Headswing 1
Here the student is looking directly ahead, the vision is attentive and focused on the distant surfaces in the room.
The Head Swing deepens the experience of Swings and some find it challenging to practise successfully compared to the Long Swing. The reason for this lies in the nature of the movement.
As with the Long Swing, the aim of The Head Swing is to allow the eyes to slide easily across the surfaces in front of you. It's a slightly strange request, because the eyes and mind naturally prefer to regard objects and take them in, not move on in every instant.
The problem with regarding objects and taking them in only arises when eyes have become impaired in some way and looking at objects has become an habitual experience of getting stuck: a process of forcing the vision or staring. In this condition it feels very awkward to move on easily and thus we use these swings and other techniques to help the sight back to being free and fluid.
The eyes also constantly compensate for any movement of the head and body - as you move or walk along your head may go through many continuous subtle shifts of angle, whether turning to the left or right, or just tilting slightly with each step.
Every one of these movements is assessed and adjusted automatically by the visual system, making it possible to track objects that are changing their position in relation to you.
With the Head Swing it's necessary to learn how to let your eyes rest and not constantly adjust for the movement of your head. Here the motion takes place through your neck, meaning the physical movement is very close in proximity to your eyes.
As with the Long Swing there are various ways in which people have found assistance through the use of pointers or with the conceptual equivalent. Here are a few that you may find useful:
A physical pointer:Here the student is looking directly ahead, the vision is attentive and focused on the distant surfaces in the room.
Here the head swing continues with the eyes and head still in alignment, vision attentive and connected.
Here is an example where the eyes have drifted ahead which indicates unwanted exertion of the eye muscles.
It is natural for your eyes to turn further than your head in everyday use, but for the purposes of learning how to relax your eyes, it's important to let your head do as much of the movement as possible. See if you can go gently enough to notice exactly when your eyes start to jump in on the act!
Open your eyes and practice the Head Swing.
Once you know it well it's very quick to apply at any time during the day: waiting for the bus, talking on the phone, washing the dishes, even when talking to people. It becomes a reminder to keep using your eyes well!
If you'd like to try out another angle on the head swing (or optical swing), the Vision Games section has The Moon Swing to try which uses animation on the screen to help get you started.
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