Our eyes are our windows to the world. More than any of our other senses our eyes are major data collectors. Every waking moment we are flooded with images that our brain translates into experiences, which are filed away in our memories. The problem is that while we need our eyes to experience the world, when we are trying to focus inward the eyes can be a huge distraction. Everything our eyes see we tend to think about, making it difficult to focus on finding and manipulating the Chi. One of the first things that we need to do before beginning Tai Chi, Yoga and even mediation is to soften the eyes. This allows us to begin the relaxation process with much less effort.

Try the following steps as you prepare for your session:

• Place your gaze at some distant point.
• Do not focus on a set object. Instead, soften the visual focus, recognizing it but not embracing it.
• Move your head to the right while keeping your focus on the directly in front.
• Allowing the eyes to lead the body, slowly shift your gaze to the left, across the center, while keeping the focus soft.

Before you begin Taijiquan you should remove any corrective lenses, including contact lenses and glasses. The subtle eye movements of Taiji Form stimulate relaxation that helps develop your ability to maintain attention and expand awareness of. Visualize eyes as balls of water that are controlled by muscles attached at various angles. When we are stressed or awake for long periods and our eyes become tired and blurry, this is because of these muscles that are either atrophying or hyper extending and this can change the shape of the eye, distorting the vision.

Relaxation should begin with the eyes and then move downward throughout the body. Relaxing the eyes first however allows you to eliminate the distractions that can pass before our eyes and move that focus inward, where it can do more good for our bodies. Relaxing the eyes also relaxes the face and jaw muscles, which immediately relieve a great deal of inner stress. The above exercises are also very similar to the exercises recommended by optometrists for their patients with weak eyes because they help strengthen the muscles that control the eye movements, making them more effective and keeping the normal eye shape intact.