The Listenary

I believe my relatively new commitment to daily eye exercise has increased circulation, cleansing, and nutrition to my sinus area. This means my voice sounds better, more resonant and rested. This means I am less susceptible to colds and allergy symptoms, so I don't have to worry about abusing a sick voice.

Here's how I do it. I cut my eyes, roll my eyeballs, all the way to the right and hold them there for 30 seconds. (If you get dizziness or headache, stop and try again later.) Then I cut my eyes, or roll my eyeballs, all the way to the left and hold them there for 30 seconds.

Then I try to "swing" my eyeballs in a slow and controlled fashion from side to side, say 10 seconds in the arc. During one swing I focus on near things and during the next swing I focus on far things.

You can experiment and find what works well for you. Range of motion and range of focus are the two things to find and expand in this exercise.

Many people will tell you that a person cannot improve eyesight with exercises. It's true that what I was born with is what I had for 45 years, no matter how much I exercised.

Then I began to understand by experience why people my age were buying reading glasses. I could no longer bring the words into focus when the book was in my lap.

I had a hunch that the issues of aging eyesight might have to do with accumulated toxins in the eyes, limited nutrition to the eyes, drying out of eye tissue, and plain old atrophy of eye muscles and tendons. If so, exercise should help.

So I began my exercises in a serious way.

Now a couple years later, I seldom think of getting glasses. I read from a book in my lap with no hesitation. (OK, this is where I just have to praise God. I believe in a Higher Power who made the body to be truly a marvelous healer of itself.)

I also think that exercising the eyes like this helps to bring circulation to the sinuses and other resonant parts of my voice, clearing them of toxins and perhaps even shaping them for more favorable resonance.