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I received my copy of Peter Grunwald’s Eyebody yesterday and have finished reading it. It was a very interesting read and I am quite interested in the technique. However in order to test this out you have to go to a retreat (the one in the UK is in August) or private lessons (and Mr Grunwald lives in New Zealand..oh how I wish I lived there (and not so I can have eye lessons!). It is fairly expensive too and as much as I am interested in this technique, it is too far in the future currently and well I would rather attempt another way before putting my hand in my pocket for that amount of money! It has, however, made me decide that I shall be booking myself in for a lesson with a natural vision teacher and will be doing that this week. It has also made me interested in the Alexander technique too (which is what the vision teacher I have contacted integrates too).

Anyway, so what is Eyebody? The eyebody method states ‘that every single area of your visual system corresponds with an associated area in the body. Specific malfunctions of vision are linked to specific tensions and contractions in the body. By learning how to ‘direct’ our visual system, the body simultaneously follows, releasing patterns of tension”.

By directing the visual system, he gives his example of how he ‘discovered’ this technique – he noticed that by focusing on his cornea he could affect his chest. If he tried to tighten his cornea his chest would also tighten and when he relaxed it his chest would open up.

This is the basic principle behind the approach (it also stems from the Bates and Alexander techniques). The book is an introduction to this method, and gives you pointers of how to start on your vision journey, however to learn the technique you must attend a retreat or find an instructor/get private lessons, which is somewhat tricky, in my opinion.

This book includes:

• An introduction and Peter’s personal story to letting go of glasses (which you can read for free here)

• How vision works – the physiology of the visual system and explanations of common visual problems. An outline of the eyebody patterns and how a part of the visual system is reflected in part of the body.

• The two types of upper visual cortex tendency – overextended or contracted. The majority of individuals are contracted. We are all one of the other or maybe both – this does not necessarily manifest to a point of making a vision problem.

• The eyebody principles and case studies for each type of visual impairment.

• The eyebody’s application to life and first steps in incorporating the eyebody method into your life. This is very general, although the first step guidance is a bit more specific – giving help for sunning and palming in relation to whether you are a contracted or overextended type. In order to actually utilise the method you do need to find a teacher or workshop as this book will not help you do that – it is only really an introduction.

Despite being interested in this technique and wanting to learn more, I feel it is too much of a stretch right now to get involved in it, so will try my vision teacher and also look into maybe the Alexander technique separate too. It is definitely a very interesting perspective and makes a lot of sense. I shall be attending a workshop for it in May in London, so hopefully I will learn more then.

When I first heard of this book, I thought it would be a guide to parenting like all the others you see on the shelves, however it isn’t. This book is not a manual, but a resource and reminder of how our natural instincts as a parent are what count. It is a book for those individuals who feel that the techniques and guidance given by health authorities and the various parenting books on offer in stores, are intrinsically misguided. If you think its ok to force your child into a routine by letting him or her cry on her own, it isn’t. Even if it means you can go back to work with less hassle. You should be ready to accept this new creature into your life completely, and not shun them and force them so soon into a routine and life of solitude.

Jean Liedloff writes this book as an anthropological work, but it speaks so loudly to parents because we can all recognize the reality and truth it holds. My depression at the state of our culture came about long before I had my baby, but this book has given me more clarity to my disapproving views of the world and the almost unnatural way we live than all the other self help and guidance books I have read put together. It sets out so many endearing anecdotes with such burning clarity about how our society is and creates the conditions for us to feel depressed, stressed and alienated, that you feel a deep sorrow at the destruction caused, and the joy you have missed out on. But despite this, it is a very positive book that I will refer to time and time again when I am feeling disheartened as a reminder of the purity of human instinct.

It illustrates quite poignantly the addictiveness and irrelevance of consumerism and how we have lost much of our natural well-being through materialism and affirms the beauty and the strength of the human spirit.

We have strayed so far from our innate needs and desires, that reading this book will indefinitely make your life harder to bear in many ways, but this isn’t a negative thing as much as that suggests. The insights and wisdom gained from the book will more than make up for that and will almost lift the incessant burden of feeling that there is something missing in life right a way in the knowledge of now knowing what that is.

It is a beautiful book. A book that brings about many emotions for the reader and I would whole heartedly recommend it to anyone who senses there is something amiss in our society; that there are better ways we can live, other than segmenting ourselves from our families and living a life of fear. If you want to restore your natural instincts more fully, I recommend you read this book. It will also give you more confidence in yourself as a parent – especially if you are a first-timer, and will help you forge your own opinions and combat the oppression from the general public.

For more information about the continuum concept, please visit Understanding The Continuum Concept