Whole Body Calm in the Palm of Your Hand
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Novel. That is what we are calling this new adventure in being human. Truth is, every moment is new. There is no other moment than this one. Yoga helps us recognize this deep in our bones. Worry and fear are natural. Adding worry onto worry and fear onto fear is unproductive. If you find yourself living life small and compressed, it is a good time to shift gears, break the connection to these screens, these thoughts, and rest. Our eye pillows are here for you. It is such a simple thing. Flaxseed to mold to the contours of your body, a just-right scent of lavender and mint to soothe, and a simple weight that helps release the tension and relax the body and mind. Simply accept the weight of the eye pillow and with loving attention, observe your breath. Five minutes of this simple practice can reveal a state of ease. |
Novel Use for Eyepillows - Jalandhara Bandha
What helps the chin lock? Try an eye pillow! With everything changing all the time, maybe it is time we change up the way we use props. Nothing is for one thing anymore! Eye pillows are a versatile prop. They are great mini-sandbags to weight the hands in savasana, the hip creases in supine and seated poses, props to rest the knees in seated poses (straight leg or bent), and a host of other ways. If you or your students have trouble with the chin lock (Jalandhara Bandha), try an eye pillow.
Lifting the chest to meet the chin and dropping the chin to meet the chest – it can be as mysterious as .. well as the bandhas! But tuck an Inner Space eye pillow in the nook of your chin and lift it with your chest to meet your chin as you gently drop your neck forward. Soon enough, you will sense the almost imperceptible “click” deep in the back of the throat. It's a good time to save energy and locks help with this. Give it a try!
Traditional Eyepillow Uses – Savasana and Meditation
It is more important than ever to set apart time for restoration and a bit of escape from the computer monitors and the increasingly long from home days. With that being said, one of our favorite all-time uses for the eye pillow is to place it over the eyes and escape to an inner space. But wait just one second! Placing an eye pillow on your forehead is not enough! Research shows that prolonged weight of an eye pillow can create sunken eyes. Therefore, it is best to draw the forehead back by holding it with the opposite hand, and then place the eye pillow over the eyes, all the while keeping the forehead pulled back.
Additional Ideas for Using an Eye Pillow
Relax, Refresh, Recuperate, and Rejuvenate. Your eye pillow will help you increase sensitivity and can be used in many ways. As a traditional eye pillow, reduced light to your eyes and gentle pressure can help the eyes relax into the sockets and turn your senses inwards. There is a direct connection of the eye to the brain, and eyes that are quiet means a brain that is quiet. The slight lift of the eye pillow makes this a great prop for areas that need "just a little" support: the knees in seated poses, the ankles in child's pose, keeping the head straight in supine poses. The weight, 100% cotton cover, body forming flax seed, dried lavender flowers, and mint leaves make eye pillows a feast for the senses.
SENSITIZE – take time out of your day to shut out the senses by placing an eye pillow across the topmost part of the eyes, and the invite savasana, meditation, or relaxation to come.
THE KNEES KNOW! – Oh, knees!
How many times have you or someone you love discussed creaky knees? Using one, two, or three eye pillows stacked can create support behind the knees to aid in elongating the legs and increasing release in hamstrings and calf muscles.
Here, you can see from above, how this forward fold is about to feel increasingly supported…all from a tiny, little eye pillow!
KNEE POSITION 2 – Knees, knees, and more knees! Using these guys in Bound Angle/Cobbler/Baddha Konasana, the calf muscles are given slight pressure in order to release additional pressure that can build up from being on our feet all day. Did someone say ‘ahhhhhh’?
ANKLE WEIGHT – Watch out, Jane Fonda, have we got something new for you! Take your eye pillow and place two across each knobby ankle bone for an added assist - therefore an added grounded sensation during your final yoga pose - savasana.
SAVASANA EXTRA (AND THE PERFECT WAY TO HELP THE HEAD STAY ALIGNED) – Zooming out, the entire photo here showcases how the eye pillow can provide support and alignment while aiding a sense of presence during savasana. The gentle lightweight application of our eye pillows, weighing in at only 5.6 oz, provides subtle weight to assist with savasana, while not distracting from the meditation and ease of your final posture in yoga class.
