Eye exercises
Exercise 1
Palming:
The palming exercise will teach you to relax your eyes, which in turn will bring healthy energy
to your eyes.
First, rub your hands together until they feel warm (about 15 to 20 seconds). Then place your cupped hands over your closed eyes, being careful not to touch your eyes with the palms of your hands. The fingers of each hand should overlap and rest gently on the center of your forehead. Don't create any unnecessary pressure on your face. If your arms get tired, rest your elbows on a table.
Sit quietly for one to two minutes with your hands over your eyes. The more relaxed you become, the blacker the darkness you will see with your eyes closed.
Exercise 2
Near-far focus - this exercise improves eye flexibility:
Hold your thumb six inches from your nose. Focus on your thumb. Take one deep breath and exhale slowly. Then focus on an object about 10 feet away. Take another deep breath and slowly exhale. Repeat back and forth 15 times
Exercise 3
Scanning - this exercise helps you increase the flexibility of your eyes.
Sitting or standing at one end of a room, let your eyes scan around the edges of objects in
the room - clocks, televisions, doors, lights, computers, etc. The object of this exercise is
to keep your eyes moving in a loose and fluid way. Do this exercise for two minutes. Remember
to breathe.
Exercise 4
Hydrotherapy
Place a bowl of hot water and a bowl of cold water in front of you.
The hot water should be hot but not so hot that it burns you. The cold water should be ice cold,
so either put ice cubes in it or get it out of the refrigerator. Put a wash cloth in each bowl.
Place the wash cloth from the bowl of hot water against your closed eyes for 30 seconds. Then
do the same with the wash cloth from the bowl of cold water. Continue to alternate the hot and
cold wash cloths. Finish by gently massaging your closed eyes with a dry towel. Do this for two
minutes.
Exercise 5
Head Rolls - this exercise is to relax your neck, head and face muscles and reduce
shoulder tension.
Take a deep breath and close your eyes. On the exhale, slowly drop your chin to your chest.
Relax your neck and shoulders. As you inhale deeply again, slowly and gently roll your head
around to the left, then back, keeping your shoulders still and relaxed. Make your movements
slowly, carefully and deliberately. Now exhale full as you roll your head to the other side
and down to your chest again. Repeat this sequence twice then change directions and repeat
twice more.
About Dr. Grossman
Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac., optometrist and licensed acupuncturist, has been helping people
preserve their vision in his private practice for over 20 years. He is the co-author of Natural
Eye Care - An Encyclopedia (Keats, 1999), and the author of the upcoming book Greater
Vision - A Guide to Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Clarity in Everyday Life.
Dr. Grossman is currently the Eastern Region Director of the Optometric Extension Foundation
rogram, and lectures internationally on natural eye care, nutrition and Chinese medicine.
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