Spending hours on your laptop does not probably leave you enough time to take care of that precious face of yours, which practically talks more about you than Facebook! They say, “Your eyes are the window of your soul!” How much effort do we put in to make sure the windows are strong and clean enough to project the real beauty of our soul? On the other hand, we strain them and tire them, staring long hours at that screen which connects us to the outside world. But to survive in this tech-savvy world and to stay abreast with the “on-the-move” social, and professional life, we are left with very little choice.
This constant connection to the virtual world and long use of the computer has therefore resulted in some implications that can affect our eyes and face. Did you know that the biggest eye problem people may face from extended computer use is eye strain, fatigue, and eye dryness? And, hours of staring blank-faced at the screen can cause sagging of the skin? Have you ever caught sight of your expression when working on a computer? More often than not, our faces are completely emotionless. Lack of use of the facial muscles accelerates the rate at which the face sags and wrinkles form. But most of us use the computer for our work and abandoning it for the sake of health and beauty is out of question.
However, practicing some simple facial expressions and yogic exercises on your work desk can help prevent the unwanted side-effects like eye strain, fatigue, wrinkled and stressed facial lines that may arise due to excessive use of computer for Facebook or work!
Yoga for bright eyes & youthful skin
You can begin with practicing these simple exercises for about 10 minutes a day to see how radiant your face feels and how wonderful a picture does the window of the soul show:
- Eyebrows massage: Start at the center and press your eyebrows all the way till the end. Repeat a few times.
- Around-the-eye-massage: Massage under your eyes with your fingers and over the eyelid with your thumb. Start from the inside of the eyes, slowly moving to the outside.
- Eye slide: Bring your index fingers in front of you and move the right finger slowly to the right side and follow the movement with your eyes. Repeat the same with the left finger. Repeat for a few times. This exercise will help to strengthen the eye muscles.
- Eye rotations: Look up between your eyebrows to the third eye and then down to tip of your nose. Repeat a couple of times and then rotate your eyeballs clockwise and anti-clockwise for a few times to improve eyesight.
- Blink and squeeze: Blink your eyes as fast as you can and as many times as you can. Repeat this frequently during the day to take care of the dryness in the eyes. Similarly you can also practice opening your eyes wide and then squeeze them to close tightly.
- Palm eyes: You can rub your hands together to warm them and gently place your palms on the eyes to warm them and protect them a couple of times during the day to release stress.
- Jaw massage: Massage your entire jaw line in circular motion from the ear down to the chin on both sides with your fingers gently. This massage will help to ease out anger.
- Kiss & smile: Pout your lips as if to kiss and then smile from ear to ear. Repeat a few times to strengthen the lips and cheek muscles and delay those deadly wrinkles!!
- Teddy bear look: Blow up your cheeks and then move your tongue to your right and look to your left and then turn your tongue to your left and look towards the left. This will help you cope with stress and tension.
- Horse gallops: Make Gallop sounds with your mouth in various rhythms to improve concentration and increase alertness.
- Stress-buster: Making the Brrrr sound repeatedly is a great stress-buster and also takes care of those laugh-lines!
- Shanmukhi mudra: Place your little fingers of both hands on your chin from either side, place your ring fingers similarly on the upper lips, the middle fingers on the sides on the nose, close your eyes gently and place the index fingers on the eyelids and the thumb on the ears. Now breathe in and as you breathe out make a humming sound and vibrate your fingers. Repeat for a few times. When you are done, keeping your eyes closed and feel the vibration on the entire face. Whenever you feel comfortable and relaxed you may open your eyes. Shanmukhi mudra improves blood circulation of the face and keeps you looking younger and brighter.
While one cannot completely give up on using computers and mobile phones, adopting these simple exercises will keep the eyes from getting tired of the constant exposure to them. It will also keep the face from looking exhausted or saggy.
Face Yoga by Kamlesh Barwal
It is also advised to take break for a couple of minutes every hour or two and keep away from the bright screens. Incorporating yoga in your daily routine will also help keep the body and mind fresh.
So, keep the windows of your soul sparkling and fresh by giving them a few minutes of attention everyday.
Yoga practice helps develop the body and mind bringing a lot of health benefits yet is not a substitute for medicine. It is important to learn and practice yoga postures under the supervision of a trained Sri Sri Yoga teacher. In case of any medical condition, practice yoga postures after consulting a doctor and an Sri Sri Yoga teacher.
