Palming is a natural remedy for eye strain.  Today it is very common to sit for hours in front of a computer screen.  This creates tension in the eyes and develops eye strain because of the continual use of muscles around the eyes.   Often when we become fixated on what we are doing, particularly screen time, we forget to take short breaks to relax the eyes, or take a few breaths to relax.

Sounds all too easy, but actually in practice it’s a struggle because interrupting what we are doing to take an eye rest is something we often forget to do.

Over use of eyes results in vision problems stemming from gradual loss of tone in the eye muscles and the habitual pattern of being focused on a computer screen losing the ability to focus at different distances.  Further eyes get tired, dry, red and irritable.

According to Ayurveda and Yoga exercises such as palming helps relax the eyes and improves vision which is an important benefit.  Relaxation is also another very important element of eye health.

The balance between tension and relaxation according to Yoga is essential.  For example, think of a rubber band.  If we pull the rubber band tight it becomes quite hard and inflexible, eventually it will snap.  To keep a rubber band flexible we need to do the opposite, release the tension on the band and let it relax to come back to balance.

Think of the eyes in a similar way.  Over time when we overuse the eyes without relaxation we create great tension and begin to  experience eye problems.  To keep eyes healthy we need to bring them back to a balanced state with relaxation.   It is not stretching and contracting muscles, but relaxation that appears to be the key element to healthy eyes.

One of the simplest ways to assist eye strain and stress is palming, that is cover your eyes and relax, this benefits the eyes by relieving tension.  Other tips including stretching the neck, relaxing the shoulders helps bring more circulation to the face, neck and shoulders which need to be energised and relaxed to improve vision.

Try this short eye exercise and palming for eye benefits.  Repeat this exercise during the day as many times as you feel beneficial.

Palming Eye Exercise

1.  Sit comfortably and relax the entire body.
2.  Soften the eyes, soften the jaw and relax shoulders
3.  Look in front and follow your finger with your eyes without moving the head
   from top right hand corner, lower to left hand corner, straight up to the left
   hand corner and down to right.
4.  Create a figure 8.  Repeat 3 times
5.  Finish with Palming the Eyes
6.  Rub your palms together for a few moments
7.  Gently place the palms over your eye balls
8.  Rest for a minute or two
9.  Feel the warmth from your palms
10.  Enjoy the stillness and quietness for a few moments
11. Finally conclude the exercise with several eye circles in each direction.
    Eyes rotating in a circles without moving head or neck.
12. Rest

The benefit of this exercise, in particular palming, is balance.  It compensates for over development of habitual eye muscles when we look at near objects for extended time.

Benefits of palming, relaxation and eye exercise range from better vision, less eye problems to increased concentration.  Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, this will help protect your vision from the stresses of modern day life, tension and overuse of eyes for computer work.

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