Peripheral Vision

imes in life, the simple things are the mostmeditative trance called Hakalau. During Hakalau,
important, and being able to change your focus isthe individual goes into peripheral vision, breathes
certainly something very simple and valuable toin to the count of 8 and out to the count of 4
do. I suppose that “change yourusing a “haa” breath. This regulates
focus” has a double meaning. It couldbreathing, and changing the brain waves, inducing
mean, change what you are looking at with youra state of deep relaxation, in which it is impossible
eyes, or it could mean, change what you areto hold onto any negative thought, idea or notion.
focusing on within your mind and thoughts. NowUsing peripheral vision alone, it is a resourceful
you might have the belief that, being a trainingstate for learning, as your mind is open to the
company in NLP and Hypnosis, that we mostlyideas that a teacher may give you. If you just
specialise in teaching others how to change theirtry out using Foveal and peripheral vision, you will
focus within their mind and thoughts, and thisnotice that Foveal vision, comes with a degree of
would be true. A lot of what we teach on ourtension, and tension is not so good for learning.
NLP and Hypnotherapy courses is about changingWe learn best in a happy relaxed environment as
what we are each doing in their heads. However,this helps us to associate the knowledge we
there is a valuable technique that we teach onreceive with feeling good and therefore makes us
both our NLP and Hypnotherapy course, which ismuch more likely to retrieve and use the
a simple process of changing the way you focusinformation that we have stored in the future.
your eyes and the benefit of this technique isPeripheral vision so easy to do, that I’m
endless.going to teach you right now. Simply find a spot
The technique is called the peripheral vision andon the wall, just a little above your eye level, on
basically means expanding your vision to see intowhich to fix your gaze. Without moving your
the periphery. This is the opposite of foveal vision,eyes, begin to become aware of the things
the acute concentrated vision that you wouldaround that spot, allowing your awareness to
have if you were for example, threading a needle.expand further and further out. Take your hands
If you think about threading a needle and focusingout in front of you and wiggle your fingers,
your attention in that way, you could easily missmoving your hands further back toward your
all of the other things that could be going onhead, past your eyes and level with your ears.
around you. When in peripheral vision, your focusSee how far back you can move your hands,
is so expanded, you almost feel that you couldwhilst still being aware of your fingers moving,
see behind the back of your own head!with your gaze still fixed to the spot on the ceiling.
So why learn peripheral vision? The HawaiianIf you want to, when you have achieved
Huna’s have known of its benefits forperipheral vision, you can try using the
many decades, using it as part of a deep“Haa” breath at the same time.