348 The Law of the Rhythmic BreatK 



arrest impurities which, if carried to the lungs, 

 would irritate their delicate structure. Contag- 

 ious diseases can be contracted by the unlovely as 

 well as unclean habit of mouth-breathing. 



Do nothing automatically. In all your prac- 

 tice, make your thoughts follow and direct the vi- 

 tal currents. For example: Think as well as 

 feel the pressure and distention in the small of 

 the back. You will thus greatly facilitate the 

 forming of the habit of doing involuntarily what 

 you must now practice. Moreover, indulgence in 

 automatisms is dangerously apt to encourage ab- 

 sent-mindedness, a fault which leads to grave mis- 

 takes, the results of which are seldom confined to 

 the immediate offenders. All the accidents due 

 to the " Didn't-think " folk can be traced to the 

 encouragement of automatisms. 



The habit should be acquired of holding the 

 breath perceptibly before the exhalation, for only 

 thus do we take from the inhaled air all its vital 

 elements. It is possible through faithful practice 

 to wont ourselves to deep, rhythmic breathing as 

 the rule; and with the help of the corrective exer- 

 cises Alternate Breathing and Held Breath 

 to develop a dynamic energy which we can divert 

 at need to any organ or nerve of the body and 

 hold there long enough to stimulate a revitalizing 

 process. 



When we gain control of Prana for which 



