels, which in turn can improve overall mood and feelings of well-being. Regular eye exercises have been shown to bring mental clarity and a sense of peace, while decreasing feelings of restlessness or worry during times of high stress levels.
Eye yoga: how often and how to practice it?
As a general rule, you should do at least 10 minutes of eye yoga daily, although it can be done for shorter or longer periods depending on individual needs.
When doing eye yoga, it’s important to have good posture and make sure your eyes are level with the object you’re focusing on.
You can start by closing your eyes for a few seconds, then reopen them, focusing on a distant object. Then move your attention from that object to a closer object, such as a pencil or a book, and back again, several times. This exercise helps train the muscles around your eyes, which helps improve your focus and reduce tension later.
You can also look up and down or circle your eyes three times in each direction to relax them after sustained concentration on one thing.
For even more benefits, try combining simple breathing exercises with eye yoga. For example, when focusing on a distant object, take several deep breaths while keeping your gaze fixed. This will allow the muscles in the area to receive more oxygen, which will help them stay relaxed.
There are also other more advanced techniques:
Palming (covering the eyes with the hands):
A technique that involves placing the palms of his hands over his closed eyes. Palming blocks light and stimulates relaxation of the eyelids and the mind. When practiced correctly, you will feel a coolness emanating from your palms as your eyes rest in the darkness. To practice this effective therapy, it is recommended to sit in a relaxed position, warm your hands by rubbing them against each other. Place the palms of your hands over your eyes, so that your fingers reach your forehead. Be careful not to press too hard. You can take as many 5-minute breaks as needed throughout the day for instant refreshment, or combine them into longer 20-minute sessions 2-3 times per week for maximum benefit.
The zoom (progressive bringing closer and further away from an object):
One of the exercises that should be part of your eye yoga routine. To practice zooming, choose an object on the nearby table and focus your attention on it. Gradually move closer to the object while continuing to look at it. Once you are within arm’s reach of the object, start moving away until you reach a comfortable distance.
