Mindful Movement Lesson - Relaxing the Eyes

Darren Forbes-Kindlen
Dec 2, 2024
4 min read

Let’s face it, sitting at a desk can be tiring. At work (and at home generally), we tend to spend most of our time focusing on objects close to us. You could be reading a book or documents, watching television, working at a computer screen or endlessly scrolling on our mobile phone screens.

To maintain healthy eyesight, we need to use the entire range of our vision, from close up to far away. The constant use of near vision is one of the primary causes of chronic eye strain and tension of the neck, shoulders and back. Seeing involves an intricate coordination between your eyes, brain and body.

Try out this short lesson and experience the benefits for yourself. As your vision becomes more relaxed, tensions will fade away from your face, neck and shoulders.

Make Each Movement Easy

As you do each movement, use as little muscular effort as possible. Do not strain or stretch. Insist on making small, light, easy and comfortable movements.

Go Slowly

Do each movement slowly, slow enough for you to pay attention to what you feel and become aware of unnecessary muscular effort.

Rest Briefly After Each Movement

Do not repeat movements quickly, one after another. Rest for a few moments between each movement.

Breathe

Keep movements so light that you can breathe freely.

Repeat Each Movement 6 – 8 Times

Take a mini pause in between each repetition as if it was the first time you were doing the movements.

Sit comfortably in your chair. Rest your hands on your thighs. Rest your feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart, directly under your knees.

Close your eyes and imagine looking straight ahead at a round ball which is sitting on a distant horizon line. Imagine the ball’s colour and size.

Imagine the ball moving very slowly to the right and then to the left along the horizon line. Close your eyes and move them slowly from side to side, as you follow the ball in your imagination.

Don’t strain your eyes, let them move very slowly.

Make each movement small and easy.

Breathe Notice how smoothly your eyes move? Do they seem to skip suddenly? How easy is it to keep sight of the ball?

Pay attention to your right eye only. Imagine the ball moving slowly a little to the right, and then back to the middle, along the horizon line. Close your eyes and, in your imagination, let your right eye follow the ball.

Pay attention to your right eye only.

Make each movement small, relaxed and comfortable. Do not strain your eye by looking too far to the right.

Keep your face, neck and shoulders relaxed.

Pay attention to your right eye only. Imagine the ball moving slowly a little to the left, and then back to the middle, along the horizon line. Close your eyes and, in your imagination, let your right eye follow the ball.

Use as little effort as possible.

Do your eyes seem to lose sight of the ball, or does the ball skip at some points? Keep the movement slow and smooth.

Rest and relax your eyes.

Feel the difference between your right and left eye.

Pay attention to your left eye only. Imagine the ball moving slowly a little to the left, and then back to the middle, along the horizon line. Close your eyes and, in your imagination, let your left eye follow the ball.

Make the movement light and comfortable.

Relax your jaw and forehead.

Don’t strain your left eye.

Pay attention to your left eye only. Imagine the ball moving slowly a little to the right, and then back to the middle, along the horizon line. Close your eyes and, in your imagination, let your left eye follow the ball.

Go very slowly.

Relax your left eye as much as possible.

Take your time.

Imagine the ball moving slowly to the left a little, then right a little, along the distant horizon line. Close your eyes and follow the ball with both eyes.

Are your eyes moving more smoothly now?

Imagine that the ball and horizon are very far away. Follow the ball in your imagination as it begins to move slowly closer and closer, gradually getting larger, until it stops just a few feet away from your face. Then imagine the ball going away again, slowly getting smaller and smaller as it returns to the distant horizon.

Rest every time the ball reaches the horizon.

Imagine the ball moving along the horizon to the right, and then imagine it stopping at the far right side. Then follow the ball in your imagination as it slowly comes closer and closer, getting larger and larger, until it softly touches the right side of your face. Then imagine the ball slowly becoming smaller as it returns to the far right side of the distant horizon.

Make the movement relaxed and easy.

Use as little effort as possible.

Imagine the ball stopping at various points along the way so you can develop a clearer focus.

Imagine the ball moving along the horizon to the left, and then imagine it stopping at the far left side. Then follow the ball in your imagination as it slowly comes closer and closer, getting larger and larger, until it softly touches the left side of your face. Then imagine the ball slowly becoming smaller as it returns to the far left side of the distant horizon.

Relax your eyes, face, neck and shoulders as much as possible.

Imagine the ball stopping at various points along the way so you can develop a clearer focus.