analogy between glasses and high heels

[Michelle]

Hey, I wanted to share a little story with you all.
I think I understand the Bates method very well, and I was thinking today about how vision is so mental. I was feeling a little frustrated today because I haven't had a clear flash yet (though I just started), and I was wondering why I can consciously relax my eyes and feel the relief but not experience a noticeable change in vision.

Then, I remembered something that happened several years ago. I used to wear high heels pretty often. I didn't wear them everyday, and I didn't wear extremely high heels very often. But I wore a 2 - 3 inch heel many days for many years, and after a while, I noticed that my calf muscles started to feel chronically tight. I started constantly kicking off my shoes during the day and tried to stretch them out, but I couldn't get rid of that uncomfortable feeling. Even though I always took off my shoes when I got home, stretched my calves, and often massaged my calves as well, they continued to feel cramped.

One day, I decided I'd had enough of that uncomfortable feeling and knew that my body was not designed to wear high heels, so I stopped wearing high heels completely. I wore only sneakers or flat shoes everyday, even if I got dressed up.

I can't remember exactly how long it took, but I think it was several months straight before my muscles felt normal again. Now, my legs feel just as relaxed and flexible as they were when I was a kid. I think this is very similar to Bates method. My consciously trying to relax and stretch my muscles wasn't enough to heal my legs when I was habitually using them the wrong way throughout the day. It wasn't until I used them correctly 24/7 that I had a complete reversal of my problem.

I think the people that have the best results with the Bates method are those that really try to use their eyes correctly all the time, rather than misusing them for part of the day and trying to relax them at other times. Furthermore, the analogy encourages me to be patient while I allow my muscles to gradually get more relaxed and flexible.

[Aura]

Wow I think that's a very good way of describing and understanding the strain in our eyes that cause bad vision. I think that some people think that good vision can be recovered quickly just as long you consciously are aware of doing good vision habits however I think the way to actually get back clear vision permanently is to make the good vision habits so part of you that you start to do it without having to think about, besides, that is how our eyes were designed. Not to be strained and used over-time, but to be able to discover and see the interesting details of everyday things.

[Michelle]

Right, Aura. My goal is to practice sketching, breathing abdominally, and blinking frequently all the time, until it becomes automatic. My prescription is pretty bad, and I'm starting to understand why. I space out, stare, and strain all the time! Plus, my 20 years of wearing glasses all the time could be compared to 20 years of wearing super high heels every time I walk. It would take much more than just isolated moments of conscious relaxation to loosen all that tightness.

I think that, once the correct vision habits become automatic and feel natural, then the real healing will begin. And even then, it may take some time for my muscles to regain their full flexibility.