Hey everyone. I keep seeing things like how one shouldn't stare, but what does it all mean? Does it simply mean I should not keep my gaze upon one object, or does staring, in this context, only refer to Bates' definition of straining to see? I think the reason for my slow progress is because I have been straining to see things, but other than stopping myself when I am doing that, what else am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to keep my eyes moving at all times so that my gaze is never fixed on something? It seems to me that keeping my eyes moving all the time is something that requires effort, so I'm not sure what to do or if I'm interpreting it incorrectly.
Well it's a good question, and it's pretty much the heart of the Bates method and what everyone struggles with. It can be explained a lot of ways, but basically the different exercises are meant to get you to temporarily experience what effortless movement is like.
When you first try to keep your eyes moving all the time, it does feel weird and like you're putting effort into it, but if you keep it up, it's usually a good thing, and you'll fall into a more natural way of using them. Like practicing a golf swing - You can't necessarily practice exactly the right swing, but practicing something closer to the right swing can get you in the groove of your own style so that you're swinging the club in the most natural way that's perfect for accomplishing the task. It was always there; you only had to find it, and rest assured that there IS a groove you'll fall into at some point.
Bates's shifting exercise using the chart, practicing shifting for at least several minutes from one letter to another or even one edge of a letter to another, is really good for practicing the movement. It's one of the most valuable exercises in my opinion, because it has to do so directly with how you use your eyes and not so much general eye relaxation and freeing like palming or the long swing.
Dave
Site Administrator
"Half of our funny, heathen lives, we are bent double to gather things we have tossed away." - George Meredith
As Dave pointed out, you may experience weirdness when you first are trying to keep your eyes moving. It may even seem unnecessary. But eventually you will feel the feeling of relaxation that comes with keeping your eyes moving, and it is nice. A beneficial side-effect you may get from this is an increased awareness of your tendency to "lock" on to objects.
When I first started moving I would even sit at the dinner table and just keep moving my entire body. It was a little ridiculous at first (fortunately I have a nice wife), but eventually I started understanding the benefit and didn't want to return to a fixed position. Of course my movements got smaller, but getting out of the habit of staring and non-movements requires some exaggeration to learn to "see" the problem.
So, is there a certain way I should keep my eyes moving? As in, is there a general path of motion they should follow? Should they just be randomly darting around from object to object, or from one part of an object to another?
js519 Wrote:So, is there a certain way I should keep my eyes moving? As in, is there a general path of motion they should follow? Should they just be randomly darting around from object to object, or from one part of an object to another?
You can't really pinpoint the specifics because in normally functioning eyes they following the person's point of interest. The idea is to deliberately move - it is easy to follow edges or look from one part of an object to another - with the expectation that you will eventually do it subconsciously as your eyes relearn to relax. It's not so much about how you move or where you move your eyes, just that you move.
