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· Arousal · Exercise · Posture
· Sleep
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· Palming and Visualization: Advantages
"The simple idea of resting the eyes by closing them is basic to the Bates method. Dr. Bates coined for it the term 'palming'. · The eyes are gently closed and covered with the palms in such a way that all light is excluded and no pressure is applied to the eyeballs. · The heels of the hands [the part of the palm of the hand nearest the wrist] rest lightly on the cheekbones and · The fingers [rest] on the forehead. · Palming is usually done while seated. The elbows should be supported, either on a table in front of you or on a thick cushion or two in your lap. · While palming you should feel entirely comfortable, safe and warm. Choose if you can a quiet time and a place where you are not likely to be disturbed. · Become conscious of and do your best to relax any undue tension in the muscles of your face, neck, shoulders, and the rest of your body. · Listen to the radio if you wish, or just allow the mind to wander, keeping it away from anything unpleasant. If stressful thoughts intrude, push them aside to be dealt with later. Remain with the eyes shut for several minutes. The exact period that suits you best has to be found by trial and error; five minutes is about right, and four should be regarded as a minimum. It can be difficult to judge the passage of time, and some such device as a non-ticking cook's timer, or one of those electronic watches or pocket calculators which incorporate an alarm, is very useful. Palming like this should be repeated from three to five times in succession and forms the basis of your daily practice period. Once or twice in the period you might like, rather than merely allowing the mind to wander, to try some visualisation. (Pages 45-46)" Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.
· "Eyes covered by palms (no pressure on the eyes); · fingertips at hairline; · fingers overlapped to allow breathing room for your nose. Elbows resting on table, chair back, pillow, etc. Relax, feel your eyes give up the tension of trying to see. Let yourself go as much as you can. Let go into what you may be seeing; keep breathing. Memorize the feeling of palming. To be done especially before doing a visual task such as reading. EYES CLOSED."
"It might be wondered why an ordinary night's sleep does not have the same effect as palming and visualization. They eyes are closed, and during dreams there is plenty of imagery to work on. If the sleep is sound, the eyes are indeed rested and the eyesight tends to be better on rising, but for many people sleep produces a degree of eyestrain. While dreaming the eyes perform rapid and random movements, there is no control of the memory or imagination, and very often the dreams themselves are in some measure disturbing. In all, dreaming would seem to be associated with a turmoil in the cortex which is the opposite of the calm, easy state in which the eyes work best. If you suffer from eyestrain during sleep, the Bates technique of 'long swinging' (see p. 63), practised just before retiring, may be of value. (Pages 46-47)" Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.
"Visualisation is also valuable
exercise for the memory and imagination. With your mind's eye examine some
outdoor scene, remembered, imagined, or a mixture of both, that gives you
particular pleasure. Allow your gaze to take in details both in the distance
and near to, changing the focus swiftly and easily as various objects
attract your interest. ·
If you are short-sighted
[myopic], pay special attention to distant scenes, and · If you are long sighted or presbyopic, pay special attention to objects close at hand. (Page 46)" Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.
Palming and Visualization: Advantages "[Visualization] is a powerful technique which relies on the fact that all mental activity is accompanied by corresponding physical rehearsal. Thus if you imagine that you are speaking, or even if you frame your thoughts in terms of words rather than abstractions, there are minute but measurable movements of the vocal apparatus; if you imagine you are clenching or unclenching your fist, all the muscles involved undergo fractional changes of tension. When you see with your mind's eye, the real eyes respond in a similar way, except that, as the eyes are even more intimately related to the mind than, say, the muscles of the arm, the changes are likely to be more pronounced. The advantage of mental seeing is that the mind's eye has no refractive error and forms a model for the real eyes to emulate. (Page 46)" Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.
Palming may also be helpful for correcting forward head posture, since the fingers rest on the forehead.
· Posture: Forward Head Posture
If you support your elbows with your lap while palming, as opposed to resting your elbows on a table, this may cause leg tension.
“Palming can also be practised for shorter periods at any odd moment. Even a few seconds of palming will help to keep the eyes refreshed and the mind relaxed. · In circumstances where palming with both hands would be embarrassing, palm each eye individually, or, · if you feel that even this would draw unwelcome attention to yourself, merely shut the eyes as if dozing. · When watching television, make use of commercial breaks for palming. (Page 47)” Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.
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