Note: Before starting these exercises, it is always recommended to splash your eyes with cold water a few times. Remember to keep the head and spine straight throughout the exercises. Try not to use corrective lens during all these exercises.
•When doing the eye exercises keep your eyes open and don't move your head.
•Sitting, open your eyes and check on your posture: Is your spine erect? Hands on the knees? Body relaxed? Head straight? That is how you should always remain while doing eye exercises. The whole body must be stationary; nothing must move except the eyes.
A typical set of eye exercises routine maybe something like the following. It’ll give you a feel of how an eye exercise program will be like. Practicing these yoga eye exercises regularly for a few months can rectify the functioning of our eyes.
One: Palming
Palming is very relaxing to the eyes, important for preserving the eyesight, and has a beneficial, relaxing effect on your nervous system.
1.Sit quietly and comfortably with eyes closed and take some deep breaths to relax yourself completely.
2.Vigorously rub your palms together to create a warm sensation till they’re hot.
3.Close your eyes and place your hot palms over your eyelids. Do not press your hands against your eyes. Don't bend your head. Take a deep breath while palming your eyes.
4.Feel the warmth of the palms being transferred onto the eyes and the eye muscles relaxing. Your eyes are being bathed in soothing darkness.
5.Imagine yourself looking into the dark and if you see flashes of light, ignore it as it will eventually go away.
6.Hold this position until the heat from the hands has been completely absorbed by the eyes.
7.Lower the hands while they eyes are still closed.
8.Repeat the process at least three times.
You should to do palming repeatedly throughout the day to provide your eyes with sufficient rest.
Two: Blinking
1.Sit comfortably with your eyes open.
2.Blink around 10 times very quickly.
3.Close your eyes and relax for 20 seconds. Slowly take your attention to your breath.
4.Repeat this exercise about 5 times.
Three: Stretching
Warm up is important for all sorts of exercises. By increasing circulation to the eyes, we reduce the risk of the aches and pains that may come with exercise. Before we start the eye exercises, we have to stretch our eye ocular muscles first. Remember to keep your head stationary throughout the exercise.
1.Look straight ahead and look all the way up.
2.Count 2 seconds, then look all the way down.
3.Count 2 seconds, then look to the extreme left.
4.Count 2 seconds, then look to the extreme right.
5.Now move your eyes to the four diagonal corners like the letter ‘X.’ Begin with looking to the extreme top-right corner, bottom-left, top-left and end with bottom-right for one whole cycle.
6.Repeat the cycle for one minute. Remember to keep your head stationary.
Four: Flexing
This eye yoga exercise aims to improve your eyes flexibility. You can either do it with eyes open or close:
1.Relax and look up.
2.Rotate your eyes in clockwise direction covering all the corners.
3.Imagine you’re chasing a flying ball circling around your face.
4.Do this for one minute and change to anti-clockwise direction.
Five: Sideways Viewing
1.Sit with legs straight in front of the body
2.Lift your arms straight to the level of your eyes and open them fully (180 degrees) keeping your fist closed and your thumbs pointing upward at eye level
3.Look at a point straight in front of you in level with your eyes (between your eyebrows)
4.Keep your head stationary, focus on the following one after the other, by shifting your vision to the:
a.Space between the eyebrows.
b.Right thumb.
c.Space between the eyebrows.
d.Left thumb.
e.Space between the eyebrows.
f.Right thumb.
5.Repeat 10 to 20 times.
6.After completing this exercise close your eyes and rest.
Six: Rotational Viewing
Slowly roll your eyes first clockwise, then counterclockwise as follows:
1.Lower your eyes and look at the floor, then slowly move the eyes to the left, higher and higher until you see the ceiling.
2.Continue circling to the right, lower and lower down, until you see the floor again.
3.Do this slowly, making a full-vision circle.
4.Repeat the same action counterclockwise.
5.Do this five times then blink the eyes for at least five seconds.
6.When rolling the eyes, make as large a circle as possible, so that you feel a little strain as you do the exercise. This stretches the eye muscles to the maximum extent, giving better results.
Alternatively
1.Sit with legs straight in front of your body.
2.Lift your right fist as far up as your eyes can see it, with the thumb pointing upwards. Keep your elbow straight and your head stationary.
3.Focus your eyes on the thumb.
4.Make a full circle with the thumb, keeping the elbow straight.
5.Repeat this exercise five times each in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction.
6.Close and rest the eyes and relax completely.
Breathing
•Inhale while completing the upper arc of the circle.
•Exhale while completing the lower arc.
Seven: Up and Down Viewing
1.Gently, move your eyes upwards and then downwards as far as you can. Repeat four more times. Blink quickly a few times for 10-20 seconds to relax the eye muscles.
2.Sit with legs straight in front of your body with the head still.
3.Stretch your right arm as far as you can away from your eyes, with the thumb pointing upwards at the eye level. Keep your elbow straight and your head stationary.
4.Focus your eyes on the thumb.
5.Slowly