CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Headaches, eyestrain and stiff neck
PERHAPS it has not occurred to you that nervous tension may be the cause of weak eyesight and eyestrain. When first considered, these two factors may not seem to be related, but it is an established fact that anxiety and nervousness stimulate excessive eye muscle activity which in turn gives rise to symptoms of eyestrain.
If, therefore, you have a nervous temperament, and who has not in these troubled times, and you suffer from symptoms of eyestrain, you may be able to overcome these symptoms simply by learning to relax. Eyestrain is a very common ailment suffered by those who live in a state of nervous tension because slight defects of the eyes, normally tolerated by a calmer person, becomes aggravated in nervous people.
So it is Yoga again to the rescue and your answer to this problem in the first instance lies in reading chapter two again and practicing the CORPSE POSTURE faithfully every day for at least ten minutes, and more if you have time. This is not time wasted but time well spent even though it might take you some time to train yourself not to keep glancing up at the clock and listing in your mind all the chores you have to do while you are ‘relaxing’ on the floor. No, you must be firm with yourself. Think yourself into a calm state of mind before you lie down on the floor and practice stretching and relaxing. Then sink slowly into the Corpse Posture, close your eyes and try to empty your mind of all thoughts but one pleasant one. It helps if you are by a fire when you relax and if there is a slow and beautiful piece of music playing in the background, for this will help to put you into a drowsy and peaceful mood. If you find this inconvenient first thing in the morning, try it at night before you go to bed.
Not only will it help you to sleep but it is unlikely that you wilt wake up with that morning headache which goes hand in glove with tension and eyestrain.
Some of you may find that eyestrain makes your eyes itch or smart, in which case when you lie down to do the Corpse Posture you will find it soothing to lay pads of cotton wool soaked in warm water on your eyelids. You will have to concentrate really hard to coax all your muscles to relax and you will have to be really stern with yourself whenever you find your mind wandering, but mental discipline is not achieved easily but you will find that the rewards for your efforts are well worth it.
In addition to practicing relaxation I will describe some