The
Loose Nut Eye Gym
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Loose Nut Eye Gym |
Whether or not you need corrective lenses to see well, your eyes are aimed and focused by muscles. Like all muscles, they perform best if they are strong, limber and relaxed. Here are a few tips for taking your eyes to the gym in order to avoid eyestrain and headaches at the track.
Centuries ago, the Tibetan Buddhists developed a mandala, a ritualistic geometric symbol, that exercised all of the muscles surrounding the eyes. The Tibetan Eye Chart, as it came to be known, challenges your eyes to move deliberately and decisively in a great many directions, and into their extreme ranges of motion.
Proponents of the Tibetan eye chart claim that in just a few months of regular use, some eye conditions can be sufficiently corrected to end the need for glasses altogether. Obviously, exercise can’t do anything for astigmatism, cataracts, or other structural eye conditions, but it will strengthen and condition the eye muscles that point and focus your eyes.
Attach this
chart to a wall so that the center of the chart is at nose height while
standing comfortably. Position your nose within 4 – 6 inches of the center
of the chart. You should be close enough that you can barely see the outermost
circles without moving your head.
Start at the top and follow precisely along the entire outline of the
snowflake in a clockwise direction while keeping your nose centered on
the chart. Do three laps around each outlying circle as you come to it
at the end of each arm, then continue on your way around the chart. When
you’ve gone all the way around to your starting point, reverse your direction
and repeat the process back around the chart. After circumnavigating the
chart twice in each direction, stop and palm for 2 – 3 minutes.
Do this twice a day, every day. Breath deeply throughout the exercise
and if possible, do it somewhere that receives lots of natural sunlight.
Directions
Near-Far Focus Repetitions
Near-far reps are another great eye exercise. These are done by shifting
your focus back and forth from the extreme near-field to far-field as
quickly as possible. Start by holding your finger about 10 inches in front
of your face, then focus your eyesight on it. Next, refocus on some object
off in the distance directly beyond your finger. It should be at least
10 feet away. Shift your focus back and forth between your finger and
the distant object as quickly as you can, while still allowing your eyes
enough time to establish full focus at each extreme.
A little strain is normal during both of these exercises, but if your eyes start feeling too strained, discontinue the exercise and palm for a few minutes.
Eye Relaxation by Palming
Palming is a wonderful way to fully relax your eyes anytime you like. While it is a particularly good idea to palm after doing any eye exercises, it is also a good idea to take palming breaks occasionally during extended time at a computer, after reading for any lengthy period, and at any other time your eyes feel tired or strained.
Ideally, you should sit down so you can rest your elbows on your knees or on a table, and rest your head in the palms of your clean hands. Position each palm so that it creates an airtight seal around the whole eye socket. No light should be able to reach your eyes. The goal is to create total darkness for both eyes and to let them be as still as possible for about 3 – 5 minutes. Breath deeply from the bottom of your diaphragm the whole time you are palming. Your eyes like lots of oxygen.