I have been doing some body posture exercises over the past few months. Generally I have had varying success in feeling more relaxed and freeing up muscles...But today was a little different. Usually I do several different exercises working my hips, abs, chest etc all in the space of about 20 minutes to half an hour. But today I decided to just do one or two of the exercises, each one for about three minutes or so - so not for so long and I didn't put much effort in. I walked away and for the next 20 minutes felt incredible, my eyes felt very different(they've never felt like that before) and I could see much more clearly as well...colours seemed more intense, I'm sure I was straining less - I felt more at ease.
So it got me thinking about 'how' the body/mind 'learns'. Take how we learn to type on a keyboard - it's kind of something we never deliberately trained ourselves to do, our mind just learnt it and it becomes second nature...now if we were to try and force ourselves to learn how to type, paying attention to where all the keys are etc...I don't think we would be as successful. So maybe this is some food for thought for the Bates Method exercises.
I have been doing some body posture exercises over the past few months. Generally I have had varying success in feeling more relaxed and freeing up muscles...But today was a little different. Usually I do several different exercises working my hips, abs, chest etc all in the space of about 20 minutes to half an hour. But today I decided to just do one or two of the exercises, each one for about three minutes or so - so not for so long and I didn't put much effort in. I walked away and for the next 20 minutes felt incredible, my eyes felt very different(they've never felt like that before) and I could see much more clearly as well...colours seemed more intense, I'm sure I was straining less - I felt more at ease.
So it got me thinking about 'how' the body/mind 'learns'. Take how we learn to type on a keyboard - it's kind of something we never deliberately trained ourselves to do, our mind just learnt it and it becomes second nature...now if we were to try and force ourselves to learn how to type, paying attention to where all the keys are etc...I don't think we would be as successful. So maybe this is some food for thought for the Bates Method exercises.
Footballman
Awesome success Footballman!
Say were these posture exercises from the Alexander Technique?
This is very interesting.... I think our body learns over time, so the more you do Bates (or other methods) and the more you do posture exercises the eventual learning will kick in and vision and posture will be clearer and better, perhaps even saying to yourself you have improved or saying that you have perfect vision or that your eyes are perfect spheres, repeating something over and over in your head might help too? ( I notice if I say that to myself my vision clears a bit) ??? just my thoughts....
The posture exercises are from an ebook I got online...they aren't anything directly to do with the Alexander Technique.
The point I was trying to make was when I started doing the exercises in a subtle way...and not trying desperately hard to 'get' results...that was when I started to get the best results.
When I first learnt the posture exercises, part of me wanted to do the exercises and achieve great results nice and fast...so I spent a long time on the exercises doing them over and over..with little results. I think the body 'learns' things at its own pace, just like the mind learns at its own pace...I'm sure Bates mentions somewhere that any attempt to force the mind to remember doesn't work well - but of course the mind is a little different because if you love something, such as stamp collecting for example, the mind will remember things...but the body is probably a bit more mechanical(yet the muscles still have a 'memory' - and with 'strain' there is too much tension in them).
So what I was highlighting was an 'approach' to doing things...with just as much committment, but less forcefui effort and less grabbing at having to get results.
footballman Wrote:The posture exercises are from an ebook I got online...they aren't anything directly to do with the Alexander Technique.
The point I was trying to make was when I started doing the exercises in a subtle way...and not trying desperately hard to 'get' results...that was when I started to get the best results.
When I first learnt the posture exercises, part of me wanted to do the exercises and achieve great results nice and fast...so I spent a long time on the exercises doing them over and over..with little results. I think the body 'learns' things at its own pace, just like the mind learns at its own pace...I'm sure Bates mentions somewhere that any attempt to force the mind to remember doesn't work well - but of course the mind is a little different because if you love something, such as stamp collecting for example, the mind will remember things...but the body is probably a bit more mechanical(yet the muscles still have a 'memory' - and with 'strain' there is too much tension in them).
So what I was highlighting was an 'approach' to doing things...with just as much committment, but less forcefui effort and less grabbing at having to get results.
Speaking of posture and things, I cracked a certain point of my back and then all of a sudden my vision cleared for a few blinks, it was amazing, which to me is proof that certain posture and tension on vertebrae has a play in bad vision too.....
I'm going to check to see which vertebrae correspond exactly with vision....
I believe there is a lot of substance to what you are discussing. If for example, a swimmer tenses and fights the current, he or she may drown; if we fight our blur we only impose more strain. Eyes are the windows to the soul. Anything affecting our body, affects our eyes, and likewise. I find my quest to improved vision to have reshaped many aspects of my life. I found your thoughts on this very helpful.
Like blauw, I experienced an excellent prolonged flash of clear vision after injuring myself - but in my case, I was playing organized touch/flag football in the US Navy, and fell on my outstretched left arm, dislocating it. I instinctively somehow snapped the shoulder back in place, and took myself out of the game. As I stood on the sideline nursing my arm, my vision cleared and i could vividly see the players' faces and other details in the middle of the field. My arm was completely bruised and has never been the same (I could no longer quickly raise it to catch a softball for instance). I suffered a second dislocation in the swimming pool, and the clinic had to reduce it for me, but the navy said i'd have to have three verified dislocations before they'd authorize an operation, and I left active service before then. However, that instance of clear vision convinced me that the bates methods I'd discovered about three months prior, were in fact working. If I had been able to ignore all my responsibilities (married, navy duties and watchstations, two small kids, night school, etc.) and concentrate on the bates techniques, i think I would have had much quicker success. the sporadic success was enough to keep me practicing though, and trying to come up with a theory as to why more and more children are not developing clear vision.
I've found lately that when doing anything, it's best to do it with little effort, and keep comfort in mind...regardless of whatever your vision is like!
For instance, if you are at a computer you might want to try the following and maybe your eyesight will improve a little, or you will get a flash perhaps:
1) Take off your glasses if you wear them to see the computer screen.
2) Don't be concerned with whatever you can or can't see...it doesn't matter at the moment.
3) Get comfortable in your chair, make being as comfortable as you can be in your chair the main priority (again don't fret about what you can or cannot see).
4) Now observe what you can or cannot see...you will probably realise two things...1)you can see what's on the screen alot better than what you imagined you could..2)you want to move into the screen to be able to see it clearer - this will only cause you to lose the relaxation though...and you will probably squint or strain to see what the words are - this is the 'strain' you are fighting against to cure your vision.
