At focus point, and at the boundaries of the visual field

You start in side-lying and lift your upper hand towards the ceiling. This is followed with differentiating movement between the eyes, neck, and shoulders. Next you move your right hand and observe your thumbnail, where can it stay in focus? Finally you move your hand into the blurry area to explore the limits of your peripheral field from the corner of your eye.

The first part of the lesson is about differentiation and inhibition: improvement of deep seated habits and disturbances in eye, neck and shoulder tension as well as movement patterns. These are means to re-organise how you use your shoulder-girdle, hands, arms and neck, and how they influence your eyes (and vice versa). The main part of the lesson leads you through tracking and reversal-of-proximal-and-distal movements, and focuses on observing visual qualities at focus point and at the very border of your peripheral field: color saturation, color continuity, image sharpness, image distortion, loss of detail. The lessons ends with observing the improvements.

eyesneckshouldersside-lying peripheral_vision_1

1

In side-lying on the left side, arms extended straight forwards (in a relaxed manner) on top of each other, knees slightly bent.

Lift right hand, follow with eyes

Open like a book cover, lift your right hand towards the ceiling and follow it with your eyes.

  • Keep your right arm more or less straight. Allow your head to roll.

    What do you focus on? Your thumb's nail?

    Don't open as far as possible, the hand towards the ceiling is enough, maybe a little bit further but don't test your limits.

Lift right hand, follow with eyes

Open like a book cover, lift your right hand towards the ceiling and follow it with your eyes.

2

In side-lying like before, place your right hand on your forhead, facing forwards towards your left hand.

Roll head

Start with your head oriented forwards, then roll your head until you are facing the ceiling.

  • Observe how this connections makes your arm and shoulder move together.

    Have your palm or the back of your hand touch your forehead, what is the difference?

    Where are you looking at when you roll your head?

Roll head

Start with your head oriented forwards, then roll your head until you are facing the ceiling.

3

In side-lying on the left side, left arm extended on the floor, right arm extended to the ceiling, head facing towards left hand.

Roll head only

Roll your head from looking from your left hand to looking to your right hand and vice versa.

  • Keep your left arm forwards, and your right arm towards the ceiling.

Roll head only

Roll your head from looking from your left hand to looking to your right hand and vice versa.

4

In side-lying on the left side, left arm extended on the floor, right arm extended to the ceiling, head facing towards left hand.

Head and arm in opposite directions

When your hand is pointing to the ceiling your head and eyes are looking forwards to your left hand.

  • You are not looking at your hand anymore.

    When your arms are resting on top of each other your head and eyes are facing to ceiling.

Head and arm in opposite directions

When your hand is pointing to the ceiling your head and eyes are looking forwards to your left hand.

5

In side-lying like before, keep your right arm extended with your hand oriented towards the ceiling.

Rotate right arm

Allow your hand, elbow and shoulder to participate in the rotation alongside your arms axis.

  • Observe how you rotate your arm. What does participate? How do you rotate your arm? How fast? How far?

Rotate right arm

Allow your hand, elbow and shoulder to participate in the rotation alongside your arms axis.

6

In side-lying like before, right arm oriented towards the ceiling.

Continuation

Rotate right arm, roll

Continue the previous movement, but make it larger, involve more of yourself.

  • Allow your right shoulder to come closer to the floor in front of you, and in the back of you.

    Allow your head to roll.

    It's a movement as if the shoulder would walk from the floor over a mountain (the chest) to the other side of the floor.

Continuation

Rotate right arm, roll

Continue the previous movement, but make it larger, involve more of yourself.

7

On your back

Take a rest

Differentiations of neck and shoulder finished, heavy eye work ahead.

Take a rest

Differentiations of neck and shoulder finished, heavy eye work ahead.

8

In side-lying on the left side, arms extended straight forwards, head towards left hand. Close your left eye, or cover your left eye (but do not squeeze your eye-ball)

Only right eye follows right hand

Keep your head oriented forwards. Stay within the area where your focus is sharp.

  • Lift your right arm like before, but do not roll your head. Instead your right hand with your right hand.

    Keep your face oriented towards your left hand, with your left ear on the floor.

    Stop when your thumb nail (or fingers) appear blurry, stay within the area where you have good focus.

Only right eye follows right hand

Keep your head oriented forwards. Stay within the area where your focus is sharp.

9

In side-lying like before

Continuation

Where is the focus area?

Continue like before but move your right hand up and down the border of where your vision is sharp.

  • There's an area where your vision is sharp, and a transition area beyond which vision is blurry, or colors not that vibrant, or the geometry is changing.

Continuation

Where is the focus area?

Continue like before but move your right hand up and down the border of where your vision is sharp.

10

In side-lying on the left side, arms extended straight forwards.

Continuation

…face towards ceiling

Keep your face oriented towards the ceiling, move your right hand to the left, follow it with your right eye only.

  • Keep your face oriented towards the ceiling, if necessary use your left hand to cover your left eye.

    Explore your vision on the inside edge, close to your nose.

    Stay within the area where your focus is sharp.

Continuation

…face towards ceiling

Keep your face oriented towards the ceiling, move your right hand to the left, follow it with your right eye only.

11

In side-lying on the left side, right arm extended towards the ceiling, head facing right hand.

Eyes fixed at hand, move head

Keep your hand towards the ceiling, keep looking with your right eye towards your right hand, move your head.

  • Roll your head to the left and to the right, a bit up and down as available.

    This is a reversal of proximal and distal, instead of your eyes rolling in your eye-sockets, your eyes stay fixed and your head is rolling around your eyeball.

    This can help you improve deep seated movement habits and improve the way you use your eyes for seeing at completely new levels.

Eyes fixed at hand, move head

Keep your hand towards the ceiling, keep looking with your right eye towards your right hand, move your head.

12

In side-lying on the left side, arms extended straight forwards, head towards left hand.

Eyes follow hand at the border

Move your hand at the border of your peripheral field: up / down, left / right, wiggle your fingers.

  • Keep your head oriented towards your left hand, with your left ear on the floor.

    Lift your right hand like before, follow it with your eyes only, until you hardly can see your fingers anymore. Wiggle your fingers to draw attention.

    Observe your vision at the very border of your peripheral field: color accuracy, image sharpness, image distortion, loss of detail

Eyes follow hand at the border

Move your hand at the border of your peripheral field: up / down, left / right, wiggle your fingers.

13

On your back

Take a rest on your back and observe

Compare your left eye to your right, your left side to your right side.

  • See what differences and improvements you can find.

    Roll your head to the left and right. Get up and walk. Observe.

Take a rest on your back and observe

Compare your left eye to your right, your left side to your right side.

14

In side-lying on the left side, arms extended straight forwards (in a relaxed manner) on top of each other, knees slightly bent.

Reference movement

Lift right hand, follow with eyes

Lift your right hand towards the ceiling and follow with your eyes. See how it is now.

  • What do you focus on? Your thumb's nail? One of your fingers?

    Observe how the general movement has changed. Also observe how your way of seeing and observing has changed.

Reference movement

Lift right hand, follow with eyes

Lift your right hand towards the ceiling and follow with your eyes. See how it is now.