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Hello I am curious if anyone knows any good methods to loosen tight facial muscles specifically the eyebrows, and under the eyes. I sometimes have an issue where my right eye will become somewhat asymmetrical and I got the insight last night that it was due to my right eyebrow being too tense sometimes. which I never noticed but I can now obviously feel, like it's trying to compensate. I also got the insight that if I could get it all to relax and loosen up it might also fix my strange vision problem. So I'm going to attempt it. I've heard of the bates method, but I was wondering if there were TCM or Qigong specific methods or massages for it. Side note I developed a strange vision problem a few years ago where my eyes are still 20/20 and stumped the western specialists but they are slow to focus is all they could come up with, which makes artificial lighting and screens looks semi blurred and hard to read text. This all started 5 years ago when I started smoking Cannabis again and would look at tv screens for long periods playing video games. Also when I do smoke a good amount it sometimes makes the problem extremely noticeable. It also amplifies my ability to feel chi greatly since I started practicing as well, weird trade off. Thanks for the help or ideas.

Hey guys, this is my first post to this forum, sry that this initially a searching for help. The begin with, i am practicing semen retention for like 1 1/2 years, but often times no longer than 1 1/2 weeks because of sex with my girlfriend. So my problem started around the beginning of march. Because of studying i experienced a lot of stress (only few sleep), and also at around that time i tried some yoga breath of fire. I don't know which of those thing induced it, but i then had massive brain fog and kind of derealisation for around 2 weeks. At the end of this phase of brainfog i already noticed that people couldn't look me into the eyes anymore, but i also noticed that i had a too stong eye contact. I basically was searching for eye contact. When i took a look in the mirror, my eyes also seemed like there was energy trapped, and they do not look that clear. Also others peolpe eyes started to shine much more, some much more than others. I also had crazy kundalini symptoms, where there was pressure inside my head (electric like sensation) which would not go away. I switched out my normal lifting routine to daily (gentle) yoga and 8 brocades Qigong about one month ago (which also was a good decision, because i was pretty fatigued and am now gaining back some energy). I still have those kundalini electric sensations, but they have moved to around my chest level. I was a daily meditator before this event, but i'm not meditation anymore because it makes the sensations come up stronger, or makes them more noticeable. The brainfog is completely gone and i kind of dont have to much problem with this electric sensation around my chest, only with the energy in my eyes and the shining of other peoples eyes. This is a huge problem for my interaction with other people and it is making me kind of crazy on some days. I initially thought it was being due to being ungrounded, but even after walking one hour outside barefoot and now in the summer often times being barefoot outside, this "eye" thing doesn't change to much. I have the feeling that Qigong and Yoga do quite help, and my eye contact has gotten a little bit more normal, and even some eyes of certain persons dont shine at all, and i can really have easy normal interactions. Still, i would love to hear if you have any tips or practices for me, because this issue really kills me. Kind Regards

Does anyone else have the same problem as I do, that they cannot visualise/imagine very well with the eyes closed, and instead need to have them open as if they are actually looking at the imaginal object in front of them? I've a feeling its to do with mental noise amping up when the eyes close. It's my main way of understanding things, so its surprising i can't do it with eyes closed. Anyone else get this, or have any suggestion about how to remedy it??? maybe it doesn't need remedying, just got to be more aware of where my eyes are pointed, so others dont get wrong idea..... Cheers!

Jax was writing about eyes in a thogal thread. Interesting stuff, he wrote or quoted "The precious cauldron (yu ting) is a cavity in the center of the brain... It's left and right sides are linked with the pupils of the eyes by two channels; and it is also connected with the heart. Hence it is said that essential nature is in the heart which manifests through the two eyes." How do eyes relate to practice? To energetics? In classical Japanese pictures we see enlightenment in terms of cross eyed. In the Golden Flower and a few qi gong systems there is emphasis on staring/focus at the tip of the nose. Yoga, thogal, and 1,000 miles away Maori tribes have postures with 'fierce' eyes, tongue out; the tongue being connected to the heart in Taoism. Where different cultures come up with similar practices and ideas, I can't help but think they're onto to something universal and deep. Yet lost in the West. I was hoping for thoughts on eyes and practices. What do people do and what is the theory behind it?

How developing peripheral vision affects consciousness. This is HUGE! Here is one of the most fascinating reads I've recently come across. (Thank you, bojole!) You could skip the eye physiology and just scroll down to where he starts talking about the Japanese master Musashi and how his writing inspired the "nightwalking" practice they developed. From there on it gets REALLY interesting! Shades of Castaneda! http://www.navaching.com/hawkeen/nwalk.html

Hello all, I have many many questions, but what's been really on my mind lately is why I feel like I need to close my eyes during my tai chi practice. This hadn't happened before... I understand that in some traditions you close your eyes during meditation/others but in the tradition I'm following you want to have your eyes open to be grounded, have awareness and be connected, and not drift off into your own little world. It's not like I'm tired and get sleepy, I don't think it's because I achieve relaxation, it's hard to explain. A lot of things happen to me all the time, phyisical changes and just weird feelings, and understanding what is happening helps me a lot. Has anyone of you ever experienced something like this before?

Periorbital puffiness and periorbital dark circles are noticeable under the eyes of many people, and to me there seems to be a relationship between the condition of the fine skin under the eye and the level of health and vitality of a person. I have noticed that since I started preserving or treasuring vitality, by abstaining from sexual arousal, the skin under my eyes have become firmer and 'hugs' my eye firmer underneath. Ever since this observation, I have tried to see if I could notice a correlation between a person's potential lifestyle and the condition of their periorbital skin. It almost seems like the periorbital skin is an indicator of the level of vitality that is hard to fake, and sometimes it is a dead giveaway if a person is not wearing makeup. I'm surprised how difficult it is to get the periorbital skin to a pristine condition, mine has improved somewhat but I have a long way to go. At the risk of wrongful speculation, I would like to still visually explore this correlation in a show and tell fashion featuring a known person (current or historic) and how their lifestyle possibly explains their level of vitality. In the realized masters the overall skin condition is obviously very good, but the periorbital skin under the eyes of Yogananda is pristine even on the day of his mahasamadhi (if I have that correct) as shown below. Yogananda's energization exercises are basically Qigong, and there are many accounts of his Qi feats and feats of strength. More to come.

Yo! So I fancied experimenting. I usually meditate in full lotus these days with my eyes shut in addition to my regular kung fu practice. However, after learning the techniques of Zazen, I couldn't help but resist trying out this new form. The practice is fairly similar to what I usually do...counting breaths to calm the mind but I usually then trail off onto what i need to focus on for that particular session. In Zazen, the counting is the sole focus and there is one major difference - the eyes are half open (as advised by many practitioners/teachers) and focussed at the floor roughly three feet in front. I found this extremely hard! All of a sudden, there are so many more distractions present that I am needing to avoid such as my eyelids flickering and going cross eyed. I guess this is the same as my kung fu forms, but at least in martial arts I'm moving so the temptation for the mind to wander is less. What are your experiences with half-open eyes? What are your opinions on Zazen? I would like to know more, and if you recommend half-open eyes as a good form of training concentration, mindfulness, and all round meditation

Now here's an opportunity to lift this from the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying The Tibetan name of the Buddha of Compassion is Chenrézig. Chen is the eye, ré is the corner of the eye, and zig means "see." This signifies that with his compassionate eyes Chénrezig sees the needs of all beings. So direct the compassion that radiates from your meditation, softly and gently, through your eyes, so that your gaze becomes the very gaze of compassion itself, all-pervasive and oceanlike. There are several reasons for keeping the eyes open. With the eyes open, you are less likely to fall asleep. Then, meditation is not a means of running away from the world, or of escaping from it into a trancelike experience of an altered state of consciousness. On the contrary, it is a direct way to help us truly understand ourselves and relate to life and the world. Therefore, in meditation, you keep your eyes open, not closed. Instead of shutting out life, you remain open and at peace with everything. You leave all your senses—hearing, seeing, feeling—just open, naturally, as they are, without grasping after their perceptions. As Dudjom Rinpoche said: 'Though different forms are perceived, they are in essence empty; yet in the emptiness one perceives forms. Though different sounds are heard, they are empty; yet in the emptiness one perceives sounds. Also different thoughts arise; they are empty, yet in the emptiness one perceives thoughts." Whatever you see, whatever you hear, leave it as it is, without grasping. Leave the hearing in the hearing, leave the seeing in the seeing, without letting your attachment enter into the perception. According to the special luminosity practice of Dzogchen, all the light of our wisdom-energy resides in the heart center, which is connected through "wisdom channels" to the eyes. The eyes are the "doors" of the luminosity, so you keep them open, in order not to block these wisdom channels. When you meditate keep your mouth slightly open, as if about to say a deep, relaxing "Aaaah." By keeping the mouth slightly open and breathing mainly through the mouth, it is said that the "karmic winds" that create discursive thoughts are normally less likely to arise and create obstacles in your mind and meditation. Rest your hands comfortably covering your knees. This is called the "mind in comfort and ease" posture.