1. VISION FITNESS
The less time you give to your eyes today,
the more you will have to give, later in your life.
SHREYAS CENTRE
FOR YOGA
2. THE EYES
• The eyes are the most useful, out of the five sense
organs. Only about 1/6th of the eye-ball is
externally visible.
• The images seen by the two eyes are fused by the
brain to give rise to a single, 3-dimensional signal.
• Near-point works such as reading and writing are
unnatural to our eyes. Our eyes are meant to look
at distance; they were not meant to read.
4. REASONS FOR VISION DEFECTS
• The vision defects occur mainly because of the
reading habits. The reading process lacks variety,
and hence increases eye strain.
• More focusing strains the crystalline lens. This
leads to headaches and nervous tension.
• Eye problems also lead to other problems such
as back-ache, neck pain, muscular strain etc.
5. GLASSES ?
• Wearing glasses is not a solution. If you start wearing
glasses, the power of the glasses keeps increasing
year-by-year, which means that your power of vision
keeps deteriorating.
• Once glasses are used, the eye retains the defect,
because the glasses are a static thing and the eyes
lose their dynamic nature.
• The glasses enforce the abnormal focusing. Hence, if
you are already using glasses, then take them off
whenever not required.
• Don’t use other types of glasses (colored, photo-
chromatic etc.) for a prolonged period. The eyes
require all the colors of light.
6. CONTACT LENSES?
• They don’t allow atmospheric oxygen to come in
contact with cornea, and the cornea is deprived of
its nutrition. This gradually leads to water-logging.
• If proper care is not taken, the cornea might be
injured due to insertion/removal of contact lens.
• If hygiene is not maintained, the eyes may get
contaminated with germs and microorganisms.
• If the fitting is improper, it can lead to corneal
swelling, corneal abrasions, red eyes etc.
• Due to any reason, if the contact lens melts inside,
it leads to permanent blindness.
7. DEFECTS IN EYE-SIGHT
• Continuous near-point work (reading, writing,
working with computer) causes the lengthening
of the eyeballs, thus causing near-sightedness
(Myopia), wherein the eyes grow specifically
for the near-point work.
• Farsightedness (Hypermetropia) is the reverse
of Myopia. When it occurs after the age of 40
years, it is called as Presbyopia, which is caused
because of the gradual hardening of the
crystalline lens.
9. HOW TO READ?
• Read/write under bright conditions.
• Always read/write in the sitting position.
• The distance between the book and the eyes
must be at least one elbow length (cubit).
• Keep the book inclined at about 20° to 40°.
• Blink more often during near-point work.
• Once in a while, take a few deep breaths.
10. Reading tips continued…
• Never read in a moving vehicle.
• Do not read when you are sick.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule. After every 20
minutes of reading, change your gauze to
about 20 feet away, for about 20 seconds.
• Every one hour, take a break for a while.
• Never watch television in a darkened room.
11. HOW TO REST THE EYES?
• Looking at greenery.
• Looking at distant objects.
• Agnisara kriya every evening.
• Placing wet cloth on the hot eyes.
• Sleeping for a minimum of 7 hours.
• Vipareethakarani asana every evening.
• Regular palming to eyes (sparshachikithsa).
Note: Palming can be used on the ears as well.
12. HOW TO NURTURE THE EYES?
• Chew Fennel (Saunf) after every supper.
• Later, consume Thriphala with honey & ghee.
• Soak almonds at night, and consume them
with milk in the next morning.
• Once in a week, blink the eyes in one cup of
water, mixed with 15 drops of lemon juice.
• Perform eye exercises, neck rotation
exercises and visualization exercises
(Jyothithrataka) regularly.
13. REMEDIES IN GENERAL
• Mix one part of rose water and one part of lime juice.
Store the mixture in a bottle and use it as eye drops.
• Thriphala lotion can also be used. Put half tsp of the
powder into half glass of hot water, add two drops of
honey, mix and strain, cool it, and use as eye drops.
• Nethratharpana is another useful therapy. Add a few
drops of eucalyptus oil to hot water, and expose the
eyes to steam. Later, apply cow’s ghee into eyes, and
rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this procedure for 3 days.
14. SPECIFIC REMEDIES
• For the red and irritant eyes, place cucumber or
ash gourd slices on both the eyes, for 15 minutes.
• For the pale and dry eyes, apply fresh milk cream
around the eyes, and then go to sleep with it.
• For the problem of secreting and itching eyes, use
eye drops for 3 days, once daily.
• For removing the blackheads around the eyes,
apply almond paste mixed with milk.
15. NUTRITION FOR THE EYES
• VITAMIN-A: Deficiency causes conjunctivitis,
xerosis (dry eyes) and night blindness.
• Rich sources are: milk, butter, carrots, mangoes,
papaya, coriander leaves, spinach (palak), mint
(pudina), fenugreek (methi), drumstick leaves,
all red & yellow vegetables.
• Fruits and vegetables should be consumed
immediately after cutting or peeling them; most
of the vitamin-A gets lost due to oxygenation.
16. VITAMINS B-COMPLEX AND C
• Lack of B-Vitamins causes watery eyes, eye fatigue,
eye pain, mucous secretion in the eyes, cataract,
glaucoma, and so on.
• Whole cereals, dry fruits and green vegetables
have plenty of these vitamins.
• Deficiency of Vitamin-C causes cold and allergies.
• Citrus fruits (lemon, sweet lemon, orange),
tomato, amla, papaya contain sufficient Vitamin-C.
• Vitamin-C gets easily destroyed by cooking.
17. Vitamins D and E
• Vitamin-D is needed for proper absorption of calcium.
The deficiency of Vitamin-D causes myopia.
• High consumption of carbonated soft drinks results in
water-logging inside the body tissues. Vitamin-D is
responsible for the dehydration of these tissues.
• Sources of Vitamin-D are sunshine, milk, butter.
• Deficiency of Vitamin-E causes retarded healing of
wounds, presbyopia etc.
• The sources of Vitamin-E are green leafy vegetables
and wheat bran.
20. THEIR EFFECTS
• More sugar in the diet causes the incidence of myopia.
• Sugar, within the body, uses up huge quantities of vitamins
and minerals (calcium, sodium, phosphorus).
• God did not produce salt in nature; we did. The salt required
for the body is already present in fruits and vegetables.
• Excessive salt in your body increases the blood pressure.
• White flour is created by removing the bran from wheat,
which contains 76% of the vitamins and minerals. In
removing these contents, 97% of fiber is lost.
• Consumption of white flour retards metabolism, causing
reduced efficiency in digestion and greater fat storage.
22. HEALTHY EARS
• Don’t put anything into the ears, for the sake of cleaning
them; the cleansing process happens automatically from
within, and you don’t have to interfere with the process.
• Don’t expose the ears to cold weather, moisture or water;
keep them covered, or fill cotton at the outside, to safeguard
them, especially when playing with water.
• Protect your ears from loud noise; listen music with lesser
volume; and reduce the usage of earphones, and such other
devices, as far as possible.
• Practice Nadishodhana kriya, Vipareethakarani asana and
Agnisara kriya whenever possible. For ear pain, wrap warm
crystal salt in a cloth and press it gently around the ears; in
addition, keep drinking Black pepper kashaya.
24. THAILAGANDOOSHA METHOD
• This is an age-old simple and powerful therapy,
mentioned in the classical text Charaka samhitha.
• In empty stomach, take a little amount (about 2 to 3
tea spoonful) of COOKING OIL into your mouth – but
do not swallow it.
• The nine qualities of the oil are: unctuous, heavy, cold,
soft, fluid, viscous, mobile, slow & subtle. Hence, the
preferred ones are sesame oil (vatha type), coconut
oil (piththa type) and groundnut oil (kapha type).
• Slowly swish the oil inside mouth, in all the directions;
pull it through the teeth & perform mouth-wash with
closed mouth, for about 5 to 10 minutes, or more.
25. THAILAGANDOOSHA CONTINUED…
• The oil should NOT be swallowed; even if you swallow
accidentally, you need not worry, as the oil passes
through the normal digestive process with no harm.
• Initially, the oil remains viscous inside; but with more
and more mouth-wash within, it becomes thin and
white like wool. Then you spit it out.
• The time taken for the thinning of the oil indicates the
status of your health. Faster means better health.
• During Thailagandoosha, perform the actions of
Swarashodhanakriya and Nadishodhanakriya also.
Meanwhile, rub the tongue to the upper palette.
• After spitting the oil, wash the mouth several times
with water, and then drink one glass of water.
26. BENEFITS
• If mouth is healthy, then the body is healthy. Through oil
pulling, the toxins from the mucous membranes are
expelled out of the system.
• One of the obvious results of oil therapy is the fixing of
loosened teeth, the stoppage of bleeding gums, healing of
tooth pain, whitening of the teeth and strengthening of the
voice. In addition, stomach, lungs & liver are strengthened.
• Oil therapy heals the whole body in perpetuity. According to
the research conducted by Ukrainian physician Dr F. Karach,
this treatment will achieve remarkable results with illnesses
like - allergies, common cold, sneezing, infections in the -
mouth, ear, nose, throat, eyes, pains like - migraine, neck
pain, back pain, lip cracking, fevers, and irritability.
28. MAINTAIN BETTER VOICE
• Don’t strain your vocal cords unnecessarily, by
shouting, or talking in a louder volume. Also, don’t
speak non-stop; pause in between.
• While you are involved in continuous talk, keep
sipping water, to avoid the dryness of the throat.
• When talking to a group of people, use only 50-75%
of your maximum talking volume. The 100% volume
is required only in emergencies.
• Once in a while, press below the jaws with your
fingers, to release the saliva into the mouth.
29. MAINTAIN HEALTHY THROAT
• Perform Nadishodhana kriya, Swarashodhana kriya, Alapana
(with all notes), Ujjayee kriya and Kaki pranayama, whenever
required, or whenever possible.
• Consume Herbal tea / Kashaya (with jyeshtamadhu). Don’t
consume coffee / tea, or any such modernized and so called
energy drinks.
• When throat is infected, mix a little turmeric powder with a
little amount of honey, and consume it very very slowly.
• For throat pain, consume a small amount of Thrikatu choorna
along with a little amount of honey.
• Another remedy is Black pepper kashaya (Crush 2 tsp of black
pepper with 1 tsp of cumin seeds & ½ tsp of coriander seeds,
and boil the mixture in 1 cup of water. Add a little jaggery and
crushed onions. Boil for 15 minutes, strain and then drink).
30. REMEDIES FOR MOUTH INFECTIONS
• Boil turmeric powder or thriphala choorna in
water; gargle using this warm water.
• Consume groundnut seeds boiled in salted water.
• Keep a Yashtimadhu tablet below the tongue; let it
dissolve through saliva; swallow the saliva.
• Put 1 tsp of honey into the mouth; let it become
diluted inside; swallow after some time.
• Drink lemon-juice prepared using warm water;
drink warmed up tender-coconut water.
31. TOOTHPASTE & TOOTHPOWDER
• Brush your teeth twice daily, in the morning, and
after supper. For avoiding the usage of harmful
chemicals, the toothpaste can be prepared at home
as follows – mix adequate amount of garlic paste,
lemon juice, powdered cloves and salt.
• Toothpowder is better than toothpaste, in
cleansing the teeth. The toothpowder can be
directly applied onto a wet soft toothbrush.
• Finely powdered mixture of dried neem (bevu)
leaves, dried jamun (nerale) leaves, dried
chirchitha (uththaraani) leaves, cloves, turmeric,
bark of babool (karijaali) tree, alum (patika) and
rock salt can be used as toothpowder.
33. Modern medicines yield side effects;
Herbal medicines yield side benefits. – Yogavana Swamiji
Ayurveda cures diseases from root;
Ayurveda cures diseases with root. – Dr. Giridhar Kaje
Pain killer pills are brain killer pills. – Aravinda K.