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Simha Mudra: The Lion Pose for Eye Health and Vitality

In our digital age, our eyes bear the brunt of constant screen exposure, leaving them strained, tired, and lacking their natural sparkle. Traditional yoga offers a powerful remedy through Simha Mudra (Lion Pose) – an ancient practice that combines therapeutic eye exercises with energizing breathwork to restore eye health and vitality.

Why Your Eyes Need This Practice

Our eyes are often called the windows to the soul, but they're also mirrors of our overall health. Modern lifestyle habits create a perfect storm of eye strain:

  • Digital eye strain from prolonged screen time
  • Reduced blinking leading to dry eyes
  • Poor posture restricting blood flow to facial muscles
  • Chronic tension in the muscles surrounding the eyes

Simha Mudra addresses these issues by promoting circulation, releasing muscular tension, and providing much-needed exercise for the delicate muscles around your eyes.

The Complete Simha Mudra Practice

lionpose-image

Step 1: Preparatory Eye Pressing Exercise

Before diving into the lion pose, prepare your eyes with this simple yet effective warm-up:

  1. Close your eyes firmly – almost squeezing them shut while applying gentle pressure
  2. Hold for 12 counts – feel the tension building in the surrounding muscles
  3. Release and relax – keep your eyes closed effortlessly for a few moments
  4. Notice the contrast – observe how relaxed your eyes feel after the tension

This preparatory exercise helps release accumulated tension and prepares your eye muscles for the main practice.

Step 2: Simha Mudra (Lion Pose)

Now you're ready for the main event:

  1. Establish your foundation: Begin in Vajrasana (diamond pose) by kneeling and sitting back on your heels, with knees about 45 cm apart. This traditional sitting position provides optimal stability and energy flow for the practice
  2. Open your mouth wide: Stretch it as much as comfortably possible
  3. Extend your tongue: Stick it out as far as you can – don't hold back!
  4. Gaze upward: Look toward the ceiling without tilting your head up
  5. Hold steady: Maintain this position for 12 slow counts
  6. Return to neutral: Close your mouth and rest your eyes

The combination of facial stretching and upward eye movement creates a unique therapeutic effect that traditional eye exercises alone cannot achieve.

Step 3: Integration and Rest

After each round:

  • Close your eyes gently and allow them to rest
  • Breathe naturally and notice any sensations
  • Prepare mindfully for the next repetition

Practice Guidelines

Frequency and Repetitions

  • Beginners: Start with 3 alternating repetitions of each exercise
  • Intermediate: Gradually increase to 4-5 repetitions
  • Maximum: Don't exceed 5 repetitions to avoid overexertion

Finishing Touch: Palming

Complete your practice with palming for optimal results:

  • Cup your palms over closed eyes
  • Hold for 1 minute or 100 counts
  • Allow your eyes to absorb the healing darkness

Benefits You Can Expect

Regular practice of Simha Mudra offers numerous benefits:

For Your Eyes:

  • Improved circulation around the eye area
  • Reduced eye strain and fatigue
  • Enhanced flexibility of eye muscles
  • Better focus and visual clarity

For Your Overall Well-being:

  • Stress relief through facial muscle release
  • Improved concentration
  • Enhanced energy levels
  • Better posture awareness

Making It Part of Your Routine

The beauty of Simha Mudra lies in its simplicity and efficiency. This practice takes just 5-10 minutes and can easily fit into your daily routine:

  • Morning energizer: Start your day with clearer vision
  • Midday reset: Combat afternoon eye fatigue
  • Evening wind-down: Release the day's accumulated tension

Remember, consistency trumps intensity. A few minutes of daily practice will yield far better results than sporadic longer sessions.

Note: While Simha Mudra is generally safe for most people, consult with a healthcare provider if you have any eye conditions or concerns before beginning this practice.

See also:
Keep your eyes in good condition with these tips
Eye-Yoga.

Pic credits: yoga magazine
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Comments

  1. Anonymous7:16 PM

    Lion Pose is a recommended Yoga pose to help clear the skin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:31 PM

    There are many eye exercises for different problems. They involve training of extraocular muscles (eye movement in every direction and circular) and intraocular - ciliary muscle (switching focus from near objects to distant objects).Exercises improve tones and circulation in these muscles which is essential for relaxation. In people with refractive errors, exercising extraocular muscles applies certain pressure on eye balls which can result in changing shape back to normal. Also exercising ciliary muscle leads to better acommodation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown6:47 PM

    Rubbing and Placing Your Palms on the Eyes for Relieving Eye Strain: You can sit on a chair with back straight. Close your eyes and gently rub your palms. Place the palms on your eyelids and feel the warmth. This exercise can help in soothing your tired eye muscles and prevent strain.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:05 AM

    do acupressure, it will definitely improve your eyesight
    second, do yoga every morning, especially pranayama, part of yoga
    one home remedy for a better eyesight, mix equal quantities of say, 100 gms of almonds, cardamom and candy sugar. grind all of them and take 1 teaspoon of this powder every night with warm milk. and to your amusement its really delicious!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8:52 AM

    ..no type of eye exercise can improve a refractive error or cure any ailment within the eyeball or in any remote part of the body. If you are considering a vision training program, request a written report detailing the problem, the proposed treatment plan, an estimate of the time and costs involved, and the prognosis. If the plan is not targeted toward a specific visual problem (such as amblyopia), or if it includes a broad promise such as improving I.Q., forget about it."

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:51 AM

    Beta-carotene (Vitamin A) is the vision vitamin. Take Cod-Liver Oil every day- it's loaded with Vit. A and also vit. d. Your nighttime vision will improve as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous5:00 PM

    Just get glasses with the right prescriptions. My friend said, "Don't ever take off your glasses. Your eyesight gets worse." He told a fellow later on he's not a bully. Yes, if you don't wear glasses, your eyesight will get worse and not improve, so you need to wear glasses all the time to have healthy sight. I'm sorry, otherwise your eyesight will go to hell.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sudir8:13 AM

    The continuous practice of yoga increases the quality of your life .

    ReplyDelete
  9. Neena8:14 AM

    Wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous8:17 AM

    Relieves tension in the face and chest
    Improves circulation of blood to the face
    Keeps your eyes healthy by stimulating the nerves
    Stimulates and firms the platysma
    Helps prevent sore throat, asthma, and other respiratory ailments
    May help treat bad breath
    Is said to eradicate disease

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kamalksha11:27 AM

    "Never force a stretch or a pose," "Simply allow your body to move to its edge."

    ReplyDelete

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