Palming isn’t the only exercise – there is blinking, sunning, shifting and many others. I went through them all which took about an hour and a half. After doing the exercises I felt very relaxed and refreshed. I don’t know how it affected my vision, but the blinking exercise and eye massage accompanied by it, really helped me relax my eyes and not squint which is such a hard habit to remove.

I also found the exercises to relieve the tension in my shoulders, left them a little sore afterwards. As I was doing them, I could feel my muscles softening up and in my left shoulder I felt a trapped nerve, like it was finally being released. The exercises definitely made me realise how tense I am and it was good to relieve the tension, even if it didn’t last long after finishing the sequence.

Day 2
I realised that in order to do the exercises efficiently and to make a difference I really need to get the tension out of my shoulders. It is all very well relieving the tension through the exercises given, and I guess with time using the techniques automatically will prevent me getting tense in the first place, but I do feel that my tension isn’t just about my eyes. I guess I have a lot of emotional baggage to offload off my shoulders and I need to relax and get as much tension out as possible each day, as well as do the exercises – otherwise I am going to end up getting no where. Running again should help this, and I think I shall start my Ashtanga yoga again (I have lost so much flexibility from being pregnant though!).

Day 3
My book by Thomas Quackenbush, Relearning to See arrived in the post! I am glad it came quickly because I have been eager to delve into it seeing as it is the book recommended everywhere for natural vision improvement. I can see why just from scanning the chapters! I read quite a lot (I did the exercises on the cd like the other two days but not all of them – I stuck to palming, blinking and the massages). I looked at the section of the two sides to health and healing and it gives other therapies you can use to help speed up your natural vision improvement/healing. It includes homeopathy, massage, herbs, iridology etc. I think that now I shall opt to get a deep tissue massage to help relieve a lot of the tension in my neck and shoulders for good.

Day 4-7
Well I went out for a walk and discovered I could see a lot more than I used to be able to. I also have felt everyday no sore eyes at the end of the day. This is partially from palming, blinking and breathing which has helped my eyes stay relaxed (well as relaxed as they can be for blurry eyes!) and not tense whenever I look at something. However, the Relearning to See book has been an immense help. I have been reading it a lot and discovering new things. I have started reading the section on 3 principles of natural vision and the first one being movement. Since this I haven’t allowed my eyes to stare or stay still! I have spent everyday with relaxed eyes – my eyes haven’t gotten sore by the time I go to bed, and a few evenings I have often felt energised and really happy, more than I have done in a very long while.

Yes my shoulder and neck tension is still there (not as bad or as extreme as it used to be but it is still quite bad) but I feel a lot better. I saw a friend Saturday whom told me I looked more comfortable in my own skin, that I looked much more relaxed and chilled out. I feel this is as a result of taking off my glasses 3 weeks ago and am so glad I have. I have NO intention putting them back on, ever again.

The natural vision improvement kit alone isn’t enough for me. It has good guidance for exercises and for someone who doesn’t want to know the science behind it or know more than just the basic information given in the kit, then it is fine on its own. But for me, Thomas Quackenbush’s book is what, I feel, is going to get me properly going with vision improvement. I enjoy reading and knowing not just the techniques, but the science behind it, the facts really. The vision kit gives you a short summary, but this book is extremely detailed. I like the idea of using other services such as homeopathy and massage in relation to.

I don’t feel blurred vision is just about bad vision techniques either. Stress plays such a huge role in our lives, and not everyone gets to have a stable environment as a child. I feel that the Relearning to See, will enable me to heal the whole of me and not just my vision and I also think it will allow me to grow as a person. I am still going to continue to use the vision kit because I love listening to the cd but this book is definitely going to be the key to my success visually!

Two of the main exercises in vision improvement

Palming – To palm is to cover your closed eyes with your hands in such a way that there is no pressure on your eyes. You do this by applying pressure on your forehead and leaving your hands free around your eyes. Your fingers are partly interlaced and your hands cup over your eyes. There should be as little as light as possible. The eyes are supposed to be fully relaxed when they see complete blackness. As someone who wears glasses or has blurred you vision, you may notice that it is quite hard to see complete blackness at first. When you become more relaxed and breathe abdominally (properly) it will become easier. Imagining complete blackness, in reference to something you are familiar may also help.

Sunning – This is looking at the sun with your eyes closed, moving your head side to side. Sunning helps us accept the light of day, something a lot of us have lost since being indoors all the time. Do you go outside squinting? Sunlight stimulates maculas which are the light sensitive cells in the eye and also allows the eye to be more flexible as it contracts and expands. Sunlight also stimulates the melanin layer of the retina which darkens the appearance of sunlight and protects us naturally from it. This process is like sunglasses – but sunglasses act like a crutch to our eyes and thus our pupils are prevented from adjusting naturally.