We all live such busy lives nowadays being pulled in different directions, constant distractions and racing thoughts taking us away from our conscious minds and present moments. Taking time to focus our minds helps us to relax and gain clarity on our lives as the mind is given the space for the intuition or soul to speak and reveal to us what is needed to be heard.  This can also be known as mindfulness, taking time in our day to be mindful about what we are doing bringing us back into presence. We spend 95% of our day in the subconscious mind and therefore being mindful pulls us back in to the conscious mind where we can rest and relax. This doesn’t mean just when meditating we can be mindful when eating food, when walking in nature or doing exercise, with anything we do just doing it with intention. By giving the mind space through mindfulness we offer an opportunity for our inner intuition and guide to speak to us and our thoughts to be clear. 70% of our thoughts are recycled from yesterday meaning we get stuck in our past and majority of these thoughts are also negative and unhelpful. Mindfulness brings us away from this pattern of thinking shifting our minds and realities into new realms of possibilities.

It is believed the eyes are the window into the soul and connect us to our emotions. The eyes are also  filters processing our outside world and translating our surroundings to the mind. When we are afraid our eyes get bigger so they are able to gather more information from the surroundings similarly to when we are really interested in something. Like an old fashioned photographer processing the negatives after taking photos our minds are constantly processing our phones, people, threats, distractions, animals and dangers etc therefore becoming challenging to be still and the mind quiet,  therefore it’s important we are more selective about what images we want to decide to process.

Netra Vyayamam is an ancient yoga practice for the eyes. Different eye exercises are used to help strengthen the eye muscles improving our vision but also helping us to take a moment to focus on what our eyes are perceiving and controlling what we are looking at. Take a moment to try netra vyayamam now with these simple exercises

Find somewhere you feel calm and relaxed, perhaps even lighting a candle (mantrakind candle) and getting cosy with a cushion or blanket ( link to blanket).

Sitting in a comfortable position and gently close down the eyes taking a couple of deep breaths until you feel relaxed and calm. 

1. When your ready gently open the eyes and take the gaze all the way to the top, then slowly taking the gaze all the way down. Like a paintbrush keep moving the gaze up and down after you have repeated this a few times return the eyes to centre and close down the eyes. 
2. Then opening the eyes again looking all the way to the right side taking the gaze across the horizon line to the left side. Continue taking the eyes right then left repeating a few times before returning the eyes to neutral and closing the eyes.
3. Opening the eyes think of taking the eyes around the numbers of the clock. Starting at the top at 12 moving the gaze to each number all the way round, closing the eyes and then repeating in the opposite direction. 
4. Rub the palms together creating friction and feeling heat inbetween the palms. When you feel you have created enough heat between the hands place the heel of the hand into the eye sockets. Feel the warmth and darkness soothing the eyes. Notice your internal world before gently sweeping the hands away from the face blinking opening the eyes and giving the face a gentle massage. 

Notice how the eye muscles feel now, knowing you can control what you would like your mind to perceive and take in.