Maximize the Effect of the Bates Method
"It is important for you to become self-aware of the ways in which you overtense your eyes in order to try to see. It is important that you free your body -- your potential mechanism. The places to look for tension mostly include: the back of the upper neck; the upper back; between the shoulders; the hands and feet; the shoulders; the pelvis; the chest; and the stomach. Yoga, meditation, massage, Feldenkreis, Alexander, Rolfing, polarity, dancing, running, breathing, swimming, etc. are all excellent adjuncts to Bates' system. It is important to learn to take your glasses off, especially in non-demanding, non-threatening situations. You are not blind, and though you can't see what you think you are supposed to see, you can see what you can see, so pay attention to that which is there for you. Everyone experiences emotional factors when they change to no glasses."
Neuropsychology of Myopia

"…A problem with identifying strain immediately is those of us who strain most are often suffering the least discomfort from it. It may become so habitual, so ingrained in our normal way of doing things, that we don't perceive it as necessarily uncomfortable."
Strain and Relaxation

The Four Basic Exercises
"To be done when they feel good -- ten minutes or thirty seconds -- the more often and the longer, the better."
Neuropsychology of Myopia

Palming
Instructions
"The simple idea of resting the eyes by closing them is basic to the Bates method. Dr. Bates coined for it the term 'palming'.
· The eyes are gently closed and covered with the palms in such a way that all light is excluded and no pressure is applied to the eyeballs.
· The heels of the hands rest lightly on the cheekbones and the fingers on the forehead.
· Palming is usually done while seated.
· The elbows should be supported, either on a table in front of you or on a thick cushion or two in your lap.
· While palming you should feel entirely comfortable, safe and warm. Choose if you can a quiet time and a place where you are not likely to be disturbed.
· Become conscious of and do your best to relax any undue tension in the muscles of your face, neck, shoulders, and the rest of your body.
· Listen to the radio if you wish, or just allow the mind to wander, keeping it away from anything unpleasant. If stressful thoughts intrude, push them aside to be dealt with later.
Remain with the eyes shut for several minutes. The exact period that suits you best has to be found by trial and error; five minutes is about right, and four should be regarded as a minimum. It can be difficult to judge the passage of time, and some such device as a non-ticking cook's timer, or one of those electronic watches or pocket calculators which incorporate an alarm, is very useful.
Palming like this should be repeated from three to five times in succession and forms the basis of your daily practice period. Once or twice in the period you might like, rather than merely allowing the mind to wander, to try some visualisation. (Pages 45-46)"
Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.

· "Eyes covered by palms (no pressure on the eyes);
· fingertips at hairline;
· fingers overlapped to allow breathing room for your nose. Elbows resting on table, chair back, pillow, etc.
Relax, feel your eyes give up the tension of trying to see. Let yourself go as much as you can. Let go into what you may be seeing; keep breathing. Memorize the feeling of palming. To be done especially before doing a visual task such as reading. EYES CLOSED."
Neuropsychology of Myopia

Palming vs. Sleeping
"It might be wondered why an ordinary night's sleep does not have the same effect as palming and visualization. They eyes are closed, and during dreams there is plenty of imagery to work on. If the sleep is sound, the eyes are indeed rested and the eyesight tends to be better on rising, but for many people sleep produces a degree of eyestrain. While dreaming the eyes perform rapid and random movements, there is no control of the memory or imagination, and very often the dreams themselves are in some measure disturbing. In all, dreaming would seem to be associated with a turmoil in the cortex which is the opposite of the calm, easy state in which the eyes work best. If you suffer from eyestrain during sleep, the Bates technique of 'long swinging' (see p. 63), practised just before retiring, may be of value. (Pages 46-47)"
Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.

Palming and Visualization
"Visualisation is also valuable exercise for the memory and imagination. With your mind's eye examine some outdoor scene, remembered, imagined, or a mixture of both, that gives you particular pleasure. Allow your gaze to take in details both in the distance and near to, changing the focus swiftly and easily as various objects attract your interest. If you are short-sighted, pay special attention to distant scenes, and if you are long sighted or presbyopic, pay special attention to objects close at hand. (Page 46)"
Book: Barnes, Jonathan. Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses. Souvenir Press, 1999.

Palming and Visualization: Advantages
"[Visualization] is a powerful technique which relies on the fact that all mental activity is accompanied by corresponding physical rehearsal. Thus if you imagine that you are speaking, or even if you frame your thoughts in terms of words rather than abstractions, there are minute but measurable movements of the vocal apparatus; if you imagine you are clenching or unclenching your fist, all the muscles involved undergo fractional changes