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around the eyes Pictures taken before and after warzone deployment illustrate this
dramatically Many martial arts instructors and students squint often have one eye more
affected than the other and have dark circles under their eyes This is because walking into a
martial arts studio without squinting sends the signal am not afraid Unfortunately this sign
of bravery is one that many people are too conscientious to allow themselves to make This is
also a case of art following life The most heinous villains in cartoons and storybooks are
portrayed with dark creases under their eyes On the other hand people who are candidly
carefree and cheerful are often portrayed as wideeyed Many children look this way naturally
and their appearance is mimicked by artists and animators trying to create an impression of
innocence angelic virtue or even naivet It usually works as in the case of many Disney
characters because what we perceive are eye muscles with no signs of cumulative strain If a
persons eyes dont advertise a history of defensive posturing we subconsciously assume that
they can negotiate the world without defensive thinking Common phrases in the vernacular
like sensitive eyes gleam in the eye sparkling eyes light in the eyes or twinkle in the
eyes describe this effect Bring the brightness back to your eyes by living with your eyes wide
all the time
wu
Eye Activity Techniques to Widen the Eyes
Open your eyes wide and keep them there Now raise your eyebrows for a fraction of
a second and widen your eyes even further in the same moment Subsequently allow
your eyebrows to relax while keeping your eyes just as wide This will help you reset
eye wideness
Gently pull down on the skin just below your eyes exposing the underside of both
eyelids to the air and open your eyes as wide as you can Hold the position for a few
seconds and then let go
Looking to the far right or left side of your visual field can help widen the eyes Hold
this sideeye posture for several seconds As you move your eyes back to the
center the eyes may go back to squinting again Dont let them It is possible that like
me you have repressed looking to one side with wide eyes due to a natural fear of
giving people the sideeye Dont be
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Practice widening your eyes while looking down You can do this while watching TV in
a reclining position from a couch armchair or bed Notice your tendency to squint
while you do this and instead make your eyes as wide as possible
Practice microsquints Start in front of the mirror with your eyes wide open Fix your
gaze on your lower lid and practice briefly making the smallest squint you can and
then releasing it Your lower lid should move less than a millimeter Repeat this
twenty times Developing this subtle control will help you build awareness of the
unconscious muscular contractions involved in squinting
Think of actors with especially wide eyes Your eyes can look just like theirs The actors
youre thinking of may not have earned their ocular posture having just fallen into it due to
favorable or lenient early environmental circumstances By following the neural reprogramming
exercises in this chapter along with the muscle massage and compression exercises in Chapter
you can earn it In fact all the exercises from Program Peace zero in on optimal microhabits
that you may not have fallen into but you can instead earn through repetition
Another aspect of the squinting problem worthy of our attention is squinting while
sleeping Many people sleep with their faces screwed up tight their teeth clenched and their
eyelids clamped together To determine whether you fall into this category start by asking
yourself this What state are my eyes in when wake up Most of us clench them shut during
the night contracting the entire ring of the orbicularis oculi from the cheeks to the eyelids This
amounts to hours and hours of lowgrade repetitive strain
To avoid nighttime muscular strain in your face you will need to close your eyes with the
upper lids rather than the lower ones This involves contracting the inner palpebral portions of
the orbicularis oculi which perform eye blinks as well as the ciliary portions which control the
rims of the eyelids To do this you need to learn how to contract those muscles and then
strengthen them with consistent practice If your upper lids are not strong enough to close the
eyes on their own the lower lids will rise to meet them introducing the strain you are trying to
avoid Most of us have weak upper lids which is why we end up squinting whenever we close
our eyes
When you squint during sleep your eyelashes are swallowed up by your lids and the skin
around the eyes will wrinkle However if you close your eyes using your upper lids your
eyelashes will be fully visible and your eye area will be smooth Every night before sleep
practice shutting your eyes very tightly using only the upper lids think of this as eyes wide
shut When you start to use your upper lids the muscles may flutter and waver because they
are weak This will subside with time Repeat the exercise until the muscles develop the tone
they need for the action to become second nature Enjoy the more relaxed sleep that results
Chapter Hold a Steady Upward Gaze with Wide Eyes
Illustration Eyes closed by straining the lower lids B Eyes closed by modest contraction of the upper lids
Eye Exercise Stop Squinting in Your Sleep
Spend two minutes closing your eyes using only the upper lids Do this without squinting and
while keeping the lower lids wholly relaxed During the second minute tightly clench the
upper lids to exercise the muscles and help them develop tone Perform this exercise while
looking upward to make it harder Also spend a few seconds alternating between using the
upper lids and the lower ones to isolate and dissociate the two actions
One common problem with eyewidening exercises is dry eyes You will find that the outer
periphery of the eyeball which is normally covered when you squint feels dry when exposed to
the air This is normal and happens only because the area is not used to being uncovered Dont
let the dryness keep you from widening your eyes for prolonged periods You can use eye drops
a few times a week and then gradually transition off them Another helpful option is to use the
following simple technique to naturally stimulate your tear glands to lubricate your eyes
Eye Activity Lubricating the Eyes by Stimulating the Tear Glands
When your eyes begin to feel dry keep them open for several more seconds until you are
forced to blink Once you do close them tightly using only the upper lids Keep them closed
and wait for them to start stinging That stinging sensation is the stimulation of your
underused lacrimal glands and tear ducts It is the feeling of secreting tears Most of the time
you open your eyes when they sting ending the secretion process Instead embrace the
stinging breathe through it diaphragmatically and wait for your eyes to produce their
natural aqueous lubrication Doing this frequently will increase the natural moistness of your
eyes and allow you to widen them further
If you perform these exercises you will gradually develop the ability to keep your eyes
open wider Bright light is another hindrance The next section will address how to keep your
eyes wide even outside on a sunny day
Expose Your Eyes to More Sunlight
Most people wince and squint heavily in both direct and indirect sunlight Living most of our lives
indoors we get far less exposure to the sun than our ancestors did We have become acclimated
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
to dim environments which causes heavy squinting when we finally make it outside You may
have noticed that people with fulltime outdoor jobs such as gardeners and construction
workers often have no trouble keeping their eyes wide when standing in direct sun
The good news is that squinting in the sun is merely a habit and one that can be completely