Yoga for Eyes
Most of the time we mainly focus on our body health by doing some physical exercise to keep it healthy. And we have overlooked that the health of our eyes are as important as our body health too!
When we didn’t take care of our eyes by making it tire and feel strain, it is not only will affect our health of eyes, but affect our overall body and mind too.
How Everything Is Connected
Always remember everything is connected not only between you and the outer world but each and every part of our body, internal and external, are connected.
Therefore, any part of our body goes wrong will affect other part of our body too. Outside environment will affect our body and mind too. This is because everything is connected.
We are connected to our Mother Earth and even she is connected to the universe out there too! Therefore, we are connected to the universe too.
Everything is energy, including you and me, and everything around us. Therefore, we are all connected with everything. Nothing happen without a reason. Regardless we know it or not.
Quantum Physics and Quantum Mechanics can explain more in details if you are interested to dive deeper into it.
Yoga is about the union of body, mind and soul. It is about union with everything as a whole, as Oneness. I have another blog post about What is Yoga if you are interested to learn more.
Symptoms of Eye Strain
How do you know that you have strain your eyes? As follows are some signs and symptoms of eyestrain which are telling you that you have strain your eyes already.
Eyestrain Signs and Symptoms
- Sore, tired, burning or itching eyes
- Watery or dry eyes
- Blurred or double vision
- Headache
- Sore neck, shoulders or back
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling that you cannot keep your eyes open
- Trouble sleeping
So can you see now how eyestrain can lead to headache, sore neck, shoulders and your back? And I believe this will not come across your mind that all your these pain is due to you have strain your eyes!
And when we are suffering in pain, it will affect our mood and mental health. So can you see just a simple eyestrain can affect our body, mind and soul because everything are connected.
The Causes of Eyestrain
In order to prevent eyestrain, we have to learn what are the common causes of eyestrain. Everything happen for a reason. Therefore, we need to know what are the causes of it before we try to find solution to the problem. It’s no point complaining as it does not help to solve any problem.
Common Causes of Eyestrain
- Looking at digital device screens
- Reading without pausing to rest your eyes
- Driving long distances and doing other activities involving extended focus
- Being exposed to bright light or glare
- Straining to see in very dim light
- Having an underlying eye problem, such as dry eyes or uncorrected vision (refractive error)
- Being stressed or fatigued
- Being exposed to dry moving air from a fan, heating or air-conditioning system
As you can see stress or fatigue is one of the common causes of eyestrain. So learns to relax! Don’t put too much stress in yourself. A lot of time, stress is created by ourselves without realizing it.
I would love to share one of my blog post – Keep Life Simple, which will be helpful for those stressful people to learns to view life differently.
How To Block Blue Light From Computer
Extended use of computers and other digital devices is one of the most common causes of eyestrain. As I believe most of the people need to look at either their computer or cellphone everyday. I am one of them! Although I try to minimize the usage if possible.
The constant exposure to blue-violet lights from computers and cellphone devices are capable of causing serious damage to our vision.
Since it is not possible to stop using digital devices, at least we can do something to expose less to this blue-violet lights.
I would highly recommend, especially for those who need to spend a long time in front of the computer, to wear a blue light glasses.
I have bought one recently and it really help. You can feel and experience the difference with a blue light glasses. Try it yourself!
Learn to give yourself some breaks in between work to look away from your computer screen. Look out of the window and see far.
I love to look at the green like the trees and plants, the sky, the birds and butterfly flying, feel the breeze! I can feel the tension of my eyes, include my neck and shoulders, being release!
Yoga For Eyes
For those who have practice yoga, you will notice different yoga poses will require you to either look up or at your hand, or certain part of your body. This looking is actually also exercising your eyes.
I just take one of the example of yoga pose, Cobra Pose. You are required to look up while you are holding at the pose with your breathing.
Some people might feel eyes straining while looking up but they don’t know it actually gets your eyes muscles being stretch and help people who suffer migraine problem too.
Other therapeutic yoga exercises include:
- Palming
- Blinking
- Side-to-Side / Up-to-Down / Corner-to-Corner Gaze
- Rotating Eyes
- Tip of the Nose Focus
You can try the above eyes exercises every morning after wake up. You can just sit on your bed to do them!
Palming is a simple yet effective way to relax your eyes. If you are feeling eyestrain during the day, you can try this palming to release the eyestrain immediately.
How To Do:
- To begin, sit straight with your eyes closed. Let your muscles loosen and body relax.
- Rub the palms of your hands vigorously, until they become warm and place the palms gently over your eyelids.
- Feel the warmth getting transferred from your palms to your eyes. Breathe deeply.
- Maintain this position until the warmth from your hands has been absorbed completely.
- Now, lower your hands while keeping your eyes closed and relax.
- Once again rub the palms and repeat the process at least three times.
Tip of the Nose Focus is a good practice because it can help you concentrate as one of the eyestrain symptoms is difficulty in concentrating.
How To Do:
- Sit straight either with your legs crossed or on a chair.
- Raise your right arm straight directly in front of the nose.
- Your right fist should be closed and your thumb should be pointing upward.
- Focus on the tip of your thumb.
- Now, bend the arm and gradually bring the thumb to the tip of the nose, all the while having the eyes focused on the tip of the thumb.
- Remain in this position for a while with the thumb held at the tip of the nose with the eyes focused there.
- Continuing to gaze at the tip of the thumb, gradually straighten the arm.
- This constitutes a single round.
- Repeat this exercise at least five rounds.
Yoga Cleansing Techniques
Shat Kriyas or Yogic cleansing techniques are an integral part of yoga as they help eliminate accumulated toxins from the system. There are six major cleansing techniques – Neti, Kapal Bhati, Dhauti, Basti (Enema), Nauli and Trataka.
Trataka or candle-gazing is an ancient Yogic technique to cleanse the eyes. Some benefits of Trataka include:
- cleans and heals the eyes
- cleanses the cerebral cortex
- overall purifying
- invigorating
- improves concentration as a beginning for a deeper meditation practice
- balances the nervous system
- helps relieve anxiety and depression
- diminishes insomnia
I would like to share a video by Yogi Trupta who teach you the step by step how to practice Trataka, including some eyes exercises I have mentioned above. Please enjoy.
TRATAKA, Yogic Eye Cleansing Technic! Yoga for Concentration and Memory!!
Sharing Your Experience
Do you have any thought you would love to share? Please feel free to leave them in my comment box provided at the bottom. I am more than happy to hear from you!
If you have tried the blue light glasses or any of the eyes exercises or the Trataka technique, you are welcome to share your experience.
Please help to click on the social share buttons on this article and share it with others so that more people learn too. Give a Like to my article too! Thank you.
Namaste.
Janet
I’m a qualified Yoga Teacher. I have been practicing yoga since year 2002 and start teaching since year 2004. I have created Janet Yoga Spirit to help everyone who is in the yoga journey and provide products and services to help everyone in whatever they are looking for in related to yoga including nice and comfortable yoga clothings for your yoga practice, yoga accessories that help you in your practice, retreats to help you to unplug yourself, yoga teacher training, yoga and meditation classes, yoga and wellness programs, tools to help you with the union of the body, mind and soul, and much more! Learn more about me under "About" and enjoy looking around and have a good time here! Namaste.
10 Comments
Rick
I really enjoyed your exercises. It was morning around 10:30 when I did them and at first, I didn’t feel that my eyes were strained at all.
After completing your exercises and the ones in the video I found my eyes to be more relaxed. It kinda surprised me because like I said it was early in the day and didn’t expect my eyes to be strained already.
I also noticed less stress on my face and shoulders. I will be performing these simple exercises more often. How often do you recommend this exercise? Thank you for sharing.
Janet
Hi Rick. Glad that you enjoy the eye exercises. Yes, eyes can start to feel the strain even in the morning as long as you strain the eyes for too long hours. Try to take note of those points that I have mentioned that causes the eye strain.
All these eyes exercises don’t have to wait until feeling eye strain then you do. You can always practice them every day to keep your eyes healthy. I always do a few of the eyes exercises the moment I wake up in the morning.
As for Trataka, you don’t have to practice it every day if you don’t have the times because you are practicing other eyes exercises too. If you find that to setup the candle is troublesome, you can also practice Trataka while looking at a white point on black paper, or at a black point on white paper.
Some people replace the candle with a small light bulb too. Whether is using candle or small light bulb, practice in a dark room. Because when you are in a dark room, then you can concentrate and focus on the light easily.
Hope all these help. Enjoy your practice! 🙂
Jade
Hi Janet,
The first time I’d heard of eye yoga, I thought it sounded super weird. However, I tried it, and was shocked to find that my eyes actually hurt a little when I tried to do the exercises (which were just the directional gazes and rotating eyes).
When I finished, my eyes felt better than they had in a long time, and I hadn’t even noticed that they didn’t feel great.
I actually do the exercises from that first time pretty regularly, and I’ve noticed that my eyes are a little less sensative to light, they feel less dry, and just generally better.
Now, thanks to you, I can add a few more exercises to my eye-yoga somewhat-routine.
Thanks for all this great info, and for giving such clear instructions!
~Jade
Janet
Hi Jade. Glad to hear that your eyes is in better condition after practice the eyes exercises regularly.
Yes, sometimes we didn’t even realise that our eyes are actually not in it’s best condition until we try out those eyes exercise and realise there is difference actually.
It’s easy to put those eyes exercises in your daily routine exercise as it doesn’t take you lot of times and can practice any where any time except for Trataka eyes cleansing technique. Keep up the practice 🙂
Andrew
Hi Janet,
As you say, computers and other devices are a major cause of eye problems these days, and I fear the problems are getting worse for the younger generations as they are spending more and more time looking at screens.
My eyes have gotten progressively worse over the last six years since I have been spending more time on my computer. I have to wear glasses now for screen time and reading any fine print.
I have come across the yoga exercises you have mentioned before and do periodically do them. However, for them to be of more benefit, I have to do them more often. You have given me a timely reminder to do them often. Thank you.
Yes, everything is connected, and the fact that our eyes are tired and sore does have a negative flow-on-effect throughout our bodies. So, to avoid further problem, I will check out the blue light blocking glasses that you have recommended.
Many thanks for the information 🙂
Janet
Hi Andrew. You are most welcome!
Same here, there are a lot of times I have to keep reminding myself too because at time I do get carry away with busy work. Some time I write a blog post is also helping myself at the same time helping others.
Yes, I agree with you that nowadays we are spending more time on computer especially now almost everything go online. Even for office work also talking about paperless work which mean all on the screen!
On one hand, I agree to go paperless to safe our Mother Earth, but on the other hand it’s giving more strain to our eyes on the screen for long hours. This is really a challenge to find a balance.
Ruthlyn Bailey
I have heard of yoga before, but I have never heard of yoga for the eyes. While I was reading this post I stopped and tried some of the exercises, I think they really worked my eyes.
I think I will keep doing them, then hopefully my headaches and neck strain will go away. Great post.
Janet
Hi Ruthlyn. Yes, it work. You must practice regularly. Take note of the causes of eye strain. Prevention is always better than cure.
Headaches, neck and shoulder strain can be due to lot of causes. Eye strain is just one of the cause of them which a lot of people are unaware of it. When you feel eyestrain, try those eyes exercises and observe does your headaches, neck and shoulder strain improve.
If it does, so at least you know your headaches, neck and shoulder strain could be partly caused by your eyes strain. From there, you start to find solution for your eyestrain.
OlaBee
I am really grateful for this article, I spend sometimes long hours in front of the screen. Yet I don’t have any consequences.
I didn’t know about blue light glasses, do you think it’s worth buying if I spend in front of the screen let’s say 4 to 5 hours a day?
Thanks for eye yoga tips, I am gonna try that for sure.
Janet
Hi Ola. Thank you for sharing your thought.
If you spend 4 to 5 hours only a day on the screen and you don’t feel any eye strain, you can just practice the eyes exercise will do. Whether is it worth it to invest in the blue light glasses depend on individual.
Hope the eyes exercise help make some different 🙂