Exploring Eyesight
Join us to explore the possibilities and practices of natural eyesight improvement in a supportive, facilitated group setting.
Select date and time
Location
The Salisbury Centre
2 Salisbury Road Edinburgh EH16 5AB United KingdomRefund Policy
About this event
In these sessions we will explore our sense of sight through different somatic practices (usually in the garden), noticing how these impact our vision, as well as sharing our experiences and reflecting on the experiences and research of others, opening up different ways to relate to our visual sense, and ways to find clarity.
"Holistic Eyesight Improvement Sessions with Imogen were truly an inspiring experience that have motivated me to make lasting, meaningful changes in my life and to incorporate practices I have learnt in her classes to my life style." -Agnes, coach, 40 years old.
"Imogen led our session sensitively and paced the exercises perfectly for me. I found it enjoyable and relaxing ." - Sally
Healing eyesight naturally is not a new thing. Over 100 years ago, an optometrist called William Bates devoted his life to researching and teaching natural eyesight improvement as well as curing hundreds of people of their eyesight disorders with his assistant, Emily Learman. The techniques they used were varied, but ultimately very simple and focused on helping people achieve mental relaxation, as well as learning, or re-learning the habits of perfect sight. The methods are gentle, unintrusive and common sense. In these sessions we will practice and discuss some of these methods, as well as explore ones of our own, and any others we come across that we find helpful.
This is for anyone who is curious about this topic, who experiences difficulties with their vision and is willing to have an open mind.
If you wear glasses, I will invite you to remove them for parts of the session to be able to work with your natural state of vision. Likewise, if you wear lenses, consider wearing your glasses to this session instead so that you can easily remove them.
This is not a therapy session, but a place for discussing the topic, practising techniques and sharing progress and discoveries in person amongst the group.
If you have any questions about the sessions before joining, check out the FAQ below, or email Imogen at negomi56@gmail.com
This event is by donation
Participation in these community-led events is often on a voluntary ‘by donation’ basis. This means that nobody is expected to make a payment if they cannot afford to do so. However, any donations received will be shared between the Centre and the facilitator, helping to make the events’ programme sustainable as well as to provide some reciprocity towards community facilitators’ time and skills offered.
Where a “suggested donation” is listed, this is just an indication of what the event might cost if it was ticketed – it is fine to donate less (or nothing at all). Donating is one way to show your appreciation for the value of the Salisbury Centre. Please consider ‘paying it forward’ by donating a bit extra if you can afford, helping to keep it possible for everyone to take part, regardless of their circumstances.
To donate:
- pay online through Eventbrite
- bring cash or
- donate online on www.salisburycentre.org/donate (Please use reference “Eyesight group” when submitting).
- Card payment option available at the entrance hall next to the notice board (reference 'Eyesight Group')
This is an invitation to practice ‘Dana’ (generosity) – please pay only what you can afford to attend.
Accessibility:
Wellspring Room and Library, where the sessions take place, are fully accessible.
The Salisbury Centre’s kitchen door and toilet are now wheelchair accessible. The Garden can also be accessed by wheelchairs via a movable ramp via the Art Room Annex, subject to room occupancy on the day. Please let the organisers know in advance of any access requirements.
Frequently asked questions
We sometimes work with printed home-made eye-charts to play with different techniques and see how they work at clearing up the vision, but we don't 'test' our eyes or dish out prescriptions.
The practices have been known to help with almost all functional vision problems and in many cases can completely reverse poor vision with consistent correct practice.
There is no set time that every individual can expect to practice for to achieve results and/or perfect vision. Everyone is different, has a different mind, set of eyes and lifestyle which will affect how long things take. A curious, playful mindset works better than a rigid, goal oriented one.
This is completely up to you. The reason we try to work without corrective lenses during practice is so our eyes can interact with the world without an intermediary. It's possible to practice with glasses or lenses but there will be less "wiggle room" for the eyes to adapt to new habits.
The practices help to restore dynamic relaxation to the eyes and mind. When the mind is relaxed and receptive, the vision works better, as our vision is directly related to our state of mind. When the eyes are relaxed, they can move more freely and our minds can percieve light more clearly.
That's totally fine! Ultimately, it's up to you when and where you feel comfortable without glasses, and when you feel you really need them. Some people experiment with using reduced prescriptions (0.5 or so less than your usual) to be able to use improvement techniques while wearing glasses/lenses.
No. These are group support session where the facilitator shares their knowledge and we practice and discuss together. Others are also welcome to share what is working for them and lead a co-practice too. There are certified vision educators are out there if you want to work with one as well.
It shouldn't be. Humans can make anything difficult if we try hard enough.At all stages of vision improvement, however, we are practicing ways to eliminate strain and tension. The practices should feel relaxing and playful.
If you are curious and open minded, and are willing to believe and trust the capacity of your body to heal, and are willing to commit to doing a little practice, integration and lifestyle change on a regular basis, then this is right for you.
If you want a quick fix and/or are not willing to challenge deeply ingrained habits and beliefs you have, or take responsibility for your own health. Also, if you have a vision problem resulting from severe injury (i.e. detached retina or optic nerve etc.) this may not be right for you.