Better Vision

Strengthen your eyesight with 7 tips from the yogis.
By Deborah Willoughby

Eyeglasses, contact lenses, and the miracle of laser surgery—these gifts of modern science can do wonders for failing eyesight. But so can common sense and a few tips from the yogis. Here’s a potpourri. Try any or all and watch your eyes strengthen and your vision clear.

Relax

Seeing is effortless—or should be. Instead of staring, let the image come to the eye. Relax your eyes and the muscles around your eyes. Don’t strain, simply see.

Blink

When you find yourself staring, blink several times quickly and rhythmically. In fact, blink often—especially when reading or working at a computer. It moistens and rests your eyes and will remind you to soften your gaze.

Palm

Several times a day, rub your palms together briskly and then cup them over your closed eyes. Rest for a few minutes in perfect darkness, enjoying the sensation of your eyes absorbing the healing warmth from your hands.

Sunbathe

Find a comfortable place in the sun to sit, close your eyes, and move your head gently from side to side. Let the warmth of the sun soak into your eyelids for up to ten minutes. This is best done in the early morning or early evening, especially in hot weather.

Candle Gazing

Place a lighted candle at least an arm’s length away in a darkened room. Rest your gaze gently on the flame and count 100 relaxed breaths. If you haven’t yet broken the habit of staring, use two candles. Place them a foot apart and shift your gaze between them to the rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations.

Greeting the Dawn

Go outside before dawn and find a place where you have a clear view of the eastern horizon. Stick out your tongue, fold it into a tube and inhale while gazing at the line of red just above the horizon. (Exhale through your nose.) Visualize the cool dawn air mingling with rosy hue and flowing over your eyes with each inhalation.

Dew Walking

Early in the morning when the grass is drenched with dew, take off your shoes and stroll barefoot through the grass. It’s a little hard to understand how this strengthens eyesight, but the yogis insist it does. Try it for several months and see if they’re right.

Deborah Willoughby is the founding editor of Yoga International.

Photo (cc) via Flickr user Mr. T in DC