Vision Problems & What They Indicate

Blurring of Vision, Decreased Acuity

Too much yin energy in the eyes can cause vision problems, such as blurred eyesight, even blindness. When practicing tai chi qigong, never close your eyes unless required for specific exercises.

Tai chi qigong tends towards the yin by its very nature, but the energy is usually balanced by cultivating both energies on equally proportionate levels. However, since most exercises tend towards the yin, it is advisable to practice them with your eyes open.

Some of my beginning students complain that they are too easily distracted when they do the exercises with their eyes open. I recommend directing your eyes 45 degrees downward to minimize distraction.

In the case of traditional approaches to practicing tai chi chuan as a martial art, direct your eyes to the predominant movement to help develop your yi and to channel the chi energy to where you want it to go.

Pain, Strain or Fatigue, Tension or Pressure

Other types of vision problems are pain, pressure or fatigue caused by strained eye muscles. Tai chi qigong places emphasis on relaxation, and this also implies the eyes. Squinting or prolonged staring puts a lot of strain on eye muscles, which can cause fatigue and even soreness.

One of my students came in with vision problems because she had become too enthusiastic in her qigong vision therapy! By over-exercising them, she had created a lot of stress on her eye muscles, causing them to become reddened and inflamed.

If you experience such symptoms, remember to practice qigong vision therapy for strained and tired eyes. Also back off from strenuous exercise such as jogging, weight lifting and body building, as any physical strain on the body will cause the eye muscles to strain at the same time, further aggravating any vision problems.

Lastly, refrain from fixated staring and squinting and activities that encourage this kind of behavior: watching television, prolonged periods at the computer, reading, chess games and the like. And if you have to spend time in those activities, take frequent vision breaks, getting fresh air and gazing off into the distance or looking at greenery.

If you practice tai chi qigong correctly, it should help to improve your eyesight and the health of your eyes. Vision problems can only be a sign that something is wrong with the way you practice.

Increased Acuity

If you experience recurring and increasing bouts of very clear eyesight, this is a common but positive side effect that accompanies increased mental acuity. With detoxification, cleansing and purification of mind and body, the five senses

can become very sensitive. Sharpened acuity is only one of the benefits.

Psychic Visions & Déjà Vu Sensations

Practitioners who become very advanced in their training or who have opened their third or spiritual/psychic eye

can experience some psychic phenomena. Sometimes, they may get déjà vu sensations of finding a place or setting very familiar when they are sure they have not been there before, or future events unfolding in a very familiar and expected fashion.

Others may see this in their mind’s eye unfolding before them as if it were happening here and now. Or they may encounter visions during meditation or sleep of a mentor or guide appearing before them whose sole purpose is to guide them spiritually or in other ways of personal development.

Still others may see auras — another form of chi energy manifestation, the stronger the energy, the greater the aura. For example, halos that are often painted on saints and other holy figures symbolize auras manifested on these individuals.

When I was still very young and I first began to experience the ability to see clearly through people’s bodies into their bones and internal organs, I thought I was hallucinating. However, my master immediately recognized it as “x-ray vision,” yet another of many psychic abilities qigong healers would develop during higher levels of intensive training.

All of these phenomena are not atypical of some of the positive effects experienced by tai chi qigong practitioners when the psychic eye is opened, through meditation and advance qigong practices.

However, if you are not advanced enough to practice these techniques, take the extra precaution of ensuring that there is someone experienced and qualified enough to guide you, as other not so beneficial side effects can cause physical, mental and psychic harm to you as well.

Unlike other vision problems, psychic vision is usually not considered a negative effect. Neither is it an end in itself, but rather, a side effect of opening the third eye. Ultimately, veteran practitioners seek spiritual and personal advancement through meditation and the channeling of refined jing for deeper understanding and enlightenment.