Using 'Soft Eyes' http://www.centeredriding.org/newsshow.asp?int_id=23 Thursday, May 01, 2008 Author: Sally Swift What are “Soft Eyes”? Soft Eyes are you looking with wide open eyes and peripheral awareness, being aware of your entire field of vision and allowing yourself to feel sensations from within. Soft Eyes are much more than just a way of “looking.” It is a method of becoming distinctly aware of what is happening around you, beneath you and inside of you. This awareness includes feeling and hearing, as well as seeing. Using soft eyes, you become aware of “the whole” – yourself, your body, your horse„s body beneath you and behind you, as well as all that is in front of you and around you. Here is an experiment that will help you practice using Soft Eyes. You can first try this experiment off your horse and then again while sitting on your horse. While sitting quietly, chose an object in front of you and focus very intently on that object. Keep looking intently at the object and concentrate on it‟s outline, shape, density and color, very acutely taking in everything about the object. This is what I call the use of “hard eyes.” Now look at that object and without glazing or making your eyes fuzzy, R..E..L..A..X your eyes. Allow your eyes to take in the largest possible expanse above and below as well as to the right and to the left of the object. Sitting comfortably with your eyes wide open, work on having the feeling of going within yourself as your eyes encompass everything that comes into your field of vision, all the while still aiming at the central object. Practice switching back and forth between hard eyes and Soft Eyes. When you try this experiment on your horse, try using “hard eyes” and focusing first on your horse‟s ears. Then with Soft Eyes, look above your horse‟s ears and with your vision very wide and open, encompass everything that comes into your vision, all the while going into yourself and increasing your awareness of yourself and your horse. You will see that using Soft Eyes encompasses a method of becoming distinctly aware of what is going on around you, beneath you and inside of you. Through the use of Soft Eyes, it will be easier to feel what your horse‟s back is doing to your seat. You will experience a greater field of vision, increased awareness of your own body and your horse‟s body. You will experience less tension and feel easier and freer movement. Drawing by Susan Harris, Senior Level IV Clinician from Cortland, NY. To learn more about Centered Riding, Sally Swift's books "Centered Riding" and "Centered Riding 2 - Further Explorations" as well as "Centered Riding" on DVD (Program 1 and 2 are sold separately) are available for purchase at the following link: http://www.centeredriding.org/supportCR.asp. Centered Riding Instructors are located throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Europe. To find a Centered Riding Instructor or Clinic, use the convenient search forms found on this website.
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Using 'Soft Eyes' http://www.centeredriding.org/newsshow.asp?int_id=23 Thursday, May 01, 2008
Author: Sally Swift
What are “Soft Eyes”? Soft Eyes are you looking with wide open eyes and
peripheral awareness, being aware of your entire field of vision and allowing
yourself to feel sensations from within. Soft Eyes are much more than just a
way of “looking.” It is a method of becoming distinctly aware of what is
happening around you, beneath you and inside of you. This awareness
includes feeling and hearing, as well as seeing. Using soft eyes, you become
aware of “the whole” – yourself, your body, your horse„s body beneath you and
behind you, as well as all that is in front of you and around you.
Here is an experiment that will help you practice using Soft Eyes. You can first
try this experiment off your horse and then again while sitting on your horse.
While sitting quietly, chose an object in front of you and focus very intently on
that object. Keep looking intently at the object and concentrate on it‟s outline,
shape, density and color, very acutely taking in everything about the object.
This is what I call the use of “hard eyes.” Now look at that object and without glazing or making your eyes fuzzy,
R..E..L..A..X your eyes. Allow your eyes to take in the largest possible expanse above and below as well as to the
right and to the left of the object. Sitting comfortably with your eyes wide open, work on having the feeling of going
within yourself as your eyes encompass everything that comes into your field of vision, all the while still aiming at the
central object. Practice switching back and forth between hard eyes and Soft Eyes.
When you try this experiment on your horse, try using “hard eyes” and focusing first on your horse‟s ears. Then with
Soft Eyes, look above your horse‟s ears and with your vision very wide and open, encompass everything that comes
into your vision, all the while going into yourself and increasing your awareness of yourself and your horse. You will
see that using Soft Eyes encompasses a method of becoming distinctly aware of what is going on around you,
beneath you and inside of you. Through the use of Soft Eyes, it will be easier to feel what your horse‟s back is doing
to your seat. You will experience a greater field of vision, increased awareness of your own body and your horse‟s
body. You will experience less tension and feel easier and freer movement.
Drawing by Susan Harris, Senior Level IV Clinician from Cortland, NY. To learn more about Centered Riding, Sally Swift's books "Centered Riding" and "Centered Riding 2 - Further
Explorations" as well as "Centered Riding" on DVD (Program 1 and 2 are sold separately) are available for purchase
at the following link: http://www.centeredriding.org/supportCR.asp. Centered Riding Instructors are located throughout
the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Europe. To find a Centered Riding Instructor or Clinic, use the
In the early seventies I was introduced to the Aikido concept of soft eyes. It was presented as an alternative to hard, narrowed seeing, a kind of softer focusing that took in more with an easier, less judgmental viewpoint. For the most part, soft eyes remained mostly a concept for me.I did see an Aikido demonstration in a large San Francisco hall where a very exonerated Aikido Master dispatched simulated attack after attack, from all directions by his students. Surely the ability to not over focus, to stay calmly aware of all of one's surroundings was aptly demonstrated that evening by this revered Aikido Master. In a book entitled, THE ZEN DRIVING BOOK, the author mentions something called no-seeing and mentions that Samurai warriors learned to cultivate a complete 360 degree field of awareness. There are also stories of Tai Chi masters successfully discharging rear attacks without ever facing their opponents. A friend of mine, who teaches Tai Chi Chi, refers to more peripheral-based seeing as 'wide-angle seeing'. Bruce Fertman, a master Alexander Techniuqe teacher and Martial Artist, tells the story of the great Tai Chi teacher who was once asked by a student, "What percentage of awareness should be given to the inner and what percentage to the outer?" The master replied, "Yes, one hundred percent inner, one hundred percent outer." Author Unknow "When I concentrate on something I usually do what I was taught in Aikido. What we would do is use what we simply call "soft eyes." That is where you look at your target object and then just let your eyes blur the edges, making the object "soft". The sensation is almost like that of crossing your eyes, but to a lesser extent."
"This reduces the effect of getting tunnel vision when you concentrate on one particular object, and allows you to utilize your periphery much more effectively. In a martial situation this is worth more than gold as you direct and initiate movement against multiple opponents due to your relaxed focus on only one person." From: THE COURAGE TO TEACH: EXPLORING THE INNER LANDSCAPE OF A TEACHER'S LIFE by Parker Palmer "In the Japanese art of Aikido there is a practice called "soft eyes" - it means to widen one's periphery to take in more of the world. If a stimulus is introduced to an unprepared person, his eyes narrow and filight/fight response takes over. If the same unexpected stimulus comes to someone with "soft eyes" the natural reflex is transcended and a more authentic response takes its place - such as thinking a new thought. ...I want to make a conscious effort to help myself and my students develop softer eyes when confronted with something new. I believe it will allow all of us to have more authentic responses and "think" more "new" thoughts." (Parker Palmer) BY TOHEI SENSEI, 10th Degree Aikido Master "The eyes are the windows to the soul. When we look at a person, some times we can tell what they are thinking and how they are feeling. We take cues from people's expressions and body language. Our own eyes and expressions show tension, anger, sadness, disappointment, relaxation, calmness, happiness, and confidence. Some people believe that hard eyes create power and control. It is also a good way to get into a fight. But soft eyes can show confidence and kindness. If you are relaxed enough to have softe eyes then you are extending Ki. When you are extending Ki you are relaxed and easy to get along with. When you are tense or upset the people around you tend to move away. A smile always makes friends and this demonstrates that plus breeds plus. Being positive and having a smile on our face is a choice we make. This is extending Ki, your intention, focus, goal." (Tohei Sensei) SEEING THE BIG PICTURE: SOFT EYES By Rod Windle and Suzanne Warren "Sometimes the smallest changes we make can have the largest effects. One example of this comes from what we can do with our eyes. How we look at someone, or at a group of people, can completely change how we respond.
We can think of how we use our eyes as being either hard or soft. Hard eyes are when we focus intently on any one thing or point, as when we look at the tip of someone's nose or strain to read the writing on a far away street sign. There is a certain tension, a narrowing of vision. Peripheral vision becomes lost. We may become caught up in whatever it is we are looking at. Sometimes, hard eyes can be useful, as when we are putting a complex model together or trying to get a splinter out of our child's finger. Soft eyes happen when we relax the muscles around our eyes and let ourselves see with our peripheral vision as well as with our central, focused vision. We see the individual in front of us, but we also see the people to either side, the clock above his head, the lights on the ceiling and the pattern on the floor. We take in everything and are distracted by nothing. Seeing in this way sends an entirely different set of signals to the brain from seeing with hard eyes. As our eyes see more, somehow our brains become more open to the diversity of possibilities that always surround us. Soft eyes also tend to have a calming effect on the people around us, and often on ourselves as well." (Rod Windle and Suzanne Warren - Seeing the Big Picture: Soft Eyes)
"Attention is what we use to filter out unwanted sensory input. If your attention is too tight and concentrated (by focusing too hard on one object in front of you), then you'll end up being oblivious to your peripheral vision. ...So, to develop our peripheral vision, relax your eyes, and don't look *hard* at anything. Dilate your pupils, and keep a soft focus in the direction you're looking. ...The idea isn't that you are developing your eyes especially for peripheral vision, but rather that you stop ignoring your peripheral vision. Don't look at things, but look through them." (Stephen Chan - Soft Eyes and Aiki Ju Jitsu)
George Leonard in his book, The Silent Pulse: A Search for the Perfect Rhythm That Exists In Each of Us, devotes a major portion of his Appendix to Soft Eyes: "The visual mode I'm calling "soft eyes" provides an alternative. This mode is receptive rather than positive, synthesizing rather than reaching out to bring it in. With soft eyes we tend to perceive a whole field of vision in terms of the energy and motion that make it up, rather than perceiving the collection of discrete objects that exist within it. There is less than the usual distinction between figure and ground. With soft eyes, peripheral vision is enhanced, the depth of field appears to be greater, and colors seem remarkably vivid."
"Using soft eyes entails not just adopting an alternative visual mode, but also entering an altered state of being. Once you've mastered the art of soft eyes, this state can be achieved in a split second." The Silent Pulse by George Leonard The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer "Soft eyes, it seems to me is an evocative image for what happens when we gaze on sacred reality. Now our eyes are open and receptive, able to take in the greatness of the world and the grace of great things. Eyes wide with wonder we no longer need to resist or run when when taken by surprise. Now we can open ourselves to the great mystery." (Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Techer's Life)
NLP and 'Soft Eyes' http://www.nlp-now.co.uk/softeyes.htm One of the things about our in-depth NLP Core Skills course is that we are quite spoilt for choice by having so many
techniques and insights to choose from. Because of this some wonderful little techniques can easily get overlooked
after the course.
Take "Soft Eyes", for instance. This is the blend of detailed vision and peripheral vision that we experiment with on
the second day of the course and which can be used to:
Simultaneously pay attention to what is in front of you and what's off to the sides
Be better able to recognise subtle non-verbal communication - with individuals or when in groups
Reduce the amount and intensity of internal self talk
Feel more relaxed when driving while paying better attention to what is going on around you
Improve your performance in team or combat sports
Relax your facial muscles, shoulder muscles, and chest muscles
Breathe more easily and comfortably
Reduce or even prevent eye strain or tension headaches
Feel more at ease when communicating with people and put them at ease, too
Enter a generally more calm and "chilled out" state
Not bad for something to which we normally allocate about 30 minutes of course time - and which, with a little
practice, takes up no time at all to use.
How to use 'soft eyes'
Because some readers will have done core skills five or six years ago it might be useful to have a reminder of the
how the technique works.
(1) Peripheral Vision
First spend a few days practising using your peripheral vision. Without focusing on anything in particular, look
straight ahead and as you do this pay attention to what you notice simultaneously off to both sides i.e. out of the
corners of your eyes. The "simultaneously" bit is important. You not trying to look first to one side and then to the
other - that is simply using foveal vision. Instead you are looking straight ahead, without moving your eyes to one
side of the other, while noticing what is off to both sides of you.
The best place to practise peripheral vision is out of doors since there is more likely to be movement here than if
you are sitting quietly at home. You could sit in a cafe and casually gaze ahead while noticing the movements of
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http://powerelife.com/articles/softeyes.htm ‘Seeing the world with an open heart‟
‘We do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are’ anonymous
The eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. When the eyes are soft, the heart becomes a point of connection. The left eye in particular connects with emotion, intuition, subconscious and imagination. The right eye connects with the left brain, more closely linked with reason and learned behaviour and language.
Soft eyes welcome intimacy.
Intimacy in Power E is defined as the possibility of In-To-Me-I-allow-myself-and-the world to see. It is a gradual state of becoming transparent. MNot so much that others can see everything in us, more so, that we are willing to be ourselves in the presence of others and let go of our fears of abandonment and rejection.
Hard eyes convey “looking at” – narrow, attention like. When the eyes are in a state of contraction, the left side of the brain is activated. We become analytical and enter a thinking space.
Soft eyes convey “looking through” – seeing through. When the eyes are soft. We slowly connect with the present moment and allow our natural, intuitive instincts to guide us.
It is a deeper connection. A truereflection of essence. When we look at something, we judge, the rational, mind intervenes, whereas when we look through or look within, the gaze is soft, allowing and perceptive. When the eyes are soft their ability to focus is enhanced. Focus is a form of love.
Whenever we offer our focus, we have an opportunity to offer our selves and be fully present.
In Power E to focus is to be aware of all that surrounds you and yet to choose to focus your awareness of an object or point of awareness in the moment. Our extra-sensory perception increases to allow a feeling of being at ease and knowing.
It is about having presence whilst seeing.
It is about looking within, your gaze rests its awareness on the outer world.