Yoga for Your Eyes: A Sight for the Sore Screens

In today’s digital age, many of us find ourselves glued to screens for the better part of the day. As a frontend architect, I am no stranger to this reality. My routine involves long hours in front of a monitor, diving into lines of code, writing documentation, reviewing specifications, and jumping in and out of online calls. And it's been like this for more than two decades.

However, among this digital whirlpool, the practice of Yoga has been a great companion, helping keep my physical and mental well-being in check. Sitting on a chair typing on a keyboard also affects your spine, your hips, and your body in general. And as someone who has been practicing yoga for years, I started to wonder, could Yoga offer a respite for our eyes too, especially when screen time seems to be an inseparable part of what you do for a living?

When I was 24, I developed astigmatism, especially in my right eye. That was in fact way before I started practicing Yoga. I worried about it getting worse with time, so after getting my first couple of glasses I started doing some research about what else I could do to take care of my eyes. I eventually found a book that became a source of inspiration, and it ended up providing me nice insights that combined with Yoga, kept my oftalmological health in shape. After 20 years, my glasses prescription is exactly the same.

The notion of Yoga for eyes isn’t as popular as your regular Yoga practice, but with the surge in screen time, exploring this avenue felt like a necessity. Our eyes, like any other part of our body, are equipped with muscles that need their share of exercise to function optimally. Yoga, known for its effective exercises, appeared to be a promising candidate.

Here’s a walk through a suggested Eye Yoga routine that has been part of my day-to-day for a long time. The beauty of these exercises is their simplicity and the minimal time investment they require.

1. Palming:
• Sit comfortably with your elbows resting on a table to support your arms.
• Rub your palms together until they feel warm. Close your eyes and gently cover your eyelids with your palms. Ensure that your palms are not touching your eyes directly and that you are not applying any pressure.
• Take a deep breath in, hold for a moment, and then exhale. Continue this gentle breathing pattern for about a minute or until you feel your eyes have relaxed. Slowly move your hands away from your face and open your eyes, keeping your gaze soft.
  
  
2. Blinking:
• Sit comfortably with your eyes open.
• Blink your eyes rapidly about 10-15 times.
• With each blink, take a short breath in and out. This rhythm helps in syncing your blinking with your breath, keeping it mindful and paced.
• Make a pause of around 20 seconds, without blinking and holding your breath in.
• Repeat 3 times.
  
  
3. Sideway Viewing:
• Sit comfortably and relaxed, keeping your spine and head still and straight.
• Without moving your head, look to your extreme left and then to your extreme right. Repeat this movement about 5-10 times.
• Inhale as you look to the left, and exhale as you look to the right. This breathing rhythm helps in keeping the movement smooth and synchronized.
• Make a pause of around 20 seconds, without blinking and holding your breath in.
• Repeat 3 times.
  
  
4. Near and Distant Viewing:
• Find a spot where you have a clear view of a distant object (a mountain, a faraway building) and also have a near object, like a pen or a small ornament.
  
• Focus on the near object for 5-10 seconds, and then shift your focus to the distant object. Repeat this shift in focus about 10-15 times.
• Inhale as you focus on the near object, and exhale as you shift your focus to the distant object. This pattern aids in relieving the strain that comes with fixed focus.
• After doing it with both eyes, repeat first covering your right eye, and then the left one.
  

These exercises, when done regularly, can offer a notable relief from the digital eye strain. The integration of breath with the exercises not only enhances the effectiveness but also introduces a meditative aspect to the practice. This meditative quality can significantly aid in reducing the mental stress, thus making your screen time a bit more eye-friendly and less exhausting.

Implementing Yoga for the eyes has been a small yet significant step towards better eye health amidst the digital demands of modern-day life. It’s a reminder to not only care for our eyes but to also take those essential breaks from the screen, reconnect with our surroundings, and give our eyes the much-needed rest they deserve.

So, the next time the digital glare starts weighing down on you, remember, a little stretch and some simple eye yoga exercises can go a long way in keeping your eyes refreshed and ready to dive back into the digital world.