Learn Yoga for good Eyesight. Candle Gazing and Focusing demonstration by Yogaguru Suneel Singh. Image Courtesy – Vijay Gautam.
With ageing, muscles behind the eyes get weak and our eye-sight starts weakening. Even tender aged school going children may also be seen using spectacles due to weak eyes. Its main symptoms are burning in the eyes, watering of eyes, seeing hazy or dim eyes, short sightedness, heaviness of head etc.
Yoga offers some yogic ‘sukshamavyama’ like ‘Netra Shakti Vikasak’, ‘Tratak’, Asanas and Pranayama. If practised regularly the week eyesight can be improved. And along with this if one is following dietary recommendation; the result will be faster and accurate.
NETRA SHAKTI VIKASAK KRIYAS
(i) Blinking of eyes: Blink the eyes quickly 10 times close and release. Do it at least 100 times in a day.
Focusing exercises: Sit in comfortable position with your eyes open. Fix your gaze at the nail of the right thumb keep the fist of the right hand closed with thumb stretched up in level with eyes.
(ii) Slowly bring the hand near to eyes for a few seconds then take the right hand away from you still maintaining the level and gaze as before. Repeat it three times with each hand.
(iii) Candle Gazing: Sit in comfortable position burn a candle and sit at least 4 feet away from the candle and start gazing at candle if water comes from your eyes then close it and relax. After few second start doing once again. Do it at least 3 times.
(iv) Palming: Rub the palms till they become warm. Place the palms gently over the eyes, keep both the hands in such a manner no light would enter the eyes continue the practice for 1 to 3 minutes. Palming revitalizes the eye muscles and improves circulation of eye fluid, thereby improving the vision.
(v) Water Cleansing: Take a wide mouthed bowel, full of clean and cold water. Now tilt the head downward putting the right eye in the water with eye-lid open. Roll the eyeball around in the same condition. Do it with other eye in a same manner. Do it at least with both the eyes 5 time each eye.
These kriyas are the ways within yoga for good eyesight.
Read: Benefits of Yoga on Arthritis
ASANA
(i) Sarvangasana Method: Lie down on the back and relax completely. Slowly raise the legs, hips and trunk in a continuous movement until vertical. Raise the legs – keeping the knees straight and hips by supporting the arms on the ground then bend the elbows and hold the trunk in the hand. In this posture the chin in buried in the upper chest. Retain the position as long as it is comfortable. Then come down slowly. Relax do it only once.
Palming (Left) and Sarvangasana (Right).
BENEFITS: Blood supply increases to the organs in the upper part of the body such as eyes, heart, face, thyroid, roots of spinal nerves and brain. As a result circulatory congestion is relived and hormones flow into blood freely. This asana used in yoga therapy for the treatment of Asthma, Diabetes, Colitis, Thyroid disorders, Impotence and Menopause.
CAUTION: Those suffering from High BP, Heart Ailments, Cervical pain and slipped disc should refrain from doing this asana.
(ii) NADI SHODHANA PRANAYAMA: Sit in comfortable meditative posture. Keep the head and spine upright. Relax the whole body and close the eyes. Then with help of right hand thumb close the right nostril. Now breathe in through left nostril. Then close the left nostril with ring finger and release the pressure of the thumb on the right nostril while breathing out through the right nostril next then inhale through the right nostril. Hold and release the left nostril. This one round of ‘Nadi Shoudhana Pranayama’ Do it minimum 20 rounds.
Blinking of eyes (Left) and Nadishodhana (Right).
BENEFITS: This pranayama ensures that the whole body is nourished by an extra supply of oxygen, Carbon Dioxide is efficiently expelled and blood is purified of toxins. This pranayama increase vitality and lower level of stress and anxiety by harmonizing the pran. Nadi means channel or flow of energy and shoudhana means purification. So this pranayama is very good for stress and mental depression.
Nadi Shodhana Pranayama is a way within yoga for good eyesight.
