Yoga Ayurveda Recovery

Blog

  • Yoga practices to reduce eye strain

    Yoga practices to reduce eye strain

    There are so many things to look out. All day long our eyes are shifting from one stimulation to the next. Yoga increases our awareness of our body and provides practices that reduce eyestrain.  Just visiting a shopping centre is a total invasion into our senses, mostly from the eyes and ears. When driving there are so many signs to look out for. Have you noticed over a stretch of road how often the traffic signs change from 40 to 60 to 70 to 100? These all happen within a short space of time. We live in stress with this constant eyestrain and bombardment.

    digital eyestrain prevention

    Useful things to do for tired sore dry eyes.

    Cucumber – the coolness and moisture from the cucumber placed on the eyes while you lie down and have a rest!

    Castor oil – put some good quality castor oil into a roller and when your eyes feel dry nip it out of your bag and roll it over your eyes

    Neti – practice using a neti pot to wash out your sinus

    Too much for our eyes to do

    Our eyes are said to be the seat of our soul. They take in a lot more than just the visuals. Ayurveda provides so many tips to living in harmony. To temper our dosha we need to be aware of what we ingest through all of our senses. This includes the eyes.

    For instance a Vata person is susceptible to nervous energy and will find watching a scary movie can increase their nervous energy. Dry, scratchy and frequently blinking eyes are classic signs of a Vata dosha imbalance. Vata governs movement, dryness, and the nervous system, and when it is aggravated, it depletes the natural moisture and lubrication in the eyes. Why Vata Affects the Eyes

    In Ayurveda, dry eye symptoms are often referred to as Sushkakshipaka. When Vata becomes unbalanced, it causes several eye-related issues: 

    • Dryness and Grittiness: Lack of lubrication causes the feeling of a scratchy, “foreign body” sensation.
    • Excessive Blinking: Vata controls nervous impulses and muscle movements, leading to a tendency to twitch or blink repeatedly when the nervous system is overstimulated.
    • Fatigue: Straining, prolonged screen time, or poor sleep can quickly aggravate Vata. [

    Natural Ways to Restore Balance

    To pacify Vata, the goal is to introduce warmth, hydration, and grounding routines: 

    Lifestyle Adjustments: Get regular, adequate sleep. If you spend a lot of time on digital devices, practice conscious, regular blinking and take breaks to prevent your Vata from spiking. 

    Dietary Changes: Incorporate healthy fats like ghee into your diet. Add internal lubrication by eating hydrating foods such as melons, cucumbers, and citrus fruits. 

    External Lubrication: Soothe ocular dryness using Ayurveda for Dry, Burning Eyes practices, which often include warm compresses, gentle herbal eyewashes (like Triphala), or resting the nervous system.

    eyestrain looking at computer screens

    PITA EYES BURN

    Likewise a Pita dominated person with a fiery competitive temperament, they just love a violent movie, which in turn increases their Pita. In Ayurveda tradition, burning hot eyes are a classic sign of Pitta dosha imbalance. Because Pitta governs the fire and water elements, an excess brings intense heat, inflammation, and sharpness to the body and mind.cucumber can be a soothing way to cool down the body and the mind.

    Common Triggers

    • Diet: Consuming too many spicy, sour, fried, or salty foods, as well as excess caffeine and alcohol.
    • Lifestyle: Prolonged screen time, lack of sleep, intense stress, or overworking.
    • Environment: Overexposure to direct sunlight, heat waves, or pollution. 

    How to Find Balance

    • Cooling Therapies: Apply a cool compress or organic, plain rose water to your eyes.
    • Dietary Adjustments: Incorporate naturally cooling foods like cucumbers, melons, cilantro, ghee, and coconut water.
    • Screen Breaks: Give your eyes rest and avoid pushing yourself past your limits. 

    For more personalized advice and remedies, explore Banyan Botanicals’ Pitta Balancing Guide. If your “hot eyes” symptoms are severe, include discharge, or are accompanied by blurred vision, it is always recommended to consult a healthcare professional. 

    KAPHA watery eyes

    The laid back sentimental Kapha benefits from watching a stimulating show as their temperament can be sedentary and like increases like – so get moving. Running, watery, or puffy eyes can be a sign of a Kapha imbalance in Ayurveda. Because Kapha governs lubrication, structure, and the water element in the body, an excess of it often leads to fluid retention, mucus buildup, and excessive tearing.

    Signs of Kapha Imbalance

    If your wet eyes are caused by a systemic Kapha imbalance, you are likely experiencing other symptoms of excess fluid and stagnation, including: 

    • Congestion, a runny nose, or excess mucus
    • A thick white coating on your tongue
    • Feeling sluggish, lethargic, or having a “foggy” mind
    • Water retention, which can cause swelling in the face, hands, or legs 

    Common Triggers

    Because Kapha is naturally cool, heavy, and moist, a Kapha imbalance can easily be aggravated by the damp, cool conditions of the spring season or by consuming heavy, sweet, or cold foods. 

    Sounds too simple to be true doesn’t it?

    I know this all sounds too simple to be true, but why not. Here we discuss two Yoga practices to reduce eyestrain.

    • yoga office eyes

    At the same time you will connect to your senses.

    Have you thought one of the best things you can do for yourself is to simply take a conscious breath? How simple is that? Breathing is hard to market and sell on its own. Likewise it is challenging for many people because the exhalation makes us feel vulnerable.

    A Yoga practice reduces eyestrain and benefits the pineal gland

    Most work today is online which entails gazing at a screen for hours at a time. Likewise the muscles in our eyes are fixed into a narrow square range. My father used to warn us if we watched too much TV we would get square eyes!

    Eye strain tenses the shoulders and the neck. The forehead wrinkles into a frown and headaches or migraines start. The bright light from a screen negatively effects the pineal gland, the seat of the soul. This stimulation makes it difficult to slow the mind to experience sound nights sleep.

    Try Yoga Nidra to reduce eyestrain and stress

    Yoga Nidra is a called a psychic sleep and is a nourishing Yoga practice that will benefit your eyesight, mind and body. At the end of any exercise it is beneficial to keep your body still and relax totally. During the stillness scan through your body noticing any niggling sensations. In this way you will keep connected and notice any health challenges that may arise.

    Trataka Yoga practice reduces eyestrain

    Trataka

    Yoga in Daily life shares a Yoga practices to reduce eyestrain. There are several exercises to counteract the effects of screen time overuse on eyesight. Below is an easy practice that any one can follow.

    Technique to counter the effects of technology on your eyesight

    • Sit in a comfortable position in front of a candle. Place the candle about an arm’s length away from you, with the wick of the candle at the same height as your chest. If the candle is placed too high, it can create tension at the eyebrow centre, or produce a burning sensation in the eyes. The flame should be still and not moving in a draft. Close your eyes.
    • Open the eyes and look at the flame without blinking. The flame has three zones of colour. At the base of the wick is a reddish colour, in the middle it is bright white and at the tip it is slightly smoky. Concentrate on the upper part of the flame where it is brightest.
    • Close the eyes again. If the image of the flame appears within your middle eye region, gently concentrate on that image without creating any tension. Try not to pursue or hold onto the image, otherwise it will fade and disappear.
    • Repeat the practice 3 times.
    • The practice time should gradually build. In the initial stages, look at the flame only for about 10-15 seconds. Slowly increase this time, so that after about one year you can look at the flame for 1 minute and then concentrate on the inner image with closed eyes for about 4 minutes. Under no circumstances should this recommended length of time be exceeded.

    Note:

    You  may also practice Trataka by looking at a white point on black paper, or at a black point on white paper. By concentrating on a white point, there shows a black image when the eyes are closed and vice versa with a black point.

    Benefits of Yoga on eyesight 

    A regular Yoga practice purifies the eyes, strengthens the eye muscles and improves vision and memory. As well as helping with sleep disturbances and bedwetting. Concentrate is strengthened and is therefore recommended for school children. Also intuition with the ability to visualise and use willpower is increased.

    Caution:
    reduce eye strain with yoga

    This exercise is not suitable for people with psychic problems. Those who have a tendency towards Schizophrenia or hallucinations should not practice Trataka.

    Yoga is perfect for you if you experience:-

    aching stiff muscles,ageing creaks and groans,neurological conditions,bladder issues,digestive problems,constricted breathingstress related conditionsor pre and post surgery etc..Read more here.If you would like to contact Zoe send us a note

  • Yoga Therapy Pain relief program & retreat option

    Yoga Therapy Pain relief program & retreat option

    There are a great many types of chronic pain that can start troubling you in later stages of life. Often this is regardless of how active or sedentary your lifestyle is. They can greatly restrict your mobility and impact your everyday life. As well as contribute to stress if the pain is permanent or widespread. Depending on how lucky you are, you may be enduring pain from multiple sources or none at all! Our Yoga Therapy Pain relief program shows you how to use the natural and sustainable methods of Yoga and Ayurveda.

    Whatever your current situation is, these ailments could be just around the corner. It is so important to take measures and get in shape before they do! This is precisely what we strive to achieve. We work closely with you to help you get ahead of any potential problems and relieve any pain you might already have.

    Learn to make every day changes that are natural and sustainable with no nasty side effects. However, before trying to address the issue, it’s important to establish what kind of pain you’re dealing with. Read below about some of the more common types of pain.

    Yoga Therapy Pain relief program

    Backache

    You’ll have a hard time finding someone who didn’t face some kind of back-related pain during their life. Back pain boils down to a misalignment in some segments of the musculoskeletal system. Through yogic breathing and relaxation asanas, we can remove the inflammation. Often this will prevent the pain from spreading.

    Back pain, just like most other types, also has an emotional element that negatively affect daily functions like respiration. It can restrict breathing and airflow between the chest and abdomen and make any movement painful. These issues can keep adding up and become chronic and disturb various bodily functions.

    Yoga therapy has great success in dealing with backache regardless of its cause. By taking control of your breathing, you can correct the natural flow and relax the skeleton muscles. Asanas stretching is particularly useful as it focuses on the surrounding muscles as well, alleviating stress from the spine. While you’re stretching muscles with yoga, analgesia or pain relief sets in and you’ll immediately notice the benefits.

    Neuropathic Pain

    Neuropathic pain is usually caused by damage to the nerve endings in the skin. Additionally it can be a difficult one to predict or prevent. Likewise it can cause severe sensory damage and negatively affect your mood or add further stress. Due to its properties, this type of pain is best treated with a holistic approach and multiple forms of treatment. With Yoga Therapy we guide you to become aware of general body flexibility and everyday posture alignment. This is an excellent means of preventing neuropathic pain, or at least reducing its effects.

    Another successful yoga method for treating these issues come from Yoga Nidra. This entails the techniques of visualisation, full awareness of breath and body, meditation, muscle group stretching and strengthening asanas. Using these methods and improving your overall posture helps you to avoid joint-related issues like the carpal tunnel syndrome.

    Knee Pain

    Knee pain is one of the main causes of disability in the form of Osteoarthritis, that many people suffer from. Our main strategy for dealing with knee pain, is to alleviate the pain itself. We do this by improving the circulation through mobility and functionality. Once again, learning awareness through techniques and some light stretches can go a long way in eliminating discomfort. There aren’t any disease-modifying agents available for knee pain treatment other than surgery. With Yoga Therapy we provide the optimal conditions by improving your joint health.

    Migraine

    Most commonly identified with headaches, migraines are a result of a problem in the vascular system. We find they are directly tied to again cause and effect. Such as the person’s levels of stress, which can amplify the pain that ties back more stress and so on. Migraines can be positively affected by Yoga therapy by calming the stress response system. Also the autonomous nervous system can also be balanced out to cure various stress-related problems. We find some of which are a direct cause of migraines. In Yoga we cultivate a state of “calm alertness” and stimulate the neuroendocrine release of hormones and thalamic generators. In turn you will have relief from constant headaches.

    Senior woman suffering with severe headache. .

    How Asanas Affects the Musculoskeletal System

    Asana (exercise) Pranayama (breathing) Kriyas (cleansing) and Ayurveda (diet and lifestyle) are our primary treatments for people with chronic pain issues. Sedentary lifestyle is the norm in modern society, along with all the pain it causes. Likewise, all the sitting can cause stress to our musculoskeletal system. This often forms in the upper and lower back area, adding tension to the core muscles. Aside from inducing pain, these issues also cause sleep problems and deprivation, impacting our life and work.

    Yoga brings awareness to your breathing and posture and mends spinal misalignments. It helps regulate blood flow and through progressive relaxation, helps regain control over the body. Through practice, you can strengthen your muscles and either mitigate or fully rid yourself of any back pain you’re having!

    What Can You Expect From a Standard Yoga Therapy Session?

    We usually start the session with a few breathing exercises to help prepare you body and mind. The new members especially need time to learn how to focus and let go of their burdens. You should first learn how to breathe deeply and then some general sitting and standing postures. We call these “asanas” and they make up the core of yoga.

    Some of them should last a few seconds while others go on for minutes. The more practice and focus you have, the more benefits you’ll feel when dealing with stress and pain. Mastering these asanas in conjunction with the breathing brings you a step closer to true inner peace. Stretching is a big part of yoga but don’t force it beyond what feels natural to you at any point.

    Firstly to reduce inflammation then build flexibility and strength while calming the nervous system. We work with your unique strengths and weaknesses considering your age and any past or current conditions. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you’re having any difficulties with a part of the program! We only have one body and it’s constantly telling us what it feels and wants at any moment. The problem is that we often ignore it, and fail to miss the vital signs.

    Our Goals

    With light, daily activity, most of the injuries that people face can easily be prevented or mitigated. We can show you how to bring yoga into your daily life in a manageable way. Through a regular yoga practice, you will learn to focus on what is useful in all areas of life. It can help you filter out the distractions and white noise around you, and focus on what matters. We achieve that by coordinating breathing with movement in a relaxed and controlled manner. Listen to Bessell van der Kolk explain How to Overcome Trauma with Yoga

    Our aim is to help you to improve your daily awareness of how you use your body and mind. Improve your posture, and core stability and cleanse the body of any toxins it might have. Our daily life and work often force an unhealthy lifestyle upon us that requires extra attention to set straight. By combining Yoga and Ayurveda your metabolism calms, with a more balanced appetite. Likewise improved circulation creates a healthier heart, and even a more functional digestive system. It takes practice to learn how to relax every individual muscle and body part, which we often take for granted.

    Listen deeply to your body

    While we advise that everyone should work on improving their health, never go to extremes while doing it. Listen deeply to your body and if it is telling you it is feeling pain then pull back. There is a skill in knowing when we are over extending in life to prevent any further problems. There is a middle ground between injury and a mildly painful stretch that we always try to find. It’s precisely in this moderation where progress happens.

    yoga therapy for pain relief

    Call today and lets have a chat about how we can help you at Yoga Works for Over 40s give Zoe a call on +61 407 956 071 or email bondiyogatherapy@gmail.com.

  • Yoga and Ayurveda as a Therapy

    Yoga and Ayurveda as a Therapy

    Traditionally Yoga and Ayurveda compliment each other and form a complete therapy for body, mind and spirit. Likewise the focus is on each person as an individual. Together we look at your strengths and weaknesses, current lifestyle and digestive challenges as well as your physical posture and condition. Yoga and Ayurveda combined is a complete lifestyle with tips and guidelines that will change your life.

    Surprisingly most people do not know what they put into their body via their senses – mouth, ears, nose, eyes, skin and mind actually effects their health! This means they can be poisoning themselves daily and wonder why they are suffering. In the world of technology there is a saying garbage in garbage out – GIGO. However your childhood experiences can play out in your present day behaviours. 

    Yoga for over 40s online

    Ayurveda is a proven and ancient wisdom

    Modern day treatments only take just a piece of this ancient wisdom as a cure for an imbalance. This is temporary and disempowering, creating a costly dependence on the therapist. Zoe our Senior Yoga Ayurveda therapist has incorporated this ancient wisdom into her life for the past 30 years.

    Zoe lives and breathes Yoga and Ayurveda. She will help you to diagnose your dosha and provide recommendations to integrate into your every day life. Receive the guidance and support to return to a state of balance. We use only naturally sustainable methods with no nasty side effects.

    A personalised Yoga Ayurveda therapy program encourages and support you to set up a daily practise. Also we show you how to eat food that suits your digestive system. Undigested food becomes toxic in the system and affects the body as well as the mind.

    Yoga and Ayurveda

    What is Yoga Ayurveda Therapy?

    Therapeutic yoga appears to be extremely safe and adjusted to each student. Beyond medical conditions, the yoga therapist factors in the client’s overall level of fitness, stamina, frailty, and specific needs. Yoga and Ayurveda therapy looks at the lifestyle and desires for therapeutic outcomes.

    Yoga Ayurveda therapy uses various yoga practices such as poses, relaxation breathing and meditation. This helps people with a wide variety of health conditions, both physical and psychological. It can be a useful adjunct to medical care or, in some cases, in place of conventional approaches.

    yoga ayurveda therapy

    Typically, private Yoga Ayurveda therapy consultations include the following:

    It is important to differentiate between a general yoga class conducted by a yoga teacher and yoga therapy. In this way, Yoga Therapy is similar to other healthcare modalities. In the one-on-one setting, the level of assessment can be detailed. This allows for a tailored treatment plan to suit the client.

    Clients who may be frail or for whom standard yoga practices may be contraindicated benefit from the individual approach. Also the patients themselves must do the practices to gain the benefits, all that is required for successful yoga therapy is :-

    1. Conducting an intake consultation or reviewing an intake form. As well as reports from healthcare practitioners that include current treatment, including medications etc.

    2. Assessing the current health condition based on Yoga Ayurveda therapy principles

    3. Identifying underlying causes of the presenting condition from the Yoga Ayurveda therapy perspective

    4. Discussing any lifestyle or digestive challenges

    5. Conducting a physical strengths and weaknesses assessment

    Yoga therapy usually involves a number of consultations with the yoga therapist. Follow up sessions allow the therapist to refine the plan to ensure the student has been practicing in an appropriate way. As well as address any new concerns that may have arisen in the interim. In the process of teaching the routine to the client, the therapist will sometimes determine they need to make modifications.

    yoga ayurveda therapy

    Common challenges to follow Yoga Ayurveda Therapy guidelines

    A common challenge in yoga therapy is patient compliance. A few words from the referring clinician may help motivate patients to continue their yoga program. Yoga therapy is usually an adjunctive therapy. Likewise they should continue with their other treatments under the care of their healthcare practitioners.

    Yoga therapy consultations are typically several days to a few weeks apart. A yoga therapy program with recommendations to practice (at home, work, or elsewhere). As well as the program may be written or video recorded to support the patient. Many clients have three or four consultations over a number of weeks.

    In some instances, a healthcare practitioner and yoga therapist may believe that a patient is best served by regular therapeutic sessions. These can happen once a week over a number of months.

    benefits of yoga

    Healthcare referrals for Yoga Ayurveda Therapy

    Healthcare providers do not need to have an in-depth understanding of yoga to make skilful referrals to yoga therapists. A yoga therapist will safely adapt practices to meet the needs of individual students. Also different yoga approaches vary enormously, it is generally not incumbent on the referring clinician to specify which yoga tools to avoid, rather the yoga therapist.

    If the referring clinician provides general guidelines about his or her concerns, the yoga therapist can figure out which practices should be omitted or modified. For example; a patient with diabetic retinopathy, the yoga therapist could be advised to avoid any practices that increase intraocular pressure.

    Ayurveda everyday tips

    Yoga means union between the mind and body

    For optimal health and wellbeing, integrate Yoga and Ayurveda into your daily routine. Learn to listen and respond to your bodies needs with love and respect. Learn how you can blend Yoga into your life without too much effort and reap the benefits.

    To give is to receive and I believe it is wise to share your knowledge only to those who are honest open and willing to receive.

    Yoga therapy pain relief

    Call Zoe on +61 407 956 071 for more information – we love to hear from you. Or email bondiyogatherapy@gmail.com

Call now