An eye pillow is a small fabric pouch filled with flax seeds, rice or buckwheat.

Eye Pillow Shape

An eye pillow is usually a rectangular shape sized to fit over the eye area, bridge of the nose and down to the temples. A more ergonomic design uses a mask shape for better comfort reducing pressure over the bridge of the nose.

Aromatherapy

In addition to the flax seed filling, aromatic herbs can be added for various purposes. Popular herbs added to eye pillows include lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus (see other popular herbs)

Uses

Eye pillows have many functions and there is no wrong way to use them. Popular with yoga practitioners, they have long been used during savasana (relaxation after yoga). Because of the aromatic herbs that are used to fill some eye pillows, there use is usually associated with relaxation, un-winding, de-stressing or sleep.

Cooled in a fridge or freezer and filled with appropriate herbs, they can also be used to soothe migraines and other headaches and also to ease sinus discomfort.

The gentle weight over the eye and temple area produced by the filling simulates a gentle acupressure effect.