Relaxation Haven

Posts Tagged ‘Exercises’

Here is a great full length video I just found on Youtube. Yoga instructor Michael Riel leads you through a one hour yoga session designed to help alleviate shoulder and neck problems. Even if you don’t have such problems you will find the session very relaxing and easy to follow.

I am currently working on an article about Tai Chi which I hope to have on the site by the end of the week.

The eyes hold more tension than many people realise. This tension can lead to headaches as well as impaired vision. However by using eye relaxation exercises you can reduce this tension and slow down the deterioration of your eyes, and in some cases people have even reported an improvement in their vision! I myself am prescribed glasses yet I rarely wear them because they are weak lenses and I keep my eyes in good condition by frequently performing these eye relaxation exercises.

Don’t worry if you don’t have time to do all these eye relaxation exercises everyday but try to do at least one or two so that you see a real long-term benefit.

Peripheral Sunning

Eye relaxation exercises can improve your eyesight.

We all spend too much time in front of a screen of one kind or another. Whether it’s the TV, a computer monitor or a cell phone. This results in poor peripheral vision as we are constantly staring at a fixed point straight ahead. Peripheral sunning can help you undo this damage.

To do this eye relaxation exercise you need to be outdoors on a day where the sun is out. Look into the sky, not directly at the sun (as this causes damage) but just underneath it. Now slowly move your head to the left while keeping your eyes looking just underneath the sun, then move your head to the right slowly. Repeat this motion for a couple of minutes. This allows the sunlight to reach every part of your eyes which improves the strength of your peripheral vision. It also helps improve the circulation of blood around your neck which increases the speed of repair.

Distance Focus

For this eye relaxation exercise you will need a picture or poster on a wall, with ten feet of room to move back from. Alternatively you can use a plant or tree outdoors to focus on. First stand about a foot away from the object and focus on it for 10 seconds. Then take step back a foot and focus on the object again for ten seconds. Repeat this process until you are stood ten feet away. As the name suggests this exercise helps improves your focusing abilities.

Ocular Development

Ocular development helps to improve the strength of muscles which control the vertical and horizontal movement of your eyes. It’s a fancy name for a really simple exercise. To start move your eyes up and down ten times. Once you have completed this then do the same thing, only this time from left to right. If you want to be really thorough you can also go this diagonally from top-left to bottom-right, then from top-right to bottom-left. You can also vary the speed each day you use this exercise. One day you can move your eyes very slowly, and then very quickly the next day. Each speed develops the muscles in a different way.

The ocular development exercise only takes a couple of minutes and you can do it anywhere so it’s a great eye relaxation exercise to do while the commercials are on TV or you’re waiting for something to load on your computer.

Follow The 10-10-10 Rule

This final eye relaxation exercise is very easy to remember and do and will save your eyes from deteriorating due to focusing too much on nearby objects (books, TVs, monitors, etc). The 10-10-10 rule says that when you are focusing on a nearby object, every 10 minutes stop and look at an object 10 feet away for 10 seconds. 10-10-10. Focusing on a object close to you for too long can cause serious long-term damage to the ciliary muscles. By following the 10-10-10 rule you are giving your ciliary muscles a chance to relax and “cool off” for a short period of time before they go back to work looking at the nearby object.

• Every 10 minutes…
• Look at an object 10 feet away…
• For 10 seconds.

Three simple points that can save your eyes a great deal of wear and tear.

The four exercises above are the ones that have had the most success for me personally. There are a lot more eye relaxation exercises that can help to improve your vision naturally but I will save them for another day. So please start to implement these eye exercises into your daily routine and let me know how you’re getting on with them.

Are you seeing an improvement? Please leave a comment and share your experience.

The first thing I’d like to do is to wish all the readers of Relaxation Haven a happy, healthy and relaxed 2010. If you haven’t already you should check out the last article I wrote which was all about New Year’s Resolutions – how to choose them and how to successfully follow them.

For now though I’ve found a great guided relaxation exercise. It takes just under fifteen minutes to complete and mixes a number of techniques from a variety of relaxation methods. After you have finished the guided relaxation exercise you can expect to feel your muscles very loose and limp and your mind refreshed from the stresses of the day.

Right click the link below to save it to your computer.

Guided Relaxation Exercise Download

Resource: Exercise To Reduce Tummy – Worried about your bulging tummy? Easy and effective exercises to reduce your tummy at your doorsteps.