Breath is Life 15. 



beings were automatons, the regularity of these 

 vibrations would be as unchanging as the move- 

 ments of the planets in their orbits. But free will 

 and emotions, every thought and act of man, have 

 their effect for good or ill, and ages ago the Hin- 

 dus discovered that the inception of every disease 

 is in any influence which disturbs nature's intricate 

 but symmetrical balance of these etheric life-forces; 

 which, corresponding to the elements composing 

 the body, are renewed with every breath and, be- 

 ing elemental subdivisions of Prdna, furnish and 

 modify the activities of the whole human entity. 

 This explains the philosophy of alternate breath- 

 ing, the many forms of which are devised to re- 

 store the balance of the Tattvas. It also exposes 

 the error of the statement that, " A strictly well 

 person uses the right nostril by day, the left by 

 night." So far, indeed, from the truth is this, 

 that it would be a dangerous practice, and its ex- 

 act reverse in a modified form a shorter period 

 is the recommendation of adepts in Tattvic 

 philosophy. They commend the use of the nega- 

 tive breath lunar current at sunrise, and the 

 positive breath solar current at sunset ; the 

 reason being that the one is cooling, the other heat- 

 ing. They thus impose a certain check upon the 

 prevalent terrestrial influences, while putting us 

 en rapport with them, since two positives repel 

 each other, as do, of course two negative currents. 



