Have you ever thought about the connection between your vision and the way you breathe? Believe it or not, eyesight and lungs have a strong correlation, and this highlights the importance of learning the right way to breathe in improving your natural vision.

Did you know your retina has the highest oxygen consumption per unit weight of any tissue in your body? The retina needs more oxygen than any other body part when compared by weight. So, a constant supply of oxygen is required for the proper retinal function.

Our eyes, like every other part of the body, are connected to the brain. Vision can be perceived as more of a mental process, as 40-50% of the brain is involved in vision. You might be aware that the brain uses around 20% of the oxygen we breathe. This implies the need for an abundant supply of oxygen to meet this high demand. On the contrary, insufficient oxygen supply can have a negative impact on eyesight.

The connection between vision and breathing is most evident in the way we breathe when we focus on a visual task. For instance, when you’re reading a book or staring at a computer screen, you tend to take shallow, quick breaths. This type of breathing is often referred to as chest breathing, which uses only the upper part of the lungs and the chest muscles to inhale and exhale. Shallow breathing can lead to a lack of oxygen in the body and a build-up of carbon dioxide, which can cause feelings of anxiety and stress.

In contrast, when you focus on your breathing pattern, you tend to take deeper, slower breaths that use the diaphragm. This diaphragmatic breathing is associated with relaxation and stress reduction. Focusing on your breath and taking slower, deeper inhales helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us to feel calm and relaxed.

We hardly pay any attention to the involuntary act of breathing. But what if we are doing it all wrong? Many of us are shallow breathers. What we do is just inhale air through the nose or mouth, but tend to hold it in the chest, overtaxing intercostal muscles (between the ribs) and shoulder muscles, never letting it reach the diaphragm. An optimal breath is one that reaches the diaphragm, is deep, and completely fills the lungs. Unfortunately, many people have lost the art of breathing.

What could be the reasons for losing the natural breathing pattern?

If you think any of these factors resonate with you, then determine for yourself it’s high time to reclaim your lost natural breathing pattern. Doing so could improve not only your breathing and vision but also enhance your quality of life.

Breath-holding techniques tighten the chest, throat, jaw, and eyes and escalate or create vision and voice problems, including gasping on the inhale. As eyes require an abundant supply of oxygen, breath-holding for a prolonged duration can cause temporary blindness. Natural vision teachers have found that breath-holding results in poor vision than when breathing is more natural and relaxed.

Blurry vision and cataracts have been shown to clear up through a combination of good breathing, natural vision techniques, and a balanced diet. Learning to breathe better helps improve your vision health by reducing stress and tension in your body, increasing oxygen delivery and blood flow to your eyes, and enhancing your ability to concentrate and perceive visual stimuli.

Want to achieve your best natural breathing under all circumstances? Optimal breathing is a key element of overall wellness and greatly enhances vision health. You can learn more about natural vision and its improvement at visionsofjoy.org