You have learned by now that there is nothing of magic in Yoga; neither are its results achieved magically, but by work­ing for them. You have a good idea of its underlying philoso­phy, its scope and its application. You also know what you may and may not reasonably hope to gain from its study and practice, even within the limits of a form adapted to the ex­igencies of our busy, crowded, briskly-paced Western exist­ence.

It goes without saying that such general knowledge would be of no use at all unless it went hand in hand with careful instruction. And, indeed, the major part of this book is there­fore devoted to the specifics of Yoga practice. In Part II we shall take up, step by step, the minimal techniques which must be assimilated for complete body and mind control. Through these you will learn how to achieve true serenity of spirit and that mastery of Self which comes from self-knowledge, quali­ties developed by means of Yoga relaxation, concentration and meditation.

We have already pointed out that Yoga, in common with modern materialistic science, claims there is no artificial sep­aration between that which is body and that which is mind, and that this is the logic behind the fact that all its teachings begin with the physical. Therefore to achieve the desired ends it becomes necessary to go through a process of re-educating the nerves, the muscles, the reflexes, until each part of the body is capable of controlling itself, utilizing its full reservoir of incipient power.

Naturally, however, busy men and women—for all their desire to function better—will not embark on such a program of self re-education nor subject themselves to self-discipline unless they thoroughly understand and accept the reasons for it. We are all human, and the tendency to shrug off whatever calls for even slight sustained effort is present in all of us. But we are generally willing to make that effort once we are con­vinced of its necessity, exactly as the mature student engineer is willing to study hard to master the basic rules of physics if he some day hopes to participate in building rockets.

Applied to the study of Yoga, what you need now is a thorough understanding of the relationship between the phys­iology of your body and the various exercises and poses whose practice Yoga calls for. Once this is clear, you will know exactly why you are being asked to do them and will be able to put your heart into the doing.

Try thinking of the body as a complex mechanism of which the skeleton is the marvelously flexible framework. There are over four hundred pair of muscles articulating this framework. There are parallel systems of nerves and blood vessels con­trolling its movements, its sensations, its responses; feeding it, cleaning it, replenishing it.

Some of the processes that comprise living are conscious, others automatic. Most of us, for instance, breathe without giving it a thought. Nor do we control the beating of the heart, or our digestive process, or our rate of metabolism. Nor, until we have learned to be conscious of them, are we even aware of the thousands of small motions we make in the course of the day, such as blinking, swallowing, shifting position while we think of ourselves as being reasonably still. In other words, we are making constant demands on our body before we even begin to use it for action.

In addition to bones, sinews and nerves, there is still another component in the picture we have just sketched—one which medical science has only recently begun to know at all well—and that is the endocrine or ductless gland system. Since they are what makes all the other body functions possible, the endocrines may best be described as the power behind the throne. There are eight sets of endocrine glands in all: the pineal and the pituitary in the head; the thyroid, parathyroid and thymus in the region of the neck; the pancreas and the adrenals in the region of the solar plexus; and finally the gonads, or sex glands, in the pelvic region. Among them the endocrines control growth, weight, size, metabolism, energy, health, sexual power and even disposition. In short, they make us what we are.

When the Greeks taught that the seat of the emotions was the liver, they were not far from the truth. When Shakespeare wrote, "I have no stomach for it," he knew without benefit of X-ray that one's feelings, likes, and dislikes were closely bound up with what went on in the region of the solar plexus. Today medical men ascertain the same thing with the use of barium and laboratory findings. But aren't they merely affirm­ing, scientifically and accurately, what intuition and insight told wise men centuries ago?

In primitive man, as in animals, every adrenal upset served an immediate and useful purpose. Fear, alertness to danger, anger, hunger, the sex urge, all telegraphed their messages di­rectly to the "stomach brain." The glands then sent their secretions into the blood stream, and the result was action. Primitive man, knowing fear, ran for safety. Knowing anger he struck out, or even killed. Feeling the urge to mate, he went wooing—even if he had to drag his bride home by the hair!

Today, with society and its laws sophisticated and complex, such simple cause-and-effect action and reaction is no longer possible. We have been taught to control, to hide, to sublimate, even to deny our emotions. Often we mask our impulses so completely we only know them translated into vague restless­ness or sleeplessness or "butterflies in the stomach." They have become unrecognizable, but their basis remains the same: something—be it anger or fear or desire or pain—stimulates our endocrines; they respond, arouse our body, cause our heart to beat faster and our senses to quicken. But there is no physical outlet for all this turmoil. So the body turns upon it­self. Literally, it is "spoiling" for action.

It is interesting that unlike our civilized consciousness the body and the subconscious have remained primitive. They cannot be easily fooled. Repressed emotions almost invariably become a weapon we turn against ourselves. If we worry, we lose weight—unless of course we happen to be among the compulsive eaters who gorge for consolation, in which case we gain alarmingly. If we get angry we find ourselves with an upset stomach, and if we stay angry long enough and fre­quently enough we may end up with colitis or ulcers. Over­whelmed by a sense of hopelessness, we may seek escape into asthma or tuberculosis or a state of shock. The list is endless. Each of us could add to it from personal observation.

Now add the problems imposed on us by our urban civiliza­tion: Our nervous system is called upon to work overtime because of the endless stimuli coming at us relentlessly from every direction. Among the tensions of city-living are street noise, radio, TV, the telephone, crowds, work deadlines, de­mands on every minute of our time, constant distraction and, of course, competitiveness. At best all this adds up to harass­ment. Often anxieties are set up simply because of the pace we try to keep up. Again the result is usually an upset of the deli­cate balance of hormone secretions which are at the very basis of our life force.

What it all adds up to is that most of us permit our minds and our bodies to wage civil war upon each other instead of having them unite to serve us, and serve us well.

Clearly, then, the problem is to put our own selves in con­trol.

Just how does the practice of Yoga, with its breathing exercises and formal postures, help to achieve this? On what physiological principles can it be said to base itself? Here are some of the answers the student should have before becoming more deeply involved.

First the physiology of breathing:

The purpose of breathing, as everyone knows, is to supply the body with oxygen and cleanse it of carbon dioxide. Cut off the oxygen, retain the poisonous waste gas, and death will follow in a matter of minutes. This is elementary. What is not so clear is that an inadequate supply of oxygen—that is, im­proper waste disposal—results in half-living. The body func­tions are slowed, the tissues fail to renew themselves. Yet this unsatisfactory state of affairs is so common that we actually take it for granted. In fact, leading chest specialists say that the average person today utilizes only about one-eighth of his lung capacity, a capacity which was right for him back in the days when he lived in caves and spent all his waking hours actively engaged in the business of surviving.

Even when we are not living at par, the heart does a prodi­gious job. Every hour it pumps some 800 quarts of blood through the lungs which, in turn, eliminate some 30 quarts of carbon acid during that time. The heart beats 100,000 times a day, which means it generates enough energy to lift a weight of 130 tons a foot high. It pumps enough blood in a lifetime to float the largest ocean liner. Imagine what power our heart might have, what energy it could generate, if only its supply of oxygen were increased eight times!

As the freshly-oxygenated blood travels from the lungs to the heart and is pumped on, via arteries and blood vessels, via tiny capillaries, it reaches every cell in our organism. It makes possible the utilization of our food intake for the body's vari­ous needs, rebuilding tissues, supplying energy. It stimulates the functioning of the endocrine glands so that their secretions may be better absorbed. It feeds the nerves. It feeds the brain. Then, through a second set of capillaries, dark red now instead of bright, for it is loaded with waste, it travels back through the veins to be cleansed once more. All of the blood in the body makes this trip to the heart every three minutes.
Now what of the lungs? Why is it that most of us do not use our respiratory system properly? Partly the answer is, again, that we have grown effete with civilization. The physiology of the human body remains geared to that primitive state when man hunted, climbed trees, split rocks, and there is little we can do to change this. In a sense we now have too much equip­ment for our needs, and we are letting it grow weak and flabby with disuse. This imbalance, by the way, has been largely responsible for the prevalence of tuberculosis and our suscep­tibility to it until the development of wonder drugs changed the picture.

But the anachronistic way we are built is not the only reason for our being oxygen-starved, nor for the various respiratory ailments and infection from which so many of us surfer. The fact is, few of us breathe properly.

Look around you. You will be astonished to notice how many people breathe through the mouth instead of through the nose. This means they inhale directly through the pharynx and the larynx (roughly, together, the throat) allowing air to reach the bronchial tubes without being properly filtered and warmed. In order to be cleansed of dust and bacteria air should be drawn in through the nasal passages where the mucus mem­branes with their secretions filter it. Moreover, as that air then travels a considerably longer road it is warmed to body tem­perature instead of being allowed to hit vital organs with chilly shock. Breathing through the mouth, then, is an invita­tion to colds and infections of all sorts.

One final aspect, too often disregarded, of proper breathing is that it must be done from the diaphragm. Women especially, because of tight clothing and girdles, tend to breathe by lifting the chest, consciously drawing the air in. This is less than half-effective, both because the upper lobes of the lungs are the smallest and because the upper part of the rib cage is relatively rigid. The correct way to breathe is to expand the muscles of the diaphragm down and out, then push in and up. In this way the lungs expand to full capacity, air rushes into them, then is vigorously expelled. If you try it, you will quickly see how even a minute or two of such breathing can be enormously exhilarating. But very few of us breathe this way naturally. It is something which must be learned by practice.

Yoga deep-breathing exercises, as you will see shortly, give the body this exhilaration. Some you will find extremely simple—so simple you will wonder why they should be digni­fied by such formal attention. The answer is that because of this very simplicity they can, if done regularly, soon become automatic, a fine new habit. Moreover, like the more com­plicated ones, they are a most important adjunct of the prac­tice of relaxation and concentration. Bear in mind always that one cannot be achieved without the other, and neither can be reached without an understanding of the purpose of both.

Try this first experiment in Dynamic Breathing: Stand straight but relaxed. Breathing as smoothly and rhythmically as possible, with the mouth closed, inhale slowly and deeply while expanding the diaphragm, then exhale by pushing the diaphragm in and up. Take as long to inhale as to exhale, al­though normally inhalation involves a shorter movement than exhalation. While striving to equalize and slow down your normal tempo, visualize your limbs as hollow tubes through which the life-giving prana is being drawn into your body. Picture this energy flowing into your organs, bathing your en­tire body and cleansing it. As you exhale, visualize fatigue and exhaustion passing out of your system along with the poison­ous wastes you breathe out. Finish with what we call the "Cleansing Breath:" Inhale deeply, then, when your lungs are fully extended, expel the breath suddenly and energeti­cally, using a quick inward jerk of the abdomen to drain the lungs of all air. Repeat the cleansing breath two or three times, and you will be amazed at its bracing effect. After you have become expert at Dynamic Breathing, you can practice it at odd times during the day.

Now for the physiology of relaxation and concentration:

On the face of it, talking about the physiology of mental attitudes may sound odd. It isn't, when you give it thought. But perhaps the concept of a purely physical aspect of what we habitually consider primarily mental states will become clearer if we stop to analyze their opposites—nervous tension and the inability to concentrate.

Do you remember being told, back when you were very young and frightened and facing a Big Moment, to take a deep breath, count to ten, then plunge ahead? What was that if not a time-honored trick for achieving relaxation through breathing? The young actor is advised to do this; so is the in­experienced public speaker—while the experienced ones do it almost as a reflex.

The Yoga sages discovered thousands of years ago that in order to gain complete control of the body and thus free the mind, it was imperative to get more out of the organs than is generally considered possible. We have just seen how correct breathing contributes to this. Next let us analyze relaxation itself and find out something about the positions the body needs to assume in order to relax. Let us also see how relaxa­tion really is possible in postures which, to our Western eye, look like tortured contortions.

Phrased another way, what is the relationship between the Yoga positions, the asanas and midras, and the physical as well as mental results claimed for them? Why is it so important to follow these routines? Why, in short, can't we simply relax in the old, orthodox way, slumped in a chair on lying in bed?

In the first place, there probably never was any such thing as an old, orthodox method of relaxation. Try to check on yourself and you will begin at once to see the fallacies: Slump in an armchair, and you will find you retain tensions in a dozen muscles. Are you frowning, grinding your teeth, drumming your fingers on the arm of the chair, tapping your foot? Is the back of your neck tight? Are you keenly aware of every sound around you? Check closely, and you will be astonished at what you discover.

Now try lying flat on the floor a few moments. Close your eyes, let your arms and legs go limp, your neck and spine loose. Can you tell the difference? Of course you can. Tension begins to flow out of you almost at once, yet you haven't even learned how to lie down properly.

The principles of relaxation on which all asanas are based are these: It is essential to find positions in which it is possible to "let go" as many muscles as possible and as many thoughts as possible. This relieves both mind and body of all conscious tension and contraction. Naturally total relaxation is not pos­sible, especially in a seated position, for in order to hold the back erect certain muscles must of necessity remain con­tracted. But if the body is balanced and at ease, very little ef­fort is required to keep it erect. This balance and limberness of muscle is what the Yogi develops through assiduous prac­tice.

It is a mistake to assume, by the way, as some students do, that in order to be successful, asanas must be hard to do. Many are simple enough for anyone to assimilate comfortably; others, while difficult at first, soon respond to steady, patient application. Moreover, rather than risk discouragement the Occidental is always advised to start out with a preliminary series of easy, comfortable stretching exercises.

Conscious stretching, together with conscious relaxation, are the best possible preliminaries to the practice of asanas. Their techniques are given in detail in Part II of this book, but right now try a few simple routines:

After you have completed your Dynamic Breathing and the Cleansing Breath, stand straight but relaxed and slowly start to bend over so that your fingers touch your toes. Begin by relax­ing your neck so that your chin touches your chest, let the chest cave in while the shoulders move forward and your arms hang loose and limp. Arch your spine and try to bend, vertebra by vertebra in a rolling motion until your whole torso feels limp like the body of a rag doll. If you cannot touch your toes the first time, do not strain to do it; instead, try to bend lower by pushing the body from the waist down in a few easy, jerking motions. Now straighten up by reversing the process—tense each vertebra in turn, this time from the waist up. Now do a thorough stretch, breathing deeply and luxuri­ously. Repeat once or twice. You will be astonished at the elasticity your spine acquires if you do this regularly every day for a week.

Another excellent preliminary relaxation routine is stretch­ing on waking up. Make it a habit never to jump out of bed in the morning. Instead, give yourself a minute or two to wake your body thoroughly. Lie flat on your back, preferably with­out a pillow. Breathing deeply but easily, start by consciously stretching one leg from the hip down, toes pointing so that you can feel the muscles of the calf, and the leg itself feels about an inch longer than the other. Relax, then repeat with the other leg. Now stretch your arms hard sideways, then over your head, tensing shoulder and neck and muscles, and arching your back like a cat. Now get up slowly, avoiding jerky motions. You have never seen a dog or cat jump up from a nap, unless it has been startled and alerted as if to danger, in which case its adrenalin is probably pouring through its body. It is precisely such harmful purposeless over-stimulation that you must teach yourself to avoid. Incidentally, this getting-up routine is worth an extra half hour's sleep.

We have already mentioned that the ancient Yogis devel­oped their exercise techniques from observing animal life. Not only did they appreciate the genius for relaxation all animals possess. They realized that animals, utilizing their energies properly, sleeping at intervals around the clock, eating only according to need, live to five times their maturity and keep their full vigor five-sixths of their life, while men and women live to only twice their maturity and begin to lose their vitality half-way through. Carrying their emulation of beasts and birds to a logical conclusion the Yogis became the exception to the rule. Highly cultivated, highly civilized as they are, they know enough to turn to the simple and the primitive in order to re-discover natural living and nature's laws.

Obviously the pursuit of the an of relaxation isn't a matter of physical positions alone. Since relaxation is a matter for the mind and spirit as well as for the body, other factors too are in­volved and they will be discussed at the proper time. But while we are still on the physiological aspects, it should be pointed out that, like proper breathing, correct posture sets up the ideal conditions for the mental and spiritual side of Yoga, since in a relaxed body the blood, stimulated by greater amounts of oxygen, flushes poisons out of every cell. This results in a greater sense of well-being, the body becoming alert, mag­nificently responsive to the dictates of mind and of will. Thus the Yogi may then be likened to a consummate artist capable of drawing the best out of a perfect, responsive instrument.

The more completely you learn to control the body the more of its various functions become controllable. For in­stance, with the mind at peace the great Western bugaboo of insomnia quickly vanishes. Not only does sleep begin to come easily to the person who practices Yoga—its very quality is different—sleep that is deep, calm, profoundly dreamless and restful.

As the tone of the body improves and rest becomes more thorough, metabolism too begins to improve. There is less need for food, since whatever food is taken in is digested and utilized to the last molecule. Hence weight problems begin to disap­pear. The overweight see their fat burn away while the under­weight begin to gain as food begins to do them some good. Next the body, physiologically on its toes, is able to throw off infection, sore throats, migraine and the many ailments of creeping middle age. Specifically the whole gamut of joint diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism and neuritis recede under the double offensive of improved circulation and gently-limbering exercise.

In India it is not at all uncommon to meet Yogis a hundred years old and older. These men, after years of study and con­centration, often are capable of amazing feats. It is not rare to hear of long fasts, of breathing so controlled it approaches what in the animal world is called a state of hibernation. Yogis often also develop total indifference to pain. The men who lie on beds of nails, who allow themselves to be buried alive for days on end, may be fakirs but not necessarily fakers. It has been done, and will be done many times again. For what they have developed is the ability to exist in a state of suspended animation.

Naturally, this book cannot be expected to teach the West­erner any such refinements of performance. Aside from the dangers we have already mentioned, it is doubtful that most students would be interested. Rather let us decide soberly and realistically on a modest program of attainment which, just as a beginning, might include the triple goal of greater peace of mind, greater self-knowledge and improved health. If we do that much we may find ourselves, in a surprisingly short time, embarking on second youth—a youth made joyous by added wisdom, a new-found serenity and, consequently, happier relationships with those around us. Best of all, these goals may be achieved within the limited time we have at our disposal, with only a reasonable store of patience and well within the scope of activities of our everyday life.

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