Fitness
NAM-EYE-STAY
Give Your Eyes A Rest With Eye Yoga BY AMANDA ROLAND | ILLUSTRATIONS BY GRACE DOWNEY
Eye yoga refers to the gentle movement of the eyes in various positions to relieve pain and strain in the eyes!
In 2020, we learned what it was like to live in a completely digital world. Zoom calls, Google docs, laptops and Netflix really kept us all going when we were exiled to work from our homes last year. While all of this technology is great for getting the job done, it is not great for our eyes, and I'm sure we would be appalled to know how much screen time we have all accrued in 2020. Looking at screens all day can cause a lot of strain on the eyes and can make the muscles in your face sore. To combat this, a new trend has emerged in the health and wellness scene — enter eye yoga! The best part is eye yoga can be done anywhere, anytime and with no equipment. Here are some different eye yoga exercises that you can do daily to relieve eye strain and keep you comfortable throughout the day!
FOCUS SHIFTING PALMING Take your hands and rub them together for a few seconds to generate some warmth. Next, close your eyes and gently press your palms on your eye sockets for a few moments. You will feel the heat from your palms relax the muscles around your eyes, giving them a little break. Also with your palms, cup your hands slightly and place them over your eye sockets with your eyes open. Stare into the darkness in your hands for a few moments to give your eyes a break from the bright lights from your screens or surroundings. Repeat both of these palm exercises every hour.
For this exercise, sit straight in your chair with a relaxed spine. Find something that is far away to look at – this could be a far-away wall, a tree outside the window or a chair on the other side of your office. Focus on that thing for a few moments, then shift your focus to something close to you. This could be your office desk (not your computer), a picture on a wall close to you or even your shoelaces. Alternate looking back and forth between things that are far away and close to you to give your eyes a chance to shift focus! Do these exercises daily to reduce eye strain and fatigue throughout the day! If you are experiencing severe eye pain that will not go away, contact your eye doctor or health care provider immediately to get more help.
FIGURE EIGHTS To give your eye muscles a challenge, look at a blank wall and draw big figure eights on the wall with your eyes. Try making 10 figure eights going one direction with your eyes, and then repeat 10 more times going the other direction. You can also do this with your eyes closed if you are wanting a break from the light as well.
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WELLNESS360 | MARCH/APRIL 2021
EYE ROLL Sit straight up in your chair, looking forward with your hands resting on your lap. Start by looking to the right and slowly rolling your gaze up to the ceiling. Continue rolling your gaze to the left and down to the ground. Repeat this for 10 repetitions, and then repeat 10 more times rolling your eyes the other direction.
