1 6 The Law of the Rhythmic Breath 



In the intense activities of our modern Western 

 life, the positive breath is employed in excess, us- 

 ing up all physical and mental force under the lash 

 of will-power. The resulting exhaustion 

 sometimes amounting to painful prostration is 

 because the impact of the positive current has over- 

 charged nerve centers ; the human wires over which 

 these currents flow slacken in this condition and 

 refuse to respond to the vibrations playing upon 

 them, so the negative current does not set in. 

 There is discord and struggle in all the atoms to 

 accomplish this, hence suffering. The quickest re- 

 lief for this condition is to close the right nostril 

 and take a few negative breaths, with deep, full 

 inhalations and slow, restrained exhalations from 

 the same nostril. Only a few moments voluntary 

 attention need be given. Once started the life- 

 current will do its recuperative work. 



Beneficial effects are gained by employing the 

 positive breath when going to sleep, which is done 

 by lying on the left side. It counteracts a ten- 

 dency to an excess of the negative principle in the 

 heart at evening (at which time the negative or 

 lunar, current is the stronger), and also protects 

 the sleeper from the frivolous and wasting activi- 

 ties caused by the invasion of idle thoughts (called 

 dreams) upon the field of subconsciousness when 

 the guarding mind is off duty. At dawn, it is 

 well to turn upon the right side, but other move- 



