As I am a body and book nerd, I read a lot about what it means to be human. My little home library covers diverse areas from business psychology, neuroscience to old bodywork literature and stuff on systems thinking and how people connect.

I can’t remember what exactly I was looking for, but I am currently finalizing preparations for the new Embody your Message workshop, and I am investigating the work our eyes do and how they contribute to our presence, perception and subjective experience.

So, last week I stumbled upon an article on the physiology of information theory in the Encyclopedia Britannica. I know the nervous system is transmitting tons of information to the brain every single second of my being. What I didn’t know was how the sensory information is divided into the different senses. The article contains a very interesting table and it looks like this:

Isn’t that incredible?! Your eyes process 10 mio. bits of information every single second.

Your eyes are doing a tremendous job to process so much information for you. There is hardly ever a moment when they can fully rest. Even when it’s dark or when you have your eyes closed, there is usually some light coming in that keeps them busy.

And this brings me to this week’s invitation:

Give your eyes a break

As the eyes do so much work for us, I’m inviting you today to give them short breaks throughout the day with the simple practice of palming. It only takes one minute of your time and attention.

1. Put your palms over your eyes in a way that they completely cover your eyes.
   The hand shouldn’t touch the eyes but cover them fully.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Take a few conscious breaths.

4. Relax your eyes as much as possible.

5. (Also relax your arms and hands as much as possible in this position.)

Whenever you remember or when your eyes get tired, give them a one-minute break by palming. If you know you won’t remember, you can set a reminder on your phone so you can build a practice of giving your eyes a break.

With relaxed eyes, enjoy you day. Who knows what you’ll discover when you have a fresh perspective!