Remember this post on Eye Yoga? I put it on the blog, because I think that it is so important that I start every therapy session with a brief session of Eye Yoga.It is a great way to get the eyes ready to move and focus while developing awareness of what they do.

Well, it turns out that my favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney, also believes that Eye Yoga is a good idea. He learned it in India. His version is slightly different than mine, but I think I’ll start incorporating the circles into  mine as well.

Here is a video of Paul teaching Eye Yoga:

Be Well!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

This is the third of three posts on Eye Yoga. You can find the first post here and second post here.

Set-up: Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart and bearing equal weight. Your hands should be comfortably at your side.

1. Select a point as far away as possible that you can easily see.
2. Hold your thumb directly in front of your eyes about a foot and a half in front of you.
3. Focus on details of your thumb for 20 to 30 seconds, while being aware that the original point you selected is now double and blurry.
4. Now focus on the distant point for an additional 20 to 30 seconds, being aware that your thumb is double and blurry.
5. As you focus back and forth, pay attention to how your eyes feel and what you notice about the act of focusing.

As with any new activity or exercise program, start slowly at first. If you experience significant pain, double vision, are unable to do the activity, or other visual problems, consult your Optometrist.

Be Well!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

This is the second of three posts on Eye Yoga. You can find the first post here.

Head Swings

Set-up: Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart and bearing equal weight. Your hands should be comfortably at your side.

1. You should fix your eyes on a non-moving target at least five feet away.
2. Turn your head as far to the left as possible, keeping your eyes fixed forward on the target ahead. With this exercise your eyes stay steady on the target in front, and your head and neck are moving. As with the Eye Stretches in Part One, try to be aware of how your head and eyes feel as you do this.
3. Now turn your head to the right, keeping your eyes fixed forward on the target ahead.
4. Continue in this manner until all the head has been moved in all 8 gazes: up, down, left, right, upper right, lower left, upper left and lower right.
5. Proceed to moving head in a slow circle, first clockwise and then counter clockwise.
6. Next simulate figure 8’s and also random movements.

As with any new activity or exercise program, start slowly at first. If you experience significant pain, double vision, or other visual problems, consult your Optometrist.

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

This is the first of three posts. Here are links to the second and third posts.

Have you ever taken a Yoga class? Yoga is amazing for relaxing, strengthening, and listening to your body and mind. Well, your eyes can benefit from the same type of activity. Better yet, it is simple, can be performed anywhere, and is free.

The purpose of Eye Yoga is to stretch and relax your eye muscles, to develop an awareness of how the eyes move, and to control that movement in a coordinated and efficient manner.

Eye stretches

Set-up: Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart and bearing equal weight. Your hands should be comfortably at your side.

1. Start with your eyes open and looking straight ahead. Move your eyes to the 4 primary positions of gaze (up, down, left and right), forming a + with the eye movement.
2. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds in each direction. Become aware of how your eyes feel and what they see.
3. Then move your eyes to the 4 diagonal positions of gaze (upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left), forming an x with the eye movement.
4. Encourage the eyes to stretch to the maximum distance without causing extreme discomfort. The goal is to perform the task with eye movement only (no head movement) and while maintaining good balance.
5. Repeat with eyes closed.

As with any new activity or exercise program, start slowly at first. If you experience significant pain, double vision, or other visual problems, consult your Optometrist.

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.