SCIENCE OF BREATH. 



with the Universal Life. Both of the exercises given below 

 are simple, and consist of mental images firmly held, 

 accompanied with rhythmic breathing. The student must 

 not expect too much at the start, but must make haste 

 slowly, and be content to develop as does the flower, from 

 seed to blossom. 



SOUL CONSCIOUSNESS. 



The real Self Is not the body or even the mind of man. 

 These things are but a part of his personality, the lesser 

 self. The real Self is the Ego, whose manifestation is 

 in individuality. The real Self is independent of the body, 

 which it inhabits, and is even independent of the mech- 

 anism of the mind, which it uses as an instrument. The 

 real Self is a drop from the Divine Ocean, and is eternal 

 and indestructible. It cannot die or be annihilated, and 

 no matter what becomes of the body, the real Self still 

 exists. It is the Soul. Do not think of your Soul as a 

 thing apart from you, for YOU are the Soul, and the body 

 is the unreal and transitory part of you which is chang- 

 .ng in material every day, and which you will some day 

 discard. You may develop the faculties so that they will 

 be conscious of the reality of the Soul, and its independ- 

 ence of the body. The Yogi plan for such development 

 is by meditation upon the real Self or Soul, accompanied 

 by rhythmic breathing. The following exercise is the 

 simplest form. 



EXERCISE. Place your body in a relaxed, reclining 

 position. Breathe rhythmically, and meditate upon the real 

 Self, thinking of yourself as an entity independent of the 

 body, although inhabiting it and being able to leave it at 

 will. Think of yourself, not as the body, but as a spirit, 

 and of your body as but a shell, useful and comfortable, 

 but not a part of the real You. Think of yourself as an 

 independent being, using the body only as a convenience 

 While meditating, ignore the body entirely, and you will 

 flnd that you will often become almost entirely unconscious 

 of it, and will 8eem to be out of the body to which you 

 tnay return when you are through with the exercise. 



This is the gist of the Yogi meditative breathing 



V 



