As you’re reading this, start by noticing your breathing. Don’t try to change it; just let it flow naturally.
Next, try something different for a minute or two. Instead of focusing on each word, relax your gaze and take in the entire screen. Then expand your view to include everything around the screen, up to the edges of your vision.
Now that you’re back, you might have noticed a difference. When you were focusing narrowly on reading, your breathing was probably shallower, faster, and mostly in your chest. In contrast, when you took in the whole scene, your breathing likely became deeper, slower, and involved your abdomen more. This likely made you feel more relaxed and calm.
When we narrow our focus, our sympathetic nervous system kicks in. This system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, scanning for threats and getting us ready to respond. We often overstimulate this system, keeping ourselves in a stressed state with a constant stream of things to focus on. This can leave us in a cycle of anxiety and hyper-vigilance.
By relaxing our gaze, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system instead. This part of our autonomic nervous system helps us relax and find balance. This simple exercise can trigger a parasympathetic response, breaking the cycle of constant stress and allowing us to relax.
This change happens quickly and is easy to do. All it takes is changing how we relate to our eyes by relaxing our gaze and letting our eyes be less tightly focused.
While you can’t read or browse the internet effectively with a relaxed gaze, you can use this in other activities. You can take breaks, have conversations, attend meetings, walk, or drive.
You can also meditate with a relaxed gaze. I often recommend this approach to help make meditation more effective. For example, if you use this relaxed gaze while meditating, it can enrich your experience. When your eyes are in sympathetic mode, you focus narrowly, and this can lead to a limited mindfulness experience. You might only focus on one small part of your breathing, which can become monotonous and lead to distraction.
When your eyes are relaxed in meditation, you can take in the whole experience of your breathing. This broader view reveals a dynamic, interconnected experience. You can see how sensations in your abdomen relate to those in your nostrils and back. This makes the experience richer and more interesting.
With a relaxed gaze, your attention is less like a narrow flashlight beam and more like an oil lamp casting light in all directions. You can be aware of your breathing and your thoughts simultaneously, letting thoughts pass through without getting caught up in them. This makes meditation much easier.
So, by simply relaxing your gaze, you can significantly enhance your meditation and overall experience in life.