Can't Read the Subtitles, Try Eye Asanas and Reflexology!

My platform flip flops made  great yoga props

AIDA collage with my feet on left  

Can eye exercises improve eye sight in the long run? 

During the "Aida" screening on Labor Day at the Lincoln Center Plaza, I embarked on an experiment.  We were sitting far in the back behind the chairs on the ground; we had let our friends have the only two chairs we found close to the screen. 
 
I could hardly read the subtitles, however, so after getting bored of my 

iphone and noticing how much R enjoyed himself, I decided that I would just enjoy the music but not bother even with the subtitles at all. 

So I focused on sitting tall despite sitting on the bare ground for the duration of the screening (at least 2 and a half hours) and despite suffering from weakness in my inner knees.  

To ensure staying in alignment, I switched sitting positions a lot:

• legs strecthed out
• one let stretched out, one in
• sitting on heels
• bringing knees towards chest and embracing them with arms (a navasana-boat pose modification of sorts)
• legs crossed, and so on
• I discovered that my platform flip flops made great props (nice, it rhymes); I used them underneath my thighs, as pillow to sit or rest my head on.

Then I decided to add eye exercises.  To begin with I warmed up the entire body through the hand reflexes (hand reflexology).

Then I focused on these reflexes: 
- brain reflexes
- spinal reflex
- eye reflexes
- kidney reflexes 
and some random reflexes ... (creative approach)

Followed by sets of eye exercises some of which I learned from my first ever yoga teacher, Henry Kochan.  I did them with my eyes closed:

- drawing horizontal lines 
- drawing vertical lines
- drawing diagonal lines from lower to upper right and then reversed
- drawing circles in both directions
- drawing the number 8
- writing the entire alphabet (love this one; I was also contemplating about just writing out my thoughts with my eyes;-)
- squeezing the eyes and entire face just for a few seconds
And of course, I synchronized the movements with my breath.

Result: from barely being able to read the subtitles; I could read them after I opened my eyes for a little while without problems.

Note: I really like doing the eye exercises with closed eyes.  When I from time to time do some of the above exercises with open eyes, I often find it very straining and need to stop after a little while.  However, with my eyes closed, I could have gone on forever.  

R. later told me how amazed he was.  Despite using a camp chair, he was getting uncomfortable but there I was sitting without any support whatsoever. 

Sincerely Yours,
BIRGIT NAGELE, ARCB, LVCYT
www.ban-chi.net