Yoga Eye Exercises for Far Sightedness

Farsightedness, or hyperopia, is when distant objects appear more clearly than those that are close. While farsightedness can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or laser eye surgery, yoga offers another possible solution, especially for the common discomforts of headaches and eyestrain.

Just as yoga helps keep the body flexible and supple, it can tone the eye muscles, improve your ability to focus and reduce tension. To do these exercises, wear comfortable clothes and use a yoga mat.

  1. Lion Pose

    • Kneel on your mat and sit back on your heels, with one foot crossed over the other, soles facing upward. Draw your navel inward to tone your belly, and lengthen your spine so your chest lifts and you're sitting up tall. Rest your hands on your legs, and relax your shoulders. Focus your gaze on the tip of your nose.

      Take a deep breath in, then open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue and say "ah." You'll sound like a lion roaring. Return to your regular breath for a few rounds.

      Repeat the sequence four times.

      Re-cross your ankles the other way and repeat the entire sequence for a total of five rounds.

    Stretch

    • Sit comfortably on your mat. Look up as high as possible. Look down as low as possible. Repeat four times. Blink a few times.

      Look all the way to the left. Look all the way to the right. Repeat four times. Blink a few times.

    Strain Release

    • Squeeze your eyes as tightly shut as you can. Hold for three seconds, then release quickly. Blink a few times.

    Tratak

    • Tratak, or "steady gaze," is a meditation technique that stimulates the optic nerves and calms the nervous system. With your fist closed and thumb pointing up, extend your right arm in front of you. Align your thumbnail with a distant object. Focus on your thumbnail.

      Now, focus on the distant object. Focus back on you thumbnail, and then again on the distant object. Repeat three more times.

    Eye Circles

    • Lie on your yoga mat with your arms slightly away from your body, palms facing up. Gently close your eyes and imagine a large clock is directly above you. Starting from the 12 o'clock position, roll your eyes to 1 o'clock, then 2, then 3, all the way back to 12. Hold each position for 10 seconds. Repeat in the opposite direction, from 12 back to 1.

      Then, rub your hands together and place your warmed palms over eyes for about 60 seconds. "Palming," as it's called, relaxes your entire nervous system.