Welcome back! You spent many days learning and applying good vision habits to your everyday life, and if you have followed the process, you have most likely established a sustainable routine that will allow you to get the eyesight you are looking for. Now, you are here to either continue with what you have learned or try again if life got in the way and you did not get as far as you wanted to.

It is assumed that you have already gone through the challenge, so the information provided here is a recap/reminder of what you have already done. You will find the following information:

• The objectives of the challenge

• Direction for what to do next

• All videos recorded during the challenge. The videos note the challenge day at which it took place. Additionally, each video description provides a highlight of the vision improvement topic that was discussed, so that you can easily find the technique you are looking for.

The challenge had three objectives, described below in the order of importance

1. Establish a routine that will allow you to consistently practice your vision techniques, the ones you enjoy and those you do not

2. Help you develop many foundational good vision habits

3. Learn how to juggle 3 balls

Why is juggling only the 3rd objective? Most likely you have joined this challenge to overcome the difficulty of staying consistent with your vision improvement work. Juggling is fun, and it is a great means to achieve the goals that truly matter, better eyesight. After all, if you were only after juggling, why would you have wanted to learn from an eyesight coach who could barely keep the balls in the air?

KEEP UP YOUR ROUTINE
You are in this for your eyes and I bet your vision, while it might have improved slightly during the challenge, is not at the level where you want it to be (the challenge helps with the basic habits for better seeing, it was not designed to address any specific errors of refraction). So stay with the routine:

• warm up with one ball (follow the ball with your head and your eyes, breathe with each throw or every other throw, check for tension in your neck and shoulder muscles and release it)

• Add the second ball (keep the head movement and the breathing)

• Add the third ball (count out loud to ensure you are still breathing properly)

• Increase the sequence to 4,5,6 throws, etc.

• Pick up the balls with intention. If you are myopic, ask yourself “what would the ball look like if I could see it clearly? If you are farsighted or presbyopic, bring the ball all the way to your nose (for just a brief moment, to give your eyes a chance to look really close).

• Tie at least one vision practice to the routine in the easiest possible way. Given the juggling moves will relax your visual system, I would argue to practice your natural vision improvement techniques in the middle of the routine, then reward yourself with more juggling, but it is ultimately up to you. The goal is for you to practice with the least resistance possible.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE SUCCESSFUL

You have grown, step by step, one movement at a time. Sometime it went fast and sometime you had setbacks. Keep being patient with yourself, give yourself some grace! You will only keep up the routine if it continues to bring you joy (that is, until it truly becomes part of who you are).

• Therefore, keep changing your routine in micro steps, increase the difficulty gradually and allow plenty of time for the change to be accepted. After all, this is not a competition, this is just you growing, doing things that others have never tried

• CELEBRATE! REWARD YOURSELF! Remember your list of 10 ways to reward yourself for juggling, at least for a moment, each day? Use this technique as you challenge your routine and change it more and more towards a true vision technique practice.

ADD EYESIGHT IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES INTO YOUR ROUTINE

• The first technique you add to your routine (which you have most likely done already) should be easy. As mentioned above, you want to let yourself succeed.

• Over time, add techniques that are more challenging for you. Is fusion of the eyes a bit of a nightmare? Do you suffer from fear of looking into the distance? Whatever it is, add the techniques to your routine, one at a time.

• Change the techniques as often as you like. Some people like to practice the same technique for several days pr even weeks in a row, while others prefer variety. It is your routine, you choose. Perhaps an easy technique one day and a more challenging one another day is the way to go for you.

CHANGE THE RATIO

• When you are ready, start to change the ratio of the time allocated to juggling and the time allocated to your eyesight improvement techniques. If it is 5:1 in favor of juggling today, make it 4:1, 3:1, and eventually get to at least 50:50. If the juggling gets you excited to practice, do not cut it out. Keep it part of your warm-up and reward while spending more and more time on your vision development. The techniques of the Bates Method and other vision benefiting modalities teach very specific skills that you need for mastering vision. So embrace them, cherish them (most people do not even know that they exist!) and let them give your visual system the abilities you crave.

IDENTIFY YOUR PAIN POINTS AND GET HELP

• If you know what you are doing and all you need is to give your vision some time while practicing the necessary techniques, then do just that. Practice, with ease, with patience, with gratitude for what you see.

• If you are familiar with natural vision improvement, but you feel stuck, your progress has hit a plateau, or there are skills that you simply cannot master, get help. Skill-specific workshops, 1:1 sessions or in depth group lessons may be your best bet. Overbound will be offering such lessons starting in late February / early March.

• If this challenge was your first encounter with natural vision improvement and you are ready to commit and give your eyes a new chance, then choose your starting point, gather the right tools, and start learning. At Overbound we offer a free self-taught class that accompanies our highly effective Clarity Eyesight Trainer and we offer a full class that develops the majority of skills needed for better vision. The next session will start in late February.

• If our offer is not what you need, look outside. Vision development is a very unique type of a journey and you need the right person and process by your side.

• The above requires an investment, smaller or larger. As you think of the money an time you spend on your vision, put it into perspective. Compare it to the repetitive expenditures realted to your eyecare. Compare it to all the material things you have bought in the past, used once or twice and set them aside. Think of the limitations your glasses cause you. When was the last time you invested in yourself? New eyesight will not only allow you to see better, it will give you a different view of the world, of yourself, of what is out there for you. It will open you up to possibilities that you have only dreamed of before. So judge it fairly and choose what is best for you. As always, please reach out with questions.

WHAT A BALL!

• How did we do?

• What did our success look like?

• What are the next steps?

VISION/THEME: How to keep your mind present during vision practices, so that you can see

• Following a ball that is being thrown

• Spelling a word every time you catch the ball

JUGGLING: The full juggling routine - step by step recap

VISION/THEME: Juggling with pinhole lenses

• Show your brain how you want visual signals to be interpreted as they come from various distances.

• Throw a ball or just hold it in your hand and move it around at the distance that is usually challenging for you.

• Look at the ball, see it clearly, notice the way you are looking at that distance, and from what point of your visual system you are looking. Notice how relaxed you are.

• Keep that relaxation when you remove the pinhole glasses.

JUGGLING: Keep up the practice

VISION/THEME: Remembering the throws

• Use your memory to recall what you do during the throws that seem easy

• Imagine yourself doing and feeling the same with the next throw

• Try it with your eyes open, throw the next ball

JUGGLING: Adding another throw - 5th? 6th?

VISION/THEME: Astigmatism and how to deal with the eye strain that happens under certain angles

• Practice with each eye on its own

• Remember, you can ONLY release the strain by relaxation, NEVER by pushing through the discomfort or pain

JUGGLING: Keep making 3-4 throws and catches. Incorporate a new (or an additional) vision improvement technique into your juggling routine

BONUS: See the 4th throw slowed down

VISION/THEME: Incorporating vision techniques into the middle of your juggling practice

• Let the juggling draw you in

• Practice your chosen technique for a short period of time.

• Juggle some more

• Reward yourself for going through your full session

JUGGLING: 3rd or 4th throw

VISION/THEME: Noticing relative movement, one eye at a time

• Trombone the ball, notice the details, see the world move

JUGGLING: Releasing the ball on the 4th throw & Juggling in sunlight

VISION/THEME: Expose yourself and your eyes to light

• A cloudy is easier than a sunny day

• One eye is easier than two

• Closed eyes are easier than open/blinking eyes

JUGGLING: Adding the 4th throw and getting in the rhythm

VISION/THEME: Brain priming for better vision

• Brain priming = affirmations on steroids :)

• Create your brain prime, record it, then listen to it first thing in the morning and last thing before going to sleep

JUGGLING: Releasing the 3rd ball

VISION/THEME: Looking with purpose using colors

JUGGLING: Releasing the 3rd ball

• Ensure you breathe by counting out loud 1-2-3-catch

• Release any shoulder and neck pain

VISION/THEME: How to stay the course of building the habit of daily vision improvement practice

• choose your practice routine

JUGGLING: Using juggling balls to develop 3D vision

VISION/THEME: The way you think about your eyes reflects in what they show you

• Support them, love your eyes for what they see today

• Watch your thoughts, watch your language

• Show them the way you want to see

JUGGLING: Throw-throw-catch-catch (2 balls)

VISION/THEME: Pick up the balls with intention

• Look at the ball at a challenging distance to allow yourself to see details

bonus tip: imagine yourself juggling

JUGGLING: Adding the second ball

VISION/THEME: Peripheral vision

• The role of peripheral vision in seeing

• Using juggling balls for peripheral vision development

JUGGLING: Get your targeting right

• Aim to the right spots with both hands

• Catch at the hip/waist level

VISION/THEME: Commit to the process, not the end results

• The goal is consistency of practice / building a routine for your further vision improvement

JUGGLING: Throw and catch 1 ball

• Throw

• Follow the ball with your eyes

• Breathe

• Practice with single eyes

VISION/THEME: How to develop a habit

JUGGLING: Be at peace with failure - drop the ball

• Head follows the eyes to prevent astigmatism

• Breathing during juggling to stay relaxed