The way you use your eyes is constantly informing your nervous system whether it's safe to relax.
When this vision is narrow and forced and fixed,
The brainstem receives the message,
Stay ready.
The neck remains tense,
The breath is shallow and the body remains in a state of stress.
When vision is soft and wide,
Especially through peripheral awareness,
The message changes.
There is more space,
More time,
More safety.
Peripheral vision,
Which means the outer area of your vision,
Is processed through older parts of the brain that are closely connected with the vagus nerve.
Expanding your peripheral awareness has been shown to reduce stress responses,
Support heart rate regulation and calm the body.
Slow,
Gentle eye movements help to restore natural coordination between the eyes,
Head and brainstem.
What we're doing today is not forcing relaxation,
We're giving the nervous system accurate information about the present moment.
By softening the eyes and widening your awareness,
We allow the vagus nerve to do what it is designed to do,
Support the body in shifting towards rest and peace without effort.
This session is best done seated.
Please dim your lights,
Find somewhere comfortable to sit and let's begin.
Sitting up straight,
Feet flat on the floor.
Before we begin the practice,
We're going to test the range of motion of your neck.
Turn your head to the left.
Notice any sensations here,
Perhaps tightness,
Discomfort or pain.
And now compare the left with the right side.
Notice which side carries more tension.
And bring your head back to centre.
We will retest this at the end of the practice.
Bring your palms together and rub,
Generating your qi or energy between your palms.
And when your palms start to get a little moist,
Take a deep inhale.
And as you exhale,
Close your eyes,
Placing your palms on top of your eyelids.
Allow your neck to relax,
Dropping your head downwards.
And as you exhale,
Feel the warmth of your palms on your eyes.
Feel your eyes settle into safety.
Feel the muscles melt and relax on their own.
Heavy eyes.
Relaxed forehead.
Let your face become completely slack.
And slowly bring your hands away from your eyes.
Straighten up your spine and head.
And gently open your eyes.
We're going to start exploring our peripheral vision.
Keeping your head still,
Bring your eyes up to the top of your vision.
Observe the light,
The colours,
The textures.
Smooth,
Deep breaths as you explore the top part of your peripheral vision.
And keeping your head still,
Move your eyes down to explore the surface beneath you.
Noting every detail.
And now bring your eyes to the left.
Explore the left side of your vision.
Allowing your eyes to wander and explore as they wish.
Noticing any objects.
And now bring your eyes to the right.
Exploring your surroundings with curiosity.
And now bring your eyes back to centre.
Keeping your head still.
And now bring your eyes to the left.
Hold them there.
You may allow your body to sigh,
Yawn or release whatever it needs.
Lock your eyes onto an object.
Keeping your eyes locked,
Slowly turn your head to meet your eyes.
Bringing the object to the centre of your vision.
Now keep your head still.
Move your eyes only to the right,
Back to the centre of the room.
Lock onto an object.
And slowly turn your head to join your eyes.
Move your eyes to the right.
Lock onto an object.
And slowly bring your head to join your eyes.
Head still.
Eyes to the left.
Lock onto an object.
Slow deep breaths as you turn your head to join your eyes.
Now one more time.
Eyes left.
And turn your head to join.
Eyes right,
Back to centre.
And slowly turn your head to join.
Eyes left.
And turn your head to join.
Deep inhale.
Long exhale.
Noticing the softness of your eyes.
We're going to move into a prolonged eye hold.
Keep your head to the centre.
Bring your eyes all the way to the left.
And if you're comfortable here,
Try to look almost behind you.
Exploring the extreme edge of the left side of your vision.
If your eyes fatigue,
You may close your eyes.
Allow your body to release.
A yawn or sigh.
And eyes back to centre.
Keeping your head still.
Move your eyes to the extreme periphery of the right side of your vision.
Only moving your eyes to where is comfortable for you.
And allow any releases to come forth.
Deep breaths.
And bring your eyes back to centre.
Half close your eyelids.
And instead of your eyes observing the room,
Allow yourself to be observed.
Instead of using your eyes to look at objects,
Allow the objects or your room to look at you.
Soften completely.
Notice how all thoughts have melted away.
Allow your eyes to become completely heavy.
And let them close naturally on their own.
Feel the relaxation of your face and shoulders.
Feel the release of tension through your eyes.
Feel and hear your breath move through your nose and into your throat.
All the way down to your belly.
And enjoy this moment of pure peace.
Pure serenity.
Pure safety.
Stay here for as long as you need.
When you are ready,
You may gently open your eyes.
Turn your head to the left.
And now to the right.
And notice any change in tension,
Pain or stiffness compared to when you first began the practice.
Magic,
Right?
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
