Palming and Other Eye Relaxation Techniques: How and Why They Help

After hours in front of a screen, many people instinctively rub their eyes or cover them with their hands. Palming turns that instinct into a deliberate relaxation technique: you cup your palms over your closed eyes, shut out the light, breathe slowly and let your face and shoulders soften for a minute or two. It costs nothing, needs no equipment and can be done at a desk, on a train or before sleep.

Palming has a long and somewhat controversial history. It was popularised by the Bates method in the early twentieth century, which claimed it could cure short-sightedness and other refractive errors. That claim has not survived scientific scrutiny. What remains is a pleasant, calming break that can make tired eyes feel better. This article explains how to palm properly, how to combine it with breathing, why it feels relaxing, what it cannot do, and other relaxation techniques worth adding to your routine.

What is palming?

Palming is a short relaxation exercise in which you rest your elbows on a table, rub your hands together to warm them, then cup your palms gently over your closed eyes so that no light gets in. The fingers rest on the forehead and the heels of the hands on the cheekbones, so the palms form a dome over the eyes without touching the eyelids. You then sit quietly, breathe slowly and let your eyes and facial muscles rest.

The technique was promoted by the American ophthalmologist William Bates, who believed that strain caused refractive errors and that relaxation could reverse them. Modern optics and decades of research have shown that refractive errors are caused by the shape and length of the eye, not by tension, and that relaxation exercises do not change them. Palming has nevertheless survived because people find it calming. Our article on what science really says about eye exercises covers this history in more detail.

How to palm properly: step by step

You can follow along with our guided palming exercise, or use the steps below.

1. Get comfortable. Sit at a table, feet flat on the floor. Rest your elbows on the table, perhaps on a cushion or folded jumper, so your neck stays straight and your shoulders are relaxed rather than hunched.
2. Remove your glasses. Contact lenses can stay in, as long as you do not press on the eyes.
3. Warm your hands. Rub your palms together briskly for a few seconds until they feel warm.
4. Cup your hands. Form a slight hollow in each palm, as if holding water.
5. Cover your eyes. Close your eyes and place your cupped palms over them. Cross your fingers lightly on your forehead. The heels of your hands rest on your cheekbones. There should be no pressure on the eyeballs.
6. Check for light. Adjust your hands until it is as dark as possible.
7. Breathe and relax. Breathe slowly through your nose, let your jaw loosen and your forehead soften. Stay for one to three minutes, or longer if comfortable.
8. Return slowly. Remove your hands, keep your eyes closed for a few seconds, then open them gently and look into the distance before returning to work.

Common mistakes

• Pressing the palms onto the eyes instead of cupping them.
• Hunching over with the neck bent, which creates new tension.
• Holding the breath or breathing quickly.
• Rubbing the eyes vigorously before or after palming, which is not helpful and, when done habitually, has been linked to worsening keratoconus.
• Expecting vision to be sharper permanently afterwards.

Adding breathing for deeper relaxation

Palming combines naturally with slow breathing. Slow, controlled breathing is known to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the nervous system associated with rest. Many people find that a few slow breaths reduce muscle tension in the face, jaw and shoulders, which often accompanies eye strain.

A simple pattern to try during palming:

• Breathe in gently through your nose for about four seconds, letting your abdomen rise.
• Pause briefly.
• Breathe out slowly through your nose or mouth for about six seconds.
• Repeat for six to ten breaths.

You can also practise our standalone breathing exercise. If you notice that stress makes your eyes feel worse, our guide on stress and the eyes explores the connection.

Why palming can feel relaxing

Although palming does not change the structure of the eye, there are plausible reasons it feels good:

• A pause from visual work. Reading and screen use require constant focusing at near distance. Closing the eyes gives the focusing system a short rest.
• Darkness. Shutting out light reduces visual input, which many people find calming, especially after bright screens or harsh lighting.
• Warmth. Warm palms over closed eyelids feel soothing. Gentle warmth can also help the oil glands of the eyelids, though a dedicated warm compress is more effective for that purpose.
• Moisture. With the eyes closed, the tear film is not evaporating, so dry, gritty eyes may feel more comfortable afterwards.
• Mindfulness. A minute of stillness with slow breathing interrupts mental and physical tension.

What palming cannot do

It is important to be honest about the limits. Palming does not:

• Cure or reduce myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or presbyopia.
• Remove the need for glasses or contact lenses.
• Treat cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration or any other eye disease.
• Improve visual acuity permanently.

Some people notice that their vision seems slightly clearer for a moment after palming. This can be explained by a refreshed tear film, a relaxed focusing muscle and a moment of adaptation to light, but the effect is temporary. Refractive errors are determined by the optics of the eye, and only glasses, contact lenses or surgery change them. For background, see our guide to refractive errors.

Other eye relaxation techniques

Distance gazing and the 20-20-20 rule

Every 20 minutes, look at something about 6 metres (20 feet) away for 20 seconds. Looking into the distance relaxes the focusing muscle. Our article on the 20-20-20 rule explains how to make it a habit.

Conscious blinking

People blink much less when concentrating on screens, and blinks become incomplete. A few slow, full blinks spread the tear film and refresh the eye surface. Our blink exercise guides you through it.

Warm compress

A warm, clean flannel or a dedicated heated eye mask placed over closed eyes for several minutes can soften the oily secretions of the eyelid glands and relieve dry eye symptoms caused by meibomian gland dysfunction.

Gentle facial and neck relaxation

Rolling the shoulders, gently stretching the neck and relaxing the jaw reduce the muscle tension that often accompanies long hours of screen work.

Closing the eyes

Simply closing your eyes for 30 to 60 seconds, without palming, is a quick reset when you cannot take a longer break.

Palming for different situations

Palming is flexible. At a desk, a minute between tasks is enough to break the cycle of constant focusing. On public transport, a shorter version with eyes simply closed and hands resting lightly may feel less conspicuous. Before sleep, a longer session of three to five minutes with slow breathing can become part of a wind-down routine, especially if you have spent the evening on screens. Parents sometimes turn palming into a calm game with children after homework, which is fine as long as it is presented as a rest, not as a way to avoid glasses. If you suffer from migraine, darkness and stillness may feel pleasant during early symptoms, but palming is not a migraine treatment and new or changing headaches should be discussed with a doctor.

Building a relaxation routine

Palming is most useful as one part of an overall approach to comfortable vision:

• Take regular breaks from close work, ideally every 20 to 30 minutes.
• Do one to two minutes of palming once or twice during the working day and before sleep if you enjoy it.
• Set up your workstation with the screen slightly below eye level and at arm's length.
• Make sure lighting is comfortable, with no strong glare.
• Wear up-to-date glasses suitable for your working distance.
• Get enough sleep and stay hydrated.

For a structured routine, our office program combines breaks, blinking, distance focusing and relaxation in a short daily sequence.

When to see a doctor

Relaxation techniques help with ordinary tiredness, but they do not replace professional care. Book an eye examination if eye strain, headaches, blurred vision or dryness persist despite breaks and relaxation, if you have not had an eye test in the last two years, or if you notice your vision changing.

Used honestly, palming is a small gift you can give your eyes and mind several times a day. Enjoy it for what it is: a pause, not a cure.