Let’s do an experiment.  It’s best if you can rest your head back or lie down for a couple of minutes.  Cup your hands and place them gently over your closed eyes and allow your eyes to rest. Allow your eyes to rest backwards in their deep sockets.  Give your self a couple of minutes to do this then notice if you experience any change in the rest of your body.  When you take your hands away and slowly open your eyes, allow your gaze to be soft.  Receive through your eyes what is around you and notice if that feels different in the way you typically ‘see.’

When I do this work with people I talk about the metaphor of insight and what it truly means to ‘see.’ People often are surprised to discover how hard they work at seeing.  When people rest through and around their eyes they often ‘see’ differently and feel easier within themselves.  A greater capacity to sense is cultivated when our vision softens.  Often people say they see more clearly and understand what they encounter in a deeper way when their eyes are softer.

Insight

When we soften our gaze on the world we begin to see more of what is real. We loosen our hold on how we think things should look and see situations, others and ourselves with more clarity and compassion and insight.  The irony is, when we loosen our grip on seeking outside ourselves we begin to develop greater awareness of what is right for us. We begin to develop wisdom. We gain insight and awareness.

Rest your eyes, soften your gaze and allow the world to come into you receive the many blessings of insight and wisdom.