September 2026 Newsletter

Hello, and a satisfying September to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about how being calmer helps us see better. Enjoy!

When you start learning about vision improvement, no matter what book you read or which teacher you follow, you'll encounter the idea that a relaxed attitude is essential. Since most of us are carrying around at least a small amount of stress and worry, the sarcastic reaction to discovering how important relaxation is might be "Great! Easy for you to say!". We could also feel discouraged and hopeless, as if something is fundamentally wrong with us which we have no idea how to fix.

Looking at the apprehensive child, I can imagine some well-meaning grown-up saying impatiently "Just relax!", which will probably raise the little one's anxiety even more. Most children, and most adults for that matter, haven't yet learned to regulate their nervous system at will. A loving parent will pick up and hold a distressed youngster, maybe rocking him or her slowly back and forth, or cuddling a baby next to the caregiver's heart. Yet as we grow, we're expected to be able to soothe ourselves without anyone else's help.

My initial goal when starting vision improvement was to "fix" my strong -10 myopia, as if I was a malfunctioning machine with a serious defect. In learning about the central role of relaxation, then looking honestly at myself and my life, I was forced to admit that not only was my visual system tense, my entire body and mind were too. Some part of me knew this, since I had described myself as "tightly wound", or even as "a highly functioning nervous wreck", trying to be funny. Yet I had no idea this tension played such a big role in my vision restriction.

The poor rattled guy with stage fright trying to give a talk when he's nearly panicking, his anxiety is so high, is a great visual for an emotional state we do not want to be in. Would we count on someone in this condition to make good decisions, or to be clear-eyed enough to spot problems (let alone read his speech)? You've probably heard the expression "so upset he couldn't see straight". We know intuitively, and also from our own experience, that we function best and see best when we're in a calm centered state.

Humans talk about "eagle-eye vision" as the pinnacle, the highest standard of clarity and focus, a goal or model for ourselves from the animal kingdom. The eagle concentrates as he or she scans the ground below for prey, attention focused on the goal, but calmly, like an athlete "in the zone" who is aiming for peak performance. Distractions like a sudden crisis may need our immediate attention, but needless worry or rumination can siphon away our energy and keep us from accomplishing anything useful.

If the eagle is fretting about the coming storm, or about some other predator snatching the lunch he's eyeing for himself, he's not fully focused on capturing that prey. So much of vision improvement is simply to stay aware and present. I used to pay as much attention to the pictures in my too-busy brain as to those in front of my eyes, and yes, I did miss a lot. Slowing myself down enough to actually do one thing at a time, being fully immersed in it, didn't lead to me accomplishing less as I'd feared. Instead I actually got more done, made fewer mistakes, and even felt more peaceful, a huge bonus. Try it -- do your next small task more methodically, noticing what you see and how you feel about it. Take your time to enjoy all the images, large and tiny, appearing before you. Relax, and let yourself see.

To see a post about driving calmly in poor visibility conditions, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this super-special month of September. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!