Eye exercise in Yoga

Yoga is vital in maintaining eye health. Yoga Eye Exercise strengthens the muscles of the eyes, thus preventing eye ailments. Regular practice of certain eye exercises even rectifies eye problems. It has also been scientifically proven that certain eye exercise like rotating eyeballs, palming, gaze shifting etc improves vision and hence should be a part of regular yoga practice.

A few such Yogic Eye Exercises are given below. It is recommended that one should assume the Corpse Pose (Shavasana) wherein one is required to lie in a relaxed state on the floor, with all parts of the body kept relaxed, while doing these exercises.

• Sit straight with hands on the knees. Lift up the eyes, find a point on which the gaze can be focused for a few seconds without much strain. Then shift the gaze down to the floor, now find a point on which the gaze can be focused effortlessly. This shifting of gaze up and down, is a good eye exercise. Breathing should be normal and regular. Care should be taken to see that the head or any other part of the body does not move during this exercise except the eyes.
  

• Rub the palms until they are heated up and place it over the eyes. While doing so, there should not be any direct pressure on the eyes. The eyes should remain relaxed in the darkness.

• Move eyeballs from left to right and vice-versa and then relax by placing the palms over the eyes. Now move eyeballs from left top to right bottom and vice-versa, and again relax as said. Now rotate the eyeballs in clock-wise direction and then anti-clockwise direction a few times. Relax. Finally move the eyeballs up and down several times without blinking. All these movements should be slow and relaxed.
• Sit on the floor keeping the spine straight. Keeping the eyes open, fix the gaze on a picture or candle. Without blinking, focus on the object for a few seconds (it is okey if the tears flow from the eyes). However, the eyes should not feel strained and breathing should be normal and deep.

These exercises help in removing any sort of tension and eye strain. They help in clarity of vision and in increasing blood supply to the nerves of the eyes. It removes tension and relaxes the eye muscles giving a calming effect. The mind and eyes are inter-linked. It is said that more than 40 percent of the capacity of the brain is occupied by vision. Hence while closing the eyes, even the brain is relaxed. The health of the eyes is directly proportional to the relaxation it receives in the form of such exercises.

Source: ayurvedictalk.com