Qigong part 4 - Strengthening eye-sight and Hearing
- R. A
- Mar 24
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 26
In a 10-second world where jobs, people, must-do's and all the distracting noise in the ether constantly screams for our attention, it's easy to forget that our senses are not just tools for navigating everyday life – they are actually gateways to our life energy (Qi). Nurturing and strengthening your vision and hearing is not just about seeing sharply or hearing clearly, it's about preserving your vitality and mastering your inner peace. Not just "leaking" your Qi out unnecessarily, but retaining more of it so that you can feel good, live longer and have the strength to do what you want to do and experience, or to cultivate the energy for more spiritual purposes if you are so inclined.
Within coaching, qigong and personal development, we often talk about “seeing clearly” and “listening inward.” But to do this on a deeper level, we also need to take care of the physical organs that make these experiences possible. Today, we’ll explore how modern science, Daoist wisdom and yogic techniques can help us strengthen and preserve these invaluable gifts.
Sight – The Mirror of the Soul
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Qigong, it is said that “the eyes are the opening of the liver”. An imbalance in the Liver Qi often manifests itself through tired, dry or light-sensitive eyes. Modern science indirectly confirms this by showing how closely connected our nervous system is to our vision.
According to the Daoist view, our eyes reflect our health and the quality of our Qi (life force). If our eyes are tired and strained or if we have vision problems, such as blurred vision, this indicates blocked energy flow in the body.
We stare too much at computer screens and cell phones today, which quickly overexerts our eyes and optic nerve, and floods us with incredible amounts of impressions and information that the brain now has to process. Modern science proves that this exposes us to an unnatural amount of blue light that inhibits the production of melatonin and keeps our sympathetic nervous system (which controls the fight/flight response) on constant alert. When we stare at a point (like a cell phone), we also lock the small muscles around the eye, which leads to loss of vision over time.
What our brains are forced to endure in just a few hours today is more than what people living a hundred years ago had to process in a month. Screen exposure, artificial light, and mental exertion take an incredible toll on our eyes, but with these proven Daoist and Yogic eye techniques, used for thousands of years, it is possible to regain clear vision, relieve fatigue to maintain healthy eyes, and even strengthen them.
As mentioned, your vision is a reflection of your Qi flow. If the flow is weak or blocked, it leads to poor vision. An important first step to restoring vision is to be able to consciously relax your eyes, the muscles around your eyes, and the optic nerve behind your eyes.
We don’t actually have to “follow” objects with our vision, we can simply relax and let whatever is outside of us be absorbed by your eyes without either following or moving away from them.
Unconsciously straining your eyes leads to mental stress, headaches and various vision problems. However, the eyes and vision are like a muscle in that they can be trained. It is possible to improve vision, Qi circulation to the eyes, gain more clarity, better focus and be able to relax the eyes.
Exercises to strengthen the eyes
Here are a few simple methods to improve your eyesight:
Eye gymnastics
- Without moving your head, look up as far as you can, then down, right and left.
- Finish by rolling your eyes in a large circle and/or other patterns. This improves the circulation of Qi and blood around the eyeball.
- It is also possible to move a finger and just follow it with your gaze. Move your finger in different patterns both closer to your eyes and far away.
Palming
- Rub your hands together until warm while gently pulling up your anus and perineum, consciously bringing energy to your hands.
- Then cover your eyes with your palms and look into the darkness while smiling inwardly at them.
- Feel and imagine that you are projecting healing energy to your eyes through your hands.
- Rotate your eyes in circles in both directions 9 to 18 times
Eyemassage
- Rub your hands again as in the previous exercise, feel that they are charged with Qi.
- Massage with your fingers gently on and around your eyes, as well as around your eyes in the eye socket. There are lots of acupressure points here that you will now activate.
Massage the temples
- Now take and bend your index finger and massage with its outside, the soft and fleshy part, in a circular motion where you follow the eye socket from the inside near the nose to the outside and the temples. Take both above and below the eyes.
After each circular motion, stop and rub the temples in small circles with the outside of your finger.
Stare intently at an object
- Stare angrily and intensely at an object or point for a while. Then relax. Repeat 3 times.
Focus on something far away
- Look at a treetop or other object that is far away in a relaxed manner for a while.
Drink alot of water
- Water is the best drink and we need a lot of it to, among other things, not get headaches or dry out our eyes.
Be in nature
- Being in nature not only helps us relax, it can also help our vision by exposing us to the energy of trees and plants which, among other things, strengthens the wood element within us.
Yogic techniques for vision
Look into the sun
In the morning or evening, when the sun is not as bright as during the day, you can look into the sun for a while. This can be very beneficial for your eyesight and health.
Here is what Swami Kriyananda says about this technique:
“Everything you do should be a conscious and heartfelt expression of who you are. The eyes should express the vibrations of the heart and mind. The energy in the eyes should be developed to its full potential. This is an exercise to develop this potential that is incredibly effective even in curing weak eyesight. It strengthens the flow of energy through the nerves to the eyes. Here is how it should be practiced:
When the sun is near the horizon – within half an hour of sunrise or sunset – look deeply into it. (At this point, its harmful rays are filtered out, and its immense healing power can be drawn into your eyes without harm.) Start by staring without blinking for one minute, gradually increasing the time over several weeks to a maximum of 9 minutes. With your willpower, draw the sun’s healing rays into your eyes.
Then turn your back to the sun and blink your eyes quite rapidly for about a minute. Close your eyes and cover them first with your right hand, then with your left (so that your left hand covers your right), and look into the afterimage you see. The sun's rays should hit the area around the medulla oblongata. The light you see in the afterimage will be due in part to the energy flowing into your eyes from the medulla oblongata. The deeper you concentrate, the more this flow of energy will be strengthened.
Gaze into the afterimage for as long as it lasts. Then rotate your eyes far to the left, up, right, and down. Repeat this rotation three times. Open your eyes and stare intently at an object for a moment. Squeeze your eyelids tightly together, open them, and stare intently again. Repeat this squeezing and staring process three times, then relax.”
Hearing - Kidney energy & the rhythm of life
If the eyes belong to the liver, then hearing belongs to the kidneys in Daoist thought. The kidneys are seen as the storage place for our fundamental life force, Jing. As we age or become too stressed, this energy is drained, which often manifests as tinnitus or impaired hearing.
Modern Science - Neuroplasticity and the Sound Environment:
Hearing is not just about the ears, but about how the brain interprets sound. Modern research on neuroplasticity shows that we can "train" our hearing by consciously filtering out sounds. Problems often arise when we live in a constant background noise that makes the brain "lazy" and loses the ability to distinguish nuances.
Simple exercises for hearing
Quiet hours
- By eliminating artificial noise (music, podcasts, fans) you give the auditory nerve a chance to recalibrate and increase its sensitivity.
- When it's really quiet, you can consciously try to discern subtle sounds around you (the wind, a branch falling from a tree, or an internal sound, etc.).
Cover the ears
- Rub your hands together until warm and pull, very lightly, up the perineum and anus while directing your Qi to your hands.
- Cover your ears and smile at them internally.
- Feel and imagine that you are projecting healing Qi to your ears.
Massge the ears
- Rub your hands together until warm as in the previous exercise.
- Gently pull the earlobes.
- Gently fold the ears together and stretch them out.
- Massage the outside and inside of the ears with your fingers
There are lots of reflex points in the ears that relate to the internal organs and all other parts of the body. By massaging the ears, you are activating them indirectly.
Beat on the heavenly drum
This is a classic Qigong exercise that is said to strengthen the kidneys and prevent hearing loss:
- Cover your ears with your palms so that your fingers rest against the back of your head.
- Place your index fingers on top of your middle fingers and “flick” them down so that they bounce against the occiput.
This creates a dull, drumming sound inside your head. Do this 9-36 times. The vibrations stimulate the inner ear and the central nervous system.