Speaker 1: Physiological effect of the complete breath. Scarcely too much can
be said of the advantages attending the practice of the
complete breath, and yet the student who has carefully read
the foregoing pages should scarcely need to have pointed out
to him such advantages. The practice of the complete breath
will make any man or woman immune to consumption and
other pulmonary troubles, and will do away with all liability
to contract colds, as well as bronchial and similar weaknesses.
Consumption is due principally to lower vitality attributable to an
insufficient amount of air being inhaled. The impairment of vitality
renders the system open to attacks from diseased germs. Imperfect
breathing allows a considerable part of the lungs to remain inactive.
In such portions offer an inviting field for bacilli, which
invading the weakened tissue soon produce havoc. Good healthy lung
tissue will resist the germs, and the only way to
have good health healthy lung tissue is to use the
lungs properly. Consumptives are nearly all narrow trusting. What does
this mean? Simply that these people were addicted to in
proper habits of breathing, and consequently their chests fail to
develop and expand. The man who practices the complete breath
will have a full, broad chest, and the narrow tested
man may develop his chest to normal proportions if he
will but adopt his mode of breathing. Such people must
develop their chest cavities if they value their lives. Coals
may often be permitted by practicing a little vigorous complete breathing.
Whenever you feel that you are being unduly exposed when chilled,
breathe vigorously a few minutes, and you will fill glow
all over your body. Most colds can be cured by
complete breathing and partial fasting for a day. The quality
of the blood depends largely upon its proper oxygenation in
the lungs, and if it is under oxygenated, it becomes
poor in quality and lay maiden with all sorts of impurities,
and the system suffers from lack of nourishment and often
becomes actually poisoned by the waste products remaining uneliminated in
the blood. As the entire body, every organ in every
part is dependent upon the blood for nourishment. Impure blood
must have a serious effect upon the entire system. The
remedy is plain practice the yogi complete breath. The stomach
and other organs of nutrition suffer much from improper breathing.
Not only are they ill nourished by reason of the
lack of oxygen, but as the food must absorb oxygen
from the blood and become oxygenated before it can be
digested and assimilated. It is rarely seen how digestion and
assimilation is impaired by incorrect breathing, and when assimilation is
not normal, the system receives less and less nourishment, the
appetite fails, bodily, vigor decreases, and energy diminishes, and the
man withers and declines, all from the lack of proper breathing.
Even the nervous system suffers from improper breathing, inasmuch as
the brain, the spinal cord, the nerve centers, and the
nerves themselves, when improperly nourished by means of the blood,
become poor and inefficient instruments for generating, storing, and transmitting
the nerve currents, and improperly nourished, they will become if
sufficient oxygen is not absorbed through the lungs. There is
another aspect of the case, whereby the nerve currents themselves,
or rather the force from which the nerve current spring
becomes a lesson from one of proper breathing. But this
belongs to another phase of the subject, which is treated
of in other chapters of this book, And our purpose
here is to direct your attention to the fact that
the mechanism of the nervous system is rendered inefficient as
an instrument for conveying nerve wars, as the indirect result
of a lack of proper breathing. The effect of the
reproductive organs upon the general health is too well known
to be discussed at length here, but we may be
permitted to say that with the reproductive organs in a
weakened condition, the entire system feels the reflex action and
suffers sympathetically. The complete breath produces a rhythm, which is
nature's own plan for keeping this important part of the
system in normal condition. And from the first it will
be noticed that the reproductive functions are strengthened and vitalized.
Thus by sympathetic reflex action given tone to the whole system.
By this, we do not mean that the lower sex
impulses will be aroused. Far from it. The Yogis are
advocates of constance and chastity and have learned to control
the animal passions. But sexual control does not mean sexual weakness,
and the yoga teachings are that the man or woman
whose reproductive organism is normal and healthy will have a
stronger will with which to control himself or herself. The
Jogi believes that much of the perversion of this wonderful
part of the system comes from a lack of normal
health and results from a morbid rather than a normal
condition of these organs. A little careful consideration of this
question will prove that the yoga teachings are right. This
is not the place to discuss the subject fully, but
the Yogis know that sex energy may be conserved and
used for the development of the body and mind of
the individual, instead of being dissipated in unnatural excesses, as
is the want of so many uninformed people. By special requests,
we will give in this book one of the favorite
Yogi exercises for this purpose. But whether or not the
student wishes to adopt the Yogi theories of continence and
clean living. He or she will find that the complete
breath will do more to restore health to this part
of the system than anything else ever tried. Remember now
we mean normal health, not undue development. The sensualness will
find that normal remans a lessening of desire rather than
an increase. The weakened man or woman will find a
toning up and a relief from the weakness which has
heretofore depressed him or her. We do not wish to
be misunderstood or misquoted on this subject. The Jogi's ideal
is a body strong in all its parts, under the
control of a masterful and developed will, animated by high ideals.
In the practice of the complete breath. During inhalation, the
diaphragm contracts and exerts a gentle pressure upon the liver, stomach,
and other organs, which, in connection with the rhythm of
the lungs, acts as a gentle massage of these organs
and stimulates their actions and encourages normal function. Each inhalation
aids in this internal exercise and assists in causing a
normal circulation to the organs of nutrition and elimination. In
high or mid breathing, the organs lose the benefit accruing
from this internal massage. The Western world is paying much
attention to physical culture just now, which is a good thing,
but in their enthusiasm they must not forget that the
exercise of the external muscle is not everything. The internal
organs also need exercise, and Nature's plan for this exercise
is proper breathing. The diaphragm is nature's principal instrument for
this internal exercise. Its motion vibrates the important organs of
nutrition and elimination and massages and needs them at each
inhalation and exhalation, forcing blood into them and then squeezing
it out and imparting a general tone to the organs.
Any organ or part of the body which is not
exercised gradually atrophies and refuses to function properly, and lack
of the internal exercise afforded by the diaphragmatic action leads
to diseased organs. The complete breath gives the proper motion
to the diaphragm, as well as exercise in the middle
and upper chest. It is indeed complete in its action
from the standpoint of Western physiology alone without reference to
the organ. Philosophies and science This Yogi system of complete
breathing is of vital importance to every man, woman, and
child who wishes to acquire health and keep it. Its
very simplicity keeps thousands from seriously considering it while they
spend fortunes in seeking health through complicated and expensive systems.
Health knocks at their door, and they answer not verily.
The stone which the builders reject is the real cornerstone
of the Temple of Health.