What is palming?
Relief of mental strain is the cornerstone of the Bates method. Bates found that closing the eyes gives them and the mind a break which can temporarily restore sight. He futher expanded this principle with the non-exercise of palming, which actually comes from the Hatha Yoga tradition. Do not wear glasses or contacts while palming. To palm, cover your closed eyes with the cupped palms of the hand with the fingers overlaping in the center of the forehead. Do not touch or put any pressure on the eyes. Then meditate over something pleasant and relax. Some people like to warm up the palms first by rubing them briskly together. Palming relaxes the optic nerves, enhances blood circulation, and relieves muscular rigidity in the eyes. At first most people find they see a myriad of patterns lights and colors etc. When a high degree of relaxation is attained these tend to give way to just black. Bates advised to just imagine black to encourage this process, however if this proves difficult then
