An Eye Yoga Flow to Prevent Eye Strain

A new fitness trend is upon us!

Introducing: Eye yoga.

You might be staring at the screen blankly and thinking, “What on earth is eye yoga?” Technically, eye yoga is eye strain treatment. You may have noticed how sore and tired your eyes get after staring at a screen all day long. So you begin squinting or rubbing your eyes in an effort to overcome it.

Eventually, you likely have to throw in the towel or take a break.

The truth is that our eyes were never meant to focus for this long on something so close to our faces. The results? Some of us are experiencing some serious eye strain. And boy, is it uncomfortable!

Let’s face it, we’ve all started staring at screens more than we used to.

Screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased, opening us to a whole other slew of issues that we may not have faced before. Some ophthalmologists think that there could be an increase in myopia, but at its core, logging off from our work screens to look at our recreational screens has caused a lot more general eye strain.

So, let’s explore this new eye yoga trend — can it really help you prevent eye strain from computers? Let’s find out.

What is Eye Strain?

For the most part, any discomfort in the eye caused by staring at something too long is eye strain. This happens when our eyes get tired from intense staring (like working on our computers or watching a TV show all afternoon).

So, what does eye strain feel like?

You might experience the dreaded eye strain headache, or you may have experienced your eyes become super dry out of nowhere. You might also notice your vision becomes blurred, you have increased sensitivity to light, or you have tightness around your temples (which could develop into that common eye strain headache soon).

It may cause you to struggle at work or put off other tasks because you can’t think, can’t drive, and can’t function until the strain passes.

Thankfully, it usually isn’t anything serious, and it typically goes away all on its own (that is, with proper rest and low lighting).

Yet, to make this whole process that much quicker and to grasp at some immediate relief, eye yoga exercises can help alleviate the discomfort associated with eye strain and get you back to feeling 100% as soon as possible.

Everything You Need to Know About Eye Yoga

Eye yoga is wonderful for preventing eye strain and helping you out after the fact. Additionally, there are tons of eye yoga benefits beyond reducing eye strain that you will love.

Some other incredible benefits of eye exercises include:

• Improved eyesight
• Improved concentration
• Reduced intraocular pressure (increased intraocular pressure may lead to glaucoma).
• Decreased muscular tension around the eyes.
• Delay the need for glasses or contacts.

You might also want to read: Constant Headaches? Blue Light Might Be to Blame

Your Eye Yoga Flow

So, what eye yoga should you do? We’ve got four exercises to help you out.

A word of warning here… Please make sure you wash your hands before touching any part of your face or eyes!

The skin around the eyes is very sensitive and can quickly become irritated by small particles on your hands, such as dust or dirt. You also want to ensure you don’t get any of these irritants in your eyes, like hand sanitizer or hand cream.

1. Palming

First, rub your hands together until they get nice and warm (about 10 seconds). Then, rest both hands over your eyes. Your pinkies should rest on your forehead, and your palms should rest gently over your eyes.

Take a deep inhale inward, pause, then exhale completely. If it feels good and relaxing, continue to do this for a few more rounds.

2. Eye Rolling

This eye yoga move requires some control. You want to keep your head in the same position so that you are only moving your eyes.

Slowly start by looking up, then circling around to the side, then down and around. Try not to focus too hard on any one thing, as this can actually exacerbate eye strain. Instead, relax your eyes and gently move them in a circle. Do this three times.

Then, close your eyes and relax for a brief moment. Afterward, do the same thing but in the opposite direction.

3. Focus Shifting

Place your right arm straight in front of you with your thumb up. Sit or stand tall with your eyes straight ahead of you. Bring your gaze to focus on your thumb. Then, slowly, begin to bring your thumb toward your nose.

Keep bringing it closer until you can’t focus on the thumb any longer.

Then, move your arm back out and side to side. Continue to follow with your gaze. If you need a break, close your eyes and rest for a brief pause.

Make sure to read: Peep This! How to Improve Your Eye Health

4. Distance Gazing

This one is also fairly straightforward. Find an object in the distance and focus on it. Stay for 2-5 seconds, then switch objects. Do this a few times.

And hey, if you’re feeling motivated, add in a little bit of appreciation for these objects and what they bring to your daily life.

More Tips for Dealing With Eye Strain From Computers

So, what else can you do to take care of your eyes?

Here are a few tips:

• Visit your eye doctor regularly! This can help your eye doctor detect anything that goes wrong early on.
• Wear sunglasses. This protects your eyes from those UV rays.
• Use the 20-20 rule. When working on your computer set a timer for 20 minutes, focus your eyes on an object about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Avoid smoking. Smoking can lead to dry eye syndrome, vision loss, and blindness. Additionally, this isn’t only great for your eyes but also your overall health.
• Hydrate! Don’t let your eyes dry out. Drink plenty of water throughout your day so that your eyes stay as lubricated as possible.

Try Eye Yoga Today

Yes, it might feel a little strange doing it at first, but there are so many eye yoga benefits that are worth the weirdness. With that in mind, taking those few minutes out of your day is almost a no-brainer.

That way, you can continue to visually experience the world to the best of your ability.

Want more? Get the Yoga Glow With This Facial Yoga Flow