It is well known that yoga can benefit body and mind, given the numerous scientific articles that demonstrate the relaxing properties of yoga, also useful in counteracting insomnia, pain and stiffness. But yoga exercises can also protect vision and retinal health by lowering eye pressure, improving visual acuity and counteracting eye fatigue. A scientific research has dealt with this, published in the International Journal of Yoga thanks to a collaboration between Japanese and Macedonian scientists (Galina et al, Int J Yoga, 2020). Today we will practice together the sequence of eye exercises studied in this research.
Start by taking slow, deep breaths. Take a few minutes for this step.
Take off your contact lenses, if you wear them, or glasses, you need to be in complete fluency. Slowly, move your eyes horizontally, left and right. Get as far as you can, continue like this for a few cycles. Then move your eyes vertically, moving them from top to bottom and vice versa. Always move your eyes slowly but as far as possible. Then move your eyes obliquely, from the top left corner to the bottom right corner and vice versa. Finally, move all eyes to the right, move them from top to bottom for a few cycles. Then move your eyes to the left and move them from top to bottom.
Rub your hands together for a minute to warm them up. Then, when your hands are nice and warm, cup them over your eyes, but don't squeeze your eyeballs. The eyes are closed in this warmth. Begin to visualize, in your mind, moving scenes such as a wheat field with ears swaying in the wind, or the waves of the sea on the sand. Occasionally, a black object crosses the scene, like a crow. Keep doing this for a few minutes. Then slowly open your eyes in the warmth of your hands and take your hands away from your face. Breathe.
