Alternate-Nostril Breathing for Healthy Vision

 Alternate-Nostril Breathing for Healthy Vision 

As you continue to age, your vision deteriorates. To slow down the process, breathing right may help: correct breathing provides more oxygen to your brain and your eyes. In addition, correct breathing also relaxes your mind, and hence your eyes. Eye relaxation is critical to vision health.

Alternate-nostril breathing is a basic Yoga breathing exercise to balance the right side and the left side of your brain.

The left side of your brain governs the right side of your body, including your speech and logical thinking, while the right side of your brain governs the left side of your body, including your creativity and intuition. Achieving balance and harmony between the two sides of your brain is critical to mind healing for deep relaxation. You can balance your mental energy from the right and the left side of the brain through practicing alternate-nostril breathing during meditation, or anytime when you want to relax your eyes.

Place your thumb and ring finger lightly on your right and your left nostrils, respectively, with your index and middle fingers resting lightly on your forehead between your eyebrows.

Exhale deeply through both nostrils.

Press your thumb against the RIGHT nostril to CLOSE it.

Breathe in through your LEFT nostril. Count 8.

CLOSE your LEFT nostril by pressing down your ring finger. Now, both nostrils are closed. Retain the air, and count 4.

OPEN your RIGHT nostril, and breathe out. Count 8.

With the LEFT nostril still CLOSED, breathe in through the RIGHT nostril. Count 8.

CLOSE the RIGHT nostril. Now, both nostrils are closed. Retain the air, and count 4

OPEN the LEFT nostril, and breathe out with the RIGHT nostril still closed. Count 8

Repeat the above process.

Here is a summary of alternate-nostril breathing:

Breathe out through BOTH nostrils.

Breathe in through the LEFT nostril (count 8).

Close BOTH nostrils, and retain air (count 4).

Breathe out through the RIGHT nostril (count 8).

Breathe in through the RIGHT nostril (count 8).

Close BOTH nostrils, and retain air (count 4).

Breathe out through the LEFT nostril (count 8).

Repeat.

Remember, breathing holds the key to relaxation of the mind and the eyes.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau