EBOOK : YOGA FOR YOU HEALTH
Yoga For Your Health
CHAPTER ONE
What Yoga can do
YOGA at last is coming into its
own in the Western world. After many years of being dismissed as a bizarre cult
attractive only to eccentrics, it is today recognized as a fundamental art and
skill. More than that, many of its most bitter opponents, people who were among
the first to cry down Yogic culture, have now embraced it as a way of life.
The ancients who formulated the
science of Yoga were way ahead of us in our modern world of stress and hurry.
Recognizing, thousands of years ago, man’s basic need for discipline to
counteract the physical and spiritual deterioration caused by the mere fight
for survival, they evolved a science which is at once as ancient as India
herself and as modern as the space age.
The law of Yoga is the law of
Life. Yoga embodies the secrets of successful living and combines profound and
age-old truths with a way of life acceptable to the modern mind. It was evolved
from the Veda, one of the most ancient scriptural books known to mankind in
which Indian saints and sages taught that the Universe is one and that all
religions are paths ascending the same mountain towards Eternal Truth. The
great modern saint, Sri Ramakrishna, is often quoted as saying, ‘As many
faiths, so many paths.’
But Yoga is not a religion, nor
is it a mystic cult. It is a Hindu system of philosophic meditation and
asceticism designed to effect the reunion of the devotee’s soul with God. It is
a philosophy which integrates the individual life and the world surrounding us
to achieve a basic harmony and equilibrium in the heart and mind of man.
How is physical health a part
of so spiritual a philosophy as Yoga? Simply that the trichotomy of our lives,
divided into body, soul and spirit, is echoed in the complete Yogic philosophy
whose three approaches—asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), and
meditation—are unified as one approach to self discovery.
One of the fundamental
doctrines of Yoga is that God is within each one of us but He reveals Himself
only in conditions of purity, both spiritually and physically. To function on a
higher level, either mentally or physically, the first step must always be to
rid the body of the impurities that cause disease and which impede spiritual
development. One can draw the analogy of the window which must be cleaned
before one can see the light clearly through it.
This basic principle of
purification underlines all Yogic practice and at the same time it aims at
establishing a balance in the body so that it functions, as it were, like a
perfect machine. When this state of physical balance is achieved the mind can
then be controlled and can realize the ultimate in pure thought and reason. I
have yet to meet anyone who can successfully employ the techniques of mind control
while plagued with indigestion, asthma, a thumping headache or any other of the
ills and stress symptoms which plague modern man. So first things first.
Physical ills drag one downwards and the disciplinary science of Hatha Yoga was
evolved that the body would be freed from pain and disease.
This book is primarily
concerned with this Yoga of the physical body known as Hatha Yoga. While the
body and the mind cannot be separated and the health of one affects the health
of the other, I have laid stress on the day to day problems and ailments of the
average person who wishes to improve his general health. Not everyone has the
mystic vocation to achieve union with God, the Universal Spirit, which is the
primary aim of all Yoga, but everyone would like to know how to improve his
health.
Many Westerners, moving as they
do in a world of hurry and stress, feel that Yoga holds nothing for them and
that the whole philosophy is rather remote, vague, and impractical. In this
book my aim is to show readers how the ancient system of Yoga provides an
effective answer to the many problems of our modern life. You can take an
active part in the hurly burly of everyday living and Yoga will act as a
protection from the numerous stresses of your environment. While best results
are obtained by exercising and practicing breathing and relaxation alone,
nevertheless you need not become a hermit to achieve success and improved
health through Hatha Yoga.
Recognizing then that you are
not a mystic and you do not wish to spend years in meditation and mental
discipline to find the true meaning of God and Life, how then can Yoga help
you? Let us consider your problems. Are you overworked and tense and do you
find it impossible to relax even in bed at night? Are you overweight yet lack the
will-power to diet? Do you sometimes find yourself unable to cope with the dash
and tumult of everyday life? Are you irritable, worried, nervous? Are you
plagued by indigestion and other stress symptoms? Or simply do you seek
something, you know not what, which goes above and beyond the superficial level
of everyday living?
Yoga awaits your interest, your
inspection, your first hesitant experiments. It is here, it has always been
here, it is yours for the taking. Those who have delved into its profound philosophy
and studied for years with patience and devotion to learn more and more have
found something unique, priceless, and indestructible.
The uninformed often speak of
Yoga as some dark, hidden practice of magical rites for attaining wondrous
powers. While it is an indisputable fact that some advanced Yogis are indeed
possessed of such powers, they reached their state of heightened consciousness,
not by bell, book, and candle, but by the disciplining of the mind for which
the first step is the perfecting of the physical body, through Hatha Yoga.
The inner power of Yoga becomes
apparent when one realizes that it has something to offer every thinking
person, here and now, yet it is an ancient Hindu philosophy, its beginnings
shrouded in the mists of time. The idea may sound fanciful but the proof is
manifold.
Hatha Yoga is the preparation
for all the higher forms of Yoga and, because of its benefits to the body and
the mind, it is the most popular form of Yoga and the most acceptable to
Western habits of thought. At the same time it is the most misunderstood
science on the face of the earth. Many well-meaning, but misguided individuals
have a disparaging attitude towards Hatha Yoga, because its special province is
the physical body. But the sages who formulated the disciplinary science of
Hatha Yoga recognized that the first thing man desires and needs is health, so
they devised the best means of attaining and preserving it. While Hatha Yoga is
the cause of much apprehension among people who effect to despise things
physical and concentrate on higher matters, it has always been a source of
interest to me how anyone can meditate on Higher Things while doubled up with
pain or suffering any kind of physical discomfort.
Having declared then that Hatha
Yoga can help you towards better health and calm your mind so that you can
solve your personal problems, I do want to stress two facts. Firstly, that the
aim of Hatha Yoga is not the acquisition of a superior muscular physique but
the discipline and the purification of the body that we may forget our earthly
shell enough to reach a state of heightened awareness through the control of
the mind. Secondly, that Hatha Yoga is neither the easiest nor the fastest
system of physical culture to show results. Why then Hatha Yoga for your
health? Why not weight lifting, club swinging, athletics, or even dancing? All
of these will improve the circulation, the figure, and strengthen the muscles.
What has Hatha Yoga to offer in addition to this? Simply that Hatha will
provide an extraordinary control over the body and awaken the mind and spirit,
the higher self if you like, as no purely physical culture system could
possibly do. Also, the above-mentioned activities are beyond the capabilities
of a large section of the community, the aged, the infirm, the lame, and the
physically frail. Those activities involve violent movement whereas Hatha Yoga
is essentially a static science. Basically one gets into a Yoga posture or
asana and remains so for as long as possible. Stress is laid on pressure of
certain organs, glands and muscles rather than on movement. When movement is
necessary in Hatha Yoga it is always gentle and graceful, therefore anyone can
benefit from Yoga regardless of age, sex, race, walk of life, or religious
belief. It is a universal science. It can lead to more abundant living and a
new awareness of higher things through ridding your body of the pains and
diseases which drag your mind back into the earth when it wants to wing its way
upwards towards the light.
It is reported that Lord
Buddha, whose philosophy is based on the Veda from which Yoga was evolved, said
that the first step on the way to spiritual freedom and salvation is perfect
physical health. So if you are drawn towards Hatha Yoga do not be put off by
others who might tell you that you will never reach a state of heightened
consciousness by turning your body upside down or sitting in various
leg-breaking postures. Tell them that if the blood is impure then the brain,
the nerves, the psycho-spiritual life, yes even the thoughts, cannot but be
affected. Tell them that a man cannot control his mind until his body is made
pure and healthy. Even if you do not aim at mental discipline, and many of you
I know do not, you can with persistent practice improve your general health
beyond belief.
You will find that Yoga
knowledge, once accumulated, will begin to influence and help you in your daily
life, whoever you may be. It will gradually invade every part of your life,
from your attitude towards your fellow men to the way you sleep, breathe,
think, and even eat. Did I say eat? What has eating to do with Hatha Yoga? It
has very much to do with it. It is a strange fact that Yoga’s doctrine of
non-violence very soon influences even the most enthusiastic meat-eater to
think again about a vegetarian diet. As the senses become more acute through
the practice of Yoga, one begins to experience a distaste for al! forms of
killing and violence. Meat becomes unpalatable because many devotees of Yoga
are actually able to see the astral bodies of the slaughtered animals as they
tuck into a thick, juicy steak. Their senses gradually becoming awakened, they
think on things that never occurred to them before and in the case of
slaughtering helpless animals they begin to understand and revolt at the
hideous practices that go on in abattoirs all over the world. So you have been
warned! You, who are reading a book on Yoga for perhaps the first time in your
life, you who have eaten and enjoyed meat and fish for many years and intend to
go on doing so, you will suddenly discover, if you practice Yoga, that meat is
not quite so delicious as you hitherto thought and that other foods, cheese and
vegetables and fruits, taste much better.
You see it is impossible to
practice Hatha Yoga as a kind of hobby and hope to keep it aside from your
everyday life, like knitting or woodwork. Inevitably it must influence your
whole life and thought and make you, not a different person or even a better
one, but into your real self ‘denuded of all false pretence, of false values,
and of unreasonable fears and inhibitions. If I have alarmed you in any way or
made you feel that Yoga is going to prove far too complicated a thing in your
orderly life, let me hasten to assure you that the influence of Yoga cannot be
otherwise than beneficial. While Yoga is not, as I stressed at the beginning, a
religion, nevertheless those men who devote their whole lives to it become
saintly and intensely spiritual. This applies to devotees of Hatha as well as
the other Yogas which proves conclusively that though Hatha’s province is the
physical body and its perfection, in the last analysis Hatha Yoga is a
spiritual discipline.
You may consider Hatha Yoga
either as a special subject in itself or as an adjunct to other forms of Yoga.
Whatever your reason (and there can never be a bad reason for doing something
good) Yoga can help you with your everyday problems on all levels. As you grow
healthier and more relaxed you become more gentle, less inclined to fits of
irritation and temper. Yoga provides the counter-weight so urgently needed to
the ever increasing nervous, mental and physical tensions of our modern life.
All the exercises or asanas of
Hatha Yoga are based on the formula of stretching, relaxing, deep breathing and
increasing the circulation of the blood and the powers of concentration. Yogic
culture is divided into eight sections.
Yama—ethics.
Niyama—religious observances.
Asana—postures.
Pranayama—breathing exercises
and control of the breath.
Pratyahara—withdrawing of
the senses from
external
objects.
6. Dhyarana—concentration.
7. Dhyana—meditation.
8. Samadhi—super-consciousness.
It is with 3 and 4 that this
book is primarily concerned for these sections are the beginning of all Yoga
without which you cannot hope to gain mastery over yourself and learn the
secrets of the Universe. According to the Yoga Shastras the Yoga asanas total
the staggering number of 840,000, but the important ones number only 84. Of
these I have described all but the most difficult. This is a book primarily for
the Westerner and the beginner in Yoga and as such it does not contain postures
suitable only to advanced students who are able to practice many hours a day.
The asanas included in this book will suffice to bring the health of the
average person to a far higher level than hitherto experienced and, combined
with the other practices described in this book, will open out a new horizon
beyond the banalities of everyday existence.
Let me warn you that Yoga is
another word for hard work, indeed some say it is all work and no play. That
may be so, but all the same if you have read thus far your mind must be
searching for something and if that something is Yoga then you will not be
deterred by the mere thought of hard work. Rather you will glory in it for there
is a sense of great achievement in self-discipline. Yes, Hatha Yoga is
discipline all the way. I can show you the path up the mountain but it is up to
you to climb. With the best will in the world I cannot do the hard work for
you. But if you choose this path all you need to follow it is determination. If
you have it you cannot fail. If you lack it you cannot begin.
“”There is an innermost center
in us all Where Truth abides in fullness; and to know Rather consists in
opening out a way Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape . . .’
(BROWNING)
CHAPTER TWO
Relaxation and stretching
No one, I think, would disagree
with me when I say that the pace of modern life, especially in the big cities,
is destructive. Why, but why is everyone intent on doing something all the time
? Do they imagine they are missing something if they go to bed with a book, or
sit and think, or just sit? Some people cannot tolerate being alone. Their own
company is inexpressibly boring and depressing. But why? If only these unfortunates
could catch even a solitary glimpse of the rich inner life of the spirit, and
the awesome power of clear thought.
People who rush about in a
frenzy are often not the ones who get the best results. What about the man who
has had the time to think ? Who has made the time to think ? While others
rushed dizzily past him he has been evolving ideas, building and planning in
his slow but constructive mind. It has been said that much of the good work of
the world has been done by the dull man who has done his best.
Yoga will not teach you to be
dull, rather the contrary it will teach you to be more magnetic, but it will
show you the importance of knowing when to slow down. The ancient Chinese
believed in the theory of ‘masterly inactivity’ and this served to lay down the
foundation of a unique civilization. By ‘inactivity’ I do not mean idleness,
laziness or mental inertia. Yoga is not for the lazy. No, Yoga’s inactivity
serves as a breathing space among the bustle of everyday life so that one can
recharge the batteries of one’s physical and mental processes to pursue life
with renewed energy and clearer thought.
Yogis realized, centuries ago,
that the mind always functions better in a state of relaxation. Force yourself
to work and the result is a headache, weariness, and a lack of spontaneity. In
those fields of work where creative ability is constantly called into play this
spontaneity is of vital importance. No one wants to read, hear, or look at
something dragged from a fogged and tired brain. Yoga’s first lesson, then, is how to relax. I
do not wish to be an alarmist but the sheer inability to relax sends many
millions of people to their graves ten, twenty, sometimes forty years before
their time. So let us first consider how you are, here and now, going to cheat
the undertaker of those precious years of your valuable time.
First of all do not confuse
relaxation with inertia. Relaxation has been defined as ‘a conscious transfer
of energy from one department of nature to another after an extreme tension of body
and brain’. A mere change of occupation is a form of relaxation. This is why
many office workers play football or tennis at weekends, why many manual
workers sit and watch television, why many ‘brain’ workers have hobbies that
involve working with the hands.
For your first lesson in
relaxation let us consider that mid-morning cup of tea that most people look
forward to. What do you do when it arrives? Stand and gulp it down and maybe
throw another one down your throat after it? Try again. No matter who you are,
a busy housewife and mother, a secretary, a company director, a cabinet
minister, or a ballet dancer, stop when that cup of tea arrives. Stop, whatever
you are doing, sit down quietly even if all hell is let loose around you, and
enjoy that cup of tea. Drink it slowly. Try to forget, even if you have only
five minutes to do so, all your immediate cares— the shopping, the laundry,
that lost letter, that copy your editor is screaming for, that order you forgot
to push out. Let it wait. What is the very worst thing that can happen if you
drink a cup of tea in peace and quiet? Why nothing. And how much better you
will feel for it, how much easier things will seem after your few moments’
respite. Relax periodically and you double your efficiency. If you doubt me
then try it and see.
But this is a book about Hatha
Yoga so you will want to know the Yoga way to relax. Lie down on the floor and
let go. That is all. And that is Yoga? It is indeed. It is called SAVASANA or
the CORPSE POSTURE. Not a very pleasant name I agree but all the same it is one
of Yoga’s most valuable and powerful weapons against ill health and stress. It
is pictured in figure 1.
Try it. Lie down on the floor,
no pillows, just a rug or the carpet. Leave off your shoes and wear as little
clothing as possible. Whatever you wear must be light and loose fitting. Now
stretch your arms above your head and stretch out your legs and feet. Go on,
have a good stretch like your cat does before it settles down to sleep. Close
your eyes and let your head roll to one side. Let your hands flop where they
will and imagine that your body has no bones and that you are giving your whole
weight to the floor. Imagine you are on a cloud and that your body is slowly
sinking through it. Keep your eyes closed and think of something peaceful, a
lovely piece of music perhaps or the sound of the sea. Put on a soothing record
if you like or open the window and listen to the birds. Tell yourself that you
are drowsy and comfortable over and over again.
Now then, what about those
knots of tense muscles around your mouth, your eyes, your stomach and your
legs? Go over al! areas of your body and locate any knots of tension there
might be. Be stern with them. Make them loosen up. Very likely they will
tighten up again as soon as your back is turned so to speak but keep your
mind’s eye open and consciously and repeatedly relax any clenched muscles. The
worst offenders by far are the muscles of the face. You are clenching your
teeth and your jaws right now are you not? You would be surprised at the number
of people who do that, even in their sleep. The counter measure is yawning. Do
it as often as you can but do please choose appropriate times as yawning is not
socially acceptable in many circles and your commendable efforts to teach your
facial muscles to relax might be misinterpreted! Open your mouth as wide as you
can, stretch your jaws, tense your facial muscles and then suddenly relax them.
Keep practicing that movement and you will soon rid yourself of teeth
clenching. That in itself is a good start.
So you are lying on the floor
in the Corpse Posture and you are finding that it isn’t as easy as it looks to
relax. It is easy to lie down on the floor but you think I am unreasonable to
ask you to relax every muscle, do you not ? But it can be done. I can do it and
so can many other people. It takes constant practice but how worthwhile is time
spent towards this end for Savasana is one of the greatest vitalizers known to
man. Perform it whenever you are tired, angry, upset, or brain-fagged. Perform
it whenever things get on top of you. It is not time wasted. It is Yoga’s
‘masterly inactivity’ working for you.
No one is too madly busy to be
quite unable to practice the art of relaxation at least once a day. Give to it
a little of your time and it will repay you a thousandfold. What about those
few minutes before you get into bed at night? Are you too busy then?
When you have made some
progress with Savasana your feet will be set firmly on the Yoga path. Its great
influence will begin to work for you. As you grow more and more able to smooth
away the tensions in your body you will find that the tensions in your mind
will also become less. Problems which seemed mountainous will, if you practice
and perfect the art of relaxation, be reduced to a size whereby you can cope
with and overcome them.
But to return to you lying on
the floor and thinking yourself into relaxing those tense muscles. What about
that mind of yours running round in circles? What about that eye of yours on
the clock ? What about that nagging worry at the back of your mind that you
should be up and about doing things? No, you are not really relaxing at all.
Let us try again. Let us approach Savasana from another angle.
I want you to learn to stretch.
A simple enough request but, you may ask, is this Yoga too? Just—stretching? It
is indeed. As you read this book it will become more and more apparent to you
that although Yoga is a Hindu science three thousand years old, a spiritually
based way of life, a contemplative philosophy and a profoundly dedicated art,
nevertheless it has a real and vital place in modern everyday life, your life.
A simple thing like stretching is as much a part of Yoga as any of the more
complicated postures which I will describe during the course of this book.
Stretching then. Lie down as
before on your back with your legs and feet together and raise your arms above
your head with the fingers interlaced. Now turn your hands palms upwards and
you will immediately feel the increased stretch along your ribs and back.
Stretch your arms as far above your head as you can and at the same time point
your toes and push them forward so that you feel the tension in every part of
your legs, arms and shoulders.
Concentrate on stretching thus
far and when, after practicing a few times, you can fully tense your arms,
shoulders and legs simultaneously, try at the same time to pull in your stomach
muscles, arch your spine, and to complete the picture open your mouth in a
gigantic yawn. You will not make a particularly aesthetic picture at this
moment but remember that Yoga should always be practiced alone and in silence,
if possible in secrecy. It is not a science for the extrovert. So you can go
ahead and pull faces to your heart’s content and if no one is any the wiser you
and your health will be all the better for it.
Having stretched every part of
your body, suddenly let go. Remember that you must stretch everything you can
to the utmost, before you let go, so that the ensuing relaxation will be all
the more complete. And when you let go you are once more in Savasana but this
time you should feel much more relaxed. But keep a wary eye open for those
persistent offenders—eyes, lips, teeth, and tongue. Are you clenching them
again? Train your mind to watch these key points throughout the day not only
when you are practicing Savasana, and if you discover that you are clenching
any of your facial muscles be stern with them. As I have reiterated, they need
constant watching but your persistence will soon be rewarded not only in a new
feeling of relaxation but also in your appearance. For Yoga is a beauty
treatment too. Those little tension lines around your eyes, lips, and between
the eyebrows will not be given a chance to develop into deep, ineradicable
wrinkles. Yoga, and particularly Savasana is the simple secret of how devotees
of Yoga remain miraculously young looking even when well advanced in years, for
nothing is so ageing as stress. It puts lines on to the face, sends the eyes
back into their sockets, and gives an ageing droop to the figure. Having
approached Savasana from two different angles, let us try a third. Yoga, while
based on a set of unchanging principles, is not dogmatic and there is much room
for personal preference and capabilities. Yoga’s greatness lies in its ability
to recognize every individual and not lump humanity together as so many other
sciences do. Savasana, then, from a third angle. This one is rather more
difficult but you may find it rather fun. It is called the A ngle Balance and
you will see an illustration of it in figure 33. It is not as easy as it looks
but it is well worth your perseverance.
Angle Balance
Lie flat on your back with your
hands at your sides, and legs together. Now raise your head and shoulders off
the floor and at the same time raise your legs with your knees bent until you
can grasp your toes. Now very carefully straighten your knees still holding
your toes until you are in the position illustrated in figure 33. Hold this
position for as long as you can and then suddenly flop back on to the floor.
Again you are in Savasana and the ensuing relaxation will be more complete
after the preceding tension and concentration required by the ANGLE
BALANCE.
This first Yoga asana, the
Corpse Posture, is one of the most important and although you may be itching to
learn something a little more spectacular 1 do want to impress on you that
stretching and relaxation is the beginning of all Yoga. It calms the mind and
renews the body with energy and the life force which is known as PRANA. SO do
practice Savasana wherever and whenever you possibly can.
Many people make their first
mistake of the day the moment they open their eyes in the morning, and they
start a chain reaction which echoes throughout the day. They open their eyes,
look at the clock, and leap out of bed in a frenzy. The poor human body is
built to withstand an appalling amount of abuse but to subject it to this kind
of punishment, day after day, is simply courting trouble. Think what happens to
your nervous system when you wake up and hurl yourself out of bed in the
morning. Shock and an unspeakable buffeting. Is it necessary? Give yourself a
little time to return to this world from the threshold of another. Set your
alarm clock just five minutes earlier than usual, try this Yoga waking up
routine, and see the difference to your whole day.
Waking up Routine
The word stretching is
reiterated throughout this book and it crops up here too, first thing in the
morning. Stretch up your arms with your fingers interlaced and palms upwards,
stretch your legs, open your mouth wide and yawn several times. As you lie in
bed, still half asleep, keep on yawning and stretching like a cat and then
finally relax your body and do the following leg stretching exercise.
Leg stretching exercise
This is very simple. While
lying in bed with your feet together push one of your legs down towards the
bottom of the bed as though you were trying to lengthen it. Point your toes and
you will feel a pull from your hip right down to your heel. Hold this position
for one minute only and then relax. If you haven’t a clock with a minute hand
then simply count to sixty as you push your leg forward. After a moment’s rest
repeat the exercise with the other leg. As this is a very potent exercise for
the nerves do not repeat it more than once at a time for each leg. It may be
repeated when you go to bed at night if you so wish.
After the Leg Stretching
exercise very slowly get out of bed, stretch once more with your arms above
your head and I assure you that your usual morning half dead feeling will be
conspicuous by its absence.
I will end your first lesson in
stretching and relaxation by describing an exercise taken from the ancient
system of SOORYA NAMASKAR OR SUN EXERCISE because it is practiced facing the
sun as it rises, or at least in the early morning. There are twelve positions
which bring flexibility to the spine which is so vital if one is to perform the
more strenuous Yoga asanas. Of the twelve, which stretch various ligaments and
give different movements to the vertebral column, I have selected a series of
five which the average reader will not find beyond his capabilities. In this
series a full round constitutes nine movements, that is five forward movements
and four retracing ones.
Soorya Namaskar or Sun Exercise
1. Stand erect, feet together, hands at your sides. Take a deep
slow breath, raise your arms
above your head with the fingers
interlaced and
then bend backwards
as far as
you can
without overbalancing. (See Fig.
8, page 39.)
2. Now exhale as completely as you can and at the same time
bend forward and place your
palms flat on the floor about four
or five inches in front of your
toes. Keep your knees absolutely
straight. The correct position
is shown in figure 2.
One important feature of the
SUN EXERCISE is the chin lock, which simply means pressing your chin tightly
against your chest. The Yogis maintain that this has a beneficial effect on the
thyroid glands. Remember while performing the SUN EXERCISE to maintain the chin
lock through stages 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.
3. Inhale again, step back with the right foot as in figure 3
so
that the other knee is bent and
the chin lock is maintained.
4. Exhale once more and move the other leg back as in
figure 4, keeping the knees as
rigid as possible and trying to reach
the floor with your heels. This
is not possible of course but the
action of trying to reach the
floor with the heels will increase the
pull on the calves and thighs.
Remember to maintain the chin lock.
5. Inhale again, slowly and deeply and at the same time release
the chin lock and, while
keeping the upper part of the body as
steady as possible, lower the
legs and abdomen slowly. Balance
throughout stage 5 on the toes
and palms until you are in the
cobra-like position in figure
5. Arch your back as fully as pos
sible, keep your knees rigid
and press back your neck and your
head while keeping your arms
straight. Only your palms and
your toes should touch the
floor.
6. Having performed the five exercises you must now retrace
your steps to the starting
position thus: from stage 5 assume the
position in figure 4 with the
body making a bridge. (See Below.)
Bring one leg forward as in
figure 3.
Bring forward the other leg and
you are now bending for
ward with your palms flat on
the floor as in figure 2.
Very slowly straighten up, take
a deep breath and then lie
down for a few moments and
relax.
It may take you a little time
to perfect the Sun Exercise, as it has taken you some little time to read it
and look at the illustrations but the actual performance of it should take you
no more than sixty seconds if done correctly. It is not really complicated and
once you have learned the simple sequence of movements they should follow one
another with fluid simplicity. Nothing should be hurried. Every movement of the
SUN EXERCISE should be held for as long as possible before proceeding to the
next.
The benefits are manifold.
Soorya Namaskar stretches the spine in several directions and helps to keep it
supple. It stretches and contracts the abdomen and so helps to relieve
congestion and constipation. It tones and limbers up the muscles and has a
bracing effect on the entire body. Soorya Namaskar is one of the most complete
and beneficial exercises in the whole Yoga range and should never be omitted
from your practice schedule.
I will now outline a schedule
for those of you who are convinced that you cannot find the time to practice
Yoga asanas. It requires but twelve minutes but if you can find more time in
which to practice so much the better.
Leg stretching exercise, sixty
seconds each leg 2 minutes
Savasana or Corpse Posture preceded
by con
centration on relaxing muscles,
tension of
muscles or Angle Balance 5 minutes
3. Sun Exercise performed slowly four times 4 minutes
The extra minute is to give you
time to wake up. Twelve minutes is so very little time out of your whole day
but you may soon find that these minutes become the most important part of your
day because of your increased feeling of relaxation and well being. In time
that alarm going off twelve minutes early will not seem like a monster but more
like a welcome friend.
CHAPTER THREE
Tension and emotional stress
You are not alone, you who are
tense, nervous, worried, unable to relax even in bed. You seem to be tied up in
knots and you sometimes feel at your screaming wits’ end. And you take
relaxation pills, pep pills, tranquillizers, anything to give you a ‘lift’ and
then wonder at the resulting unpleasant side effects. Can Yoga help? But of
course it can. Yoga doesn’t like drugs and you know, your body does not either
so if the so-called orthodox methods have failed to establish an easing of
tension in your overworked body and over-worried mind then why not try Yoga’s
way ? Yoga has often been known to succeed when medicine has failed.
Proper breathing is
intrinsically linked with relaxation, with the emotions, with the health of the
body itself. The thoughts are reflections of the breathing habits and so if the
breathing is faulty then the mind cannot but be affected. You can prove this
for yourself by your day to day experiences. When you are absorbed in a book,
watching television, or listening to an interesting talk on the radio your
breathing processes become slow. When your mind is afflicted by anger, or
sorrow, the breath becomes irregular and choppy. When you are frightened you
gasp and hold your breath, and when you are bored you open your mouth and yawn.
The exercises formulated by the
Yogis of ancient times in connection with the respiratory tract are all based
on a close observation of the body’s natural impulses. This most vital of the
body’s functions is so neglected by the average person that the majority of
people take in only enough oxygen to keep themselves from falling dead.
Mind and breath, then, being
interdependent, you must learn how to breathe properly if you want to calm your
mind and rid yourself of your worries and frustrations in everyday life. When
you are at peace your breath is slow and even so if you reverse the process and
learn to breathe slowly and deeply your mind will follow suit. You cannot be
worried and upset if you are breathing in a calm and controlled manner, nor can
you be calm if your breath is coming in hurried jerks.
So first things first. I want
you to try the Yoga COMPLETE BREATH which employs the lower, middle and upper
lung. It is sometimes divided into three—diaphragmatic, intercostal, and
clavicular breathing—but in its correct form the Yoga COMPLETE BREATH should
employ all three sections in one fluid intake of breath. Beginners should take
things very easily at first. Lie down flat on the floor, no pillows, and place
your hands lightly over your diaphragm. Remember to wear nothing tight around
your waist or chest, and women should always loosen the bra before doing any
Yoga breathing exercise.
The Complete Breath
Slowly exhale as completely as you
can.
Very slowly inhale through the
mouth, drawing in the air
evenly and without sudden
jerks. With your hands placed lightly
over your diaphragm you will
find that this is the first area to
expand.
As your inhalation progresses
you will feel a very slight
retraction of your lower
abdomen.
As you complete your inhalation
you will feel your shoulders
rise slightly as your upper
lung becomes fully expanded.
Slowly exhale through the mouth,
using slight force. Con
tract the abdomen as you
complete your exhalation to expel as
much air as possible.
Lie quietly for a few minutes
after you have taken your first Complete Breath. Do not attempt to sit up for a
while or you may experience a slight dizziness or faintness due to
hyperrven-tilation caused by a sudden, excessive, and unaccustomed intake of
oxygen. If you do have such a reaction it only proves how badly your poor lungs
needed that extra oxygen, but do not worry, the dizzy feeling will soon pass.
Go carefully at first with this exercise and soon you will be able to perform
it with no unpleasant side effects. When you reach this stage you can perform
the exercise sitting up straight with your head level and your hands in your
lap, or even standing erect with your hands at your sides. Always, of course,
practice Yoga breathing exercises before an open window and if at all possible,
in the open air. For the first few days do not take more than two Yoga Complete
Breaths a day, but gradually increase the number ad lib up to sixty full
breaths a day. This should be a slow process and you should allow yourself
quite some time before attempting the full quota of sixty a day. Be content at
first to take just a few at a time.
When performing the Complete
Breath I want you to be conscious of the slow filling up of your lungs, from
the abdomen to the shoulders, and the ensuing slow exhalation should produce a
feeling of calmness and relaxation in your body and in your mind. Never hurry
this exercise. It is far better to take two slow correct Complete Breaths than
to take ten hurried ones. In Yoga exercises it is always quality and not
quantity that counts.
Tense people will particularly
benefit from this exercise if they perform it just before bedtime as it
promotes healthy, natural and refreshing sleep. When you are able to perform it
correctly do try to practice it whenever you can during the day but
particularly when you feel tired, depressed or upset. You can even take a few
deep breaths as you take that morning walk up to the bus stop or the train, in
which case you can match your breathing to your footsteps, say breathe in for
six and exhale for six. If you are lucky enough to be anywhere near the sea
draw in that wonderful, sweet-smelling air for all you are worth.
It is said that some people are
tense by nature. Not true. They are tense by sheer bad habit, and these
so-called natural-tension-merchants unconsciously allow all kinds of lurking
tensions to accumulate until, hey presto! a beautiful, full-blown peptic ulcer,
a chronic heart condition or worse. The breaking up of tension is going to be,
for most people, the breaking of the habit of a lifetime. I have been told in
all seriousness many times, ‘But, Miss Richmond, I must build up tension while
I am working otherwise . . .’ Otherwise what? Otherwise, I would add, you would
have so much more energy that you wouldn’t know what to do with it, so you feel
you must squander a little by becoming tense!
Let us consider this problem in
its proper perspective. No one, repeat, no one ever got the best out of
themselves by means of tension. You may think you need it, that you could not
do without it, nevertheless you wonder sometimes why you are unable to sleep
and that your nerves are often ‘worn to shreds’, and you suffer from nameless
fears. Can you imagine what it would be like to be free for ever of these
distressing symptoms, to feel relaxed and cheerful and full of energy ? I can
show you the way, through Yoga, but there is a price. You will have to part
with those precious tensions of yours.
My intention in this book is to
show you the way to better health through Yoga and not to moralize in any way,
but may I tell you just one story which I hope might stick in your mind for the
rest of your life ? It is aimed particularly at those readers who feel they
cannot live without a burden of tension on their shoulders.
There was once a wise old man
who was sitting at the window of his house when he saw, down in the street
below, a poor beggar carrying a heavy load on his back. ‘What is that you carry
?’ called the old man. The beggar looked up at the window and then opened up
the large sack he was carrying. It contained bundles of old newspapers, empty
bottles, bits of wood, empty tins, broken bricks and all kinds of useless
matter. ‘But it is nothing but a lot of rubbish,’ protested the old man, ‘tell
me, why do you burden yourself with it?’ To which the beggar replied, ‘I must,
it is all I have’.
And now to the second round in
this battle against those tensions of yours. In the previous chapter I
discussed physical relaxation, yawning and stretching, and if you have been
practicing the exercises I described they will have gone a long way towards the
breaking up of tension. Let us now go a step farther. Your next task is to
learn how to develop and control your respiration. In Yoga breathing the
following five principles are involved:
The habitual use of the full power
of the lungs.
Retention of the breath.
Cleansing of the lungs and
bronchial passages.
Breathing and slow stretching.
Alternate breathing, or
breathing through one nostril at a
time. This is known as ‘Sun and
Moon’ breathing.
In this book I will cover all
five principles of Yoga breathing and in this chapter I will deal with 1, 2,
and 5. Firstly, then, practice the Yoga Complete Breath as often as you can and
always remember that the depth and quality of your breathing is far more
important than the number of breaths you take. It is a good idea to start your
Pranayama or breathing exercises by taking a few full breaths to cleanse your
lungs and prepare yourself for the other breathing exercises, all of which are
basically variations of the Complete Breath. Practice the Complete Breath in
any position you prefer, either lying down, sitting on the floor with your
spine straight, sitting on a hard chair with your hands in your lap, or
standing up straight.
Retention of the Breath
This should not be attempted
until you are able to perform the Complete Breath at least half a dozen times
in succession without experiencing any unpleasant dizziness or fainting. Then
proceed as follows. When you have completed your inhalation hold your breath
for an instant before you start to exhale. One second is enough at first, but
gradually extend this period of retention until you can hold your breath for
several seconds without discomfort and without employing any force. Please do
not try to force your lungs to do things which you know they would rather not.
Remember that correct Yoga breathing is based on the body’s natural impulses.
At the end of every exhalation
there is a natural pause with the lungs completely empty. At first you must
obey this natural impulse and breathe in when you feel the need to, but
gradually extend this pause for a second longer, and then yet another second,
but do not force the pace. This gradual extension of the pause will make the
ensuing inhalation that much more full and deep. Practice retention of the
breath until you can perform it to your satisfaction but I repeat s-l-o-w is
the word for Yoga breathing, slow and rhythmic. The word hurry has no place
whatever in this book.
Alternate Breathing
I would like you now to try
Alternate Breathing or, as it is also called, SUN AND MOON BREATHING.
To explain this strange name
before you begin, the two aspects of Prana or life force which surrounds us are
personified as Pingala, the positive pole and Ida, the negative pole. One of
the aims of Yoga is to balance their opposite currents in the body, which then
produces a state of perfect spiritual and mental equilibrium. The breath that
enters the right nostril or Pingala is called the sun breath and that which
enters the Ida or left nostril is the moon breath. The ALTERNATE BREATH
consists of deep controlled breathing through each nostril in turn.
Sit down either cross-legged on
the floor or on a hard chair with your spine erect, but not stiff, and your
head level. Close your eyes and proceed as follows:
Close your left nostril with
your left thumb and breathe in,
slowly and deeply, through the
right nostril.
Hold the breath for two
seconds.
Close the right nostril with
the last two fingers of your left
hand and exhale very slowly
through the left nostril.
A natural pause will follow and
when the impulse to inhale
appears do so, this time
through the left nostril, the right still
being held closed.
Hold the breath for two
seconds.
Exhale slowly through the right
nostril with the left held
closed.
This completes one round.
Beginners to Pranayama should limit themselves to two rounds at first, but do
add one round each week until you are performing six rounds a day. Ideally this
exercise should be performed facing different points of the compass according
to the time of day, following the path of the sun. Thus in the early morning
you should perform it facing east, at midday facing the meridian, at sunset
facing the west, and at night facing the north, SUN AND MOON BREATHING should
be preceded and followed by three or four Complete Breaths to create the right
atmosphere of peace and tranquillity throughout the mind and the body. Though 1
have concentrated on the physical aspect of Yoga in this book, as I said in the
beginning, it is impossible to divorce the body from the mind and all Yoga
exercises, breathing or otherwise, must always affect all parts of the
organism, both physical, mental, and spiritual.
When you have been practicing
Sun and Moon breathing for a few days and have established some sort of rhythm
and balance in your performance, proceed to the next stage, which is the
regulation of the length of your exhalations to twice that of your inhalations.
Thus if you inhale to a count of four, then you exhale to a count of eight. I
use four only as an example for the length of your inhalation must always
depend on your individual capacity and comfort. 1 reiterate the warning about
undue strain. Please, no straining in this or any other Yoga exercise. It can
only do harm and achieve nothing.
After a few days of the above
controlled breathing your next step is to prolong very gradually the retention
of the breath until it equals the length of your inhalation. Thus if you inhale
on a count of four then hold your breath for four and then exhale on a count of
eight. Again you must adjust this counting to suit your own capacity.
This is the simplest form of Sun
and Moon breathing and will suffice for our purposes in this chapter which
deals with the calming of the mind and nerves. The advanced forms of this
exercise call for almost superhuman discipline and are practiced in connexion
with the awakening of a mysterious force in the body known as Kundalini, the
Serpent Power. This may briefly be described as the Divine Power of Knowledge
and Wisdom from which, through civilization, Man has become separated. But the
Kundalini, said to lie coiled at the base of the spine, is not dead but
dormant, which is why every man is potentially divine no matter how far he may
have strayed from the Divine Path.
But to return to your frayed
nerves and wayward emotions, I will end this chapter with two simple exercises,
one which combines breathing and movement and one which calms the mind and
quenches thirst. The first of these is called THE L BALANCE STRETCH because
while performing it your body roughly resembles the letter L.
Stand up straight, feet
together and hands at your sides.
Inhale deeply and at the same
time raise your arms above your
head, lace your fingers
together and turn them palms upwards.
Remain stretching upwards with
your arms while you complete
your inhalation.
Hold your breath for an instant
and then, while exhaling
slowly bend your knees until
your calves are touching the backs
of your thighs. Remain thus
until you have completed your
inhalation, with your arms
still stretched above your head.
A natural pause will follow the
completion of your inhala
tion, during which you should
rise into the standing position
and lower your hands to your
sides.
When you can perform this
exercise try a slightly more difficult version which requires you to hold the
breath throughout the movement, thus:
Stand erect, inhale deeply
while raising your hands above
your head with the fingers
laced as before.
When you have completed your
inhalation hold your breath
and bend your knees as before
with your arms above your head.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
without exhaling.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so, at the same time
rising to your feet. Repeat up
to six times according to the time
at your disposal.
This exercise taxes your sense
of balance but it is a good exercise in calming the mind for it requires a
considerable degree of concentration and muscular control to keep from
overbalancing and this discipline, in conjunction with the deep slow breathing
and the retention of the breath, results in a calm mind and soothed nerves. In conclusion here is a simple exercise which
imitates the respiration of the serpent. It is called Sitali, and it helps to
calm the mind, purify the blood, quench thirst and cool the body when it is
overheated. Protrude your tongue from your lips and fold it together to form a
tube. Draw in the air through this ‘tube’ with a slight hissing sound until you
have completely filled your lungs. Hold your breath for as long as you can and
then exhale through the nostrils, SITALI should be practiced up to twenty times
a day. Combined with the other breathing exercises in this chapter the result
will be a calmer, happier, more peaceful you.
CHAPTER FOUR
Insomnia, neurasthenia and fatigue
IN the previous chapter 1
discussed emotional stress ailments. In this one we are considering the
physical results of stress, worry, and constant fatigue. Perhaps the most
common complaint of this modern age, together with constipation, which is
discussed in the following chapter, is insomnia. It is the cause of more
widespread misery than one could possibly imagine. There are many ways to
combat insomnia but many people, far too many, rely on harmful and
habit-forming sleeping drugs which may induce an unnatural sleep but which do
not, and cannot, cure the trouble at the source. Indeed many people who have
relied on them for years find that they are wholly unable to get a night’s
sleep without them. Yes, insomnia is one of the scourges of our time but Yoga
has a way with it, nature’s gentle and safe way.
The Yoga cure for insomnia and
its dangerous resulting nervous exhaustion, is the natural one based on toning
and relaxing the nerves, taking in more oxygen, and remaining immobile with the
body inverted.
But first things first. What
about the bed on which you sleep? Do you put up with just anything? Is it just
a wooden frame, a mattress, and some pillows, sheets and blankets, or is it a
supremely comfortable haven to which you can retire in blissful ease at the end
of the day? No, I am not being fanciful. That bed on which you sleep may have
more to do with your insomnia than you suspect. So let us consider it for a
moment.
Have you sometimes suspected
that your mattress was too soft and often wake up in the morning in a deep
hollow with your mattress making ‘water-wings’ on either side of you? It is
time, I fear, to think about replacing
it with a firmer one.
Expensive? Perhaps, but after
all you spend just about a third of your life in bed and if that third is
plagued with insomnia due to an over-soft or worn out mattress is it not wise
to consider spending a few dollars in order to improve your health, your
spirits and your general well-being? Cheap at the price I would say.
And what about those mounds of
bunchy pillows? Do these offenders grace your bed too? Send those packing with
that soft mattress. It is essential in sleep that your spine should be held as
naturally as possible. If you are lying in the hollow of a feather mattress
with your head propped up on a mound of pillows, your poor spine is held in a
highly unnatural position so if you do succeed in getting to sleep, which is
often unlikely, you will be sure to wake up with morning backache, a stiff
neck, a feeling of not having slept at all, and possibly a headache to add to
the general confusion. If you suffer from any form of persistent backache one
of the finest remedies I know, without doing another thing, is to buy a hard
mattress. After you get used to sleeping on it you would never look a feather
mattress in the face again. Sleep with as few pillows as possible, one small,
firmly packed one is adequate for most people’s needs. Why make your poor neck
work hard while you are sleeping? What did it do to deserve that kind of
punishment?
Next your clothing. It would
seem unnecessary to mention this, but I am certain that far too many people
wear too much clothing when they go to bed. Jumpers, cardigans, bed-jackets and
socks are piled on over pyjamas and nighties, and heads are tied up in all
kinds of scarves. But why? In winter why not one warm, cosy nighty or a pair of
pyjamas, high necked and long sleeved, and in summer a wisp of nylon is all you
need. Let your body b-r-e-a-t-h-e while you sleep. If you are cold add more
blankets but do not, please, choke yourself to death.
It is often said that for most
people the best sleep is before midnight. I do not necessarily agree with this
and would gladly trade four hours of really deep natural sleep for eight hours
of tossing, fitful dozing which for many people passes for sleep. You can
easily work out for yourself how many hours of sleep you need in order to work
at your maximum efficiency the next day. And do not make the common mistake of
imagining you need more sleep than you actually do. Eight hours is what most
people take to mean a good night’s sleep but many people need only five or six,
others need nine or ten. So make sure that you are not one of the former, as
you may be getting your five or six hours of good sleep that you need and
tossing about for the other two or three thinking that you suffer from
insomnia. Do watch yourself carefully before you decide whether you need a cure
for insomnia at all.
I find it restful to keep a
book on my bedside table. No thrillers or ghost stories please. We are dealing
with insomnia in this chapter and we cannot have you afraid to go to sleep being
convinced that someone, or worst still SOMETHING has come to ‘get you’. There
is some controversy about plants and flowers being left in bedrooms overnight.
My advice is to remove them if you can, for the carbon dioxide they give off at
night will not help you one bit in this battle against your insomnia. Do sleep
in a well-ventilated room with at least one window open, and if possible the
door as well. A stuffy, overheated bedroom causes more headaches and insomnia
than can be estimated.
Finally, place your bed so that
you sleep with your head to the north and your feet to the south, or if this is
absolutely impossible, sleep with your head to the south and your feet to the
north. What you must avoid, you see, is sleeping across, instead of parallel to,
the magnetic force lines of the earth. If again you accuse me of being
fanciful, I can only tell you that I have known many people who have cured
their insomnia, and its resulting stress ailments, simply by altering the
position of their bed so that they lie parallel to the magnetic force lines of
the earth. If you are skeptical (and you are a chronic insomniac) why not try
it? You may be agreeably surprised.
Having disposed of the
questions of how, when, and where you sleep, what you wear and what you lie on,
I will now show you some Yoga exercises which will help you if you make careful
note of all I have just said. Yoga will help you if you meet it half-way.
Unlike some of the chapters in this book in which I have described Yoga asanas
or postures which require patient practice, all the exercises in this chapter
are very simple to do, with the possible exception of THE SHOULDERSTAND or
Sar-vangasana. This may be a little difficult for my older readers so let us
try this one first.
Sit down on the floor with your
spine straight and your
legs stretched before you,
ankles together. Roll backwards until
your head touches the floor and
your legs swing over your head.
Supporting your back with your
two hands on either side
of your spine, raise your legs
to the vertical so that your toes are
pointing towards the ceiling
and your body is resting on the
back of your head, the nape of
your neck, and your shoulders.
Press your chin against your
chest in the chin lock. I have
demonstrated the SHOULDERSTAND
in figure 6.
Keep your body as straight as
you can and hold yourself as still as possible. Resist the tendency to move
your legs about in the air or to let your body sag at the waist. Close your
eyes and breathe as deeply as you can. In the Shoulderstand breathing cannot be
too deep but it should be as regular as your restricted lungs allow.
At first maintain the
SHOULDERSTAND for only a few seconds but as you gradually become used to this
inverted posture it can be held comfortably for several minutes. I suggest that
you hold it for as long as you have the time but no more than ten to fifteen
minutes. The main advantage of this valuable basic Yoga pose is that by holding
the body inverted, in poised stillness, even for a few minutes, the thyroid
glands are affected and so produce a powerful effect on the entire organism.
Also the blood flows to the head by its own weight instead of it having to be
pumped upwards by the heart so it not only gives the heart a respite from its
ceaseless work but it also brings a flood of rich blood to the brain and so
counteracts nervous fatigue, exhaustion, and other results of insomnia. But the
benefits of the SHOULDERSTAND do not end there. Because it strengthens and
tones the lower organs it is especially recommended for women after child-birth
and those who suffer from menstrual pains.
A word of warning. If you
suffer from any disorder of the
HOW TO BE HEALTHY WITH YOGA
thyroid gland or chronic
sinusitis or nasal catarrh do not attempt to perform the Shoulderstand.
The adventurous among you might
like to try a more advanced form of this posture, known as the SHOULDER
BALANCE. In this the body is held as in the Shoulderstand but the support of
the arms is removed. The arms are placed alongside the body and you are then
balancing on your shoulders, neck and the back of your head and the extra
effort you have to employ to maintain the body in this position with no support
from your hands and arms generally intensifies the effect of the posture. You
will not be able to hold the SHOULDER BALANCE as candle-straight as the
Shoulderstand but do the best you can and above all hold yourself still. Keep
your eyes closed and your chin locked against your chest.
Another variation of the
SHOULDERSTAND, slightly more difficult but less tricky than the Shoulder
Balance is to keep the arms and hands on the floor, either pointing the same
way as your head or else extended at shoulder level, while the body is
inverted. Again the extra effort required to keep the body straight and still
without supporting the back intensifies the benefits of the posture.
One of the chief beneficial
effects of the SHOULDERSTAND lies in the reversal of the influence of gravity
on the internal organs. Few people appreciate how great this influence is. The
body fluids tend to flow downwards and the skeleton is also subjected to
constant downward displacement, and likewise the internal organs.
People with jobs that entail
long hours of standing are most subject to varicose veins in the legs and
prolapse of the viscera. In hospitals, patients suffering from these and allied
ailments are placed on tilted beds so that the legs are higher than the feet.
This practice, a modification of the Yoga asana I have just described, is to
check the downward drag of gravity.
Nervous fatigue is due not only
to emotional stress but also to the fact that the muscles of your back have to
work long and hard just to hold you up. By inverting your body there is an
immediate relief from this strain and the overtired feeling dissolves
into a pleasant feeling of
relaxation. The SHOULDER-STAND therefore is an invaluable
exercise not only for insomnia but
for nervous fatigue, and tired or swollen legs.
As a prolonged Shoulderstand
and, for some of my older readers, even a brief one produces something of a strain
and tension in the neck, the following exercise known as Sethu Bandhasana or
the BRIDGE POSTURE will bring relief by relaxing the neck and at the same time
exercising the muscles of the lower, middle, and upper back. It is fairly
simple, if you go carefully.
The Bridge Posture
From the Shoulderstand, and
keeping your knees straight, very slowly lower your legs until your feet are
flat on the floor. Do not lower your body from the waist upwards and keep your
hands supporting the back in the most comfortable position which is usually on
either side of the spine. Performed correctly this exercise makes the body look
like a graceful bridge. Hold it for as long as you comfortably can and then
slowly, very slowly, lower your body and then your hands until you are lying
flat. Remain relaxed for a few minutes and take a few, deep recovery breaths.
The Shoulderstand should always be followed by the Bridge Posture.
Although the Shoulderstand is
one of the easier Yoga asanas I am aware that many of my readers will be either
too ill or too stiff, or maybe even too overweight to perform this posture at
all. In that case you will obtain many, though not all, of the benefits of the
Shoulderstand by lying down on the floor in your bedroom with your feet up on
the bed. Practice the relaxation exercise, Savasana, described in Chapter 2,
with your feet above your head. Hold your body still and relaxed and try to
calm your mind and clear away your mental and physical tensions. In cases of
fatigue and insomnia you will find this practice of enormous help.
And now here is a very easy
little ROCKING exercise which will also help people suffering from insomnia. It
can be performed as a preliminary exercise to the Shoulderstand, as I will
explain presently, or else as an exercise just before you get into bed at night
to help you sleep.
Rocking Exercises
Sit down on the floor, draw up
your knees and place your
fingers behind your knees as in
figure 7. Keep your head up and
your back straight.
Let your body roll backwards
until the back of your head
touches the floor and your legs
swing over your face. Keep your
knees straight.
Rock yourself forwards again
until you are in the starting
position again.
Try this simple exercise a few
times until you are able to control your movements. Remember to swing yourself
back slowly so that your feet do not touch the floor behind your head. Use your
hands to maintain your balance when you are perched on your seat and as your
head goes down and your legs swing over. When you have gained some measure of
control do the ROCKING EXERCISE as a slow and continuous movement, to and fro
about a dozen times. You will find it very bracing and fatigue will soon
disappear. Like so many other Yoga asanas it has the dual effect of producing
energy in the body and at the same time calming the nerves. It is, therefore,
beneficial both in cases of sleeplessness and of daytime fatigue.
Perform this exercise a dozen
times and as you swing your legs over for the last time remove your hands from
behind your knees and, supporting your back with them, rise into a
SHOULDERSTAND. This is an excellent way of gathering momentum if you find it
difficult to get into the Shoulderstand from the ordinary lying position. When
you can perform the Rocking Exercise slowly and with absolute control, try then
to match your breathing so that it is in rhythm with the to and fro movements
of the exercise. All Yoga exercises should be accompanied by either Yoga deep
breathing or rhythmic breathing.
Controlled breathing and
stretching at the same time is the easiest method of quickly restoring
freshness and vitality to a tired body. In particular the BACKWARD BEND calls
into play not only the muscles of the back, torso and arms, but it also tones
and refreshes the nerves, and taxes the sense of balance, therefore requiring a
certain amount of concentration and discipline. There are many Yoga exercises
which combine deep breathing with stretching and I will mention the most useful
ones throughout this book. Here I choose the BACKWARD BEND for its particularly
beneficial effects in the case of neurasthenia or nervous exhaustion.
Backward Bend
Stand with your feet wide apart and
lace your fingers
together and then turn them
palms upwards. Slowly raise your
arms above your head and at the
same time bend backwards as
far as you possibly can without
overbalancing. I have demon
strated the correct movement in
figure 8, page 41.
Remember to let your head go
back as far as you can and
turn your eyes upwards so that
you are looking in the direction
that your head is pointing.
This is more beneficial than keeping
them looking downwards, as it
imparts a healthy exercise to the
eyes.
Slowly return to the starting
position and repeat ad lib.
There is no special warning
attached to the Backward Bend but
if you have a hernia please go
very carefully won’t you. Bending
backwards could do more harm
than good in your case.
Do be careful not to
overbalance as you lean backwards. This tendency can be avoided if you do not
try to bend backwards to your utmost at first. Be content to go a little
farther back each day you practice, and you will soon gain control in this
valuable exercise.
And now for another breathing
exercise which will restore vitality when you find you are at your lowest ebb.
Those of you who have any difficulty in performing Yoga asanas, but
nevertheless wish to study Yoga as a means of improving your general health
can, with impunity, practice and perfect all Yoga breathing exercises. This
one, to give you new zest and vitality, is called the NERVE RECHARGING BREATH.
All Yoga breathing exercises are variations of the COMPLETE BREATH which
I described in Chapter Three, and
while I shall in this book describe several of the variations, I stress that
they should be done in conjunction with the various asanas. In choosing the
NERVE RECHARGING BREATH for this chapter on insomnia and neurasthenia I have
borne in mind the fact that toning the nervous system and stretching the
muscles and tendons is nature’s own way of combating these two disorders which
are so intrinsically linked together.
Nerve Recharging Breath
Stand up straight, legs apart,
hands at your sides. While
inhaling deeply raise your arms
forward to shoulder height with
your palms upwards. Complete
your inhalation.
Close both your fists and,
while holding your breath, pull
your hands back slowly until
your fists are resting against your
shoulders.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and at the same
time slowly unclench your hands
and lower them to the starting
position. Repeat this exercise
two or three times and then relax
for a few moments before you
perform any other exercise.
The Nerve Recharging Breath
strengthens the nervous system and helps to overcome nervous trembling of the
hands. It is also said to be helpful to people who lack self-confidence. Yoga
is nothing if not all encompassing!
Practice in turn each of the
exercises I have described in this chapter and after a surprisingly short time
you will experience a new feeling of relaxation and freedom from stress, and
when you get into bed at night you will surprise yourself by sinking into a
profound and delicious sleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
Constipation and indigestion
THOSE who are masters of the
science of Yoga refer to constipation as ‘the mother of all diseases’, and so
many of the most important Yoga asanas aim at improving elimination and the
digestive processes and, consequently, the health of the entire organism.
Among these exercises the
ABDOMINAL LIFT is considered one of the most essential, not only for its
physical values, but also for the way it influences our spiritual development
by ridding the body, and therefore the mind, of impurities. Not only does the
constant practice of it bring relief from chronic constipation and indigestion
but it also strengthens flabby abdominal muscles and so improves the figure.
But before attempting the ABDOMINAL LIFT it is advisable for beginners to spend
the first two or three days limbering up the muscles with the following
contracting and relaxing movements known as UDDIYANJ,
Stand with the feet about
twelve inches apart, inhale slowly
and deeply and exhale with a
good deal of force.
Without inhaling again, pull in
the abdominal muscles with
a strong upward movement until
a hollow forms under the ribs.
Hold for two seconds.
Relax the muscles, pull in
again and relax again. Repeat
this two or three times in
quick successive movements, still
without inhaling, and then
relax.
Do not overdo these movements
at first, and remember that the accent is on the pulling in movement rather
than on the letting go.
Yoga exercises must be done
while the stomach, bladder, and if possible the bowels are empty. First thing
in the morning or last thing at night is convenient for most people but the
time of day does not matter too much so long as the stomach is empty.
Allow at least four hours after
a heavy meal, two hours after a light meal, and half an hour after a cup of tea
or glass of fruit juice. Do not eat directly after exercising but wait at least
half an hour. Be sure that nothing you wear fits tightly, or restricts your
movement in any way.After practicing UDDIYANI for two or three days try the
ABDOMINAL LIFT.
Stand feet apart, inhale deeply
and use force to expel as
much air from the lungs as
possible.
Without inhaling again repeat
the same upward and back
ward pull of the abdominal
muscles as though trying to make as
large a hollow as possible
under the ribs. And this time keep
your muscles pulled in.
Place your hands, palms down,
on your thighs, bend your
knees a little and then
slightly tip your trunk forward but without
lowering it. You will find that
your diaphragm then rises easily.
Do keep your hands pressed
firmly against your thighs when
leaning on them. I have
demonstrated the correct position in
figure 9, page 39.
Stay in this position for as
long as you can without breathing
and then relax. Repeat this
exercise once more as it should not be
overdone at first.
I reiterate the warning about
strain, that there should be none whatsoever while performing this exercise.
Muscular control can only be gained by constant practice and not by forcing
flabby or rigid muscles into sudden, unaccustomed activity.
Very gradually increase the
number of times you do this exercise, adding one ABDOMINAL LIFT each week until
you are doing it seven times a day. At the same time try to increase the number
of seconds you hold this position without breathing until you can hold it
comfortably for ten seconds.
If, when you first attempt the
Abdominal Lift you feel that ten seconds is an absolute impossibility, let me
assure you that it can be done with perfect ease after careful practice.
Make sure that you are pulling
in your abdominal muscles properly. You can either feel the hollow under your
ribs with your hand or, better still, do the exercise in front of a mirror
which has been tilted slightly backwards so that when you bend your trunk
forward you will be able to see properly. Be sure not to bend your knees too
much. And a word of warning. The Abdominal Lift should not be attempted by anyone
suffering from heart, circulatory, or abdominal troubles.
If you find that the practice
of UDDIYANI or the ABDOMINAL LIFT is too strenuous for you in a standing
position, you may perform them sitting down in one of the classical poses
described in Chapter 6, the Easy Pose or the Gupasana are recommended.
Chronic sufferers from
constipation will benefit from the following internal cleansing method which is
used by the Yogis. Internal purification is as important, if not more so, as
external cleanliness. Take several glasses of water with a quarter of a
teaspoon of salt per glass. The water must be at room temperature, never iced.
Then do the contracting and relaxing movements (Uddiyani) while standing feet
apart, then sitting on the floor with the spine straight and finally while
lying fiat on the floor. This is known as the ‘avalanche technique’ of taking
an enema without any apparatus.
I have already discussed the
importance of breathing in relation to health and each Yoga breathing exercise
performs a different function in the body. Let us then consider a breathing
exercise which will help to combat constipation and in addition will cleanse
the lungs and the bronchial passages. It is called the BELLOWS BREATH or in
Sanskrit, Bhastrika.
You have a choice of three
positions for this exercise and you may adopt the one which you find most
comfortable. You may either (A) sit down cross-legged on the floor, (B) sit on
your heels, or (C) sit on a hard chair with your feet on the floor, close
together. I need hardly say that whatever position you adopt the spine must be
held erect. Not only in Yoga but always should the spine be straight whether
you are sitting, standing or lying. Apart from your appearance, your health
will improve as well.
Bellows Breath
1. Sit down in your chosen
position, rest your hands on your thighs, and look straight ahead. First empty your lungs by bending your body
forward to aid this action.
Take a deep slow breath through
your nose and at the
same time straighten your body
gradually until you are in the
starting position.
Complete your inhalation and as
soon as your lungs are
completely filled expel the air
through your mouth with force,
bending your body forward once
again.
Without a pause the next intake
of air follows at once and
the whole process is repeated
four times.
When you can perform the
Bellows Breath four times without the slightest discomfort you may hold your
breath for a few seconds every fourth intake of breath. When you can perform
this exercise more than four times you know you are on the way to the breathing
control which will be so beneficial to your health and spirits. I mention the
word discomfort because if you are not used to deep breathing this, and indeed
any other Yoga breathing exercise, might cause a slight dizziness which is a
sure indication of how undernourished the blood is with oxygen. The dizziness
will soon wear off but do not continue the exercise if any discomfort is felt.
Lie down flat on the floor and close your eyes, leaving the exercise until the
following day.
Increase the number of Bellows
Breaths you take until you are performing the exercise twelve times, and
remember to hold your breath after every fourth inhalation. This exercise
stimulates the circulation of the blood, increases the flow of Prana or
life-energy and, by increased oxygenization of the blood, the nerves are
purified. And most important of all to sufferers from constipation, the bending
forward and straightening up action of the exercise massages the internal
organs and the viscera thus promoting digestion and evacuation.
Squatting Pose
This pose is exactly what its
name implies. 1 want you to practice squatting like the people of the Orient
do. They feel more comfortable in this simple position than they would sitting
on a chair. You though may not, and especially at first, find it at all
comfortable, but as an exercise for constipation it has few equals. The method
is simple.
Stand up straight with your
feet about twelve inches apart,
inhale deeply and rise on your
toes.
Complete your inhalation and
begin to exhale immediately
at the same time as you slowly
bend your knees until you are
sitting on your heels.
Hold the position for as long
as you comfortably can and
then, without inhaling slowly,
rise to your feet. Then take a
deep breath and repeat up to
four times.
Practice this simple Squatting
Pose for a few days and then try this slightly more difficult version. Proceed
as above but this time do not raise your heels from the ground. Bend your body
forward as you squat so that you do not overbalance, and bring your hands and
arms forward over your knees so that your fingers touch the floor.
The third version of the
squatting pose is even more difficult but with careful practice you will soon
be able to do it. Proceed as for version 2 but this time keep your feet close
together without raising your heels off the ground. You may wish to perform the
three variations of this exercise and if so you should repeat each one twice.
If you do only one, repeat it six times and do remember your breathing
carefully.
If your knees are stiff or you
are afraid of overbalancing you may steady yourself by holding on to a chair or
anything convenient that will support your weight, until you feel more
confident. After performing this exercise lie down on your back, stretch out
your legs with your feet together, and relax for a few moments.
And now for an exercise which
has an intriguing strangeness about it. It is called YOGAMUDRA and I have
demonstrated it in figure 10. As you can see, it has an appearance of
supplication about it and indeed, in the higher stages of Yoga the spiritual
value of this asana cannot be over-emphasized. In some cases advanced Yogis
hold this pose for an hour or more to help the awakening of the mysterious
Kundalini or Serpent Power which I have already mentioned.
But we are concerned, in this
chapter, with constipation and YOGAMUDRA, by increasing the peristaltic
movement of the bowel, promotes internal purification. It also tones and
strengthens the abdominal muscles, the colon, and the pelvic region, and so it
is a very valuable and health-giving posture indeed. There is an easy version
for beginners but I will describe the classical one first.
Sit down in the Lotus Pose,
which I have described in
chapter six. With your hands
behind your back clasp the right
wrist with the left hand or
vice versa.
Bend forward until your head
touches the floor between
your knees and remain so for as
long as you find comfortable.
When you are ready to
straighten up do so very slowly and remain
seated for a few moments with
your back straight. You will
experience a curiously light
and peaceful sensation, as though
you had just awakened from a
peaceful dream.
But I can hear many of my
readers protesting that the exercise I have just described is impossible. You
can neither get into the Lotus Pose nor hope to reach the floor with your head.
Very well, try this easier variation.
Sit down cross-legged on the
floor, tailor fashion. This is the Easy Pose. Double your fists and place them
firmly on either side of your navel. Now bend forward as before until your head
touches the ground as near to your knees as you can. Your fists will impart a
healthy massage to your abdominal organs just as, in the classical Yogamudra
the upturned heels do likewise.
Yogamudra should be regarded
not only as a powerful exercise to promote better elimination but also as an
exercise in the calming of the mind. While your head is on the floor (and you
will achieve this with patient practice) you should keep your eyes closed and
try to empty your mind of all worries and fears. Practice repose and soon it
will become a habit.
The following exercise should
also be practiced for the relief or prevention of constipation and/or
indigestion. It should present little or no difficulty to the beginner, though
perfecting it might take a little patience. Called the Janu Shirshasana or in
English the HEAD TO KNEE POSE, it tones up sluggish bowels, strengthens the legs, and adds to your energy and vitality. 1. Sit down on the floor, both legs stretched
out. Bend the left knee and place the left foot as high up as possible against
the right thigh.
1. Inhale deeply, slightly
raise your body from the waist upwards to pull in your stomach, and complete
your inhalation.
While exhaling bend slowly
forward and get hold of your
extended right foot with both
hands. The forehead should touch
the right knee.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
{which will be only a second or
two at first) and then straighten
up, at the same time
straightening out your left leg. Repeat with
the same leg and then change
legs and repeat, twice bending your
head towards the other knee.
For the ambitious among you,
here is a slightly more difficult variation of this beneficial posture. Instead
of placing your foot against the opposite thigh, place it 011 the thigh,
afterwards bending the head towards the knee as before. I have demonstrated
this position in figure 11, page 49.
At first many of you will find
it difficult to reach your outstretched foot with your hands. This is because
your spine has lost some of its flexibility or your abdomen (dare I whisper it)
may have grown too large! Once you are limbered up you will find little
difficulty and meanwhile I suggest you simply get hold of your calves, ankles
or toes while bending your head towards your knee. If your knee appears to be
an impossible distance away from your head I do assure you that with patient
practice you will be able to do it with ease.
When you can perform the HEAD
TO KNEE posture with ease you can graduate to a slightly more difficult
variation in which the foot is placed on the thigh as above and the
corresponding arm is placed right round the body to impart an extra pull to the
muscles of the back, thus:
Variation of Head to Knee
Posture 1. Sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out. Place the right
foot on the left thigh, as near to the body as possible. Stretch forward your left hand and grasp the
toes of your left foot. Place your head
on your left knee.
Keeping your head on your knee,
reach your right arm
round the back of your body and
try to grasp the toes of your
right foot which is on the left
thigh. Remain thus for as long as
you find comfortable, and
without straining, and then straighten
up, lie flat on the floor and
relax, taking a few deep recovery
breaths.
If you find you can do this
variation you might like to omit the simpler Head to Knee posture in favour of
this one, as the benefits of the asana are greatly enhanced by the added
stretch to die muscles of the back and shoulders.
Yet another variation of the
HEAD TO KNEE POSTURE requires a little more flexibility, and should not be
attempted until you can perform the above variation with ease.
Variation of Head to Knee Posture
Sit down on the floor as before
and place your right foot
against your left thigh, as
near to the body as possible.
Lift your left leg straight up
and catch the foot firmly in
both hands. Your leg should be
perpendicular to the floor.
Incline your head slightly
until your face touches the knee of
your raised leg. Hold this
position for as long as you can and
then repeat with the other leg.
You may perform this variation
up to six times, three for each
leg. It will take time and patient
practice to perfect, but it is
well worth the extra effort as it will
give an invigorating pull to
the sciatic nerve as well as imparting
the other benefits of the
posture.
And now for something more
spectacular. This is a colourful Yoga asana requiring flexibility and
concentration. Called the Akarna Dhanurasana or in English the BOW AND ARROW
POSTURE it will strengthen flabby abdominal muscles, thereby promoting better
elimination, and will also limber up the joints of the hips, legs and
shoulders.
Method
Sit down on the floor with your
legs stretched out. Bend
your right knee until your
right foot is over your left thigh.
Grasp the right foot with the
left hand to hold it in position
while you
Raise your left elbow while
drawing your right foot up to
touch your left ear.
Your body now resembles a bow
and drawn arrow. Look in the mirror while you perform it and you will see it is
rather a dramatic-looking pose, deserving of its name, and certainly the
benefits of it are dramatic too. Hold the pose for as long as you comfortably
can and then return to the starting position. You may perform the BOW AND ARROW
POSTURE up to four times, but please do not impart any strain to your muscles.
You may hurt yourself and achieve nothing, so do go carefully.
Sufferers from both
constipation and indigestion would do well to follow the water-drinking habits
of the Yogis. Next to air, water is one of the bodily supplies most urgently
demanded by nature. Eight-tenths of our physical body consists of water and
about two quarts a day are eliminated. An insufficient intake of water is very
often^ responsible for constipation, a congested colon, and malfunction of the
liver and kidneys.
Drink a glass of fresh water,
at room temperature, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It
should be taken hot only when your constipation is of long standing, or
persistently troublesome, in which case unsweetened lime or lemon juice may be
added to make it more palatable.
Water which has been boiled or
processed often loses some of its vitality and to restore this pass it through
the air, pouring it from one glass to the other, as this will prove more
beneficial than drinking devitalized water.
Drink from six to eight glasses
of water a day, or one glass for every fourteen pounds of your body weight. And
remember that one of the greatest crimes in the black book of bad health is the
drinking of iced water, or indeed any other iced beverage. Never, never drink
anything straight from the refrigerator, no matter how pleasant you may think
it is. Your health is more important than a few moments’ pleasure don’t you
think?
Do not drink water with your
meals but take it half an hour before or a couple of hours afterwards so as not
to impair the digestive processes by diluting the digestive juices. One of the
most powerful weapons against indigestion is the consideration of one’s mental
attitude while eating. Many people forget that the state of the body reflects
the state of the mind and vice versa. So if food is eaten in a state of
distress, anger or fear, it produces a toxic effect in the body and courts
digestive troubles. And food improperly digested leads to chronic constipation
and worse. It is far better not to eat if you are upset in any way, even though
you might think that a good meal will make you feel better. Chances are it will
not, and you will have a hefty attack of indigestion into the bargain.
It would seem unnecessary to
mention that to swallow food in large, hurried mouthfuls first thing in the
morning is not taking a good solid breakfast but cruelly treating the poor digestive
system. By all means eat a good breakfast if you can take a lot of food in the
morning, which many people can not, but do please eat it sitting down. If you
bolt large quantities of food standing up with one eye on the clock you will
spend half the morning trying to relieve yourself of the resulting digestive
upset, and so lose that much working time. It is far better to take a little
food, even a cup of tea with an egg and toast, and chew it slowly and calmly.
Enjoy what you are eating and never eat anything you dislike because you think
it is good for you. If you do not want it, you do not need it.
Unpleasant news should never be
disclosed during, or just before, meals as this upsets the digestion and indeed
the entire organism. A calm, methodical attitude towards life and its problems
(which you will gain through the study of Yoga) will result in improved
digestion, and better health and temper. Cultivate repose. It is the beginning
of all Yoga, but it is not the body’s and the mind’s need alone. It is also the
need of the world.
CHAPTER
SIX
Backache and aching legs due to bad posture
HAVE we not often admired the
graceful and dignified carriage of the average Indian man and woman, the
coltish grace of their brown-limbed children? There is no magical secret to
this natural grace, it is simply that in the East there are two natural sitting
positions which are adopted from early childhood. One of these is cross-legged,
whether in the so-called tailor fashion or with the soles upturned, in the
classical Lotus Posture. The other is on the haunches with the feet flat on the
floor. This ‘squatting’ pose is described in the previous chapter.
Americans complain that the
cross-legged and squatting positions are unnatural and so they are—to those who
are used to sitting on chairs. But in the East they are so accustomed to
sitting like that that they actually find it more comfortable than any other
position. Years of sitting in these positions tends automatically to hold the
spine in a naturally erect position, not rigidly straight as some people seem
to think, but held with its natural curves in the right place. And so, in
walking the spine is also held naturally and gracefully and this is the simple
‘secret’ behind the superb carriage of the average Indian.
I do not for one moment expect
the average American who reads this book to acquire the habit of sitting down
in the Lotus Pose or even in one of the easier cross-legged poses. These
positions should be included in the daily schedule of Yoga exercises and held for
a limited time only unless you wish to proceed to the more contemplative forms
of Yoga. The Lotus Posture, though graceful and serene in appearance is
difficult and painful for the beginner and likewise the Half-Lotus position I
have demonstrated on the cover.
However, there are three
cross-legged poses which are not beyond the reach of the more supple among you,
though I warn you that even quite young people in their early twenties
sometimes have knees so stiff that they cannot sit cross-legged on the floor. I
will describe these seated postures in turn, beginning with the LOTUS POSITION
and you can try them for yourself.
1. Lotus
Position
The advantage of this position
is that it forms a symmetrical and firm seat so that the Yogis, in states of
deep spiritual trance, did not overbalance. Sit down on the floor with your
legs stretched out, feet together. Take the right foot in both hands and place
it high up on the left thigh. The right knee should be pressed firmly to the
floor. Take the left foot in both hands and draw it gently over the bent right
leg so that the left foot is placed on the right thigh. I have demonstrated the
correct position in figure 14, page 57.
2. Siddhasana (Half-Lotus position)
If you are unable to master the
Lotus position this one is considered by many to be somewhat easier, and at the
same time more comfortable. Certainly it is preferred by many Yogis to the full
Lotus Pose. (See figure 14.) Sit down as before and place one foot with the
heel against the perineum. The other foot is then placed on the opposite thigh
with the heel pressed against the pubic bone. The hands should be placed as in
the Lotus Pose, with the thumb and first fingers joined and the palms upwards.
3. Easy
Pose
Sit down on the floor, tailor
fashion, with the heel of one foot touching the perineum and the heel of the
other underneath the opposite ankle. This is considerably easier than either
the Lotus or Half Lotus positions.
If you are very stiff and find
all three of these positions agonizing, then please do not pursue the matter. I
do not want you to suffer unnecessary pain, but if you think you possibly could
master one or all of them then do try for the sake of your posture.
The last of the seated postures
I will describe in this chapter is as follows:
Samasana or (he Symmetrical Pose
Sit down on the floor and bend
the right leg, placing the heel against the pubic bone and resting against the
left thigh. Bend the left leg and place the foot over the right one so that the
heel is set against the pubic bone and the toes are pushed between the right
thigh and calf. People who cannot master the other three seated postures I have
described are often able to sit down in Samasana without difficulty or
discomfort. (Sec Fig. 13.) All three positions will hold the spine in a
naturally erect position and so promote better posture.
The effective functioning of
the entire organism is closely linked to the healthy condition of the spinal
column and cord. As your body grows older there is a tendency for the vertebrae
to become rigid especially after a lifetime of abuse in the form of bad
sitting, walking or standing. If the body is habitually held in postures which
involve slouching the spinal column tends to get out of alignment. In
discussing this problem of backache we must face the fact that much of it is
due to bad posture. Cure the one and the other disappears, and automatically
there is an improvement in the genera! health and well-being.
I must warn you before 1 go any
farther that a few days practice of the asanas I will describe in this chapter
will not eliminate the effects of years of bad posture. If you would cure your
backache, your round shoulders, and your rather ungraceful carriage you will
have to work at it. You must keep a wary eye open at all times to see if you
are slouching. People who work at typewriters are among the worst offenders
here. Do sit with the base of your spine firmly against the back of your chair
so that the back of it supports the lower back. Sit erect at all times and soon
it will become a healthy habit.
The following simple exercise
will help to limber up the spine and prepare it for more difficult postures. It
is easy and bracing and is a vital first blow in our battle against bad
posture. Similar to the Rocking exercise described in chapter four. Try this
when you get out of bed in the morning.
The Half Somersault
Sit down cross-legged and grasp
your toes with your arms
outside your knees.
Bend forward and try to touch
the floor with your fore
head. No ? Well bend forward as
far as you can.
Still holding your toes
straighten your back and at the same
time inhale deeply through the
nose.
Hold your breath for a moment
and then bend forward
again while exhaling and when
your lungs are empty roll back
wards keeping your chin pressed
firmly down into your chest
in the chinlock I have
mentioned before.
Roll forwards once more while
inhaling until your spine is
straight. Hold this position
while you complete your inhalation.
While exhaling through your
mouth bend forward once
more to the starting position.
And that is all. Very easy this
one, but two points to remember. The whole exercise should be performed slowly
and rhythmically, with nasal inhalations and oral exhalations. It is best
performed with the eyes closed which is very calming to the mind and nerves.
The benefits are many but principally the Half Somersault brings into play the
muscles of the back, toning and stretching the whole of the spinal column.
The YOGAMUDRA exercise I
described in the previous chapter is also beneficial to people with backache
and bad posture.
Many of the Yoga exercises are
based on the natural stretching of healthy animals which the ancient Yogis, who
formulated the science of Hatha Yoga, observed and emulated. Therefore, many
Yoga asanas are named after mammals, birds, sea creatures, insects, and
reptiles. In this chapter we meet the Swan and the Camel.
The Swan Posture (Swanasana) As
its name indicates, it is a graceful exercise and will, therefore, especially
appeal to women readers, although its benefits also to male sufferers from
backache can hardly be over-estimated. Like many other Yoga asanas the Swan
Posture consists of two opposite movements which I have demonstrated in figures
15 and 16, page 61.
Lie face downwards, feet
together, palms flat on the floor
at the level of your armpits.
Keep your elbows well off the floor.
While inhaling deeply through
the nose, and pressing downwards
on the floor with your palms,
slowly raise your head, shoulders
and abdomen off the floor until
your elbows are straight. (Fig. 16.)
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
while holding your breath.
While exhaling, and keeping
your palms firmly on the floor
without moving them slowly
raise your abdomen, bend your
knees, and sink into the kneeling
position I have demonstrated
in figure 15. Keep your
forehead on the floor, your thighs pressed
against your abdomen, and your
buttocks on your heels. Remain
thus while holding your breath.
When the impulse to inhale
again appears do so and at
the same time raise your
buttocks off your heels, straighten your
knees and, still without moving
your palms return to the starting
position as in figure 16.
Repeat this to and fro movement
up to six times and do
be careful to perform your
breathing correctly.
And that is the Swan exercise.
Graceful and beneficial, it massages and helps to reduce the abdomen in the
kneeling movement and the other movement helps relieve backache and improves
the posture. The to and fro movement combats constipation and promotes the
peristaltic movement of the bowel.
The Camel Posture (Ustrasana)
This is another Yoga exercise
which involves a backward bend. I warn you before you attempt this exercise
that it is not as easy as it looks, and great care must be taken while coming
out of this position. As in all Yoga asanas you must take your time and move
without jerking and in particular this applies to movements involving the
spinal column. The Camel is simple enough.
FIGURE 17
CAMEL POSTURE
FIGURE 18 BOW POSTURE
62
BACKACHE AND
ACHING LEGS
63
Kneel down and sit back on your
heels with your toes outstretched.
Place your hands on the floor
palms down, just behind
your toes. Your fingers should
be pointing away from your
body.
Lean on your hands, throw back
your head, and while
inhaling very slowly lift your
buttocks off your knees until your
spine is fully arched. I have
demonstrated the correct Camel
Posture in figure 17, page 62.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably
can while holding your breath
then very slowly and carefully
lower your body until you have
returned to the starting position.
It is during this part of the
exercise that you have to take the
greatest care as there is great
strain on the back of the neck and
if you jerk back to the starting
position you could get a nasty
crick in your neck.
So please go carefully and you
will greatly benefit from this valuable posture. It tones and strengthens the
muscles of the spine and gives it greater elasticity. It will also correct any
displacements in the vertebrae and will strengthen the neck and shoulders. A
word of warning. The Camel Posture should not be attempted by anyone suffering
from hernia or serious abdominal disorders.
In writing this chapter on
backache and bad posture I have not forgotten the many people who suffer from
sacroiliac troubles. Here is a Yoga exercise which will bring relief from this
tiring and distressing complaint.
The Centred Spine Bend
Stand up straight, feet
together and your hands at your
sides. Cross your left foot over
your right with the toes of your
left foot on the floor and the
heel off. Your right knee-cap should
lie behind the back of the left
knee. Resist the temptation to
move your body to the left as
it is important that your spine
should remain centred, and do
not try to straighten your knee.
Inhale deeply through the nose
and while exhaling bend
forward, very slowly and
carefully, until your finger tips touch the floor or if you are very stiff
bring your fingertips as near to the floor as you can. Do not try to force your
hands lower than they will comfortably go. With constant practice you will be
able to reach the floor when you will obtain the maximum benefit from this
exercise.
Remain in the bending position
for as long as you comfortably can
without inhaling. When
the impulse to
inhale appears do so and at the same time straighten up again.
Repeat the CENTRED SPINE BEND
three or four times
then reverse legs and repeat
thus three or four times. Two points
to note. Firstly do not move
your shoulders or your buttocks
while bending forward, as all
the work should be done by the
spine above the waistline. If you perform this exercise very
slowly and carefully and
practice it faithfully at least three or
four times a day you will soon
experience relief from your
sacroiliac troubles.
The next Yoga asana in this
chapter is the BOW POSTURE (Dhanurasana) which is an intensification of another
asana named the Cobra which you will meet in chapter twelve. Dhanurasana is so
named because it strongly resembles an archer’s bow and is, you will agree, a
very beautiful posture and incidentally is a powerful weapon in our war against
backache for the vertebrae are moved in such a way that the nerve ganglions
receive a richer supply of blood.
It also exerts a healthy pressure
on the kidneys, thereby correcting any disorders in their function.
Bow Posture
Lie face downwards on the
floor, hands along your sides
and feet together.
Inhale deeply and bend your
legs keeping them as close
together as possible. Stretch
your arms upwards and backwards
and grasp your ankles.
Pull your legs as high off the
floor as you possibly can by
fully arching your spine. Hold
this position for as long as you
comfortably can while holding
your breath.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and slowly return to the starting position. I have demonstrated
the correct position in figure 18, and you can see why this posture is named
the BOW.
At first you will be able to
hold this posture for only a few seconds but very gradually extend this period
until you can hold it for a full minute. You may perform it up to six times a
day, but no straining though.
I foresee that many of you will
have some little difficulty with this asana. Either you will not be able to
keep your knees together or worse, you may not be able to raise your legs off
the floor at all. In this case try this easier method. Pull one leg up at a
time and you will soon find that your muscles will be stretched and limbered up
and you will be able to bend your body into a perfect and beautiful Bow.
This is a wonderful exercise
for the relief of backache but as it is rather a strenuous posture do please
practice it carefully.
The Bow Posture may be preceded
by the Stomach Balance which is the very simplest of the backward bending
exercises for the relief of backache.
Lie face downwards with your
arms extended in front of
you, palms downward.
While inhaling deeply slowly
raise your arms and legs off
the floor so that you are
balancing on your abdomen. Bring
your head up as high as you
can.
The higher you can raise your
head and legs the more effective is the Stomach Balance. Hold the position for
as long as you can without exhaling and then, as the impulse to exhale appears
slowly return to the starting position. Though a simple exercise it needs care
as all the backward bends tend to be somewhat strenuous. The Stomach Balance
tones up the entire nervous system and stretches the muscles of the back and
abdomen.
The Bow Posture being one of
the most beautiful of the Yoga asanas it will appeal especially to women and
here is a variation which is also striking in its aesthetic appeal. It looks
like the graceful swimming of some exotic fish, and on a more practical level
let me assure you that it is considerably easier than the full BOW POSTURE which
I have just described.
Variation
of the Bow Posture
In this variation half the body
is kept straight and half bends backwards. Lie face downwards, bend the right
knee and catch the toes of the foot with your right hand. Slowly pull the foot
towards your head bending only the muscles on the right side of the back. The
left arm should be held outstretched and the left foot likewise. Seen from the
side this posture has all the grace of the lovely BOW and something else all
its own.
And now here is another
breathing exercise which will help to counteract bad posture, drooping and
round shoulders, and curvature of the spine. It also improves flabby upper
arms, and excessive flesh on the shoulders will slowly be squeezed away. It is
called the ARMSWING BREATHING EXERCISE.
Sit back on your heels with
your spine straight. Lace your
fingers together and then turn
them palms upwards.
Inhale deeply and at the same
time bend forward until your
chin is touching the floor as
in figure 12, page 49.
Swing your arms upwards as high
as you possibly can trying again and again to swing them just a little higher.
Hold this position for as long as you can without exhaling. When the impulse to
exhale appears do so as you straighten up again. Relax and repeat from four to
six times, after which lie down for a few moments and take a few deep recovery
breaths.
If your knees are very stiff or
if for some other reason you are unable to sit on your heels you may perform
the Armswing Breathing Exercise standing up in which case you lean forward from
your waist as far as you can and bring your arms with the fingers interlaced,
as far forward as you can. The movement from the waist will help to remove
fatty tissue in this area and help the spine towards a new suppleness.
The warning not to jerk any
movements is reiterated here as you should not try to swing your arms over
violently as you may well injure a rigid muscle which would discourage you from
ever attempting this valuable exercise again. Nothing is more painful than a
muscle spasm. Practice this exercise every day and you will soon notice a
marked improvement in your posture and a new feeling of freedom from backache
and a new feeling of lightness as your straightening spine allows your lungs to
take in more oxygen. All parts of the body are interdependent. Cure your
backache and your chest complaints are eased, your temper improved, and your
looks enhanced. Do not under-estimate the gravity of bad posture. It may not be
an illness but it has a well-deserved place in this book on Yoga and health
because it can, ultimately, undermine the health of the entire organism by
restricting breathing, and cause an unhealthy complexion due to too little
oxygen reaching the blood cells. Attack your bad posture and its resulting
backache like the enemies they are.
Many people suffer from bad
posture and an ungraceful carriage because of weak legs, ankles, or feet. The
remainder of this chapter is devoted to the consideration of these particular
conditions and I will explain how they can be greatly helped by Yoga’s methods.
It has often been said that a man’s temper is only as good as his feet. If the
feet ache and burn how is it possible to be smiling and at ease? If your legs
hurt or are swollen with varicose veins how easy it is to snap at everyone and
feel that the world is a terrible place.
In this book on health I must
always be on guard against anything which can disrupt the dawning calmness of
the mind which my readers must experience if they have been faithfully putting
into practice all I have written about so far. In practicing relaxation you
will have discovered a new peace with yourself. In practicing the breathing
exercises you will feel a new glow of vitality. And if you have practiced the
asanas your health will have begun to improve beyond your wildest hopes, and
with it you will have discovered a new lease of life within yourself, a zest
for living, a new inner power. So we cannot let tired, swollen and aching feet
hold up the new feeling of health and freedom opening out before you. We cannot
let them undo all your good work. So start by putting them up higher than your
head whenever possible. It isn’t done in the so-called best of circles to put
your feet on the mantelpiece. Never mind about that. Yoga dosen’t know any
class barriers. Go on, put them up, it will do them good. And before going out
in the evening nothing could be more restful than lying on the floor in your
bedroom and putting your feet up on the bed. Remain like that for a few moments
with your eyes closed and you are a new man—or woman. The change is remarkable.
You are refreshed and alive and your legs and feet no longer feel like lead.
The following breathing
exercise added to your daily asanas will help to strengthen weak ankles,
improve flabby calves, and soothe painful or fallen arches.
The Arched Foot Breathing Exercise
Stand erect, with your hands on
your hips. While inhaling
slowly and deeply hook your
left foot round the back of your
right foot with the toes
pressing against the ankle of your right
foot.
At the same time rise up on the
toes of your right foot and
remain balanced
in this position
while you complete your
inhalation, and hold your
breath for as long as you can.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and at the
same time slowly lower your right
heel to the floor and unhook
your left foot. Both heels
should reach the floor at the same
time.
Repeat this exercise with the
legs reversed.
The Arched Foot Breathing
Exercise taxes your sense of balance but as in all such exercises it can be
used as a valuable exercise in concentration. You will wobble about at first
but gradually you will be able to remain balanced on the toes of one foot with
your hands on your hips, and remain so for as long as your breath allows you.
The practice of this exercise will not only improve your balance but fine down
calves and ankles that may be a little too heavy for your liking.
Any exercise which tones and
stretches the leg muscles and the sciatic nerve will bring relief from aching
legs and so do not omit from your daily practice schedule the exercises
described in the following chapter on lumbago and sciatica. And if you suffer
from that most distressing and common complaint, varicose veins, nothing could
be more helpful than the habitual practice of the Shoulderstand which I
described in chapter four. Also do not omit the simple, leg stretching exercise
described in chapter two. Remember the basic principle regarding the relief of
aching legs and feet. Put them up higher than your head for in this position
your legs are not subject to the downward pull of gravity and are therefore
being rested. As you lie there with your feet higher than your head try to calm
your mind and still your thoughts so that this period of rest becomes a
powerful exercise in mind control and mental stillness.
As a general rule people who
study and practice Yoga do not worry overmuch about their looks, in fact they
have a natural beauty of face and figure which comes from pure living and
mental serenity. But if you suffer from bad feet and aching legs, as your
condition gives way under Yoga’s gentle persuasion, you will find that your
looks will improve in a surprising way. Those wrinkles of pain, tiredness and
discomfort are soon ironed away from your brow and around your eyes and your
general well-being cannot but be affected by the improvement of your means of
getting about from place to place. It is a constant source of concern to me
that so many people neglect their legs and feet yet spend dollars and valuable
time on their hair and their clothes. If you want all to be well with your
world get to work now on those bad feet of yours and remember the old and wise
saying,.”A man’s temper is only as good as his feet’!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lumbago and sciatica
IN the previous chapter I
discussed backache and aching legs due to bad posture and long hours of
standing. The antidote was based on limbering up the spine and keeping it
supple, bending it this way and that to relieve tired muscles, and putting the
feet up above the head to combat the pull and downward drag of gravity. The
antidote in this chapter is based on toning up the sciatic nerve and the
muscles of the lower back to relieve the pain of sciatica and lumbago.
The first Yoga asana I would
like you to try combines the two processes. I warn you it is not one of the
easier ones but because of its value you should persevere and try to master it.
Yoga is a perpetual challenge for thinking people. Anything easily gained is
lightly prized, so when you have mastered
THE FORWARD BEND or PASCHIMOTTANAS AN A you will
feel
that you have really achieved
something. As usual I will describe the easiest variation first.
Forward Bend
Lie flat on your back, hands at
your sides and feet together.
Keeping your legs straight and
your heels on the floor slowly
raise your trunk from the waist
until you are in a sitting position.
Stretch out your arms, bend
forward, and grasp your toes
with your fingers. If you
cannot reach your toes grasp your
calves or ankles until you have
limbered up your spine enough
to be able to bend it more
fully and reach your toes easily.
Bring your forehead down until
you can press it against
your knees. Did I hear you say
“’impossible”. Most people say
that but if you take a quick look
at figure 20 you will see that it
is not only entirely possible but
actually rather easy when you
can once do it. But your spine is
too stiff at the moment is it not,
to perform this kind of bending
so be content, at this stage, to bring your forehead as close to your knees as
you can even if this means only a slight inclination of your head. If you
proceed slowly and gently you will find that your spine will gradually loosen
up, your head will be able to go lower, and soon you will be able to press your
face to your knees.
4. Remain in this position for
as long as you comfortably can and then very slowly bring your arms down to
your sides, straighten up, and lower your body to the floor again until you are
in the starting position. Lie there and relax for a few moments and attempt the
Paschimottanasana only once more. Twice a day is enough at first. As you
gradually become used to this exercise try to extend the period when your head
is on your knees in which case you need only perform this asana once.
Once you get used to the
Forward Bend and can do it tolerably well, proceed as follows which
incorporates the Yoga breathing as well.
Lie fiat, take a deep breath,
and at the same time sit up.
While exhaling bend forward and
grasp your toes, ankles,
or calves. (Fig. 19, page 73.)
Bring your forehead on to your
knees without inhaling
again. The extreme bend will
force all the air out of your lungs.
Lower your elbows to the floor
as in figure 20 and remain thus
for as long as you can without
breathing.
When the impulse to inhale
appears do so while straighten
ing up slowly.
When you have completed your
inhalation slowly lie down
until you are in the starting
position. Remain relaxed for a few
moments and take a few deep
recovery breaths.
This exercise is a more
advanced form of the Head to Knee exercise which I described in chapter five.
If you can perform the Head to Knee successfully the Forward Bend will not give
you too much difficulty. Its benefits are many. It gives the maximum of bending
capacity to the body and at the same time imparts a stimulating pressure on the
viscera. In stretching the spinal column to the greatest degree it helps to
relieve and prevent sciatica and lumbago. Like the Head to Knee posture it
tones up sluggish bowels and helps to promote better elimination, thereby being
a cleansing and purifying exercise which will help to rid the body of the
impurities which cause pain and disease. For this reason it is practiced in the
higher stages of Yoga for its spiritual values for spiritual purity is closely
linked to physical purity.
There is a standing variation
of the Forward Bend which some of you might like to try. It is possibly
slightly more difficult for the beginner as the support of the floor is removed
from the legs but the value of the posture is greatly enhanced by the extra
effort involved.
Stand up straight with your
hands at your sides. Inhale
deeply, slowly raise your arms
above your head but without
joining your fingers. Remain
thus until you have completed
your inhalation.
While exhaling bend forward
from the waist and place your
palms just below your calves.
As you complete your exhalation
press your head against
your knees as I have
demonstrated in figure 35. Remain thus
until the impulse to inhale
appears.
Straighten up as you inhale,
and complete your inhalation
with your spine erect and your
hands at your side. Perform this
asana only once or twice at
first and do not under any circumstances try to force your muscles in any way.
The FORWARD BEND is one of the Yoga exercises which helps to keep old age at
bay. Many Yogis live to be well over a hundred years old yet still look young
and remain active. When asked their secret they will tell you, ‘A man is only
as old as his spine’. Keep this saying in mind and vow to remain supple and
active for ALL of your life and not just for a third of it!
Before we leave the FORWARD
BEND I would like to describe the advanced form of it used by really
enthusiastic students. They do not catch the toes with their fingers, instead
they rest their forearms on the toes with the elbows straight. The hands are
held palm to palm, and the head is then pressed to the knees as before.
Advanced students, or the more
supple among you, might like to try another forward bending exercise which
brings the maximum flexibility to the lumbar region and its ligaments. It is
called Oopavishta-Konasana, or in English the PRISM POSTURE.
Sit down on the floor with your
legs outstretched. While
inhaling deeply move your legs
as wide apart as possible.
Catch your toes with your
outstretched hands and while
exhaling very slowly bend your
head until it is touching the floor.
Remain thus for as long as you
can without breathing.
When the impulse to inhale
appears do so and at the same time
raise your head and bring your
legs together again.
After this exercise lie down on
the floor and relax.
After the FORWARD BEND and the
PRISM POSTURE, here is something easier. It is called the WEDGE POSTURE and it
is particularly beneficial if it is performed after any forward bending
exercise because it stretches the body in exactly the opposite direction and so
relieves tension in the muscles.
Wedge Posture
Sit down on the floor with your
legs outstretched, feet
together. Place your hands behind
you, palms down, and your
fingers pointing away from your
body.
Adjust the position of your hands according to your
personal build and capabilities
and then raise your body, keeping
it as straight as possible
until you are resting on your heels and
your hands. Your body is now
shaped like a wedge. Remain as this
for a few seconds, and then
relax. Repeat three or four times.
Remember to perform the Wedge
Posture if you feel any tension
in your muscles after a forward
bending exercise. It stretches,
Umbers, and strengthens the
lumbar region and its ligaments.
And now here is something new
for you to try if you have sciatica. Tone up your sciatic nerve first with the
Forward Bend, loosen those knotted muscles with the Wedge Posture and then sit
down to do the GOMUKASANA or BULL POSTURE.
Many Yoga asanas are named
after animals and it is usually easy to see why, but wherefore the Bull
posture? If you will look at figure 23 perhaps it will explain. My feet are
arranged on either side of me rather like the horns of a bull don’t you think ?
This Sanskrit name is sometimes translated as Cow-Face Posture, but I feel that
aesthetically it is all wrong to give this rather graceful posture such a name.
Still names are not that important. What matters is to relieve your sciatica,
so let us begin.
Bull Posture
Sit down on the floor, spine
straight and legs outstretched.
Bend your right leg and place
it over the left one with your right
heel against your left hip.
Bend your left leg and place
your left heel against your
right hip. You are now in the
position I am demonstrating in
figure 23 with your right leg
uppermost.
Hold this position for as long
as you comfortably can and
then change over your legs so
that your left is uppermost.
You will feel the stretch
imparted to the sciatic nerve in the leg which is uppermost. If your sciatica
is very painful I hope you will not try to force your legs where they will not
easily go as this would cause you a great deal of pain and discomfort. Slowly
and gently is the word here, practice a little each day and you will soon be
able to execute a beautiful Bull posture. If any part of your leg or hip aches
when you attempt this asana this can be strongly massaged with your fingers to
bring relief. If you proceed with extreme caution this asana, more than any
other with the possible exception of the Forward Bend, will loosen the sciatic nerve
and restore elasticity.
If you do not suffer from
sciatica regular practice of the Bull Posture will ensure that you never do.
Your muscles in the lower half of the back will be strengthened so sufferers
from lumbago will also find the Bull Posture of great value. When, after
careful practice, you can perform this asana to your liking and can hold it in
comfort for several minutes, while you hold it practice deep breathing with
your eyes closed and your spine held straight. You will find it a valuable
exercise in the calming of the mind, and this calmness should be reflected in
the serene expression of the face.
The next stage of the Bull
Posture involves the arms and shoulders. As you sit comfortably in this seated
posture raise the hand corresponding to your leg which is uppermost and bring
it behind your shoulder. At the same time bend the other arm backwards and
upwards and join your fingers together. Proper execution of this movement will
develop your trapezoidal muscles, and prevent bursitis, and arthritis of the
shoulders. It may take a little practice for you to be able to join your hands
together in this novel way but do go slowly and you will soon succeed. It is
well worth a little effort.
The Squatting Pose which I
described in chapter five will also bring relief to sufferers from lumbago and
sciatica. Though not a beautiful posture it is an invaluable one. Yoga, as a
general rule, is as graceful as ballet dancing in its static grace as opposed
to the fleeting movements of ballet, but the ancient Yogis in their wisdom did
not omit several ungraceful postures for the sake of the body’s health and well
being. Such a one is the Squatting Pose and there are several others scattered
about in these pages. They are included for a very good reason so do not omit
them because of their lack of aesthetic appeal.
But now, to make up for the
ungainly Squat which will greatly help your lumbago and sciatica here is an
equally beneficial one which has all the bizarre grace of the insect from which
it takes its name.
Salabhasana or she Locust Posture
Lie face downwards, chin
touching the floor, hands along
your sides, palms either
clenched or flat on the floor.
While inhaling deeply raise
your right leg as high as you
possibly can, pressing into the
ground with your clenched fists
or flattened palms to give
yourself more leverage. I have demon
strated the correct position in
figure 22, page 77.
Hold this position as you
complete your inhalation and
then slowly lower your leg as
you exhale. Repeat with the other
leg. Keep the raised leg as
straight as you can and perform this
asana six times in all, three
times with each leg.
When you have practiced with
alternate legs for a few days try the full Locust Posture which involves the
raising of both legs simultaneously as in figure 21. This variation of the
Locust Posture is much more difficult but the added effort involved
greatly enhances the benefits of
this valuable posture. It has the added benefit of toning and strengthening the
muscles and organs of the abdomen as well as bringing relief from our two
antagonists of this chapter.
When you can perform the full
Locust Posture hold it for as long as you comfortably can while holding your
breath. Repeat up to six times a day.
The next posture I would like
you to try is deceptively simple. Called the FROG POSE it is performed simply
by kneeling on the floor, knees together and feet apart, and then sitting on
the floor between your feet. Simple did I say? I can hear you saying it is
impossible. Not only is it possible but if you look at figure 53 you will see
it in its extreme form when the body is bent backwards with the legs in this
position until the head touches the floor. This is called the Kneeling Bridge
Posture so if this is feasible how much more easy is the simple Frog Pose. So
do practice it and your sciatica will gradually succumb to its nerve tugging,
muscle toning persuasion.
I would like to refer you once
again to chapter five in which 1 have described the Yogamudra. This exercise
has very many benefits and not the least of these is its effect on the spinal
column and the muscles on either side of it. For the relief of lumbago you
would do well to practice it until you can perform it to perfection and hold it
for some time. Remember to do deep Yoga breathing while in this position and
straighten up as soon as you begin to feel the slightest strain. In the two
complaints with which this chapter is concerned it is of vital importance that
you do not strain any nerve or muscle. Once again I reiterate the words ‘slowly
and gently’.
I cannot mention the Yogamudra
twice in this book without telling you of the spiritual values it confers.
Although we are primarily concerned in this book with improving the health let
us never forget that the practice of Hatha Yoga cannot but have a beneficial
effect on the mind and spirit. Yogamudra, one of the basic Yoga asanas, is
essentially a cleansing exercise, both of the system and of the mind. Students
in the advanced stages of Yoga remain in this position for as long as an hour
or more.
I am not asking you to attempt
such a feat of endurance but I would like you to experience the effects of just
a few quiet moments spent in sitting in this posture, when you can do it, that
is. I am aware that for some of you this will take some time. But as you
straighten up you will experience a new clarity of vision, a new awareness, and
a heigthened sense of power and well-being. You will, as you come to learn more
and more Yoga asanas, adopt your own particular favourites and I have heard
from many people that Yogamudra is one of the most popular Yoga asanas. Not an
easy one but how worthy it is of your time, your patience and your endeavour.
And now to end this chapter I
will describe one of the most beautiful and dramatic postures in the entire
Yoga range. Strikingly graceful, it is worthy of a place in the most classical
of ballets. Called ANJANEYASANA or in English the WING POSTURE it makes the
human body into a living poem of static grace and at the same time limbers up
the muscles of the lower back, the thighs, and the shoulders. But as it is one
of the most beautiful so it is one of the most difficult to perform perfectly,
though beginners will be able to perform it in a modified way with little
difficulty. I include it in this book because it is far too beautiful to be
left out, and also because to sufferers from lumbago and sciatica it is of
great and lasting benefit.
Anjaneyasana or the Wing Posture
Kneel down with your feet
together. Your body should
be straight from the knees upwards.
Place your right foot on the
floor so that the upper leg is
at right angles to the lower leg.
Stretch your left leg back as
far as possible, keeping the knee on
the ground. Try to reach a
little farther back with your leg each
time you practice this asana.
Raise your hands above your
head with the fingers touch
ing, and palms together. Very
slowly bend your spine and your
head backwards. When performed
correctly this asana requires
the outstretched leg, the spine
and the arms to form a semicircle.
Viewed from the side this Yoga
posture looks like the flight of
some graceful and powerful
bird.
Please exercise very great care
when bending your body backwards and do not try to force any of your muscles
beyond their capacity. With practice they will loosen up and you will not
experience any painful cramp in your shoulders and thighs. Beginners to Yoga,
particularly those of you who are not used to taking exercise, may well find
that your muscles are a little sore the day after you start. Do not exercise these
muscles for a day or two but give them a rest as you try something different.
So if, after attempting the WING POSTURE your shoulders are a little stiff the
next day, then do some other exercise which involves another part of the body.
The study of Hatha Yoga in
general will increase your natural patience so that, in time, you will be
content to learn and improve slowly, and not expect dramatic results in next to
no time. The study of Yoga requires infinite patience but in studying it you
will gradually develop the patience you need. One cannot make this statement in
connection with any other form of physical culture which proves once again that
Hatha Yoga, though its province is primarily the physical body, is very much a
mental discipline as well.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever
INVARIABLY the first question I
am asked about Yoga is, ‘Do you stand on your head every morning?’ To the
uninitiated this standing on the head represents the sum total of Yoga, and it
is thereupon dismissed as a foible of cranks and crackpots. Not one person in a
hundred asks me why I stand on my head. In fact it does not cross the mind of
the average person that it could possibly have any therapeutic value or indeed
any value at all except to establish one as an eccentric. But if radiant good
health is the lot of those who practice this Headstand, then ‘long live
eccentricity’ say I.
But the Headstand or Sirshasana
has not been called ‘The King of Asanas’ for nothing. You may wonder why I have
waited until I reached more than half-way through this book before introducing
you to this best known of all Yoga postures. Simply for the very good reason
that it is difficult for the beginner to master and I wanted you to limber up
with some easier exercises before attempting to balance on your head. I place
the ‘King of Asanas’ in this chapter on disorders of the respiratory tract
because in the relief and cure of such ailments as asthma, bronchitis, hay
fever, nose troubles, and sinus troubles it has no equal.
Sinusitis, and allied
complaints, often produce severe headaches and acute discomfort in the cavities
of the nose and face. It is difficult for doctors to reach these sinuses except
by painful and unpleasant means and nasal sprays are of little use as the
openings of the cavities are on the upper side and can only be drained when the
body is inverted. This is where Yoga, and particularly the Headstand, is of
great help.
So now let us try the preliminary
stages.
The Headstand
1. Kneel down, sit back on your heels with your hands on
your knees and then bend
forward until your forehead touches
the floor just in front of your
knees. Remain in this position for
a few moments and then slowly
straighten up. The purpose of
this simple exercise is to
accustom the head to being lower than
the body. If you experience any
dizziness please straighten up
immediately and proceed with
extreme caution until you are
able to remain with your head
down without experiencing the
slightest discomfort.
When you wish to go a stage
further proceed as follows.
2. Kneel down as before, lace your fingers together and clasp
your hands round the back of
your head. Bend forward until
your forehead touches the
floor, approximately twelve inches
away from your knees as in
figure 24. Press the upper part of
your body forward a few times,
which will gradually accustom
your head and neck to the
unfamiliar pressure. Do not attempt
the next stage until you can
perform stage 2 without any dis
comfort.
3. In stage 3 you bring a little more of your weight on to your
head and arms by straightening
your legs with your heels off the
ground as I have demonstrated
in figure 25. Remain in this
position for as long as you
comfortably can and under no
circumstances remain so if you
are still experiencing any dizzi
ness. Caution in the early
stages of the Headstand will put you
safely, and confidently, on
your head.
4. After practicing the first three stages carefully you are
now
ready to let your feet leave the
ground. I always advise beginners
to the Headstand to practice
this, and the following stages, in a
corner so that you have the
support of the two walls. When you
gain in confidence you can
practice it against one wall and after
that in the middle of the room.
Meanwhile, let us return to
stage 4.1 advise you to put down
a small pad or folded blanket
for your head from now on. The
pressure on the crown of your
head is going to be considerable,
especially in stages 5 and 6,
and while Yoga asanas can
sometimes be undeniably strenuous,
even the most stoical of Gurus
(Yoga Masters) would not wish
to inflict any physical
suffering on you. So I will wait while you bring that pad for your head.
Ready ? Right, now kneel down
in your corner with your hands laced behind your head. Adopt the position in
figure 24. Raise yourself on to your toes but without straightening your legs.
Walk on your toes for a couple of steps to bring your knees nearer to your face
and then, with your knees bent give a little hop off the ground with both legs.
You will find that your feet will leave the ground easily but they will also
drop back equally easily. Be patient, you are more than half-way there. Make no
attempt to go farther as this is the stage in the proceedings when students try
to achieve too much in a hurry with sometimes unpleasant results. So perform
this hopping off the ground three or four times and then straighten up for a
rest.
There is an alternate way of
performing stage 4 which some of you might find somewhat easier. Proceeding
from the position in figure 24, rise on to your toes without straightening your
legs and bring your knees nearer to your face as before. But this time, instead
of trying to hop off the ground, very slowly press your body forwards until you
can feel your toes leave the ground. Keep your body hunched up in a ball
whichever method you adopt. If you do not you will be almost certain to
overbalance at this stage. Practice stage 4 until you can make your toes leave
the ground three times in succession. You will then, I hope, feel confident
enough to proceed to stage 5.
5. This stage is an
intensification of the last one. While I told you in stage 4 not to attempt
anything beyond getting your toes to leave the ground for a brief instant, in
this stage I would like you to increase the effort which you put into the whole
movement until very gradually your body becomes less likely to drop back
immediately. Proceed very slowly at this stage and remember at all times to
keep your body rolled up into a ball with your knees well bent. Practice this
stage frequently but do not prolong your efforts to the point when you begin to
tire. It is far better to practice stage 5 only half a dozen times at once. You
can go back to it later when you have had a short rest.
Stage 5 may be frustrating in
the extreme to you when you are impatient to rise into the Headstand but I
assure you that if you have been practicing the preliminary stages properly, in
a shorter time than you imagine you will find that your body does not drop back
to the ground as you expected, but remains poised at the half-way mark. Your
knees will sail up right past your head and you will find, if you keep
perfectly still (and don’t jerk about in sheer surprise), that you will be able
to remain so for a few seconds. Now you are really getting somewhere. But again
I must ask you to be patient and not, please not, to try and straighten your
legs. Be content, just for a little while longer, to keep your knees bent and
your body rolled up into a ball and to aim for this all-important and
controlling half-way position. You will not find it particularly comfortable
but you will feel safe and confident if you practice in a corner so that there
is no danger whatever of you overbalancing or falling. The pad under your head
will add greatly to your comfort.
When you are able to remain
immobile at the half-way
point for a second or two,
proceed as follows. When you either
take your jump off the ground
or press your body forward to
make your feet leave the ground
do so with more force than
you have hitherto been using so
that instead of stopping at the
half-way point you will swing
your legs right over and with your
knees still bent your feet will
touch the wall as I have demon
strated in figure 26. You will
find this stage very easy if you have
been practicing properly, and you
will be able to remain in this
position for a full minute or
more without the slightest effort or
discomfort. Come down, please,
as soon as you feel the slightest
strain on your head, neck, or
shoulders.
In this last and final stage of
the Headstand you have three
alternatives, according to your
individual capabilities. I will
describe first what is generally
considered to be the easiest
method. While balanced as in
figure 26, very gradually tuck in
your buttocks, bring your feet
away from the wall, and at the
same time very slowly straighten
your legs. Your feet will swing
right back to the wall at first
but do practice straightening your
legs even if at first you cannot
manage without resting your feet
against the wall. Having got so
far with the Headstand you will find that this final stage is the slowest of
all. I know it is frustrating, but once you can do the Headstand you will have
it for life, so it is worth a little of your time and patience now, is it not ?
The second method is as
follows. Proceed from the position in figure 26, but this time straighten your
legs while keeping your feet against the wall. You will be in a kind of
Headstand at once by this method but why I do not favour it as much as the
other one is that in this position your spine is uncomfortably arched instead
of being held naturally and because it shows quick results students tend to
rely on this method and become so used to the support of the wall that they
have difficulty, afterwards, in doing the Headstand without it. So really this
second method takes more time in the long run.
The third method is as follows.
Proceed from the hunched up half-way position and, instead of swinging your
feet over to touch the wall, very slowly, half-inch by half-inch straighten
your legs. You will wobble, you will fall all over the place, you will drop
back to the ground like a stone and you will probably become convinced that you
will never make it at all, but again take heart and keep practicing. Patience
is the only way and one day you will find that, instead of bouncing back to the
floor as you expected, you will remain poised on your head and arms with your
body as straight as a candle, as in figure 27, page 83.
I must warn you that, like so
many others, when you first find that you can do the Headstand, you will be so
surprised that you will probably overbalance and have to come down quickly out
of sheer amazement. It is rather like learning to ride a bicycle. When you
finally find yourself gaily pedalling along without someone propping you up,
you look around, find you have left your friend far behind and promptly fall
off in sheer horror. So while you are still flushed with your first success,
try your Headstand again. This time you will find that you can control your
muscles to such an extent that you will be able to rise slowly into a beautiful
Headstand. There you are. You finally made it. Congratulations!
Remember that when you are
practicing do keep your body rolled up into a ball with your knees near your
face both going up and coming down. When you can do a perfect Headstand it will
be of more benefit to you to perform it several times a day for short periods,
say five or ten minutes at a time, rather than to indulge in long spells of
half an hour or more. There is some controversy on this point but I favour the
‘little and often* method as being not only more beneficial but also more
practical for the business person or busy housewife. Hatha Yoga is nothing if
not down to earth and practical.
The variations of the Headstand
are many and the adventurous among my readers might like to try a few, though
please apply the same care in each case when coming down. Roll your body into a
ball and so avoid spills.
Variation 1. Your hands,
instead of being laced behind your head, are kept separate. As you rise into
the Headstand the hands should be fiat on the floor, palms downwards, about six
inches on either side of your head. While in this position you may either
straighten your legs as already described or bend your knees and place the
soles of your feet together. This stretches the muscles of the shoulders and
thighs.
Variation 2. In the above
position the legs are crossed at the knees and again at the ankles. This tones
and stretches the muscles of the thighs and legs and helps to relieve varicose
veins.
Variation 3. Again in the above
position with the hands on either side of the head, stretch your legs as wide
apart as possible until you are doing the splits upside down.
Variation 4. Here the hands are
in a different position. Before you rise into the Headstand, raise your arms
above your head with the elbows bent, with your hands grasping the opposite
forearms. Now rise into position and keep your legs straight up in the air.
Variation 5. Perform the
classical Headstand with the hands laced at the back of the head and then, with
your feet together, bring your legs forward until they are at right angles to
your body.
Variation 6. This is one of the
most advanced Yoga asanas called Oorhwapadmasana or the HEADSTAND LOTUS POSE.
While in the Headstand fold your legs into the Lotus Pose and remain thus for
as long as you can. This one is not for the beginner but the practiced student
will find it surprisingly easy.
Variation 7. If you can perform
the Headstand Lotus Position you can proceed a step farther. While in this
position twist the body from the waist to the right, to the left, and so on
from side to side. This exercises the muscles of the waistline and sheers off
fat in this area.
Variation 8. Still in the
Headstand Lotus Pose bring your crossed legs down until your body is bent
double. This needs especial care when you are coming out of it. Do so as
follows. Straighten your body first, uncross your legs, stretch them up in the
air, bend your knees, and descend with safety.
Variation 9. Though I could
take up a whole chapter on describing the many variations of the Headstand I
will make this the last one because I would like you to go on to something else
which many of you will find a little easier. In this variation of the Headstand
the first and last variations are combined. Here the hands are placed on either
side of the head, the legs are then crossed in the Lotus Position and the legs
are brought down until the body is bent double. Again please take care when
coming out of the position.
Benefits of the Headstand
This asana affects four of the
most important endocrine glands —the pituitary, the pineal, the thyroid, and
the parathyroids. The regular practice of the Headstand helps to relieve
insomnia, tension, nervousness and anxiety, poor circulation of the blood,
asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, hay fever, headaches, female disorders, and lack
of energy. It is because of its many benefits and because it affects the most
important gland in the body, the pituitary, that the Headstand has been called
‘The King of Asanas’.
A word of warning, though. If
you suffer from high blood pressure, palpitations, chronic constipation,
chronic nasal catarrh, or weak eyes, please do not attempt the Headstand. Cure
your complaints by other Yoga exercises first, but in the case of
ASTHMA, BRONCHITIS,
AND HAY FEVER 89
high blood pressure I do not recommend it under any circumstances.
Having just described, in this
chapter on disorders of the respiratory tract, one of the most difficult of the
Yoga asanas, I will now describe a really easy one which will present not the
slightest difficulty. It is an invaluable exercise for sufferers from these
complaints because it allows full expansion of the lungs while doing deep
breathing and at the same time the inverted position helps to drain congested
cavities. It is called THE
LETTER L
BREATHING EXERCISE.
Letter L Breathing Exercise
Facing a convenient wall, lie
down on your back and place your feet as high up the wall as you possibly can,
keeping your legs straight. Stretch out your arms above your head, without
joining the fingers, and hold them palms upwards and elbows straight. Your body
is now in the shape of a letter L as in figure 28, page 91.
Perform the deep slow Complete
Breath while in this position. Take as many breaths as you have time for, but
not less than ten at a time. Do not use force and at the end of each exhalation
pull in your abdomen slightly to expel the last small amount of air from your
lungs. This exercise will not only help to bring relief from asthma,
bronchitis, sinusitis, and hay fever, but the inverted posture will bring
calmness to your mind.
Having had an easy time of it
with the Letter L Breathing Exercise, try now another exercise which
incorporates breathing, stretching, and in its advanced stages, a high degree
of balance. It is the beautiful MOUNTAIN POSTURE or PARVATASANA in Sanskrit.
Mountain Posture
There are four variations of
this posture and I will describe them in order of difficulty.
Variation 1. Kneel down and
hold your body straight up from the knees to the top of your head. Raise your
arms above your head and hold them palm to palm while keeping your elbows as
straight as you can. Practice the Yoga Complete Breath while in this position
and remember not to let your body sag and to keep your tummy muscles pulled
well in.
Variation 2. Sit down in the
Lotus Pose, raise your hands above your head with your fingertips touching as
in figure 31. Holding your body very still, and without letting your arms sag,
again practice the Yoga Complete Breath. Keep this up for as long as you can
but if you feel any discomfort in your legs please undo them.
Variation 3. This increases the
stretch of the dorsal muscles while you are performing the deep breathing.
While seated in the Lotus Pose lace your fingers together and turn them palms
upwards. Now raise your arms as far above your head as you can and you will
feel a powerful stretch along your sides. This intensifies the benefits of this
asana. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 30, page 91.
Variation 4. This is one of the
most spectacular of the Yoga asanas and is for more advanced students. Although
this is primarily a book for beginners to the subject I did not want to leave
out this fourth variation of the Mountain Posture in case some of you might
feel up to trying it. It is not easy but the practice of it will help you to
acquire balance and patience. While sitting in the Lotus Pose with your hands
above your head with the fingertips touching as in figure 31, raise your
buttocks off the floor and remain balanced on your knee-caps as 1 have
demonstrated in figure 29.
To the adventurous among you
who attempt it I would say please go carefully and do not strain any of your
muscles. You will achieve nothing by forcing your unwilling muscles where they
would rather not go. Your best way to master Variation 4 is to practice the
other three until perfect and then, while supporting yourself with a
conveniently placed chair or low table you can gently pull yourself on to your
knee-caps, and then let go of the chair or table. It will tax your sense of
balance to the utmost but practice will be the answer. While poised on your
knee-caps with your arms above your head practice the Yoga Complete Breath. The
effort needed for the perfection of this advanced posture will greatly improve
your powers of concentration and in addition to the benefits to the muscles of
the arms and torso the deep breathing will help congested lungs and bronchial
tubes and the posture tones up the entire nervous system.
In a chapter devoted to
complaints of the respiratory tract one would expect that most of the exercises
would be breathing ones and so they are. Here is one which is called THE
BELLOWS
BREATH, or BHASTRIKA.
However deeply we inhale and however
thoroughly we exhale, there always remains in the lungs a residue of stale air.
It is vital to clear this out to ensure a complete renovation of air and Yoga’s
unique method of doing this is this exercise.
Sit down on a hard chair with
your feet flat on the floor,
your hands on your knees palms
down and your spine erect.
Do not let your tummy muscles
sag. While sitting up straight,
slowly and deeply inhale.
When you have completed your
inhalation suddenly bend
forward from the waist until
your head touches your knees or
as near to them as you can get
and at the same time exhale with
as much force as you can. This
is one of the few times in Yoga
that you should use force.
The bending forward movement
will squeeze every bit of stale air from your lungs.
3. As you slowly straighten
up begin inhaling again and
complete your inhalation while
sitting up straight. Then exhale
with force once more and at the
same time bend your body
forward until your head touches
your knees.
Perform the BELLOWS BREATH only
twice at first but gradually increase the number of breaths you take until you
are doing it twelve times a day. Add one extra breath per week. After every
fourth inhalation retain the breath for up to six seconds and then exhale
immediately while bending forward once more. Do not perform the Bellows Breath
to excess. Twelve times is enough even for the advanced student.
The benefits of this exercise,
apart from cleansing the lungs and bronchial passages, are the toning up of the
whole lung action with highly stimulating effects on the entire body. The
bending forward and straightening movements help to relieve constipation, and
as you know by now, anything that is an enemy of constipation is a friend of
the body. So this exercise is as useful as it is simple to perform.
And now for something more
difficult but equally beneficial. This is another asana with an animal name,
called MATSY-ASANA or the FISH POSTURE. In this exercise the chest is allowed
to expand fully during deep breathing, and it also removes stiffness of the
neck and shoulders and so is a useful exercise with which to follow the
Shoulderstand described in chapter four. It also strengthens the thyroid and
parathyroid glands and tones up the circulation of the blood. If you suffer
from excessive cold in the winter this is a good exercise to warm yourself.
There are three variations of THE FISH POSTURE and I will start with the
easiest for all beginners.
Variation 1. Lie flat on your
back with your legs outstretched and feet together. With the help of your
elbows raise your chest and bend your head as far back as you can until the
crown is touching the floor. Try to hold this position for thirty seconds, and
then very slowly lower your body to the floor. Relax for a few moments before
proceeding to:
Variation 2. A little more
difficult, this one. Sit down in the Lotus Pose, and with the help of your
elbows bend your body backwards very slowly. Bend your head back as far as you
possibly can until the crown is resting on the floor. Grasp your toes with your
fingers and arch your spine as fully as you possibly can. Remain thus for up to
thirty seconds and then relax. (See Fig. 32, page 95.)
Variation 3. Proceed as above
but instead of grasping your toes with your fingers place your hands behind
your head with your arms crossed or else with your fingers laced together and
placed just behind your neck.
If you are still having
difficulty with the Lotus Pose, and I know that many of you will take quite
some time to master it as it is very difficult for the average Westerner, then
perform the easiest of the variations of this posture until you can go a stage
farther. In all three of the variations practice the Yoga Complete Breath and
it is a good place here to remind you that this Complete Breath should be performed
slowly and fully. There should be no rushing over it. It is far better to take
two or three really deep breaths than half a dozen shallow ones. All you
hurried business people take note! The Yoga Complete Breath while performed
when the body is in the Fish Posture helps to remove the spasm from the
bronchial tubes and also helps to relieve asthma.
As with many of the Yoga
asanas, this posture has a variation for advanced students only. I include it
here for the sake of interest and in case there may be some readers adventurous
enough to attempt it.
Variation 4. Begin in the Lotus
Pose once more but this time instead of levering yourself backwards on your
elbows bend forward very slowly until your face is touching the floor. You will
feel considerable pressure on your hip joints so please be careful not to
strain yourself. Remain thus for a few seconds only and then straighten up
immediately. When you can perform this variation with ease, and it can be done
easily with patient practice, gradually extend the period when your face is
touching the floor, and then try to practice the Yoga Complete Breath. After
this variation lie fiat on your back and relax for a few minutes.
I will end this chapter with
the joker of the pack so far as Yoga is concerned. Although a highly effective
and useful exercise, it entails pulling a grotesque face, however, as Yoga is
best done in solitude there should not be anyone around to take fright! Hatha
Yoga being a complete science no part of the body has been overlooked, including
the throat and tongue, and there is a unique exercise for this area known as
SIMHASANA,
the LION POSTURE.
Method. Kneel down on the
floor, hands on your knees palms upwards, and then sit back on your heels. Very
slowly inhale, and when you have completed your inhalation hold your breath for
an instant and then exhale through the mouth with as much force as you can. At
the end of your exhalation stick out your tongue as far as you possibly can to
the point of gagging. At the same time tense every muscle in your body
including your arms and fingers, pop your eyes and generally make yourself look
like a gargoyle. The more gruesome the face the more benefit you will derive
from this exercise.
Retain this unaesthetic posture
for as long as you comfortably can without inhaling and then relax and breathe
naturally for a few seconds. Then repeat the LION POSTURE up to six times in
every practice session and particularly if you suffer from any form of chronic
condition of the throat or tongue. You will find that the practice of Simhasana
will relieve a sore throat more quickly than the most powerful drugs or
lozenges, as it supplies the throat and tongue with a richer supply of blood
which is nature’s own cure. The LION POSTURE is beloved of singers and actors whose
voices are part of their livelihood and I recommend it to anyone who has any
public speaking to do.
Ideally all Yoga asanas should
be performed in the open air in order to draw into the lungs the maximum amount
of fresh air. However, not everyone is lucky enough to have a garden in which
case you should always practice before an open window. In the case of exercises
for asthma, bronchitis, and allied complaints mentioned in this chapter, this
is a vital necessity.
CHAPTER NINE
Arthritis and rheumatism
ONE of Yoga’s answers to the
problems with which this chapter is concerned reads a little like black magic.
Still it adds a touch of the bizarre and the exotic to this exacting science of
discipline and, as with all Yoga practices, there is sound good sense behind
its methods. The Indians claim that people who are afflicted with arthritis or
allied complaints should keep a raw, unpeeled, winter-crop potato—yes, I did
say a potato!—close to their skin day and night until the condition is
relieved. It sounds a little like an old gipsy legend and as a matter of fact I
did meet a gipsy some time ago who was afflicted with arthritis in the
shoulders. I told him this Yoga story about keeping a potato near one’s skin
and he looked at me in sheer amazement. He was completely puzzled as to how I
had got hold of this old ‘gipsy’ secret, so it seems that way back in time,
gipsy or Yogi, they had respect for the humble potato as a powerful cure for
arthritis.
It need not be a very large
potato as apparently the smaller ones work just as efficiently and I must say
more conveniently. An over-large potato carried upon the person could lead to
all kinds of questions and complications. The potato should be discarded when
it either grows very hard like a stone or else becomes soft and wrinkled, and
should be replaced by a fresh one, but make quite sure it is a winter-crop one.
You could keep it in your
pocket during the day and at night slip it into the toe of an old stocking and
draw the other end over your hand so that the potato does not roll away from
you while you sleep. If you are married this practice could produce some
hilarity from your partner but the laugh would be yours if you cured your
arthritis by this unorthodox method.
So bear with the jeers of your
mate and try the experiment. You may be agreeably surprised.
For good measure, while you are
on the potato cure, you should drink potato water, which is one of the very
best alkalizing drinks and helps the system to eliminate the impurities which
are to blame for your complaint. To prepare this drink, and it need not be
unpalatable if you flavour it well, wash four or five fairly large potatoes but
do not peel them. Put them in a saucepan with two pints of water and bring to
the boil. Simmer them slowly for about an hour and then strain through a fine
sieve or cloth. Drink the water first thing in the morning, at least once or
twice during the day, and just before you slip your hand into that stocking
with the potato in it before you hop into bed at night. If you visit your local
health shop you will find all kinds of vegetable extracts and salts with which
to make your potato water more drinkable.
It is also highly beneficial to
arthritis sufferers to eat one or two finely grated raw potatoes, including the
skin, every day. I know it sounds revolting but, added to soups, stews, salads
or vegetables just before serving you would hardly know it was there! However,
your system will know it is there and react “n a very favourable way. It is
worth trying is it not? and I would be most interested to hear from my readers
who notice an improvement in their condition through the ‘potato cure’.
But let us now turn this from a
cookery book back into a book on HathaYoga! Here is an exercise known as HALAS
ANA or the PLOUGH POSTURE. One of the basic Yoga asanas, it stretches the
vertebrae to the maximum, and subjects the abdomen and its organs and muscles
to a powerful massage. The nerve centre and cells along the spine are
stimulated as they receive a richer supply of blood. By practicing this
exercise your spine will gradually become more elastic and as it effects the
kidneys it is a powerful way of eliminating the toxic waste that is the primary
cause of arthritis and allied complaints. Waste is the foundation of all
disease. It cannot flourish if the body is purified. And now for the PLOUGH
POSTURE. (See page 137.)
1. Lie down on your back, feet
together and hands along your sides. Raise your legs and buttocks off the
ground and as you put your hands on your hips to steady yourself push your legs
over your head while keeping your knees straight. The first stage of the Plough
Posture is pictured in figure 44, page 137.
2. Bend your legs backwards until your toes touch the ground. Press your
chin firmly against your chest in a chin lock and place your hands, palms down,
facing the opposite way to your legs. Your body now roughly resembles an
old-fashioned plough. Try to increase the stretch of your spine by pushing your
toes away from your head as far as you can. I have demonstrated the correct
position in figure 45. Your hands may be placed in two other ways if you wish.
One way is to lace them together and place them behind your head just above the
neck and the other is to keep them on the hips as in stage one. Indeed this way
may help you to push your body over a little more and increase the stretch of
the spine.
Some of my older readers may
find difficulty with Halasana at first so try it this way. Take your starting
position with your head two, three, or more feet away from the wall according
to your height and convenience. When you swing your legs over your head your
toes will touch the wall. Try then to walk down the wall with your toes, but
gently please. Do not try to force your toes lower down the wall than they will
comfortably go, otherwise an enraged and rigid muscle could repay your lack of
consideration by giving you agony for weeks, which would have the effect of
scaring you away for evermore from this most valuable posture. So careful,
please.
When you are able to perform
this Plough Posture to your liking try to increase, all the time, the overall
stretch, as this position is most beneficial when carried to its extreme form,
i.e. with the toes at the maximum distance from the head and the chin pressed
firmly into the middle of the chest, as in the illustration.
The way you unwind yourself
from the Plough Posture is equally important as the way you get into it.
Performed in its correct way, the unwinding of the Plough requires considerable
muscular control so, as always, go slowly at first and constant practice will
give you the control you need. As you unwind this posture keep your head on the
floor throughout until you return to the starting position flat on your back.
Your natural tendency will be to raise your head as you unwind but, although
you must do it this way when you first begin, always bear in mind what you are
aiming for. The keeping of your head on the floor increases the work on your
dorsal and abdominal muscles and gives them a very powerful massage and exercise.
As you unwind bend your knees as this will make things easier for you than
keeping them straight, and above all unwind slowly- This posture is, as you
will have realized by now, deceptively simple looking. Graceful in execution
and beautiful in its static stage, nevertheless it uses a lot of muscles which
you may seldom have used before in this particular manner, and it also requires
a high degree of muscular control to perform it to perfection.
When you can do this classical
Plough Posture perfectly you might like to try three variations, just to add
variety to your daily practice schedule. In each case the posture will limber
the spine, keep it more supple and youthful and therefore discourage arthritis
and rheumatism.
Variation 1. This differs from
the Halasana I have just described only in the position of the arms. This time
they should be outstretched and pointing the same way as your legs so that you
can touch your toes with your fingers.
Variation 2. Execute the first
Plough Posture I described and then move the legs as far apart as possible,
remaining thus for as long as you comfortably can. This imparts an extra
stretch to the muscles of the legs and thighs.
Variation 3. This variation of
the Plough Posture is called Kama Peedasana or the Ear to Knee Posture.
Proceeding from the Plough
Posture, draw your knees up to your ears, your legs remaining flat on the
ground from your knees to your toes. Bend your arms and place your hands behind
your knees in order to keep them pressed to the floor. Only the most supple
among my readers will be able to do this at first but regular practice of the
other variations will limber your spine sufficiently for the Ear to Knee
Posture.
Whichever variation of the
Plough Posture you perform, do not omit the Yoga Complete Breath while
remaining in this static pose. Your chest will be somewhat restricted and you
may possibly find that the taking of a deep breath is a little uncomfortable at
first, but do keep trying and you will find it gets easier as you practice. No
Yoga asana should be performed unless it is in conjunction with Yoga breathing.
The one complements the other to affect the entire organism.
The following exercise will
help those who suffer from calcium deposits at the shoulder joints. Sit down in
the Lotus Posture, or if you cannot yet do this sit down in the Easy Pose. If
this too is beyond you sit down on a hard chair with your back straight. Raise
your right hand and bring it behind your shoulder and at the same time bend
your left hand behind your back and join your two hands together. I mentioned
this position of the hands earlier in connection with the Bull Posture for
sciatica but sufferers from arthritis and rheumatism in the shoulders will also
greatly benefit from this simple arm exercise. Remain in the position for as
long as you comfortably can and then perform it with reversed arms. Practice
this exercise at any time of the day you possibly can and incidentally, if you
have round shoulders it will greatly improve this condition.
1 will end this chapter with
another breathing exercise which most of you will find easy and pleasant to
perform. It is called the WINDMILL breathing exercise and again will help to
rid the body of calcium deposits and tone the nerves and muscles of the back,
shoulders, and arms.
Standing legs apart inhale very
slowly and deeply through
the mouth. At the same time
lift your arms sideways to shoulder
height, palms downward.
Complete your inhalation.
While holding the breath swing
the arms, upwards and
backwards three times in
succession like a windmill, and then
in the opposite direction three times. This should be done
rhythmically and without hurry.
Exhale with some force through
the mouth as you slowly
lower your arms. Finish this
exercise standing up straight and
performing a few Yoga Complete
Breaths.
If you suffer from arthritis or
rheumatism practice the exercises in this chapter faithfully and don’t forget
that potato will you!
CHAPTER TEN
Obesity and the improvement of the
figure
THIS chapter, 1 have no doubt,
is the one to which the majority of women will turn first. Knowing as you do
that Yoga can give you a perfect figure you have made this your main reason for
pursuing the subject. I assure you this is no worse a reason for beginning the
study of Yoga than any other. There cannot really be a bad reason for wanting
to do something good, and though Yoga offers much in the way of a peaceful and
healthy existence your main concern, at this stage anyway, is how to get that
pad of fat off your hips and reduce that bulging tummy. So be it. I will show
you the way and as you learn more and more of Yoga perhaps eventually your
reason for studying it will be a more spiritual one.
There is little need to explain
to you the connection between obesity and your health. Apart from being
aesthetically all wrong it puts a strain on the heart, the internal organs, the
legs and feet and in fact the entire body. It is dangerous to be overweight. It
is your duty to improve your figure for the sake of your health, your peace of mind
and your general well being.
But before I explain how Yoga
can help you to regain a slim, supple, and graceful figure I must impress on
you right at the beginning that there is no magic formula which will sheer
those extra pounds off you while you go on eating four square meals a day with
snacks in between and goodness knows how many cups of tea sweetened with sugar.
In short, Yoga is not black magic. It is sheer common sense. It will help you
if you are prepared to help yourself.
In presenting various Yoga
asanas in this chapter I must again impress on you that these alone will not
make you lose weight. Yoga you see is a way of life not just a system of
physical culture.
You must study Yoga as a whole
and let it pervade every part of your life. Let it gradually alter your way of
thinking and in time it will affect your attitude towards food. For many people
food is a social occasion, or a means of chopping up the day. To very many
others it is a form of sheer solid comfort in times of stress or anxiety. To
still others it is a hobby or a release from boredom. They don’t know what to
do with themselves so they eat—and grow fat.
I do not suggest that you try
drastically to alter your eating habits as soon as you read this book. Let Yoga
gently do that for you. Practice Yoga as a complete science, and very slowly
adjust your eating habits according to your state of mind. By this I mean that
at the moment, maybe food is of major importance to you. It is right that you
have this incentive to eat for it is necessary to take food in order to live,
but many people, far too many, take far more food than they need. This results
in a gradual build up of fat in the body until there you are—two, three, or
even more stones overweight. It is never easy to take off weight and Yoga is
not a short cut by any means, but this much I promise you. That once you have
slimmed, the Yoga way, you will be able to eat as you please and not gain an
ounce. Yoga, in affecting the glands, establishes a rhythm in the body so that
you do not feel a desire for food that you do not need. You want to eat only
enough to keep superbly fit. Your new calmness of mind will make it unnecessary
for you to turn to food for comfort or as a means of relieving tension or
boredom. As I have said, Yoga will affect your way of life, even against your
will; it will alter your attitude towards many things and one of these things
is the food you eat.
Having warned you that I have
no magic formula dreamed up by the ancient Yogis with regard to recovering a slim,
beautiful figure, let me discuss the first step in this ‘battle of the bulge’.
The majority of overweight people suffer from chronic constipation, so one of
your very first tasks is to turn back to chapter five, re-read all I have
written, and vow to make an immediate onslaught on your sluggish bowels, as
this complaint is very fattening as well as uncomfortable. Practice all the
Yoga asanas described in the chapter on constipation, and in particular
practice the water-drinking habits of the Yogis and the relaxing and
contracting movements known as Uddiyani. This ridding your body of excessive
waste, and the practice of Yoga asanas and breathing exercises will go a long
way towards sheering that superfluous fat from your body and here is a Yoga
asana which will help you on your way. It is called the SIDESLIP and it should
not present too much difficulty if you spend the first couple of days limbering
up your torso with the following simple movements.
Limbering up Exercises
Stand up straight, feet
together, arms raised to shoulder
level.
Holding your arms steady swing
them as far as possible
round to the right.
Twist your body to the maximum
to bring your right arm as far round as you can and at the same time turn your
head to look over your right shoulder so that you twist your neck to the
utmost; as you turn slowly bend your left arm so that when the swing to the
right is at its height your left thumb should touch your right shoulder.
3. Hold this position for a few seconds and then repeat the
swing to the other side. You
can repeat these swings ad lib but
at first it is as well to limit
yourself to a maximum of six if you
have never taken any exercise
before.
Two points to remember. These
swinging movements from side to side should be performed slowly and rhythmically.
Emphasis is on the full sweep of the arms and the twisting of your torso to the
utmost rather than on speed. Speed isn’t a word used in Yoga, rather substitute
the word pressure. At the extreme points of the twisting movement you can exert
a slight pressure to enhance the value of this limbering exercise. And having
practiced it for a day or two you should graduate with no difficulty to a more
advanced lateral twist called THE SIDESLIP POSTURE.
1. Kneel down on the floor and
sit back on your heels. Raise your arms above your head, clasp your hands
together and turn them palms upwards.
Slide your body off your heels to the right and at the same time gently
swing your arms towards the opposite side. I have demonstrated the correct
movement in figure 34. You should not bend forward while performing this
movement but move from the waist to the side only.
Now raise your body off the
floor, swing it slowly and
gently to the other side and at
the same time swing your arms
over to the opposite side. Try
to keep your knees together
throughout the Sideslip
Posture, but if you find this difficult or
impossible at first you may
hold your knees apart to maintain
your balance but at all times
endeavour to bring your knees
together.
Many people, while attempting
this asana for the first time have difficulty with stage 3, that is the lifting
of the body off the floor and the swinging it to the other side. In fact some
people have trouble in getting themselves off the floor at all in this position
and others, if they do succeed, land with a great thump on the opposite side
and have difficulty getting up from there. Be patient. This exercise is not
quite so easy as it looks. Graceful, and a great favourite with women
everywhere, it looks simple enough but in actual fact it requires a high degree
of muscular control and concentration.
Remember your head while you
are doing the SIDESLIP POSTURE. It should bend the same way as your arms, which
you should, throughout the movement, try to press backwards as far as possible
to avoid any possible sagging forward of your body.
This asana is one of the finest
in the entire Yoga range for slimming the waist and reducing that pad of fat
which often settles on top of the hipbones. You will feel a powerful stretch
from your hips to your armpits and if you do this exercise correctly you will
feel rather sore in the region of your hip joints the next day. This is normal
and it will prove to you that this Yoga exercise has already begun to work for
you. While one side of your body is being stretched the other side is being
powerfully contracted. You can feel it squeezing the fatty tissue. It also
imparts a healthy massage to the organs and muscles of the abdomen and helps
the torso towards a new suppleness and grace.
When you can perform the
SIDESLIP POSTURE at a moderate speed and with some degree of muscular control,
then try to slow down the whole process so that it becomes a study in slow and
gentle motion. This calls for a much higher degree of muscular control and thus
the benefits of the posture are greatly enhanced. When you have perfected your
movements in slow motion regulate your deep breathing so that you lean to one
side while inhaling and to the other while exhaling. Rhythm and slow motion are
the final keywords in this exercise.
In its perfect form the
Sideslip Posture should be as follows. Lean to the right while inhaling. Remain
immobile as you complete your inhalation and hold your breath for as long as
possible. When the impulse to exhale appears do so as you raise your body off
the floor and swing it to the other side. Remain immobile as you complete your
exhalation and remain holding your breath for as long as possible before
inhaling again. This constitutes one round. Perform up to a dozen rounds a day,
starting with four and adding two rounds per week.
Like the Sideslip Posture this
next exercise is not so easy as it looks. It is called AROHANASANA or in
English THE RAISED HEAD AND LEGS POSTURE. This asana wages war on that bulging
abdomen.
Lie flat on your back with your
legs outstretched and your
feet together. Lace your
fingers together and place them at the
back of your head just above
your neck.
Inhale very slowly and deeply
and at the same time raise
your head, shoulders, and legs
off the floor remembering to
keep your knees straight. Hold
this position until you have
completed your inhalation.
I have demonstrated the correct
position in figure 36, page
111.
After holding your breath for a
few seconds very slowly
return to the original
position.
These instructions are
simplicity itself and even the photograph of me lying with my head, shoulders
and legs raised can give you little idea of the sheer muscular effort involved
in holding them that way. But try it for yourself. Those two words *very
slowly’, in connection with the lowering of the legs will catch most of you out
at first. You will want to plop your legs down on the floor in a great rush,
but try as hard as you can to resist this impulse. It is the easy way out and
you will gain nothing from employing it. You want to reduce that abdomen don’t
you ? Then do please remember that there is no hurry at all in this exercise,
and the slow s-l-o-w lowering of the legs is precisely what strengthens, tones,
exercises, and reduces those flabby abdominal muscles and helps to reduce fat
in this area.
This is an exercise that
requires a lot of patient practice before you can perform it perfectly. As it
is a strenuous posture do not do it more than twice a day for the first few
days and after that very gradually increase the number of times you do it up to
six.
In addition to toning and
strengthening the abdominal muscles and reducing excess fat this exercise also
helps to relieve constipation so it is doubly beneficial to the
would-be-slimmer. The back and shoulders are also strengthened by the slow
motion lifting and lowering of the head and shoulders.
A word of warning. This is not
an exercise for women during pregnancy or who have any internal disorders, and
people with hernia should practice it with extreme caution.
For those readers who find the
Arohanasana too strenuous or simply beyond you, here is a similar though much
easier exercise which is called UDHITTA PADASANA or THE RAISED
LEG POSTURE.
1. Lie on your back with your legs outstretched and feet
together. Inhale slowly and
deeply and at the same time raise
your right leg, keeping the
knee straight, until it is at right
angles to your body as in
figure 37, page 111.
2. Remain thus as you complete your inhalation, hold your
breath for a few seconds while
keeping absolutely still, your
other leg flat on the floor.
3. When the impulse to exhale appears do so and at the same
time very slowly lower your
leg. Repeat with the other leg.This simple exercise may be performed once or
twice a day until you feel you are ready to try it with both legs at once. This
exercise, like the previous one will help to break up fatty tissue in the
abdominal area. I must warn beginners to this, and the previous exercise that
they might find their abdominal muscles a little sore the day after starting as
you are using muscles which may never have been used in that way before. Do not
worry about the discomfort. It means that Yoga is working for you so you should
welcome it as a sign that you were performing the exercise properly. Remember
always to lower your legs s-1-o-w-l-y.
Let us now try a standing
posture for the improvement of the figure. This one will keep your spine
healthy and supple, reduce abdominal fat, tone up sluggish bowels, and slim
your waist. It is called THE WOODCUTTER Exercise.
Stand erect, feet far apart.
Stretch out your arms, lace
your fingers together and
imagine that you are holding a very
heavy axe.
Inhale slowly and deeply and at
the same time slowly raise
the ‘axe’ above your head until
you are leaning back as far as
you can without losing your
balance. I have demonstrated this
backward bending position in
figure 40, page 112.
Remain in
the backward bend as
you complete your
inhalation, remain immobile for
a few seconds holding your
breath.
When the impulse to exhale
appears swing the ‘axe’ down
slowly as though there were
actually a log in front of you and
you were chopping it up. The
downward movement should be a
very powerful one but do not
stop when you reach the imaginary
log but let your hands follow through
your legs as in figure 39.
Repeat this exercise six times,
and do watch the following four points. Firstly that your elbows should be
straight throughout, secondly that your feet should be firmly planted on the
floor without moving, thirdly that you do not move your buttocks whilst you are
bending down, and lastly that all the movement should be done from above the
waist. The lower half of the body should remain absolutely still.
A word of warning. This is a
rather strenuous exercise and I do not recommend it for women with internal
complaints or people with weak hearts. This exercise should not be done during
menstruation.
The next posture for reducing
abdominal fat is called THE TRIANGLE
BEND.
Stand erect with your hands
clasped together behind your
back. Your feet should be far
apart with your knees straight.
Inhale slowly and at the same
time turn your torso, from
the waist upwards, slightly to
the right. Continue with your
inhalation as you bend your
head slowly until your forehead
touches your right knee. Your
hands should still be clasped
behind your back. I have
demonstrated the position in figure 38.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
without exhaling, and when the
impulse to exhale appears do
so, at the same time slowly
straightening up.
Repeat the movement to the
other side, bending your head
towards the left knee.
That is the Triangle Bend.
Repeat it twice each way at first but when you are limbered up you can perform
it up to half a dozen times. Did I hear some of you say ‘impossible’. I’ll
admit that if you are very stiff, or very much overweight, the Triangle Bend
may well seem so, but again I must ask you to practice it, without straining,
and you will soon be pleasantly surprised at how easy this exercise really is.
It reduces fat on the abdomen, waist, and thighs.
And now for another posture
which has a similar name. This is TRIKONASANA or THE TRIANGLE POSTURE, and you
may find it easier than the previous one. It is one of the most effective Yoga
asanas for reducing fat round the waistline, the hips, the upper arms, and the
thighs, and it should present little difficulty even to the beginner.
Trikonasana
Stand erect, feet far apart,
and your arms extended sideways
at shoulder level. This is the
starting position as in figure 41.
While keeping your head in the
same position (that is not turning it) bend slowly to the right until your
right hand touches your right foot. You will have to bend your right knee a
little to do this and at the same time your left leg should remain outstretched
to maintain balance.
Your left arm should be
gradually brought up and over your
head as far as possible, as I
have demonstrated in figure 42.
Remain in this position until
you have completed your
inhalation.
When the impulse to inhale
appears do so and at the same
time slowly return to the
starting position. Repeat this exercise
to the other side.
The most important feature of
this exercise is the gradual increase of the stretch of the free arm, which
should be brought over farther and farther each time you practice this
exercise. It should be performed four times a day at first and when you become
more flexible it can be performed up to a dozen times a day. The accent is on
slow and rhythmical movement, as this exercise is much more beneficial to the
health and the figure when performed slowly and gracefully. The breathing
should also be carefully timed to coincide with the appropriate movements.
Trjkonasana is not a very strenuous posture but all the same I do not advise it
for women with any kind of internal disorders or for people suffering from
hernia.
This being the last of the
so-called ‘slimming1 Yoga asanas, I should like to lend a helping hand to those
of you who, with the best will in the world to practice Yoga and grow slim,
feel that you cannot find the time to practice. I know it isn’t always easy
especially if you go out to business as the mornings are filled with rushing
about, and breakfasts and bath water, and if something has to be left out—well
that’s Yoga isn’t it? This is one of the main reasons, I find, why would-be
devotees of Yoga do not pursue the subject.
In view of the fact that Yoga
asanas should be done on an empty stomach it is usually convenient to perform
your practice schedule first thing in the morning when you get out of bed. You
may feel you are too sleepy to do them then but you will find that some of the
asanas are very bracing owing to their stimulating effect on the nervous system
and soon give you a wide-awake feeling. And once you have established the habit
of doing Yoga postures first thing in the morning it should become as much a
part of your routine as having your morning bath or cleaning your teeth. So,
starting with one of those bracing exercises, here is a ten-minute practice
schedule which is not beyond the means of anyone. All you do is get up ten
minutes earlier. Ten short minutes each day—so very little time to devote to
Yoga, but how rich will be the rewards, so rich that I feel convinced that many
of you will soon want to get up even earlier to devote yet more time to this
healthful study.
Ten-Minute Practice Schedule
1. Limbering up for Sideslip 1 minute
2. Sideslip 3 minutes
3. Raised Head and Legs Posture
or } four
times 2 minutes
4. Leg Raising Posture
5. Woodchopper—six times 1 minute
6. Triangle Bend—four times 1
minutes
7. Triangle—six times 2 minutes
This ten-minute practice
schedule can be varied of course, according to your individual needs and the
amount of time at your disposal. There may be one exercise which you find you
like better than some of the others in which case do spend more time on that
one. The schedule I have set out is a mere indication of what can be done with
a few minutes set aside for Yoga practice. Do not omit the correct breathing as
you perform these exercises and if you would slim do please avoid constipation,
as this is one of the worst enemies of the body and of the figure. Yoga will do
wonders for your health and your appearance, and for your figure but do please
give it a helping hand by watching your diet. The next chapter is devoted to
this subject.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Diet
THE body needs food for two
purposes, as fuel to supply our energy, and to repair body tissues. Four
elements are needed for the building of the body and for its repair, namely (1)
protein or nitrogenous food, (2) carbo-hydrates, (3) fats or hydrocarbons, and
(4) minerals, these four elements being found in greater proportions in
vegetables than in flesh foods. The most valuable vegetable sources of protein
are cheess, soya beans, nuts, peas and milk, and the most wholesome sources of
starches and sugars are honey, wholewheat, oats, unpolished rice, and potatoes.
Fruits and vegetables, as well as supplying organic minerals and hydrocarbons,
also aid in keeping an alkaline reserve in the blood, essential for carrying
waste carbon dioxide to the lungs for elimination.
I am not going to try to
convert any of my meat-eating readers to vegetarianism (as the practice of Yoga
will do this for me in time), but I would say this. That although the meat
eater may look strong and healthy he has not the endurance, the staying power,
and the resistance to disease of the vegetarian. That a natural diet of fruits,
greens, milk and dairy products, citrus fruits, and whole grains is man’s ideal
and vitamin-packed health-giving diet.
It is interesting to note that
all food is originally produced in a vegetable form and is in effect stored up
sunshine. Think of an orange. The next time you pick one up to peel and eat it
and throw the vitamin-rich skin into the dustbin, think of it as it really is,
a parcel of distilled sunshine. And why throw the peel away? Eat a bit of it
with the rest of the orange and what you do not eat try grating it into various
other foods to add a rich and tangy flavour. It is full of vitamins and added
to a jar of honey it adds that extra something.
So to eat vegetables is to eat
distilled sunshine. To eat flesh is to take vegetable food secondhand from
another animal, and here it is interesting to note that man eats mainly the
flesh of vegetarian animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, and poultry, deer, and
rabbits. He does not eat the flesh of carnivorous animals.
Why kill helpless and friendly
animals? Why subject them to the pain and terror of the slaughterhouse when
there is so much goodness to eat from the clean earth? Why take a life away
when we can eat fruit off the trees, and all the bounty of the harvest? Why all
this violence in the name of good eating? Why not have mercy? The pure in mind
do not kill, and the pure in body do not need to kill. Think, do think, about
it first the next time you cut a piece of steak and carry it on your fork to
your mouth; think of the animal who died in pain to provide you with this supper
of yours. Are you sure it is worth it? And are fruit and vegetables and nuts
not more pleasant to handle than wet and bleeding pieces of a dead animal?
It is interesting to note that
once a person becomes a vegetarian and knows the health and purity which
results from eating good and pure food, he seldom if ever reverts back to the
lower type of food. As he grows spiritually, man ceases to desire flesh foods.
Thus man’s choice of foods is directly influenced by his degree of mental
purity.
And so the Yoga diet is simply
to keep as closely as possible to natural foods. This means plenty of nuts,
whole cereals, and fresh fruits and juices. From these man can get all the
vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals he needs. From these also he has
the means whereby to nourish the cells of the body without overburdening the
system with unnatural and alien foods and drinks. It should be noted that even
the most perfect system cannot work to the maximum of its efficiency when it is
fed with unnatural foods.
What, then, are these unnatural
foods to be avoided? These are the refined, processed, tinned and packaged
foods, the worst offenders being white sugar, white flour, white rice and any
other food from which the vitality has been refined out. Pickles, preserves,
sweets and over-salted foods should be avoided, as should anything containing
artificial ingredients. This, 1 know, is not easy if one tends to eat out a
great deal. Well-meaning relations and friends hand us heavily iced sweet cakes
and sandwiches made with that unwholesome substance, white bread. What can one
do to avoid complete social ostracism? That is a problem which you can work out
for yourselves, according to your individual circumstances but to all of you I
would say this, avoid these foods wherever possible but do not, in the process,
offend anyone. Rather eat a piece of cake than hurt someone’s feelings. You can
leave most of it in crumbs on your plate without arousing suspicion.
The three main rules of the
Yoga diet are (1) non-violence, (2) moderation, and (3) attitude of mind.
Non-violence I have already discussed. What then of moderation ? You must train
yourself to eat only what you need and no more. As you proceed with your
studies of Yoga you will find yourself taking less interest in food and more
interest in spiritual matters. Food no longer becomes a break from the round of
work. It becomes a time of refuelling the body so that it may continue to
flourish. Remember to chew each mouthful slowly which simple practice will
gradually accustom you to taking only as much food as you need, not as much as
you think you want. By all means enjoy your food but take it in moderation.
And what of attitude of mind?
It is not necessary for you to become cranks and food faddists who measure
every mouthful you eat. It is not necessary for you to set up a hue and cry
about the needless slaughter of animals for food. Quietly pursue your own
course, eat only what is pure and natural and your influence will be far
greater on those around you than by any more noisy methods.
I am by no means deaf to the
many arguments against vegetarianism that are hurled at me from time to time.
They go as follows. If everyone became a vegetarian we should be completely
overrun by animals. That without eating flesh our diet becomes dull and
uninteresting. That the vegetarian diet is not filling and the amount of food
one has to consume to satisfy one’s hunger tends to make one gain weight. That
one becomes socially ‘difficult’ and eating
out becomes something of a problem. That the fancy health food shops are much
more expensive than the other food shops. These are the main objections
although there are many more. Let us demolish each one in turn.
Firstly the danger of us being
overrun by animals if everyone became a vegetarian. Not true, for the simple
reason that animals raised for commercial slaughter are artificially bred to
multiply at a greater rate than is natural. If it became unprofitable to breed
animals the number of them would be drastically decreased by introducing
alternate breeding methods.
From the economic standpoint,
if everyone became a vegetarian the area of land used to graze animals for food
could be used to raise anything from four to forty times as much vegetable
food. Meat is actually no more than very expensive, secondhand, vegetable food.
It is a known fact that vegetable foods can be produced much more economically
than flesh foods.
Let us then consider the second
argument against vegetarianism, that the vegetarian diet is dull and
uninteresting. To a cook who is imaginative and adventurous, this need not be
so. To one who is not, a flesh diet is equally as unpalatable for a good cook
can show her talent with any kind of food. And what can be more colourful and
exotic than a plate full of mixed and brightly coloured vegetables topped with
grated cheese. What a conglomeration of colours, textures, and flavours. What a
wealth of vitamins, and what easily digestible nourishment. Food without
killing, surely that is the ideal diet for a thinking man?
The third argument, that the
vegetarian becomes socially a difficult customer, is one which the strong
minded will choose to ignore. If your ideals and beliefs are against the
killing of innocent animals and the eating of their flesh, then you will not
mind being misunderstood by well-meaning friends and relatives. Those closest
to you will be only too ready to respect your wishes. As far as eating at
restaurants is concerned there are many fine and economical vegetarian
restaurants up and down the country and if your own particular district has
none you could always take your own packed lunch to work. You can always get
round the difficulties if you really want to.
And the fourth argument that
the vegetarian diet is not filling enough and that the extra intake of food
tends to make one gain weight? What of this? This is where the eating habits of
the Yogis will help you. They chew their food slowly and at the same time very
gradually decrease their intake of food until they are eating only enough to
keep alive and superbly healthy. More food than this amount is superfluous and
tends to put on weight but you will notice that no devotee of Yoga has even an
ounce of superfluous fat on him or her.
And what of the last argument,
I mentioned, that health food shops are expensive markets and eat up the
household budget? True in a sense maybe, if you do not bother to learn
vegetarian cookery. If you are a housewife, and your cooking is good and tasty,
then perhaps your husband and your children will become vegetarians too. If you
live alone you have no one to consider but yourself, and if you are a bachelor,
your mother, your sister or even an understanding landlady will come to the
rescue. What I am impressing on would-be vegetarians is that it can be done if
you really want to. And I am not asking you at this stage to become a
vegetarian but merely making various practical suggestions as to how it can be
done in the event of your gradually turning against the eating of flesh foods
for the reasons I have already outlined.
This is a book about Hatha Yoga
and I am writing it mainly from the point of view of your health. However, the
body and the mind being inseparable, in showing you how to discipline the one I
cannot but mention from time to time the effect upon the other. As Yoga gives
your body a new lightness and suppleness you will find that you have gradually
become a more spiritual person and food will be of less importance to you than
before. You will become more sensitive to the feelings of others and therefore
stop to consider the feelings of helpless animals in slaughterhouses up and
down the country.
You who long to be slim, to
regain your youthful suppleness and vitality, are going to be helped to this
end not, as I warned you at the beginning, by any magical or ‘crash’ diet, but
simply by adjusting your eating habits and way of thinking. Where to begin ?
First of all remember that our
bodies are only nourished by food which they can break down and assimilate and
that, ideally, all food should be laxative. This is far from the case, however,
and far too much devitalized and unnatural food is being consumed in this
modern world with the result that an appallingly high percentage of the
population suffers from constipation and other disorders of the digestive
tract. As I said at the beginning of chapter eight, the Yogis name constipation
as ‘the Mother of all diseases’, and here we might aptly name devitalized food
as ‘the mother of all constipation and digestive disorders’.
What is devitalized food and
why are the Yogis so against it? Dead and devitalized foods include everything
that has been preserved, bottled, bleached, refined, canned, pickled, or
polished. When I say avoid eating white flour products, white sugar products,
and polished rice you will ask why. What is wrong with these substances? Simply
that in their refined state they are unsuitable as foods and are actually
harmful to the human body. What is wrong with eating raw sugar, whole wheat
flour products, and unpolished rice? They may prove somewhat dearer but who in
his right mind would try to economize on good food? And in the case of raw
sugar be careful that you are not buying refined sugar that has simply been
coloured brown. And try, for a change, to sweeten your food with honey. More
easily assimilated than any other food, it is especially beneficial to older
people and those of you who are suffering from digestive troubles of any kind.
Being a lifelong honey eater I
cannot impress on you too strongly how wholesome and nutritious a food this is.
The purest and most natural of foods, it is cheap and plentiful and yet so few
people recognize its enormous value.
I seem to hear protests in my
ears already. Do you say that you once bought a jar of honey, and you tried to
eat it and what happened. It simply would not go down. You dislike the stuff
and that is that. But wait. Perhaps you once bought a pound of sour apples. Did
you then decide never to buy apples again because you disliked the taste of
sour ones? There are very many different honeys. Maybe the jar you once bought
was a blended honey, better used in cooking. Why not try one of the dark
honeys, brown as a nut, with the strong and heady sweetness of sunshine? Why
not try one of the mild, creamy white honeys, thick and subtle flavoured? There
is such a bewildering variety of honeys from all over the world that I could
not possibly name them all, but perhaps the most delectable of all, though it
is a matter of personal preference, are the clover honeys, smooth and mellow as
butterscotch, and with an unforgettable bouquet, and the dark-toned, exotic
honeys of the Caribbean.
And do not, please, think that
honey is always clear golden or biscuit coloured. Honeys are as multi-coloured
as a rainbow. The French honey that is gathered from the blooms of gooseberry
and sycamore trees is an exquisite sea green. The flavour, need I say, is
beyond words. From Brazil comes a black honey, from Africa a clear, pale green,
and from Texas comes one of the most unique honeys in the world, the remarkable
guajillo honey which is crystal white with a pearly reflection like new milk.
Not always available in American “health-food” stores, but to be looked for at
any rate, is the exotic lotus honey of India. It is as exciting, as mysterious,
and as health giving as Yoga itself. I could go on for a whole book writing
ecstatically of the wonder and the glories of honey but let it suffice to say
that if you think you dislike honey then try all the different ones you can
find. If you fail to find one you like you are indeed unique.
If you feel I was becoming
lyrical over honey I am going to be just the opposite about its greatest
rival—sugar. Why, I wonder, did we abandon honey, nature’s most nutritious
sweet food, in favour of dry, sterile, refined sugars? I am afraid that there can
be only one answer—sheer ignorance of the basic needs and capabilities of the
human organism. Because, up to about the year 1700 sugar was the exclusive
amenity of the aristocracy, it came to be greatly prized by the masses as a
delicacy. It had a certain social significance as, say, caviare has today. So
when a new process was discovered of refining sugar cheaply and in large
quantities honey began to lose its popularity as a sweetening agent and became
increasingly less available as sugar became more so.
Then physicians in America and
Europe began to realize that a tragic dietary mistake was being made and that
the over indulgence in artificial sugars was causing increasing ill health. New
digestive and nervous disorders began to make their appearance, and the
instance of diabetes shot up alarmingly.
Many people do not know that
granulated sugars, syrups, treacles, and molasses are artificial sweets. Still
fewer people know that they are also powerful stimulants, drugs which are
actually habit forming. So used are people to taking them as an everyday
commodity that they have come to regard them as harmless, pleasant, and
nourishing. I assure you that they are neither harmless nor nourishing though
no doubt many would protest that they are pleasant.
The sweets that 1 have
mentioned are manufactured by a process which destroys all their nutritive
elements. In the case of granulated sugar the sugar crystals that are formed
after the cane juice is treated with the fumes of burning sulphur or heated
with bisulphide of lime, are sterile and devitalized. It is just this fact
which makes sugar a commodity that will keep almost indefinitely which is a
distinct advantage from a commercial point of view but hardly from a health
one.
Sugar granules, in their final,
highly concentrated form, are powerful stimulants. When they reach the human
stomach they oxydize violently upon their contact with oxygen, which produces
an explosive effect upon the digestive system and causes an increased activity
in the internal organs. White sugar can be compared with a highly combustible
fuel that violently ignites, burns with a fierce intensity, and as quickly dies
down.
Can you imagine the shock
treatment all this activity has on the digestive and nervous systems? And
because of this fast dying down the body is aware of a hunger for more and more
sugar. It is this fact that makes people often eat as much as a pound of sweets
or chocolates at one sitting. The desire for ‘just one more’ becomes a
compulsion, and the more poorly nourished a person is the more susceptible he
will be to sugar addiction. For that is what it is, an addiction, no less. That
sugar, in the last analysis, can cause serious malnutrition is proved by the
fact that although like alcohol, it is a quick source of energy the effects do
not last and as the body becomes more and more dependent on these ‘quick lifts’
it becomes less inclined to eat nourishing food.
To sum up the case for honey
and the case against sugar I would say this. That artificial sugars must be
broken down by the digestive tract into simple sugars before they can be
utilized by the body, and thus they put an undue strain upon the system. The
use of honey presents no such problems as it consists entirely of natural
sugars that do not have to be oxydized by the digestive tract. Honey is
absorbed at once without excessive stimulation or shock to the system and it
does not result in a craving for more. Sugar is no substitute for honey as,
chemically, it is of an entirely different nature. So why be dictated to by the
heavy hand of commerce ?
In order to guide you in your
choice of foods for your Yoga diet I will here outline the principle vitamins
and their easily available food sources. Vitamins, in controlling the body’s
use of minerals, promotes a balance in the body necessary for the proper
functioning of the endocrine glands and the formation of hormones.
Vitamin A
The body uses this vitamin best
in conjunction with vitamin D in the proportion of 7-1. The principle sources
of vitamin A are cabbage, carrots, celery, endive, lettuce, oranges, parsley,
prunes and dried apricots, spinach, tomatoes, and watercress.
Lack of vitamin A produces
scaly skin, stones in the kidney and gall bladder, catarrh and sinus
infections, poor digestion, and low resistance to disease. This vitamin is
essential for proper growth of body tissues, and increases resistance to
infections of the urinary and respiratory tracts.
Vitamin Bx
The principle sources are
cabbage, carrots, celery, coconuts, citrus fruits, parsley, radishes, turnip
tops, and watercress.
Lack of vitamin B1 results in
low heartbeats, poor appetite, gastric, intestinal and nervous disorders,
chronic constipation and the enlargement of the adrenal glands and the
pancreas. Violent exercise, increasing age and weight, and feverishness all
increase the body’s need for this vitamin.
Vitamin B2
The main sources are apples,
apricots, cabbage, carrots, coconuts, citrus fruits, prunes, spinach, turnip
tops, and watercress. The supply of this vitamin decreases when there is an
increase in the consumption of fats and minerals, and is conserved by the
intake of fibrous foods.
Lack of vitamin B2 results in
lack of energy and stamina, loss of hair, cataract, tongue ulceration, and
disorders of the digestive tract.
Vitamin C
I would mention that copper
cooking vessels cause a serious loss of this vitamin. The main sources of it
are citrus fruits, cucumber, parsley, pineapples, radishes, rhubarb, tomatoes,
turnips, watercress, carrots, and green leaf vegetables.
Lack of this vitamin causes
many illnesses, among them being weakness and shortness of breath,
palpitations, headaches, tooth decay, peptic and duodenal ulcers; heart
disease, circulatory disease, and the impaired function of the adrenal glands.
Vitamin D
This vitamin is stored in the
skin as ergosterol, which is converted into vitamin D2 by sunshine or
ultra-violet light. Vitamin D controls the calcium content in the blood; excess
of vitamin D results in a number of disorders, including diarrhoea, depression,
and severe toxic disturbances.
Lack of this vitamin results in
fragile bones, rickets and bow legs, poor retention, and cramps resulting from
abnormally low calcium metabolism. Though this vitamin is not found in fruits,
vegetables and cereals, butter is an excellent source as is cod liver oil, for
non-vegetarians. For the vegetarians there are a number of artificial sources
of vitamin D, among them irradiated ergosterol.
Vitamin E
This vitamin is stored in the
muscles and fat and as it is rapidly depleted it must be renewed regularly. The
main sources of it are wheat germ, celery, lettuce, leafy green vegetables, and
parsley. According to recent medical research, lack of vitamin E can produce
sterility in both sexes, miscarriage, and loss of hair.
Minerals
The following minerals have
been declared essential to the human body by research authorities—calcium,
chlorine, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium,
sodium, and sulphur. I will describe each one briefly, listing the main food
sources.
Calcium (alkaline). Daily
requirements, adults 10 grains, children 15 grains. This mineral builds strong
bones and teeth, aids heart action and the clotting of the blood, and helps to
establish the correct balance of vitamin D in the body.
Main sources of calcium are
cheese, milk, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, carrots, celery, figs,
rhubarb, and parsley. Blackberries and cranberries are also a good source of
this mineral.
Chlorine. This is a general
cleanser of the body and helps to expel waste matter and purify the blood. It
also aids in the formation of gastric and other digestive juices. The main
sources of this mineral are fruits and vegetables.
Copper (acid forming). The main
sources of this mineral, which is necessary for the absorption of iron in the
body, are leafy vegetables, fresh and dried fruits.
Iodine (acid forming). As this
mineral is essential to the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, deficiency
in it results in goitre.and general glandular disturbances. The main sources of
it are green leafy vegetables, carrots, cucumber, prunes, radishes, pineapples,
and tomatoes.
Iron (alkaline). This is the
mineral that figures prominently in the building of red corpuscles, and which
also absorbs and carries oxygen in the bloodstream to all parts of the body.
There must be adequate supplies of chlorophyll and copper in the diet to effect
the proper assimilation of iron, and some experts consider that a woman needs
three to four times as much as a man. The main sources of iron are whole wheat,
oatmeal, dried beans, dried peas and dried fruits, green leafy vegetables,
cheese, tomatoes, bananas, and fresh string beans. Lack of iron results in
anaemia and general fatigue.
Magnesium (alkaline). This is
the mineral that keeps teeth and bones strong and hard. It also helps to build
cells, particularly of the lungs and nerves, and also helps to form albumin in
the blood. Lack of this mineral results in poor circulation, constipation, and
acidity. The main sources of this mineral are nuts, whole wheat, unpolished
rice, oatmeal, dried fruits, and leafy vegetables.
Phosphorus (acid forming). This
is another mineral essential to the building of sound bones and teeth and it
also maintains the alkalinity of the bloodstream by the phosphates it forms.
The most important sources of this mineral are nuts, particularly almonds,
cereals, grapes, citrus fruits, blackberries and cranberries, cucumbers, whole
wheat, wheat germ, soya beans, tomatoes, and watermelons.
Potassium (alkaline). This is
the mineral basis of all muscular tissue, and is vital to the correct
functioning of the liver. The main sources of this mineral are leafy green
vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Sodium (alkaline). Though this
mineral is important to the” body in forming the digestive juices, the saliva,
bile, and pancreatic juices, and for the elimination of carbon dioxide, table
salt is not the most beneficial source. It is far better to obtain it from its
natural sources such as whole wheat, rye bread, buttermilk, celery, bananas,
leafy vegetables, and beetroot.
Sulphur (acid forming). This
mineral has an antiseptic effect on the alimentary canal, is a constituent of
the haemoglobin and keeps the blood purified, and prevents toxic impurities
from accumulating in the body. All fruits and vegetables are good sources of
sulphur but these should be well balanced with foods of a high phosphorus
content such as milk, cheese and eggs, cereals and nuts. Foods high in
phosphorus but low in sulphur can lead to improper balance of these minerals in
the body.
The above will serve as a
useful guide to your future eating habits and with a little experimenting you
will find a diet that keeps you healthy and provides all the essential elements
you need. Though diet is very much a matter of individual taste and circumstances,
here is a list of ‘musts’ that I learned from my own Yoga teacher.
If you do not want anything,
then do not eat it even if you
think it is good for you. By
all means eat meat if you like it but
do not eat it merely because
you think you cannot live without
it. Apart from cheese, eggs,
and nuts, the soya bean products,
weight for weight, contain more
protein than the best steak.
Soya bean is not only cheaper
and more nutritious but it is also
non-acid forming.
Eat a little less of everything
but do effect this very gradually.
Do not starve yourself or
suffer hunger pains between meals but
do try to cut down on your
intake of food.
Avoid the
‘dead’ and devitalized foods, i.e. everything
refined, bleached, or
preserved. Eat wholewheat bread, raw
sugar, or honey.
When eating fruit do not throw
away the peel. Eat it with
the fruit, or in the case of
oranges, lemons, or tangerines the
peel can be grated to add a
delicious and tangy flavour to
other foods. Always cook potatoes in their jackets, either
baked or boiled. Much of the
protein in potatoes is usually
thrown away with the peel. And
remember the tops of celery,
carrots, turnips and beetroots
are too nutritious to be thrown
away. Cut them up and steam
them with the rest of your
vegetables.
Instead of serving just one
vegetable at a meal, cut up
several kinds and steam them
very slowly in very little water.
Do not overcook, in fact many
vegetarians prefer chopped or
diced vegetables to be slightly
underdone. This preserves the
natural texture and flavour.
Always cook vegetables slowly
in a pan with a tight fitting
lid and avoid copper cooking pans
if possible.
Do not drink too much tea or
coffee as tannic acid and
caffeine are not beneficial to
the body. By all means enjoy a
cup of tea or coffee but make a
mental note that you will gradually
cut down your intake. At the
same time try to drink more milk,
either hot or cold, but please
never iced.
Do not throw away water in
which vegetables have been
cooked. Why dump vitamins down
the sink when they make an
excellent basis for soups? With
a little seasoning added they are
very palatable to drink just as
they are.
Avoid fried foods especially if
you are over forty. When
you do eat fatty foods choose
what are known as unsaturated
fats—corn oil, sunflower seed oil,
and soya bean oil. Avoid
animal fats such as butter,
lard, and dripping, and also avoid
olive oil and margarine.
Experiment with cheeses. They
are all a wonderful source
of protein and America alone
has many fine cheeses with which
to vary your diet to say
nothing of the delicious cheeses from
other countries. Be
adventurous, try new things, and above all
eat only what is pure and
natural. Do not over-indulge and
whenever you are tempted to
reach for that chocolate box go to
the fruit bowl or the honey pot
instead. Try dates instead of
sweets.
To conclude I will list the
five basic Yoga rules for the maintenance of health and the prevention of
disease.
Natural wholesome food, enough
and no more for the
body’s needs.
Proper breathing and breath control exercises, for the
increased oxygenation of the
blood.
The practice of relaxation of
the body and of the mind.
Regular exercise to stimulate the circulation
and to keep
the spine supple and healthy.
The practice of concentration and
meditation, and the
correct method of directing the
thoughts towards positive
spiritual growth.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Female disorders
IF half the female Yoga
enthusiasts 1 know began their study of Hatha Yoga for the sake of improving
their figures, it can be safely said that the other half did so because of
menstrual pains and other female disorders. Many females find that drugs do
little to alleviate the dragging down pains they have to endure every month,
and so year after year they suffer in silence.
But this kind of pain is unnecessary.
Yoga can and does help. Practice, at least twice a day throughout the month,
the Sarvan-gasana or Shoulderstand described in chapter four, or if you are
unable to do this, try lying down with your feet very much higher than your
head. The chief function of this inverted posture in the battle against period
pains lies in the reversal of the influence of gravity upon the internal
organs. The fluids of the body tend naturally to flow downwards and even the
skeleton is subject to downward displacement by the pull of gravity. The
downward drag, though it may be held in check by a healthy and active body, is
nevertheless always present in some degree.
There is a greater tendency in
women than in men to suffer from varicose veins and prolapse of the viscera,
this being due to the wider pelvis and larger number of abdominal organs. By
inverting the body and holding it in poised stillness, all downward pressure is
relieved. Practice the Shoulderstand over a period of time and you will soon
begin to notice a lessening of the intensity of your discomfort each month,
until after a time it will cease altogether to be a problem. Though a certain
degree of slowing down of activity on the first two days of a period is
advisable, there need not be any undue resting. Incidentally the Shoulderstand
is especially recommended for women after childbirth after a suitable period of
recuperation has elapsed, but in all cases do not prolong the posture beyond
the point of absolute comfort. No Yoga exercises should be performed during
pregnancy or menstruation except the breathing ones, which can be done with
impunity.
An especially valuable exercise
for women suffering from ovarian and uterine disorders is the BHUJANGASANA,
called in English the COBRA POSE. AS it belongs to the basic group of essential
Yoga asanas it should never be omitted from any practice schedule, no matter
what the ailment from which you are suffering. It is not at all difficult and
can be performed by beginners in all age groups.
Cobra Pose
Lie face downwards on your mat
with your chin on the
ground, and your legs straight
and feet together. Place your
palms on the floor at shoulder
level keeping your elbows high
off the ground.
Inhale slowly and deeply and at
the same time slowly raise
your head, shoulders, chest and
upper abdomen, leaving the
lower part of your abdomen on
the floor. Keep arching your
spine as you complete your
inhalation, and remain thus for as
long as you comfortably can
without exhaling. You will feel a
strong pressure in the lower
part of your back as you push your
head back as far as you can.
And remember to keep your elbows
bent and well off the floor. I
have demonstrated the correct
position in figure 43, page
133.
When the impulse to exhale
appears, do so and at the same
time gradually lower your body
until you are once more touching
the floor with your chin.
Without pausing, inhale again
and repeat the movement
and after the second
performance of the Cobra relax before you
repeat the exercise a third and
fourth time.
The Cobra has many benefits and
is as suitable for men as for women for it affects the adrenal glands which lie
above each kidney, and the backward bend of the Cobra sends them a richer
supply of blood and subjects them to a healthy pressure. The Cobra is also
beneficial to people suffering from backache, displaced vertebrae, and poor
circulation.
A word of warning though. You
may not be used to exercising and your spine may be stiffer than you think so
do please be careful while bending backwards in this exercise. Be sure not to
jerk your body as you raise it off the ground as you could easily injure a
rigid muscle and the pain could last some time. Remember that the Cobra is a
beautiful and graceful exercise. As you leave the floor come up slowly and
majestically like a rising cobra and under no circumstances must you force
yourself to hold the position longer than you find comfortable. Gradually
increase the time you hold it until you can remain immobile in the Cobra pose
for ten seconds. When you are limbered up you can perform this asana up to six
times a day.
While the Cobra is particularly
useful to women suffering from dysmenorrhcea, amenorrhcea, leucorrhcea, and
various other utero-overine troubles, the overall benefits can be greatly
increased by those students able to increase the backward bend. Do not perform
the variation until you are able to do the Cobra I have just described with
perfect ease and comfort.
Cobra
Variation 2. From the first
position, rise into the Cobra with the elbows bent and the spine arched. Slowly
straighten the elbows, push the head back as far as you can, so that the
bending of the spine involves the sacral to the cervical region. Remain thus
for as long as you comfortably can without strain and then relax. When you can
perform variation 2 you can, if you wish, omit variation 1 from your practice
schedule.
Variation 3. There is yet a
third variation of the lovely Cobra Pose for advanced students but it can be
achieved by beginners who are athletic or who have been trained in ballet. From
variation 2, with elbows straight, bend the spine backwards still farther,
gradually bring your toes towards your head to touch the back of your head.
This tones the deep and the superficial muscles of the back, and also relieves
backache, helping to keep the spine young and supple.
And now to return to another
inverted posture to rest the internal organs. For my readers who find the
Shoulderstand just a little too strenuous but who need the benefits of this
valuable posture, there is a slightly easier posture which has the delightful
name of VIPARITA-KARANI MUDRA, meaning literally reverse effect. For short we
will call it THE REVERSE POSE.
The radiations which we receive
from the earth are negative while those from the cosmos are positive. Thus,
when in the ordinary standing position we receive the negative radiation
through the soles of our feet and the positive radiation through the top of the
skull. In the Yoga poses in which the body is turned upside down, viz.
Shoulderstand, Headstand, and Reverse Pose, the effect is just the opposite.
Additionally these postures bring an unaccustomed rich supply of blood to the
lower intestinal organs.
Viparita-Karani or Reverse Pose
Lie flat on your back, hands along
your sides and feet
together. Inhale deeply and at the
same time raise your legs and
buttocks off the floor, putting
your hands on your hips to steady
yourself and keep your body
reversed.
Place your thumbs just under your
hip bone and your
hands round the back of your
hips. You will find, by practice,
your most suitable position of
hands and elbows which should
be set about a foot apart to
maintain correct balance. I have
demonstrated Viparita-Karani in
figure 44, this position also
being the preliminary position
of the Plough Posture described
in chapter nine.
You will see from the
illustration that Viparita-Karani does not require the body to be held
straight, but bent at the waistline which should make it easier for some of my
readers than the Shoulderstand. Do please keep your knees straight, though, and
while in this position hold your body in poised stillness with your eyes
closed. Hold it for one minute at first but gradually extend the time until you
can hold it steadily and comfortably for ten minutes or more, according to the
time at your disposal.
This posture is especially
recommended for women who suffer from many kinds of female disorders, and any
kind of physical or mental distress during the menopause. Because this posture
affects the gonads it controls the ageing processes in the body and helps to
restore youth and vitality and a sparkle to the eyes.
Viparita-Karani is very much a
beauty treatment for it supplies the skin with an extra amount of blood and so
prevents and smooths away untimely wrinkles. This natural beauty treatment is
said by some to be worth far more than the costly facial massages in beauty
salons which are so beloved of film stars.
Before I go on to your next
exercise I would mention here that the CAMEL POSTURE or UTRASANA described in
chapter six in connection with backache should also be practiced by women
suffering from displacement of the uterus and fallopian tubes provided that the
displacement is not of a serious order. If you find the Camel too strenuous,
try this similar but slightly easier asana which is called CHAKRASANA or the
WHEEL POSTURE. Some of the variations of Chakrasana are only within the scope
of the most advanced student of Hatha Yoga, but this one is quite easy for
beginners.
Assume a kneeling position with
your knees slightly apart.
Inhale deeply and at the same
time bend slowly backwards, at
the same time raising your
buttocks.
As you complete your inhalation
grasp your ankles and
remain thus for as long as you
comfortably can without exhaling.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and at the same
time slowly return to the
starting position. Twice a day is enough
at first for this posture but
you can gradually increase the number
up to six. Lie down and relax
after this exercise, and take a few
deep recovery breaths.
To end this chapter I will describe
a series of slow and graceful movements which incorporate much of what I have
described in this chapter. For the busy housewife and mother who has little
time to spare, these movements act as a time-saving beauty treatment, a toning
up of nerves and muscles, and above all a means of relieving her internal
disorders. These movements include the Shoulderstand, the Leg-raising Pose
(Udhitta Padasana), Viparita-Karani, and the Plough Posture, and we will call
this series of seven movements YOGA IN SLOW MOTION.
Lie flat on your back with your
arms extended at shoulder
level. Keeping your toes
pointed and your knees straight slowly
raise your legs until they are
at right angles to your body. 1 have
demonstrated the correct
position in figure 46, page 139.
Still keeping your legs
straight and your knees together
lower them to the left, thus
forming a right angle with the body
as I have demonstrated in
figure 47. Your feet should be barely
touching the floor. Raise them
once again to the vertical and
then very slowly lower them to
the other side, until they are
barely touching the floor.
Raise them once again to the vertical,
remain poised thus for an
instant and then very slowly lower
them to the starting position
without altering the position of
your head, shoulders, and arms.
Relax before proceeding to the
third movement. The first two
are simplicity itself and the only
point to remember here is that
the movements should be done
in an unhurried and graceful
manner.
It is a good idea to put a slow
piece of music on the gramophone, something relaxing and deep-toned, to put you
into the right mood for these exercises and to encourage you to move slowly and
rhythmically.
Keeping your knees together,
toes pointed and legs straight,
raise them not more than an
inch or two off the floor and move
them very slowly round at floor
level until you are once again in
the position I have
demonstrated in figure 47. From this position
raise them to the vertical,
lower them to the other side and, still
without touching the floor,
bring them round to the starting
point. Relax for a few moments
and then repeat this movement
bringing your legs to the
opposite side.
From the starting position
bring your arms slowly towards
your body and
at the same
time raise your buttocks and
legs off the floor and rise
into a Shoulderstand, supporting
your back with your hands. The
Shoulderstand is pictured in
figure 6, page 39.
From the Shoulderstand slowly
bring your legs over your
head and lower them until the
toes are touching the floor behind
your head. You are now in the
Plough Posture which is pictured
in figure 45, page 137.
From the Plough Posture return
to the Shoulderstand, and
remain poised thus for a few
seconds.
Bend your body slightly at the
hips and at the same time
lower your hands, until they
are extended at shoulder level.
You should now be in the
position demonstrated in figure 46
with your legs pointing towards
the ceiling. From this position
slowly lower the legs and lie
fiat with the arms still at shoulder
level.
This completes the series of
exercises. Memorize them before you begin so that your performance is one
continuous graceful movement, up and down, side to side, up and down. The
benefits of this Yoga in Slow Motion series cannot be too strongly emphasized.
From a purely physical point of view all the muscles of the torso and legs are
brought into play, particularly the abdominal and dorsal muscles. From a mental
point of view it is a good exercise in concentration and control which is vital
if the movements are to be performed as they should be, that is slowly,
gracefully and above all fluidly. There should be no change of rhythm
throughout, and the pauses should match the even rhythms of the movements.
Points to remember. Keep your
legs straight throughout, and the toes pointed. Move your arms in rhythm with
your legs, and lastly remember your facial expression. It should reflect inner
peace and serenity, no matter how hard you are concentrating. And remember to
play some slow music while you do these movements. This will not only make it
more pleasant for you but will help you to establish an even rhythm. Almost any
Beethoven or Mozart slow movement would be suitable but I leave the choice to
your personal taste. Yoga in Slow Motion is recommended for toning up the
system after childbirth after a suitable rest period has elapsed following
confinement.
‘Women should practice Yoga
that they will have healthy and strong children. If mothers are healthy the
children will be likewise. The regeneration of young women means the
regeneration of the whole world.
Women who practice a course of
asanas systematically, with interest and attention, will have wonderful health
and vitality. I hope they will give patient hearing to my earnest and sincere
prayer and start practicing the asanas from the very day they read the Yoga
lessons.
Glory to these women who tread the
path of Yoga.’
SIVANANDA, the great modern saint.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Headaches, eyestrain and stiff neck
PERHAPS it has not occurred to
you that nervous tension may be the cause of weak eyesight and eyestrain. When
first considered, these two factors may not seem to be related, but it is an
established fact that anxiety and nervousness stimulate excessive eye muscle
activity which in turn gives rise to symptoms of eyestrain.
If, therefore, you have a
nervous temperament, and who has not in these troubled times, and you suffer
from symptoms of eyestrain, you may be able to overcome these symptoms simply
by learning to relax. Eyestrain is a very common ailment suffered by those who
live in a state of nervous tension because slight defects of the eyes, normally
tolerated by a calmer person, becomes aggravated in nervous people.
So it is Yoga again to the
rescue and your answer to this problem in the first instance lies in reading
chapter two again and practicing the CORPSE POSTURE faithfully every day for at
least ten minutes, and more if you have time. This is not time wasted but time
well spent even though it might take you some time to train yourself not to
keep glancing up at the clock and listing in your mind all the chores you have
to do while you are ‘relaxing’ on the floor. No, you must be firm with
yourself. Think yourself into a calm state of mind before you lie down on the floor
and practice stretching and relaxing. Then sink slowly into the Corpse Posture,
close your eyes and try to empty your mind of all thoughts but one pleasant
one. It helps if you are by a fire when you relax and if there is a slow and
beautiful piece of music playing in the background, for this will help to put
you into a drowsy and peaceful mood. If you find this inconvenient first thing
in the morning, try it at night before you go to bed.
Not only will it help you to
sleep but it is unlikely that you wilt wake up with that morning headache which
goes hand in glove with tension and eyestrain.
Some of you may find that
eyestrain makes your eyes itch or smart, in which case when you lie down to do
the Corpse Posture you will find it soothing to lay pads of cotton wool soaked
in warm water on your eyelids. You will have to concentrate really hard to coax
all your muscles to relax and you will have to be really stern with yourself
whenever you find your mind wandering, but mental discipline is not achieved
easily but you will find that the rewards for your efforts are well worth it.
In addition to practicing
relaxation I will describe some very gentle exercises which are designed to
develop concentration and mental focusing and also to soothe the eyes and strengthen
them. The first of these is a simple exercise called TRATAK or GAZING EXERCISE,
and it has two variations. The first one involves sitting down, either on the
floor or on a chair but in either case with the spine straight, and gazing at
the lighted flame of a candle. The candlestick should be placed on a table so
that the flame should be level with your eyes and three to four feet away.
Gaze at the flame while you
count to sixty and try very hard not to blink during that time. After the
count, close your eyes and try to hold the flame in your mind’s eye for a few
moments. Open your eyes once more, gaze at the flame, and count to sixty. Close
them again and relax.
You may continue the gazing
exercise for five minutes but gradually extend the time ad lib until you can do
it for ten minutes without undue strain. All eye exercises should be done very
gently, and if any discomfort is felt they should be stopped immediately.
Tratak is an excellent and
soothing exercise for the nerves and helps to relax the mind as well as the
eyes.
Variation 2. Again sit
comfortably with your spine straight and gaze at the tip of your nose while you
count to sixty. Under no circumstances should you experience any strain during
this exercise and if you do, please cease immediately. If you feel any
tiredness, watering or pain close your eyes and relax your facial and eye
muscles. After the count of sixty blink
your eyes tightly a few times and keep them closed while you count to sixty again.
Open them once more, gaze at the tip of your nose, blink a few times, and then
close them again.
This exercise strengthens the
eye muscles and increases the powers of concentration by fixing all the
attention on one point and through that to the central nervous system, which
will be soothed and relaxed. Always try to still the stream of circling thought
and these gentle exercises will give you a manifold reward.
Here is another exercise which
will not only help to relieve
eyestrain but the vision will
become clearer as the ophthalmic
nerves receive a richer supply
of blood. Sit down, either on the
floor cross-legged or else on a
hard chair with the spine held
erect but with the body quite
relaxed. Without moving the head,
lift your eyes and find a small
object which you can see clearly
and without straining. Then
find a similar point with the eyes
lowered, which you can see
without effort. Use these points to
glance at as you raise and
lower your eyes alternately several
times. Your breathing should be
normal. Glance up and down
four times, then close your
eyes to rest them for a few moments,
and repeat the up and down
movement of the eyes another four
times.
Repeat the same exercise but
this time move your eyes from
left to right without moving
your head.
The same exercise is repeated
with the eyes looking obliquely
upwards and downwards with the
eyes half closed. Choose a
point which you can see high up
on the wall from the corner of
your eyes, and then find one
which you can see clearly when the
eyes are obliquely lowered.
Repeat the upward and downward
movement of the eyes four
times, blink and relax for a few
moments and then repeat the
movements another four times.
Rest.
These movements are repeated in
reverse, starting with a
point on the opposite side of
the wall from the previous exercise, thus if you were glancing obliquely upward
right and downward left in the previous exercise these movements are reversed
in this exercise.
And now for something
different, though again I must
ask that you do this exercise
very gently and without experiencing
strain of any kind. It entails
rolling the eyes very slowly clockwise
and then anti-clockwise. Thus,
lower your eyes to the floor and
then slowly roll them round to
the right, continue rolling them
upwards until you can see the
ceiling and then lower them
slowly until you can see the
floor again. You must move very
slowly making a full vision
circle. When you have completed one
circle close your eyes after
blinking several times and relax.
After a few moments repeat the
movement in the opposite
direction. Repeat this exercise
twice each way and then close
your eyes and relax before
proceeding to the next exercise.
This exercise entails changing
the vision from close to
distant points. It is best done
with a candle flame once more
which should be placed in front
of your face just below the tip
of your nose. Holding the
lighted candle in your hand very
slowly move it away from you,
without raising or lowering it,
until you can see the flame
without straining and without any
blur. Raising your eyes slightly
look straight into the distance
and let your eyes alight on a
small point which you can see
clearly. This point and the
flame of the candle are the two things
you must look at in this
changing vision exercise.
Look at the flame, which is the
closer point, and then look at the distant one. Repeat these eye movements six
times then close your eyes and squeeze them tightly. Repeat another six times,
blink again and relax.
7. And now for something different again. This exercise will
not only help to relieve eyestrain
but will also relax you if you
are tense and remove stiffness
of the neck. It is a specially good
exercise when you get up in the
morning as many people suffer
from ‘morning stiff neck1
mainly through using too many pillows.
It is also a good exercise to
practice before performing the
Corpse Posture as it has a
soothing effect on the nervous system
and aids relaxation thereby.
I want you to imagine that your
head is too heavy for your body and that no matter how you try to keep it
squarely on your shoulders it always rolls away from the upright. Let your head
drop forward until your chin is on your chest and then let it roll slowly
clockwise several times, up to six. Then repeat the movements six times in the
opposite direction. Be careful to watch the muscles of your back and shoulders
and your facial muscles as these should be quite relaxed during this head
rolling exercise. Keep your eyes open during this exercise and let them follow
the direction of your head movements.
Do not be surprised if you hear
a grinding and a cracking noise as your head rotates. This is an indication
that the linings of the joints in your neck are inadequately lubricated and
that there is an accumulation of calcium deposits there. This is a sure
indication of your need to practice this exercise which will keep your upper
spine flexible and healthy. The Yogis maintain that you are only as old as your
spine and that by keeping the spine in a flexible, elastic and healthy
condition you can ward off old age for longer than you think. It is worth a
little trouble and exercise, is it not, to maintain one’s health? So practice
this head rotating exercise whenever you have a quiet moment and can perform it
inconspicuously.
All the stretching exercises I
have described in this book, and particularly in chapter two can be performed
in connection with exercising the eyes. The Backbend described in chapter four
can be performed so that your eyes follow the movements of your head and are so
exercised, and likewise in the Triangle Posture* described in chapter ten.
To try something new in this
combination of stretching and eye movement, try the Sideways Bend. Stand erect
with your hands on your head, your fingers laced .together. Keep your feet
together and your knees straight. Now bend sideways from the waist only for as
far as you can, remain thus for a few seconds and then move slowly to the other
side. Your eye movements should follow the movements of your head but on no
account should you experience any strain. If you do, please stop at once. Eye
exercises should always be done very gently and
with extreme caution. If there
is any pain or watering please blink your eyes tightly and then relax.
And now for one last exercise
to relieve eyestrain, which is also a good exercise in concentration and the
calming of the mind. It is known as PALMING THE EYES.
1. You have a choice of two
positions. For the young and flexible I would suggest you sit down on the
floor, cross-legged and your spine held erect. Draw up your knees slightly so
that you can place your palms over your eyes without bending your head at all.
When you have a satisfactory seated position rub your palms together vigorously
to charge them with electricity and place them over your closed eyes. There
should be a cupped palm over each eye with the fingers of the right hand
crossed over the fingers of the left or vice versa. The fingers should rest on
the forehead and the elbows should rest on your raised knees. Do not bend your
head.
The second seated position is
for those who cannot sit cross-legged on the floor. Choose a hard chair before
a table and sit with your elbows on the table in such a way that when you place
your palms over your eyes you can do so without bending your head. You may have
to use a book or two under your elbows to achieve this position. Having done so
rub your palms together vigorously and then place them over your eyes in the
position already described.
You can remain in this position
for as long as you find convenient. It has the effect of relaxing the nerves
and relieving eyestrain, but it can also be used for the purpose of practicing
concentration. While you are ‘palming’ your eyes choose a simple object such as
a rose you have seen, a candle flame or some similar small thing and hold the
image of it in your mind for as long as you can. When your thoughts stray lead
them gently back to the object of your concentration.
You can also use this quiet
period of ‘palming* the eyes to practice the Yoga Complete Breath. As your
spine should be held straight throughout this exercise, without bending your
head, it is a suitable position in which to practice deep breathing. Breathe in
to a count of four, hold the breath to a count of four and exhale to a count of
eight. Do this slowly and rhythmically and you will find that at the end of
your exercise when you open your eyes you will find a new calmness that perhaps
you have never known before.
Palming the Eyes is a simple
exercise but perhaps it is the most valuable of all in the relief of eyestrain
for, as I said at the beginning of this chapter, one of the primary causes of
eyestrain is tension. Remove the one and the other automatically disappears. It
would seem unnecessary to say that you should not read or do close sewing if
your eyes are tired, nor should you read in bed with the book above the level
of your eyes. The eyes should never be subjected to strain of any kind, and all
possible care should be taken to protect them from this. They are precious and
are deserving of your consideration.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Stomach, kidney, and liver
complaints
OF all the gems in the rich
collection of Yoga asanas there shines forth one which, in sheer beauty,
symmetry and grace, outshines all others except, perhaps, the serene Lotus,
that impenetrable fortress of repose. 1 refer to Ardha-Matsendrasana, called in
English the SPINAL TWIST, not a very poetic name for what you will see is a
Yogic poem of graceful movement. It has the fathomless mystery of Yoga itself,
but, also like Yoga it has a bearing and a meaning within our everyday lives. I
have said that one is as old as one’s spine and I have described all manner of
Yogic postures designed to keep the spine healthy and supple, mainly involving
forward and backward bending movements. The SPINAL TWIST effects in the dorso-lumbar
and lumbar region a lateral twist which not only keeps the spine healthy but
which imparts a health-giving massage to the abdominal organs and to the
kidneys.
The Spinal Twist is probably
one of the most difficult asanas in this book but to write a chapter on stomach
complaints without mentioning this posture would be tantamount to sacrilege, so
I will describe it in three simple sections, and at the end will describe a
simplified version of the posture for my readers who find the Spinal Twist a little
beyond them.
Spinal Twist
1. Sit down on the floor, spine
straight, legs outstretched and feet together. Raising the right leg place it
against the outside of the left knee with the sole firmly on the floor. Stretch
out your left arm and place your fingers on the toes of your right foot.
Thirdly, place your right arm around the back of your waistline as far as you
can, so that your outward facing palm rests on your left hip bone. At this
stage please look at figure 48 in which I have demonstrated the correct
position. (Page 151.)
This is the first stage of
Ardha-Matsendrasana. It is advisable to practice the correct movements of the
arms and legs before proceeding to the next stage. Remember that your spine
must be held straight and your head up throughout this exercise. Slouching will
not only spoil the look of the posture but will drastically decrease its many
benefits, so it is as well to perform this exercise before a mirror and check
your posture at each stage of the proceedings.
Having arrived at the position
as illustrated in figure 48 take a slow and deep breath through the mouth, hold
the breath for an instant, and while you exhale turn first your head, then your
shoulders, and then your back towards the right. Slowly please, and when your
lungs are completely empty you will rind you can turn just a fraction more to
the right. Remain thus for as long as you comfortably can. When the impulse to
inhale returns do so and at the same time very slowly unwind until you are once
more in the position in figure 48.
When you have mastered this
first stage of the Spinal Twist proceed to the next.
2. Assume the first stage of
the posture which by now will be familiar to you, bat this time bend your left
leg until your heel touches your right buttock. The hands should be in the same
position as before. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 49, page
151.
Again take a slow deep breath
through your mouth, pause for a second holding your breath and, while exhaling,
slowly turn to the right as far as you possibly can, making a slight extra
effort when the lungs are completely empty. Remain thus for as long as you find
comfortable, and try to exert as much pressure as possible at the height of the
lateral twist. When the impulse to inhale appears do so and at the same time
slowly and gracefully unwind. After a slight pause inhale again, and while
exhaling turn again to the right, returning to the starting position when the
impulse to inhale appears. Lie down after this and relax for a few moments,
taking a few deep recovery breaths before sitting up to try stage three of the
Spinal Twist.
3. In this third and final
stage you assume the second pose as in figure 51 but instead of placing your
left arm outside the left knee you place it inside as I have demonstrated in
figure 50.
Impossible did you say? Not if
you practice. Do it slowly like this. Raise your left arm, place the point of
your left elbow on your right knee and very slowly glide it along the right
side of the right leg until your fingertips either touch the floor or else you
can grasp your ankle as in the illustration. The purpose of this last movement
is to keep the muscles of the spine rigid on one side while those of the other
are subjected to the lateral twist. It is this third and final movement which
is the most important one though the mere altering of the position of an arm
might seem, at first glance, to be of slight importance. When you can perform
this exercise you will feel the enormous difference between stage 2 and stage 3
of this posture.
Having successfully assumed the
correct pose at stage 3, again inhale slowly and deeply through the mouth, turn
slowly to the right as you exhale, exert as much extra pressure as you can at
the end of your exhalation and after holding the pose immobile for as long as
you can slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the twist and then lie
down on the floor and relax. When you are rested repeat all movements with legs
reversed.
Complicated? Yes, I’m afraid it
is at first, but once you master the movements you will find it is likely to
become one of your favourite asanas. It is beautiful to look at, and when I
explain the benefits of this lovely asana you will surely want to keep
practicing it until you can perform it to perfection. And I assure you that it
looks somewhat more complicated on paper than in practice so study the
illustrations carefully, one stage at a time, and check your posture before a
mirror. I have known many people learn this posture in one or two lessons, but
do not be discouraged if you take a little longer. Hurry is a word which is
left entirely out of the Yoga vocabulary.
Ardha-Matsendrasana primarily
affects the adrenal glands which are situated above each kidney, thus sending
them a richer supply of blood. Thus sluggish kidneys are toned and the posture
also benefits a congested liver and spleen. Because it calls into play the deep
muscles of the dorsal and lumbar region, the spine is strengthened and made
more flexible. People with lumbago should also practice it as it brings relief
from this and allied complaints, and those with constipation and digestive
troubles would also gain much relief from practicing and perfecting the Spinal
Twist. Nerves and ligaments of the spine arc subjected to a healthy pull, and
the spinal nerve roots and sympathetic system are toned so that this posture
beneficially affects the entire organism.
As though all these benefits
were not enough this posture confers on all who practice it the grace and
flexibility of a ballet dancer.
In figure 51 you will see a
posture which is similar to the Spinal Twist with the exception of the upraised
right arm. The right arm is held with the upturned palm at shoulder level
instead of being wound round the back of the waistline. This variation of the
Spinal Twist is known as the SPHINX, and the exercise may be practiced thus as
a variation of the more strenuous one just described. And for those of you who
find the Spinal Twist just that much too difficult, here is a similar asana
which will confer almost all the benefits, but to a slightly lesser degree.
This exercise is called VAKRASANA or in English
THE HALF TWIST.
Sit down on the floor with the legs
stretched out and your
feet together. Bend the left leg
and place the foot on the outside
of the right knee, with the sole
firmly on the floor.
Bend the right leg until the heel
of it touches the left
buttock. Place your hands on
the floor on either side of you
with your thumbs and fingertips
just touching the floor. I have
demonstrated the correct
position in figure 52, page 155.
Inhale slowly and deeply and
while exhaling turn the body
slowly to the left. Hold this
position immobile for as long as you
comfortably can and then, while
inhaling again slowly return
to the starting position.
Repeat the movement to the other side,
and then relax. Vakrasana can
be performed up to six times a
day, and do please remember
that emphasis should always be on
the pressure at the height of
the lateral twist rather than on the
number of times of performance.
If, after practicing Vakrasana
for some time, you find that your spine is sufficiently limbered up for you to
be able to perform the full Spinal Twist, do practice it in its three stages
until you can do it with ease.
And now for something
different. This next exercise, called the KNEELING BRIDGE posture, is a
combination of the Frog Pose which I described in chapter seven and the Fish
Pose (Matsy-asana) which I described in chapter eight. This asana will bring
relief from disorders of the stomach, the pelvic organs, and the kidneys, and
imparts a healthy pressure to the deep muscles of the spine.
Kneel down keeping your knees
together and your feet
apart. Very slowly sit down on
the floor between your heels thus
assuming the Frog Pose.
Using your elbows, and moving
them carefully one at a
time, start to bend backwards
with your head thrown right back,
until the top of your head
touches the floor.
Lift your elbows from the
floor, place your hands, palms
together, over your diaphragm,
and fully arch your spine. I have
demonstrated the correct
position in figure 53, page 155.
Remain in this position for as
long as you can and all the while arch your spine to the utmost, at the same
time pressing downwards with your head. You will find this posture strenuous at
first but as you become limbered up it will become easier. Try to increase the
time you hold it until you can remain immobile for thirty seconds.
Great care must be exercised
when coming out of this posture. No jerks please, and do not hesitate to use
your elbows or your hands to support your back as you lift yourself up off the
floor. When you are proficient at the Kneeling Bridge posture you will be able
to exercise enough control to rise out of it gracefully with no support
whatever but until that time please go very carefully.
In addition to the benefits to
the lower organs already outlined the Kneeling Bridge posture limbers and
stretches the neck, larynx and trachea and thus improves the speaking and the
singing voice. It also tones up four important glands, the adrenals, the
pituitary, the thyroid and the pineal so altogether it is one of the most
valuable Yoga asanas and should never be omitted from any practice schedule.
I must warn my readers who
suffer from heart disease, hernia, and uterine disorders that this exercise is
not suitable for them.
A word here about gallstones,
an ailment which is becoming increasingly prevalent in this day of synthetic
foods and refrigerators. It is well known to those who practice Yoga that there
is a thirty-three and a third per cent chance of a complete cure from
gallstones by careful dieting, and without surgery.
The worst offenders in this
complaint are animal fats, ice-cold drinks, and ice-cream. The substances of
which gallstones are made are produced when the body is unable to cope
adequately with the amount of fat consumed. To avoid gallstones drink plenty of
pure, fresh water, at least nine or ten glasses a day. Take it hot if you wish,
with flavouring added, but never, never drink it ice cold. Avoid all foods and
drinks straight from the refrigerator, avoid all fried food, animal fats, salad
cream, and oils. Plenty of fruit is the order of the day and if you like fresh
vegetable juices, so much the better. In this way you will not only avoid
gallstones but liver and kidney diseases as well. And remember that animal fats
include lard, butter, liver and egg yolk, these so-called saturated fats being
high in cholesterol which substance builds up in the arteries and causes
untimely ageing.
If you must eat fats then take
the so-named unsaturated ones which include the vegetable oils—sunflower seed
oil, corn oil, olive oil, soya bean oil, and sesame seed oil, but even then it
is not advisable to over indulge in these. If you have trouble with your
pancreas, liver, spleen or kidneys be sure to master and keep practicing the
ABDOMINAL LIFT which I described in chapter five. It is impossible to
over-emphasize the far-reaching benefits of this exercise.
Sufferers from all stomach and
internal complaints would do well to practice the art of clean eating. Eat only
what is pure and wholesome. Study all I have written in the chapter on diet and
do not eat anything which has been refined or preserved. Above all, read again
chapter five and practice the exercises therein
STOMACH AND
LIVER COMPLAINTS 157
every day from now on. Free
yourself from ‘the mother of all diseases’ and you will be well on the Yoga
path to perfect health and everlasting youth, the Yoga path to Self-Realization
and Inner Peace.
If the way of Hatha Yoga seems
rocky and fraught with difficulties, so that your steps falter and you wonder
where all this hard work leads, let the immortal words of the Bhagavad Gita,
the ancient Hindu Song of God, inspire you to further efforts.
‘ With the sword of the
understanding of thyself thou shall rend asunder in thy heart every doubt
arising from ignorance, and thou shalt
achieve thy permanence
in Yoga.”
Yoga For Your Health
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
What Yoga can do
YOGA at last is coming into its
own in the Western world. After many years of being dismissed as a bizarre cult
attractive only to eccentrics, it is today recognized as a fundamental art and
skill. More than that, many of its most bitter opponents, people who were among
the first to cry down Yogic culture, have now embraced it as a way of life.
The ancients who formulated the
science of Yoga were way ahead of us in our modern world of stress and hurry.
Recognizing, thousands of years ago, man’s basic need for discipline to
counteract the physical and spiritual deterioration caused by the mere fight
for survival, they evolved a science which is at once as ancient as India
herself and as modern as the space age.
The law of Yoga is the law of
Life. Yoga embodies the secrets of successful living and combines profound and
age-old truths with a way of life acceptable to the modern mind. It was evolved
from the Veda, one of the most ancient scriptural books known to mankind in
which Indian saints and sages taught that the Universe is one and that all
religions are paths ascending the same mountain towards Eternal Truth. The
great modern saint, Sri Ramakrishna, is often quoted as saying, ‘As many
faiths, so many paths.’
But Yoga is not a religion, nor
is it a mystic cult. It is a Hindu system of philosophic meditation and
asceticism designed to effect the reunion of the devotee’s soul with God. It is
a philosophy which integrates the individual life and the world surrounding us
to achieve a basic harmony and equilibrium in the heart and mind of man.
How is physical health a part
of so spiritual a philosophy as Yoga? Simply that the trichotomy of our lives,
divided into body, soul and spirit, is echoed in the complete Yogic philosophy
whose three approaches—asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), and
meditation—are unified as one approach to self discovery.
One of the fundamental
doctrines of Yoga is that God is within each one of us but He reveals Himself
only in conditions of purity, both spiritually and physically. To function on a
higher level, either mentally or physically, the first step must always be to
rid the body of the impurities that cause disease and which impede spiritual
development. One can draw the analogy of the window which must be cleaned
before one can see the light clearly through it.
This basic principle of
purification underlines all Yogic practice and at the same time it aims at
establishing a balance in the body so that it functions, as it were, like a
perfect machine. When this state of physical balance is achieved the mind can
then be controlled and can realize the ultimate in pure thought and reason. I
have yet to meet anyone who can successfully employ the techniques of mind control
while plagued with indigestion, asthma, a thumping headache or any other of the
ills and stress symptoms which plague modern man. So first things first.
Physical ills drag one downwards and the disciplinary science of Hatha Yoga was
evolved that the body would be freed from pain and disease.
This book is primarily
concerned with this Yoga of the physical body known as Hatha Yoga. While the
body and the mind cannot be separated and the health of one affects the health
of the other, I have laid stress on the day to day problems and ailments of the
average person who wishes to improve his general health. Not everyone has the
mystic vocation to achieve union with God, the Universal Spirit, which is the
primary aim of all Yoga, but everyone would like to know how to improve his
health.
Many Westerners, moving as they
do in a world of hurry and stress, feel that Yoga holds nothing for them and
that the whole philosophy is rather remote, vague, and impractical. In this
book my aim is to show readers how the ancient system of Yoga provides an
effective answer to the many problems of our modern life. You can take an
active part in the hurly burly of everyday living and Yoga will act as a
protection from the numerous stresses of your environment. While best results
are obtained by exercising and practicing breathing and relaxation alone,
nevertheless you need not become a hermit to achieve success and improved
health through Hatha Yoga.
Recognizing then that you are
not a mystic and you do not wish to spend years in meditation and mental
discipline to find the true meaning of God and Life, how then can Yoga help
you? Let us consider your problems. Are you overworked and tense and do you
find it impossible to relax even in bed at night? Are you overweight yet lack the
will-power to diet? Do you sometimes find yourself unable to cope with the dash
and tumult of everyday life? Are you irritable, worried, nervous? Are you
plagued by indigestion and other stress symptoms? Or simply do you seek
something, you know not what, which goes above and beyond the superficial level
of everyday living?
Yoga awaits your interest, your
inspection, your first hesitant experiments. It is here, it has always been
here, it is yours for the taking. Those who have delved into its profound philosophy
and studied for years with patience and devotion to learn more and more have
found something unique, priceless, and indestructible.
The uninformed often speak of
Yoga as some dark, hidden practice of magical rites for attaining wondrous
powers. While it is an indisputable fact that some advanced Yogis are indeed
possessed of such powers, they reached their state of heightened consciousness,
not by bell, book, and candle, but by the disciplining of the mind for which
the first step is the perfecting of the physical body, through Hatha Yoga.
The inner power of Yoga becomes
apparent when one realizes that it has something to offer every thinking
person, here and now, yet it is an ancient Hindu philosophy, its beginnings
shrouded in the mists of time. The idea may sound fanciful but the proof is
manifold.
Hatha Yoga is the preparation
for all the higher forms of Yoga and, because of its benefits to the body and
the mind, it is the most popular form of Yoga and the most acceptable to
Western habits of thought. At the same time it is the most misunderstood
science on the face of the earth. Many well-meaning, but misguided individuals
have a disparaging attitude towards Hatha Yoga, because its special province is
the physical body. But the sages who formulated the disciplinary science of
Hatha Yoga recognized that the first thing man desires and needs is health, so
they devised the best means of attaining and preserving it. While Hatha Yoga is
the cause of much apprehension among people who effect to despise things
physical and concentrate on higher matters, it has always been a source of
interest to me how anyone can meditate on Higher Things while doubled up with
pain or suffering any kind of physical discomfort.
Having declared then that Hatha
Yoga can help you towards better health and calm your mind so that you can
solve your personal problems, I do want to stress two facts. Firstly, that the
aim of Hatha Yoga is not the acquisition of a superior muscular physique but
the discipline and the purification of the body that we may forget our earthly
shell enough to reach a state of heightened awareness through the control of
the mind. Secondly, that Hatha Yoga is neither the easiest nor the fastest
system of physical culture to show results. Why then Hatha Yoga for your
health? Why not weight lifting, club swinging, athletics, or even dancing? All
of these will improve the circulation, the figure, and strengthen the muscles.
What has Hatha Yoga to offer in addition to this? Simply that Hatha will
provide an extraordinary control over the body and awaken the mind and spirit,
the higher self if you like, as no purely physical culture system could
possibly do. Also, the above-mentioned activities are beyond the capabilities
of a large section of the community, the aged, the infirm, the lame, and the
physically frail. Those activities involve violent movement whereas Hatha Yoga
is essentially a static science. Basically one gets into a Yoga posture or
asana and remains so for as long as possible. Stress is laid on pressure of
certain organs, glands and muscles rather than on movement. When movement is
necessary in Hatha Yoga it is always gentle and graceful, therefore anyone can
benefit from Yoga regardless of age, sex, race, walk of life, or religious
belief. It is a universal science. It can lead to more abundant living and a
new awareness of higher things through ridding your body of the pains and
diseases which drag your mind back into the earth when it wants to wing its way
upwards towards the light.
It is reported that Lord
Buddha, whose philosophy is based on the Veda from which Yoga was evolved, said
that the first step on the way to spiritual freedom and salvation is perfect
physical health. So if you are drawn towards Hatha Yoga do not be put off by
others who might tell you that you will never reach a state of heightened
consciousness by turning your body upside down or sitting in various
leg-breaking postures. Tell them that if the blood is impure then the brain,
the nerves, the psycho-spiritual life, yes even the thoughts, cannot but be
affected. Tell them that a man cannot control his mind until his body is made
pure and healthy. Even if you do not aim at mental discipline, and many of you
I know do not, you can with persistent practice improve your general health
beyond belief.
You will find that Yoga
knowledge, once accumulated, will begin to influence and help you in your daily
life, whoever you may be. It will gradually invade every part of your life,
from your attitude towards your fellow men to the way you sleep, breathe,
think, and even eat. Did I say eat? What has eating to do with Hatha Yoga? It
has very much to do with it. It is a strange fact that Yoga’s doctrine of
non-violence very soon influences even the most enthusiastic meat-eater to
think again about a vegetarian diet. As the senses become more acute through
the practice of Yoga, one begins to experience a distaste for al! forms of
killing and violence. Meat becomes unpalatable because many devotees of Yoga
are actually able to see the astral bodies of the slaughtered animals as they
tuck into a thick, juicy steak. Their senses gradually becoming awakened, they
think on things that never occurred to them before and in the case of
slaughtering helpless animals they begin to understand and revolt at the
hideous practices that go on in abattoirs all over the world. So you have been
warned! You, who are reading a book on Yoga for perhaps the first time in your
life, you who have eaten and enjoyed meat and fish for many years and intend to
go on doing so, you will suddenly discover, if you practice Yoga, that meat is
not quite so delicious as you hitherto thought and that other foods, cheese and
vegetables and fruits, taste much better.
You see it is impossible to
practice Hatha Yoga as a kind of hobby and hope to keep it aside from your
everyday life, like knitting or woodwork. Inevitably it must influence your
whole life and thought and make you, not a different person or even a better
one, but into your real self ‘denuded of all false pretence, of false values,
and of unreasonable fears and inhibitions. If I have alarmed you in any way or
made you feel that Yoga is going to prove far too complicated a thing in your
orderly life, let me hasten to assure you that the influence of Yoga cannot be
otherwise than beneficial. While Yoga is not, as I stressed at the beginning, a
religion, nevertheless those men who devote their whole lives to it become
saintly and intensely spiritual. This applies to devotees of Hatha as well as
the other Yogas which proves conclusively that though Hatha’s province is the
physical body and its perfection, in the last analysis Hatha Yoga is a
spiritual discipline.
You may consider Hatha Yoga
either as a special subject in itself or as an adjunct to other forms of Yoga.
Whatever your reason (and there can never be a bad reason for doing something
good) Yoga can help you with your everyday problems on all levels. As you grow
healthier and more relaxed you become more gentle, less inclined to fits of
irritation and temper. Yoga provides the counter-weight so urgently needed to
the ever increasing nervous, mental and physical tensions of our modern life.
All the exercises or asanas of
Hatha Yoga are based on the formula of stretching, relaxing, deep breathing and
increasing the circulation of the blood and the powers of concentration. Yogic
culture is divided into eight sections.
Yama—ethics.
Niyama—religious observances.
Asana—postures.
Pranayama—breathing exercises
and control of the breath.
Pratyahara—withdrawing of
the senses from
external
objects.
6. Dhyarana—concentration.
7. Dhyana—meditation.
8. Samadhi—super-consciousness.
It is with 3 and 4 that this
book is primarily concerned for these sections are the beginning of all Yoga
without which you cannot hope to gain mastery over yourself and learn the
secrets of the Universe. According to the Yoga Shastras the Yoga asanas total
the staggering number of 840,000, but the important ones number only 84. Of
these I have described all but the most difficult. This is a book primarily for
the Westerner and the beginner in Yoga and as such it does not contain postures
suitable only to advanced students who are able to practice many hours a day.
The asanas included in this book will suffice to bring the health of the
average person to a far higher level than hitherto experienced and, combined
with the other practices described in this book, will open out a new horizon
beyond the banalities of everyday existence.
Let me warn you that Yoga is
another word for hard work, indeed some say it is all work and no play. That
may be so, but all the same if you have read thus far your mind must be
searching for something and if that something is Yoga then you will not be
deterred by the mere thought of hard work. Rather you will glory in it for there
is a sense of great achievement in self-discipline. Yes, Hatha Yoga is
discipline all the way. I can show you the path up the mountain but it is up to
you to climb. With the best will in the world I cannot do the hard work for
you. But if you choose this path all you need to follow it is determination. If
you have it you cannot fail. If you lack it you cannot begin.
“”There is an innermost center
in us all Where Truth abides in fullness; and to know Rather consists in
opening out a way Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape . . .’
(BROWNING)
CHAPTER TWO
Relaxation and stretching
No one, I think, would disagree
with me when I say that the pace of modern life, especially in the big cities,
is destructive. Why, but why is everyone intent on doing something all the time
? Do they imagine they are missing something if they go to bed with a book, or
sit and think, or just sit? Some people cannot tolerate being alone. Their own
company is inexpressibly boring and depressing. But why? If only these unfortunates
could catch even a solitary glimpse of the rich inner life of the spirit, and
the awesome power of clear thought.
People who rush about in a
frenzy are often not the ones who get the best results. What about the man who
has had the time to think ? Who has made the time to think ? While others
rushed dizzily past him he has been evolving ideas, building and planning in
his slow but constructive mind. It has been said that much of the good work of
the world has been done by the dull man who has done his best.
Yoga will not teach you to be
dull, rather the contrary it will teach you to be more magnetic, but it will
show you the importance of knowing when to slow down. The ancient Chinese
believed in the theory of ‘masterly inactivity’ and this served to lay down the
foundation of a unique civilization. By ‘inactivity’ I do not mean idleness,
laziness or mental inertia. Yoga is not for the lazy. No, Yoga’s inactivity
serves as a breathing space among the bustle of everyday life so that one can
recharge the batteries of one’s physical and mental processes to pursue life
with renewed energy and clearer thought.
Yogis realized, centuries ago,
that the mind always functions better in a state of relaxation. Force yourself
to work and the result is a headache, weariness, and a lack of spontaneity. In
those fields of work where creative ability is constantly called into play this
spontaneity is of vital importance. No one wants to read, hear, or look at
something dragged from a fogged and tired brain. Yoga’s first lesson, then, is how to relax. I
do not wish to be an alarmist but the sheer inability to relax sends many
millions of people to their graves ten, twenty, sometimes forty years before
their time. So let us first consider how you are, here and now, going to cheat
the undertaker of those precious years of your valuable time.
First of all do not confuse
relaxation with inertia. Relaxation has been defined as ‘a conscious transfer
of energy from one department of nature to another after an extreme tension of body
and brain’. A mere change of occupation is a form of relaxation. This is why
many office workers play football or tennis at weekends, why many manual
workers sit and watch television, why many ‘brain’ workers have hobbies that
involve working with the hands.
For your first lesson in
relaxation let us consider that mid-morning cup of tea that most people look
forward to. What do you do when it arrives? Stand and gulp it down and maybe
throw another one down your throat after it? Try again. No matter who you are,
a busy housewife and mother, a secretary, a company director, a cabinet
minister, or a ballet dancer, stop when that cup of tea arrives. Stop, whatever
you are doing, sit down quietly even if all hell is let loose around you, and
enjoy that cup of tea. Drink it slowly. Try to forget, even if you have only
five minutes to do so, all your immediate cares— the shopping, the laundry,
that lost letter, that copy your editor is screaming for, that order you forgot
to push out. Let it wait. What is the very worst thing that can happen if you
drink a cup of tea in peace and quiet? Why nothing. And how much better you
will feel for it, how much easier things will seem after your few moments’
respite. Relax periodically and you double your efficiency. If you doubt me
then try it and see.
But this is a book about Hatha
Yoga so you will want to know the Yoga way to relax. Lie down on the floor and
let go. That is all. And that is Yoga? It is indeed. It is called SAVASANA or
the CORPSE POSTURE. Not a very pleasant name I agree but all the same it is one
of Yoga’s most valuable and powerful weapons against ill health and stress. It
is pictured in figure 1.
Try it. Lie down on the floor,
no pillows, just a rug or the carpet. Leave off your shoes and wear as little
clothing as possible. Whatever you wear must be light and loose fitting. Now
stretch your arms above your head and stretch out your legs and feet. Go on,
have a good stretch like your cat does before it settles down to sleep. Close
your eyes and let your head roll to one side. Let your hands flop where they
will and imagine that your body has no bones and that you are giving your whole
weight to the floor. Imagine you are on a cloud and that your body is slowly
sinking through it. Keep your eyes closed and think of something peaceful, a
lovely piece of music perhaps or the sound of the sea. Put on a soothing record
if you like or open the window and listen to the birds. Tell yourself that you
are drowsy and comfortable over and over again.
Now then, what about those
knots of tense muscles around your mouth, your eyes, your stomach and your
legs? Go over al! areas of your body and locate any knots of tension there
might be. Be stern with them. Make them loosen up. Very likely they will
tighten up again as soon as your back is turned so to speak but keep your
mind’s eye open and consciously and repeatedly relax any clenched muscles. The
worst offenders by far are the muscles of the face. You are clenching your
teeth and your jaws right now are you not? You would be surprised at the number
of people who do that, even in their sleep. The counter measure is yawning. Do
it as often as you can but do please choose appropriate times as yawning is not
socially acceptable in many circles and your commendable efforts to teach your
facial muscles to relax might be misinterpreted! Open your mouth as wide as you
can, stretch your jaws, tense your facial muscles and then suddenly relax them.
Keep practicing that movement and you will soon rid yourself of teeth
clenching. That in itself is a good start.
So you are lying on the floor
in the Corpse Posture and you are finding that it isn’t as easy as it looks to
relax. It is easy to lie down on the floor but you think I am unreasonable to
ask you to relax every muscle, do you not ? But it can be done. I can do it and
so can many other people. It takes constant practice but how worthwhile is time
spent towards this end for Savasana is one of the greatest vitalizers known to
man. Perform it whenever you are tired, angry, upset, or brain-fagged. Perform
it whenever things get on top of you. It is not time wasted. It is Yoga’s
‘masterly inactivity’ working for you.
No one is too madly busy to be
quite unable to practice the art of relaxation at least once a day. Give to it
a little of your time and it will repay you a thousandfold. What about those
few minutes before you get into bed at night? Are you too busy then?
When you have made some
progress with Savasana your feet will be set firmly on the Yoga path. Its great
influence will begin to work for you. As you grow more and more able to smooth
away the tensions in your body you will find that the tensions in your mind
will also become less. Problems which seemed mountainous will, if you practice
and perfect the art of relaxation, be reduced to a size whereby you can cope
with and overcome them.
But to return to you lying on
the floor and thinking yourself into relaxing those tense muscles. What about
that mind of yours running round in circles? What about that eye of yours on
the clock ? What about that nagging worry at the back of your mind that you
should be up and about doing things? No, you are not really relaxing at all.
Let us try again. Let us approach Savasana from another angle.
I want you to learn to stretch.
A simple enough request but, you may ask, is this Yoga too? Just—stretching? It
is indeed. As you read this book it will become more and more apparent to you
that although Yoga is a Hindu science three thousand years old, a spiritually
based way of life, a contemplative philosophy and a profoundly dedicated art,
nevertheless it has a real and vital place in modern everyday life, your life.
A simple thing like stretching is as much a part of Yoga as any of the more
complicated postures which I will describe during the course of this book.
Stretching then. Lie down as
before on your back with your legs and feet together and raise your arms above
your head with the fingers interlaced. Now turn your hands palms upwards and
you will immediately feel the increased stretch along your ribs and back.
Stretch your arms as far above your head as you can and at the same time point
your toes and push them forward so that you feel the tension in every part of
your legs, arms and shoulders.
Concentrate on stretching thus
far and when, after practicing a few times, you can fully tense your arms,
shoulders and legs simultaneously, try at the same time to pull in your stomach
muscles, arch your spine, and to complete the picture open your mouth in a
gigantic yawn. You will not make a particularly aesthetic picture at this
moment but remember that Yoga should always be practiced alone and in silence,
if possible in secrecy. It is not a science for the extrovert. So you can go
ahead and pull faces to your heart’s content and if no one is any the wiser you
and your health will be all the better for it.
Having stretched every part of
your body, suddenly let go. Remember that you must stretch everything you can
to the utmost, before you let go, so that the ensuing relaxation will be all
the more complete. And when you let go you are once more in Savasana but this
time you should feel much more relaxed. But keep a wary eye open for those
persistent offenders—eyes, lips, teeth, and tongue. Are you clenching them
again? Train your mind to watch these key points throughout the day not only
when you are practicing Savasana, and if you discover that you are clenching
any of your facial muscles be stern with them. As I have reiterated, they need
constant watching but your persistence will soon be rewarded not only in a new
feeling of relaxation but also in your appearance. For Yoga is a beauty
treatment too. Those little tension lines around your eyes, lips, and between
the eyebrows will not be given a chance to develop into deep, ineradicable
wrinkles. Yoga, and particularly Savasana is the simple secret of how devotees
of Yoga remain miraculously young looking even when well advanced in years, for
nothing is so ageing as stress. It puts lines on to the face, sends the eyes
back into their sockets, and gives an ageing droop to the figure. Having
approached Savasana from two different angles, let us try a third. Yoga, while
based on a set of unchanging principles, is not dogmatic and there is much room
for personal preference and capabilities. Yoga’s greatness lies in its ability
to recognize every individual and not lump humanity together as so many other
sciences do. Savasana, then, from a third angle. This one is rather more
difficult but you may find it rather fun. It is called the A ngle Balance and
you will see an illustration of it in figure 33. It is not as easy as it looks
but it is well worth your perseverance.
Angle Balance
Lie flat on your back with your
hands at your sides, and legs together. Now raise your head and shoulders off
the floor and at the same time raise your legs with your knees bent until you
can grasp your toes. Now very carefully straighten your knees still holding
your toes until you are in the position illustrated in figure 33. Hold this
position for as long as you can and then suddenly flop back on to the floor.
Again you are in Savasana and the ensuing relaxation will be more complete
after the preceding tension and concentration required by the ANGLE
BALANCE.
This first Yoga asana, the
Corpse Posture, is one of the most important and although you may be itching to
learn something a little more spectacular 1 do want to impress on you that
stretching and relaxation is the beginning of all Yoga. It calms the mind and
renews the body with energy and the life force which is known as PRANA. SO do
practice Savasana wherever and whenever you possibly can.
Many people make their first
mistake of the day the moment they open their eyes in the morning, and they
start a chain reaction which echoes throughout the day. They open their eyes,
look at the clock, and leap out of bed in a frenzy. The poor human body is
built to withstand an appalling amount of abuse but to subject it to this kind
of punishment, day after day, is simply courting trouble. Think what happens to
your nervous system when you wake up and hurl yourself out of bed in the
morning. Shock and an unspeakable buffeting. Is it necessary? Give yourself a
little time to return to this world from the threshold of another. Set your
alarm clock just five minutes earlier than usual, try this Yoga waking up
routine, and see the difference to your whole day.
Waking up Routine
The word stretching is
reiterated throughout this book and it crops up here too, first thing in the
morning. Stretch up your arms with your fingers interlaced and palms upwards,
stretch your legs, open your mouth wide and yawn several times. As you lie in
bed, still half asleep, keep on yawning and stretching like a cat and then
finally relax your body and do the following leg stretching exercise.
Leg stretching exercise
This is very simple. While
lying in bed with your feet together push one of your legs down towards the
bottom of the bed as though you were trying to lengthen it. Point your toes and
you will feel a pull from your hip right down to your heel. Hold this position
for one minute only and then relax. If you haven’t a clock with a minute hand
then simply count to sixty as you push your leg forward. After a moment’s rest
repeat the exercise with the other leg. As this is a very potent exercise for
the nerves do not repeat it more than once at a time for each leg. It may be
repeated when you go to bed at night if you so wish.
After the Leg Stretching
exercise very slowly get out of bed, stretch once more with your arms above
your head and I assure you that your usual morning half dead feeling will be
conspicuous by its absence.
I will end your first lesson in
stretching and relaxation by describing an exercise taken from the ancient
system of SOORYA NAMASKAR OR SUN EXERCISE because it is practiced facing the
sun as it rises, or at least in the early morning. There are twelve positions
which bring flexibility to the spine which is so vital if one is to perform the
more strenuous Yoga asanas. Of the twelve, which stretch various ligaments and
give different movements to the vertebral column, I have selected a series of
five which the average reader will not find beyond his capabilities. In this
series a full round constitutes nine movements, that is five forward movements
and four retracing ones.
Soorya Namaskar or Sun Exercise
1. Stand erect, feet together, hands at your sides. Take a deep
slow breath, raise your arms
above your head with the fingers
interlaced and
then bend backwards
as far as
you can
without overbalancing. (See Fig.
8, page 39.)
2. Now exhale as completely as you can and at the same time
bend forward and place your
palms flat on the floor about four
or five inches in front of your
toes. Keep your knees absolutely
straight. The correct position
is shown in figure 2.
One important feature of the
SUN EXERCISE is the chin lock, which simply means pressing your chin tightly
against your chest. The Yogis maintain that this has a beneficial effect on the
thyroid glands. Remember while performing the SUN EXERCISE to maintain the chin
lock through stages 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.
3. Inhale again, step back with the right foot as in figure 3
so
that the other knee is bent and
the chin lock is maintained.
4. Exhale once more and move the other leg back as in
figure 4, keeping the knees as
rigid as possible and trying to reach
the floor with your heels. This
is not possible of course but the
action of trying to reach the
floor with the heels will increase the
pull on the calves and thighs.
Remember to maintain the chin lock.
5. Inhale again, slowly and deeply and at the same time release
the chin lock and, while
keeping the upper part of the body as
steady as possible, lower the
legs and abdomen slowly. Balance
throughout stage 5 on the toes
and palms until you are in the
cobra-like position in figure
5. Arch your back as fully as pos
sible, keep your knees rigid
and press back your neck and your
head while keeping your arms
straight. Only your palms and
your toes should touch the
floor.
6. Having performed the five exercises you must now retrace
your steps to the starting
position thus: from stage 5 assume the
position in figure 4 with the
body making a bridge. (See Below.)
Bring one leg forward as in
figure 3.
Bring forward the other leg and
you are now bending for
ward with your palms flat on
the floor as in figure 2.
Very slowly straighten up, take
a deep breath and then lie
down for a few moments and
relax.
It may take you a little time
to perfect the Sun Exercise, as it has taken you some little time to read it
and look at the illustrations but the actual performance of it should take you
no more than sixty seconds if done correctly. It is not really complicated and
once you have learned the simple sequence of movements they should follow one
another with fluid simplicity. Nothing should be hurried. Every movement of the
SUN EXERCISE should be held for as long as possible before proceeding to the
next.
The benefits are manifold.
Soorya Namaskar stretches the spine in several directions and helps to keep it
supple. It stretches and contracts the abdomen and so helps to relieve
congestion and constipation. It tones and limbers up the muscles and has a
bracing effect on the entire body. Soorya Namaskar is one of the most complete
and beneficial exercises in the whole Yoga range and should never be omitted
from your practice schedule.
I will now outline a schedule
for those of you who are convinced that you cannot find the time to practice
Yoga asanas. It requires but twelve minutes but if you can find more time in
which to practice so much the better.
Leg stretching exercise, sixty
seconds each leg 2 minutes
Savasana or Corpse Posture preceded
by con
centration on relaxing muscles,
tension of
muscles or Angle Balance 5 minutes
3. Sun Exercise performed slowly four times 4 minutes
The extra minute is to give you
time to wake up. Twelve minutes is so very little time out of your whole day
but you may soon find that these minutes become the most important part of your
day because of your increased feeling of relaxation and well being. In time
that alarm going off twelve minutes early will not seem like a monster but more
like a welcome friend.
CHAPTER THREE
Tension and emotional stress
You are not alone, you who are
tense, nervous, worried, unable to relax even in bed. You seem to be tied up in
knots and you sometimes feel at your screaming wits’ end. And you take
relaxation pills, pep pills, tranquillizers, anything to give you a ‘lift’ and
then wonder at the resulting unpleasant side effects. Can Yoga help? But of
course it can. Yoga doesn’t like drugs and you know, your body does not either
so if the so-called orthodox methods have failed to establish an easing of
tension in your overworked body and over-worried mind then why not try Yoga’s
way ? Yoga has often been known to succeed when medicine has failed.
Proper breathing is
intrinsically linked with relaxation, with the emotions, with the health of the
body itself. The thoughts are reflections of the breathing habits and so if the
breathing is faulty then the mind cannot but be affected. You can prove this
for yourself by your day to day experiences. When you are absorbed in a book,
watching television, or listening to an interesting talk on the radio your
breathing processes become slow. When your mind is afflicted by anger, or
sorrow, the breath becomes irregular and choppy. When you are frightened you
gasp and hold your breath, and when you are bored you open your mouth and yawn.
The exercises formulated by the
Yogis of ancient times in connection with the respiratory tract are all based
on a close observation of the body’s natural impulses. This most vital of the
body’s functions is so neglected by the average person that the majority of
people take in only enough oxygen to keep themselves from falling dead.
Mind and breath, then, being
interdependent, you must learn how to breathe properly if you want to calm your
mind and rid yourself of your worries and frustrations in everyday life. When
you are at peace your breath is slow and even so if you reverse the process and
learn to breathe slowly and deeply your mind will follow suit. You cannot be
worried and upset if you are breathing in a calm and controlled manner, nor can
you be calm if your breath is coming in hurried jerks.
So first things first. I want
you to try the Yoga COMPLETE BREATH which employs the lower, middle and upper
lung. It is sometimes divided into three—diaphragmatic, intercostal, and
clavicular breathing—but in its correct form the Yoga COMPLETE BREATH should
employ all three sections in one fluid intake of breath. Beginners should take
things very easily at first. Lie down flat on the floor, no pillows, and place
your hands lightly over your diaphragm. Remember to wear nothing tight around
your waist or chest, and women should always loosen the bra before doing any
Yoga breathing exercise.
The Complete Breath
Slowly exhale as completely as you
can.
Very slowly inhale through the
mouth, drawing in the air
evenly and without sudden
jerks. With your hands placed lightly
over your diaphragm you will
find that this is the first area to
expand.
As your inhalation progresses
you will feel a very slight
retraction of your lower
abdomen.
As you complete your inhalation
you will feel your shoulders
rise slightly as your upper
lung becomes fully expanded.
Slowly exhale through the mouth,
using slight force. Con
tract the abdomen as you
complete your exhalation to expel as
much air as possible.
Lie quietly for a few minutes
after you have taken your first Complete Breath. Do not attempt to sit up for a
while or you may experience a slight dizziness or faintness due to
hyperrven-tilation caused by a sudden, excessive, and unaccustomed intake of
oxygen. If you do have such a reaction it only proves how badly your poor lungs
needed that extra oxygen, but do not worry, the dizzy feeling will soon pass.
Go carefully at first with this exercise and soon you will be able to perform
it with no unpleasant side effects. When you reach this stage you can perform
the exercise sitting up straight with your head level and your hands in your
lap, or even standing erect with your hands at your sides. Always, of course,
practice Yoga breathing exercises before an open window and if at all possible,
in the open air. For the first few days do not take more than two Yoga Complete
Breaths a day, but gradually increase the number ad lib up to sixty full
breaths a day. This should be a slow process and you should allow yourself
quite some time before attempting the full quota of sixty a day. Be content at
first to take just a few at a time.
When performing the Complete
Breath I want you to be conscious of the slow filling up of your lungs, from
the abdomen to the shoulders, and the ensuing slow exhalation should produce a
feeling of calmness and relaxation in your body and in your mind. Never hurry
this exercise. It is far better to take two slow correct Complete Breaths than
to take ten hurried ones. In Yoga exercises it is always quality and not
quantity that counts.
Tense people will particularly
benefit from this exercise if they perform it just before bedtime as it
promotes healthy, natural and refreshing sleep. When you are able to perform it
correctly do try to practice it whenever you can during the day but
particularly when you feel tired, depressed or upset. You can even take a few
deep breaths as you take that morning walk up to the bus stop or the train, in
which case you can match your breathing to your footsteps, say breathe in for
six and exhale for six. If you are lucky enough to be anywhere near the sea
draw in that wonderful, sweet-smelling air for all you are worth.
It is said that some people are
tense by nature. Not true. They are tense by sheer bad habit, and these
so-called natural-tension-merchants unconsciously allow all kinds of lurking
tensions to accumulate until, hey presto! a beautiful, full-blown peptic ulcer,
a chronic heart condition or worse. The breaking up of tension is going to be,
for most people, the breaking of the habit of a lifetime. I have been told in
all seriousness many times, ‘But, Miss Richmond, I must build up tension while
I am working otherwise . . .’ Otherwise what? Otherwise, I would add, you would
have so much more energy that you wouldn’t know what to do with it, so you feel
you must squander a little by becoming tense!
Let us consider this problem in
its proper perspective. No one, repeat, no one ever got the best out of
themselves by means of tension. You may think you need it, that you could not
do without it, nevertheless you wonder sometimes why you are unable to sleep
and that your nerves are often ‘worn to shreds’, and you suffer from nameless
fears. Can you imagine what it would be like to be free for ever of these
distressing symptoms, to feel relaxed and cheerful and full of energy ? I can
show you the way, through Yoga, but there is a price. You will have to part
with those precious tensions of yours.
My intention in this book is to
show you the way to better health through Yoga and not to moralize in any way,
but may I tell you just one story which I hope might stick in your mind for the
rest of your life ? It is aimed particularly at those readers who feel they
cannot live without a burden of tension on their shoulders.
There was once a wise old man
who was sitting at the window of his house when he saw, down in the street
below, a poor beggar carrying a heavy load on his back. ‘What is that you carry
?’ called the old man. The beggar looked up at the window and then opened up
the large sack he was carrying. It contained bundles of old newspapers, empty
bottles, bits of wood, empty tins, broken bricks and all kinds of useless
matter. ‘But it is nothing but a lot of rubbish,’ protested the old man, ‘tell
me, why do you burden yourself with it?’ To which the beggar replied, ‘I must,
it is all I have’.
And now to the second round in
this battle against those tensions of yours. In the previous chapter I
discussed physical relaxation, yawning and stretching, and if you have been
practicing the exercises I described they will have gone a long way towards the
breaking up of tension. Let us now go a step farther. Your next task is to
learn how to develop and control your respiration. In Yoga breathing the
following five principles are involved:
The habitual use of the full power
of the lungs.
Retention of the breath.
Cleansing of the lungs and
bronchial passages.
Breathing and slow stretching.
Alternate breathing, or
breathing through one nostril at a
time. This is known as ‘Sun and
Moon’ breathing.
In this book I will cover all
five principles of Yoga breathing and in this chapter I will deal with 1, 2,
and 5. Firstly, then, practice the Yoga Complete Breath as often as you can and
always remember that the depth and quality of your breathing is far more
important than the number of breaths you take. It is a good idea to start your
Pranayama or breathing exercises by taking a few full breaths to cleanse your
lungs and prepare yourself for the other breathing exercises, all of which are
basically variations of the Complete Breath. Practice the Complete Breath in
any position you prefer, either lying down, sitting on the floor with your
spine straight, sitting on a hard chair with your hands in your lap, or
standing up straight.
Retention of the Breath
This should not be attempted
until you are able to perform the Complete Breath at least half a dozen times
in succession without experiencing any unpleasant dizziness or fainting. Then
proceed as follows. When you have completed your inhalation hold your breath
for an instant before you start to exhale. One second is enough at first, but
gradually extend this period of retention until you can hold your breath for
several seconds without discomfort and without employing any force. Please do
not try to force your lungs to do things which you know they would rather not.
Remember that correct Yoga breathing is based on the body’s natural impulses.
At the end of every exhalation
there is a natural pause with the lungs completely empty. At first you must
obey this natural impulse and breathe in when you feel the need to, but
gradually extend this pause for a second longer, and then yet another second,
but do not force the pace. This gradual extension of the pause will make the
ensuing inhalation that much more full and deep. Practice retention of the
breath until you can perform it to your satisfaction but I repeat s-l-o-w is
the word for Yoga breathing, slow and rhythmic. The word hurry has no place
whatever in this book.
Alternate Breathing
I would like you now to try
Alternate Breathing or, as it is also called, SUN AND MOON BREATHING.
To explain this strange name
before you begin, the two aspects of Prana or life force which surrounds us are
personified as Pingala, the positive pole and Ida, the negative pole. One of
the aims of Yoga is to balance their opposite currents in the body, which then
produces a state of perfect spiritual and mental equilibrium. The breath that
enters the right nostril or Pingala is called the sun breath and that which
enters the Ida or left nostril is the moon breath. The ALTERNATE BREATH
consists of deep controlled breathing through each nostril in turn.
Sit down either cross-legged on
the floor or on a hard chair with your spine erect, but not stiff, and your
head level. Close your eyes and proceed as follows:
Close your left nostril with
your left thumb and breathe in,
slowly and deeply, through the
right nostril.
Hold the breath for two
seconds.
Close the right nostril with
the last two fingers of your left
hand and exhale very slowly
through the left nostril.
A natural pause will follow and
when the impulse to inhale
appears do so, this time
through the left nostril, the right still
being held closed.
Hold the breath for two
seconds.
Exhale slowly through the right
nostril with the left held
closed.
This completes one round.
Beginners to Pranayama should limit themselves to two rounds at first, but do
add one round each week until you are performing six rounds a day. Ideally this
exercise should be performed facing different points of the compass according
to the time of day, following the path of the sun. Thus in the early morning
you should perform it facing east, at midday facing the meridian, at sunset
facing the west, and at night facing the north, SUN AND MOON BREATHING should
be preceded and followed by three or four Complete Breaths to create the right
atmosphere of peace and tranquillity throughout the mind and the body. Though 1
have concentrated on the physical aspect of Yoga in this book, as I said in the
beginning, it is impossible to divorce the body from the mind and all Yoga
exercises, breathing or otherwise, must always affect all parts of the
organism, both physical, mental, and spiritual.
When you have been practicing
Sun and Moon breathing for a few days and have established some sort of rhythm
and balance in your performance, proceed to the next stage, which is the
regulation of the length of your exhalations to twice that of your inhalations.
Thus if you inhale to a count of four, then you exhale to a count of eight. I
use four only as an example for the length of your inhalation must always
depend on your individual capacity and comfort. 1 reiterate the warning about
undue strain. Please, no straining in this or any other Yoga exercise. It can
only do harm and achieve nothing.
After a few days of the above
controlled breathing your next step is to prolong very gradually the retention
of the breath until it equals the length of your inhalation. Thus if you inhale
on a count of four then hold your breath for four and then exhale on a count of
eight. Again you must adjust this counting to suit your own capacity.
This is the simplest form of Sun
and Moon breathing and will suffice for our purposes in this chapter which
deals with the calming of the mind and nerves. The advanced forms of this
exercise call for almost superhuman discipline and are practiced in connexion
with the awakening of a mysterious force in the body known as Kundalini, the
Serpent Power. This may briefly be described as the Divine Power of Knowledge
and Wisdom from which, through civilization, Man has become separated. But the
Kundalini, said to lie coiled at the base of the spine, is not dead but
dormant, which is why every man is potentially divine no matter how far he may
have strayed from the Divine Path.
But to return to your frayed
nerves and wayward emotions, I will end this chapter with two simple exercises,
one which combines breathing and movement and one which calms the mind and
quenches thirst. The first of these is called THE L BALANCE STRETCH because
while performing it your body roughly resembles the letter L.
Stand up straight, feet
together and hands at your sides.
Inhale deeply and at the same
time raise your arms above your
head, lace your fingers
together and turn them palms upwards.
Remain stretching upwards with
your arms while you complete
your inhalation.
Hold your breath for an instant
and then, while exhaling
slowly bend your knees until
your calves are touching the backs
of your thighs. Remain thus
until you have completed your
inhalation, with your arms
still stretched above your head.
A natural pause will follow the
completion of your inhala
tion, during which you should
rise into the standing position
and lower your hands to your
sides.
When you can perform this
exercise try a slightly more difficult version which requires you to hold the
breath throughout the movement, thus:
Stand erect, inhale deeply
while raising your hands above
your head with the fingers
laced as before.
When you have completed your
inhalation hold your breath
and bend your knees as before
with your arms above your head.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
without exhaling.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so, at the same time
rising to your feet. Repeat up
to six times according to the time
at your disposal.
This exercise taxes your sense
of balance but it is a good exercise in calming the mind for it requires a
considerable degree of concentration and muscular control to keep from
overbalancing and this discipline, in conjunction with the deep slow breathing
and the retention of the breath, results in a calm mind and soothed nerves. In conclusion here is a simple exercise which
imitates the respiration of the serpent. It is called Sitali, and it helps to
calm the mind, purify the blood, quench thirst and cool the body when it is
overheated. Protrude your tongue from your lips and fold it together to form a
tube. Draw in the air through this ‘tube’ with a slight hissing sound until you
have completely filled your lungs. Hold your breath for as long as you can and
then exhale through the nostrils, SITALI should be practiced up to twenty times
a day. Combined with the other breathing exercises in this chapter the result
will be a calmer, happier, more peaceful you.
CHAPTER FOUR
Insomnia, neurasthenia and fatigue
IN the previous chapter 1
discussed emotional stress ailments. In this one we are considering the
physical results of stress, worry, and constant fatigue. Perhaps the most
common complaint of this modern age, together with constipation, which is
discussed in the following chapter, is insomnia. It is the cause of more
widespread misery than one could possibly imagine. There are many ways to
combat insomnia but many people, far too many, rely on harmful and
habit-forming sleeping drugs which may induce an unnatural sleep but which do
not, and cannot, cure the trouble at the source. Indeed many people who have
relied on them for years find that they are wholly unable to get a night’s
sleep without them. Yes, insomnia is one of the scourges of our time but Yoga
has a way with it, nature’s gentle and safe way.
The Yoga cure for insomnia and
its dangerous resulting nervous exhaustion, is the natural one based on toning
and relaxing the nerves, taking in more oxygen, and remaining immobile with the
body inverted.
But first things first. What
about the bed on which you sleep? Do you put up with just anything? Is it just
a wooden frame, a mattress, and some pillows, sheets and blankets, or is it a
supremely comfortable haven to which you can retire in blissful ease at the end
of the day? No, I am not being fanciful. That bed on which you sleep may have
more to do with your insomnia than you suspect. So let us consider it for a
moment.
Have you sometimes suspected
that your mattress was too soft and often wake up in the morning in a deep
hollow with your mattress making ‘water-wings’ on either side of you? It is
time, I fear, to think about replacing
it with a firmer one.
Expensive? Perhaps, but after
all you spend just about a third of your life in bed and if that third is
plagued with insomnia due to an over-soft or worn out mattress is it not wise
to consider spending a few dollars in order to improve your health, your
spirits and your general well-being? Cheap at the price I would say.
And what about those mounds of
bunchy pillows? Do these offenders grace your bed too? Send those packing with
that soft mattress. It is essential in sleep that your spine should be held as
naturally as possible. If you are lying in the hollow of a feather mattress
with your head propped up on a mound of pillows, your poor spine is held in a
highly unnatural position so if you do succeed in getting to sleep, which is
often unlikely, you will be sure to wake up with morning backache, a stiff
neck, a feeling of not having slept at all, and possibly a headache to add to
the general confusion. If you suffer from any form of persistent backache one
of the finest remedies I know, without doing another thing, is to buy a hard
mattress. After you get used to sleeping on it you would never look a feather
mattress in the face again. Sleep with as few pillows as possible, one small,
firmly packed one is adequate for most people’s needs. Why make your poor neck
work hard while you are sleeping? What did it do to deserve that kind of
punishment?
Next your clothing. It would
seem unnecessary to mention this, but I am certain that far too many people
wear too much clothing when they go to bed. Jumpers, cardigans, bed-jackets and
socks are piled on over pyjamas and nighties, and heads are tied up in all
kinds of scarves. But why? In winter why not one warm, cosy nighty or a pair of
pyjamas, high necked and long sleeved, and in summer a wisp of nylon is all you
need. Let your body b-r-e-a-t-h-e while you sleep. If you are cold add more
blankets but do not, please, choke yourself to death.
It is often said that for most
people the best sleep is before midnight. I do not necessarily agree with this
and would gladly trade four hours of really deep natural sleep for eight hours
of tossing, fitful dozing which for many people passes for sleep. You can
easily work out for yourself how many hours of sleep you need in order to work
at your maximum efficiency the next day. And do not make the common mistake of
imagining you need more sleep than you actually do. Eight hours is what most
people take to mean a good night’s sleep but many people need only five or six,
others need nine or ten. So make sure that you are not one of the former, as
you may be getting your five or six hours of good sleep that you need and
tossing about for the other two or three thinking that you suffer from
insomnia. Do watch yourself carefully before you decide whether you need a cure
for insomnia at all.
I find it restful to keep a
book on my bedside table. No thrillers or ghost stories please. We are dealing
with insomnia in this chapter and we cannot have you afraid to go to sleep being
convinced that someone, or worst still SOMETHING has come to ‘get you’. There
is some controversy about plants and flowers being left in bedrooms overnight.
My advice is to remove them if you can, for the carbon dioxide they give off at
night will not help you one bit in this battle against your insomnia. Do sleep
in a well-ventilated room with at least one window open, and if possible the
door as well. A stuffy, overheated bedroom causes more headaches and insomnia
than can be estimated.
Finally, place your bed so that
you sleep with your head to the north and your feet to the south, or if this is
absolutely impossible, sleep with your head to the south and your feet to the
north. What you must avoid, you see, is sleeping across, instead of parallel to,
the magnetic force lines of the earth. If again you accuse me of being
fanciful, I can only tell you that I have known many people who have cured
their insomnia, and its resulting stress ailments, simply by altering the
position of their bed so that they lie parallel to the magnetic force lines of
the earth. If you are skeptical (and you are a chronic insomniac) why not try
it? You may be agreeably surprised.
Having disposed of the
questions of how, when, and where you sleep, what you wear and what you lie on,
I will now show you some Yoga exercises which will help you if you make careful
note of all I have just said. Yoga will help you if you meet it half-way.
Unlike some of the chapters in this book in which I have described Yoga asanas
or postures which require patient practice, all the exercises in this chapter
are very simple to do, with the possible exception of THE SHOULDERSTAND or
Sar-vangasana. This may be a little difficult for my older readers so let us
try this one first.
Sit down on the floor with your
spine straight and your
legs stretched before you,
ankles together. Roll backwards until
your head touches the floor and
your legs swing over your head.
Supporting your back with your
two hands on either side
of your spine, raise your legs
to the vertical so that your toes are
pointing towards the ceiling
and your body is resting on the
back of your head, the nape of
your neck, and your shoulders.
Press your chin against your
chest in the chin lock. I have
demonstrated the SHOULDERSTAND
in figure 6.
Keep your body as straight as
you can and hold yourself as still as possible. Resist the tendency to move
your legs about in the air or to let your body sag at the waist. Close your
eyes and breathe as deeply as you can. In the Shoulderstand breathing cannot be
too deep but it should be as regular as your restricted lungs allow.
At first maintain the
SHOULDERSTAND for only a few seconds but as you gradually become used to this
inverted posture it can be held comfortably for several minutes. I suggest that
you hold it for as long as you have the time but no more than ten to fifteen
minutes. The main advantage of this valuable basic Yoga pose is that by holding
the body inverted, in poised stillness, even for a few minutes, the thyroid
glands are affected and so produce a powerful effect on the entire organism.
Also the blood flows to the head by its own weight instead of it having to be
pumped upwards by the heart so it not only gives the heart a respite from its
ceaseless work but it also brings a flood of rich blood to the brain and so
counteracts nervous fatigue, exhaustion, and other results of insomnia. But the
benefits of the SHOULDERSTAND do not end there. Because it strengthens and
tones the lower organs it is especially recommended for women after child-birth
and those who suffer from menstrual pains.
A word of warning. If you
suffer from any disorder of the
HOW TO BE HEALTHY WITH YOGA
thyroid gland or chronic
sinusitis or nasal catarrh do not attempt to perform the Shoulderstand.
The adventurous among you might
like to try a more advanced form of this posture, known as the SHOULDER
BALANCE. In this the body is held as in the Shoulderstand but the support of
the arms is removed. The arms are placed alongside the body and you are then
balancing on your shoulders, neck and the back of your head and the extra
effort you have to employ to maintain the body in this position with no support
from your hands and arms generally intensifies the effect of the posture. You
will not be able to hold the SHOULDER BALANCE as candle-straight as the
Shoulderstand but do the best you can and above all hold yourself still. Keep
your eyes closed and your chin locked against your chest.
Another variation of the
SHOULDERSTAND, slightly more difficult but less tricky than the Shoulder
Balance is to keep the arms and hands on the floor, either pointing the same
way as your head or else extended at shoulder level, while the body is
inverted. Again the extra effort required to keep the body straight and still
without supporting the back intensifies the benefits of the posture.
One of the chief beneficial
effects of the SHOULDERSTAND lies in the reversal of the influence of gravity
on the internal organs. Few people appreciate how great this influence is. The
body fluids tend to flow downwards and the skeleton is also subjected to
constant downward displacement, and likewise the internal organs.
People with jobs that entail
long hours of standing are most subject to varicose veins in the legs and
prolapse of the viscera. In hospitals, patients suffering from these and allied
ailments are placed on tilted beds so that the legs are higher than the feet.
This practice, a modification of the Yoga asana I have just described, is to
check the downward drag of gravity.
Nervous fatigue is due not only
to emotional stress but also to the fact that the muscles of your back have to
work long and hard just to hold you up. By inverting your body there is an
immediate relief from this strain and the overtired feeling dissolves
into a pleasant feeling of
relaxation. The SHOULDER-STAND therefore is an invaluable
exercise not only for insomnia but
for nervous fatigue, and tired or swollen legs.
As a prolonged Shoulderstand
and, for some of my older readers, even a brief one produces something of a strain
and tension in the neck, the following exercise known as Sethu Bandhasana or
the BRIDGE POSTURE will bring relief by relaxing the neck and at the same time
exercising the muscles of the lower, middle, and upper back. It is fairly
simple, if you go carefully.
The Bridge Posture
From the Shoulderstand, and
keeping your knees straight, very slowly lower your legs until your feet are
flat on the floor. Do not lower your body from the waist upwards and keep your
hands supporting the back in the most comfortable position which is usually on
either side of the spine. Performed correctly this exercise makes the body look
like a graceful bridge. Hold it for as long as you comfortably can and then
slowly, very slowly, lower your body and then your hands until you are lying
flat. Remain relaxed for a few minutes and take a few, deep recovery breaths.
The Shoulderstand should always be followed by the Bridge Posture.
Although the Shoulderstand is
one of the easier Yoga asanas I am aware that many of my readers will be either
too ill or too stiff, or maybe even too overweight to perform this posture at
all. In that case you will obtain many, though not all, of the benefits of the
Shoulderstand by lying down on the floor in your bedroom with your feet up on
the bed. Practice the relaxation exercise, Savasana, described in Chapter 2,
with your feet above your head. Hold your body still and relaxed and try to
calm your mind and clear away your mental and physical tensions. In cases of
fatigue and insomnia you will find this practice of enormous help.
And now here is a very easy
little ROCKING exercise which will also help people suffering from insomnia. It
can be performed as a preliminary exercise to the Shoulderstand, as I will
explain presently, or else as an exercise just before you get into bed at night
to help you sleep.
Rocking Exercises
Sit down on the floor, draw up
your knees and place your
fingers behind your knees as in
figure 7. Keep your head up and
your back straight.
Let your body roll backwards
until the back of your head
touches the floor and your legs
swing over your face. Keep your
knees straight.
Rock yourself forwards again
until you are in the starting
position again.
Try this simple exercise a few
times until you are able to control your movements. Remember to swing yourself
back slowly so that your feet do not touch the floor behind your head. Use your
hands to maintain your balance when you are perched on your seat and as your
head goes down and your legs swing over. When you have gained some measure of
control do the ROCKING EXERCISE as a slow and continuous movement, to and fro
about a dozen times. You will find it very bracing and fatigue will soon
disappear. Like so many other Yoga asanas it has the dual effect of producing
energy in the body and at the same time calming the nerves. It is, therefore,
beneficial both in cases of sleeplessness and of daytime fatigue.
Perform this exercise a dozen
times and as you swing your legs over for the last time remove your hands from
behind your knees and, supporting your back with them, rise into a
SHOULDERSTAND. This is an excellent way of gathering momentum if you find it
difficult to get into the Shoulderstand from the ordinary lying position. When
you can perform the Rocking Exercise slowly and with absolute control, try then
to match your breathing so that it is in rhythm with the to and fro movements
of the exercise. All Yoga exercises should be accompanied by either Yoga deep
breathing or rhythmic breathing.
Controlled breathing and
stretching at the same time is the easiest method of quickly restoring
freshness and vitality to a tired body. In particular the BACKWARD BEND calls
into play not only the muscles of the back, torso and arms, but it also tones
and refreshes the nerves, and taxes the sense of balance, therefore requiring a
certain amount of concentration and discipline. There are many Yoga exercises
which combine deep breathing with stretching and I will mention the most useful
ones throughout this book. Here I choose the BACKWARD BEND for its particularly
beneficial effects in the case of neurasthenia or nervous exhaustion.
Backward Bend
Stand with your feet wide apart and
lace your fingers
together and then turn them
palms upwards. Slowly raise your
arms above your head and at the
same time bend backwards as
far as you possibly can without
overbalancing. I have demon
strated the correct movement in
figure 8, page 41.
Remember to let your head go
back as far as you can and
turn your eyes upwards so that
you are looking in the direction
that your head is pointing.
This is more beneficial than keeping
them looking downwards, as it
imparts a healthy exercise to the
eyes.
Slowly return to the starting
position and repeat ad lib.
There is no special warning
attached to the Backward Bend but
if you have a hernia please go
very carefully won’t you. Bending
backwards could do more harm
than good in your case.
Do be careful not to
overbalance as you lean backwards. This tendency can be avoided if you do not
try to bend backwards to your utmost at first. Be content to go a little
farther back each day you practice, and you will soon gain control in this
valuable exercise.
And now for another breathing
exercise which will restore vitality when you find you are at your lowest ebb.
Those of you who have any difficulty in performing Yoga asanas, but
nevertheless wish to study Yoga as a means of improving your general health
can, with impunity, practice and perfect all Yoga breathing exercises. This
one, to give you new zest and vitality, is called the NERVE RECHARGING BREATH.
All Yoga breathing exercises are variations of the COMPLETE BREATH which
I described in Chapter Three, and
while I shall in this book describe several of the variations, I stress that
they should be done in conjunction with the various asanas. In choosing the
NERVE RECHARGING BREATH for this chapter on insomnia and neurasthenia I have
borne in mind the fact that toning the nervous system and stretching the
muscles and tendons is nature’s own way of combating these two disorders which
are so intrinsically linked together.
Nerve Recharging Breath
Stand up straight, legs apart,
hands at your sides. While
inhaling deeply raise your arms
forward to shoulder height with
your palms upwards. Complete
your inhalation.
Close both your fists and,
while holding your breath, pull
your hands back slowly until
your fists are resting against your
shoulders.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and at the same
time slowly unclench your hands
and lower them to the starting
position. Repeat this exercise
two or three times and then relax
for a few moments before you
perform any other exercise.
The Nerve Recharging Breath
strengthens the nervous system and helps to overcome nervous trembling of the
hands. It is also said to be helpful to people who lack self-confidence. Yoga
is nothing if not all encompassing!
Practice in turn each of the
exercises I have described in this chapter and after a surprisingly short time
you will experience a new feeling of relaxation and freedom from stress, and
when you get into bed at night you will surprise yourself by sinking into a
profound and delicious sleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
Constipation and indigestion
THOSE who are masters of the
science of Yoga refer to constipation as ‘the mother of all diseases’, and so
many of the most important Yoga asanas aim at improving elimination and the
digestive processes and, consequently, the health of the entire organism.
Among these exercises the
ABDOMINAL LIFT is considered one of the most essential, not only for its
physical values, but also for the way it influences our spiritual development
by ridding the body, and therefore the mind, of impurities. Not only does the
constant practice of it bring relief from chronic constipation and indigestion
but it also strengthens flabby abdominal muscles and so improves the figure.
But before attempting the ABDOMINAL LIFT it is advisable for beginners to spend
the first two or three days limbering up the muscles with the following
contracting and relaxing movements known as UDDIYANJ,
Stand with the feet about
twelve inches apart, inhale slowly
and deeply and exhale with a
good deal of force.
Without inhaling again, pull in
the abdominal muscles with
a strong upward movement until
a hollow forms under the ribs.
Hold for two seconds.
Relax the muscles, pull in
again and relax again. Repeat
this two or three times in
quick successive movements, still
without inhaling, and then
relax.
Do not overdo these movements
at first, and remember that the accent is on the pulling in movement rather
than on the letting go.
Yoga exercises must be done
while the stomach, bladder, and if possible the bowels are empty. First thing
in the morning or last thing at night is convenient for most people but the
time of day does not matter too much so long as the stomach is empty.
Allow at least four hours after
a heavy meal, two hours after a light meal, and half an hour after a cup of tea
or glass of fruit juice. Do not eat directly after exercising but wait at least
half an hour. Be sure that nothing you wear fits tightly, or restricts your
movement in any way.After practicing UDDIYANI for two or three days try the
ABDOMINAL LIFT.
Stand feet apart, inhale deeply
and use force to expel as
much air from the lungs as
possible.
Without inhaling again repeat
the same upward and back
ward pull of the abdominal
muscles as though trying to make as
large a hollow as possible
under the ribs. And this time keep
your muscles pulled in.
Place your hands, palms down,
on your thighs, bend your
knees a little and then
slightly tip your trunk forward but without
lowering it. You will find that
your diaphragm then rises easily.
Do keep your hands pressed
firmly against your thighs when
leaning on them. I have
demonstrated the correct position in
figure 9, page 39.
Stay in this position for as
long as you can without breathing
and then relax. Repeat this
exercise once more as it should not be
overdone at first.
I reiterate the warning about
strain, that there should be none whatsoever while performing this exercise.
Muscular control can only be gained by constant practice and not by forcing
flabby or rigid muscles into sudden, unaccustomed activity.
Very gradually increase the
number of times you do this exercise, adding one ABDOMINAL LIFT each week until
you are doing it seven times a day. At the same time try to increase the number
of seconds you hold this position without breathing until you can hold it
comfortably for ten seconds.
If, when you first attempt the
Abdominal Lift you feel that ten seconds is an absolute impossibility, let me
assure you that it can be done with perfect ease after careful practice.
Make sure that you are pulling
in your abdominal muscles properly. You can either feel the hollow under your
ribs with your hand or, better still, do the exercise in front of a mirror
which has been tilted slightly backwards so that when you bend your trunk
forward you will be able to see properly. Be sure not to bend your knees too
much. And a word of warning. The Abdominal Lift should not be attempted by anyone
suffering from heart, circulatory, or abdominal troubles.
If you find that the practice
of UDDIYANI or the ABDOMINAL LIFT is too strenuous for you in a standing
position, you may perform them sitting down in one of the classical poses
described in Chapter 6, the Easy Pose or the Gupasana are recommended.
Chronic sufferers from
constipation will benefit from the following internal cleansing method which is
used by the Yogis. Internal purification is as important, if not more so, as
external cleanliness. Take several glasses of water with a quarter of a
teaspoon of salt per glass. The water must be at room temperature, never iced.
Then do the contracting and relaxing movements (Uddiyani) while standing feet
apart, then sitting on the floor with the spine straight and finally while
lying fiat on the floor. This is known as the ‘avalanche technique’ of taking
an enema without any apparatus.
I have already discussed the
importance of breathing in relation to health and each Yoga breathing exercise
performs a different function in the body. Let us then consider a breathing
exercise which will help to combat constipation and in addition will cleanse
the lungs and the bronchial passages. It is called the BELLOWS BREATH or in
Sanskrit, Bhastrika.
You have a choice of three
positions for this exercise and you may adopt the one which you find most
comfortable. You may either (A) sit down cross-legged on the floor, (B) sit on
your heels, or (C) sit on a hard chair with your feet on the floor, close
together. I need hardly say that whatever position you adopt the spine must be
held erect. Not only in Yoga but always should the spine be straight whether
you are sitting, standing or lying. Apart from your appearance, your health
will improve as well.
Bellows Breath
1. Sit down in your chosen
position, rest your hands on your thighs, and look straight ahead. First empty your lungs by bending your body
forward to aid this action.
Take a deep slow breath through
your nose and at the
same time straighten your body
gradually until you are in the
starting position.
Complete your inhalation and as
soon as your lungs are
completely filled expel the air
through your mouth with force,
bending your body forward once
again.
Without a pause the next intake
of air follows at once and
the whole process is repeated
four times.
When you can perform the
Bellows Breath four times without the slightest discomfort you may hold your
breath for a few seconds every fourth intake of breath. When you can perform
this exercise more than four times you know you are on the way to the breathing
control which will be so beneficial to your health and spirits. I mention the
word discomfort because if you are not used to deep breathing this, and indeed
any other Yoga breathing exercise, might cause a slight dizziness which is a
sure indication of how undernourished the blood is with oxygen. The dizziness
will soon wear off but do not continue the exercise if any discomfort is felt.
Lie down flat on the floor and close your eyes, leaving the exercise until the
following day.
Increase the number of Bellows
Breaths you take until you are performing the exercise twelve times, and
remember to hold your breath after every fourth inhalation. This exercise
stimulates the circulation of the blood, increases the flow of Prana or
life-energy and, by increased oxygenization of the blood, the nerves are
purified. And most important of all to sufferers from constipation, the bending
forward and straightening up action of the exercise massages the internal
organs and the viscera thus promoting digestion and evacuation.
Squatting Pose
This pose is exactly what its
name implies. 1 want you to practice squatting like the people of the Orient
do. They feel more comfortable in this simple position than they would sitting
on a chair. You though may not, and especially at first, find it at all
comfortable, but as an exercise for constipation it has few equals. The method
is simple.
Stand up straight with your
feet about twelve inches apart,
inhale deeply and rise on your
toes.
Complete your inhalation and
begin to exhale immediately
at the same time as you slowly
bend your knees until you are
sitting on your heels.
Hold the position for as long
as you comfortably can and
then, without inhaling slowly,
rise to your feet. Then take a
deep breath and repeat up to
four times.
Practice this simple Squatting
Pose for a few days and then try this slightly more difficult version. Proceed
as above but this time do not raise your heels from the ground. Bend your body
forward as you squat so that you do not overbalance, and bring your hands and
arms forward over your knees so that your fingers touch the floor.
The third version of the
squatting pose is even more difficult but with careful practice you will soon
be able to do it. Proceed as for version 2 but this time keep your feet close
together without raising your heels off the ground. You may wish to perform the
three variations of this exercise and if so you should repeat each one twice.
If you do only one, repeat it six times and do remember your breathing
carefully.
If your knees are stiff or you
are afraid of overbalancing you may steady yourself by holding on to a chair or
anything convenient that will support your weight, until you feel more
confident. After performing this exercise lie down on your back, stretch out
your legs with your feet together, and relax for a few moments.
And now for an exercise which
has an intriguing strangeness about it. It is called YOGAMUDRA and I have
demonstrated it in figure 10. As you can see, it has an appearance of
supplication about it and indeed, in the higher stages of Yoga the spiritual
value of this asana cannot be over-emphasized. In some cases advanced Yogis
hold this pose for an hour or more to help the awakening of the mysterious
Kundalini or Serpent Power which I have already mentioned.
But we are concerned, in this
chapter, with constipation and YOGAMUDRA, by increasing the peristaltic
movement of the bowel, promotes internal purification. It also tones and
strengthens the abdominal muscles, the colon, and the pelvic region, and so it
is a very valuable and health-giving posture indeed. There is an easy version
for beginners but I will describe the classical one first.
Sit down in the Lotus Pose,
which I have described in
chapter six. With your hands
behind your back clasp the right
wrist with the left hand or
vice versa.
Bend forward until your head
touches the floor between
your knees and remain so for as
long as you find comfortable.
When you are ready to
straighten up do so very slowly and remain
seated for a few moments with
your back straight. You will
experience a curiously light
and peaceful sensation, as though
you had just awakened from a
peaceful dream.
But I can hear many of my
readers protesting that the exercise I have just described is impossible. You
can neither get into the Lotus Pose nor hope to reach the floor with your head.
Very well, try this easier variation.
Sit down cross-legged on the
floor, tailor fashion. This is the Easy Pose. Double your fists and place them
firmly on either side of your navel. Now bend forward as before until your head
touches the ground as near to your knees as you can. Your fists will impart a
healthy massage to your abdominal organs just as, in the classical Yogamudra
the upturned heels do likewise.
Yogamudra should be regarded
not only as a powerful exercise to promote better elimination but also as an
exercise in the calming of the mind. While your head is on the floor (and you
will achieve this with patient practice) you should keep your eyes closed and
try to empty your mind of all worries and fears. Practice repose and soon it
will become a habit.
The following exercise should
also be practiced for the relief or prevention of constipation and/or
indigestion. It should present little or no difficulty to the beginner, though
perfecting it might take a little patience. Called the Janu Shirshasana or in
English the HEAD TO KNEE POSE, it tones up sluggish bowels, strengthens the legs, and adds to your energy and vitality. 1. Sit down on the floor, both legs stretched
out. Bend the left knee and place the left foot as high up as possible against
the right thigh.
1. Inhale deeply, slightly
raise your body from the waist upwards to pull in your stomach, and complete
your inhalation.
While exhaling bend slowly
forward and get hold of your
extended right foot with both
hands. The forehead should touch
the right knee.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
{which will be only a second or
two at first) and then straighten
up, at the same time
straightening out your left leg. Repeat with
the same leg and then change
legs and repeat, twice bending your
head towards the other knee.
For the ambitious among you,
here is a slightly more difficult variation of this beneficial posture. Instead
of placing your foot against the opposite thigh, place it 011 the thigh,
afterwards bending the head towards the knee as before. I have demonstrated
this position in figure 11, page 49.
At first many of you will find
it difficult to reach your outstretched foot with your hands. This is because
your spine has lost some of its flexibility or your abdomen (dare I whisper it)
may have grown too large! Once you are limbered up you will find little
difficulty and meanwhile I suggest you simply get hold of your calves, ankles
or toes while bending your head towards your knee. If your knee appears to be
an impossible distance away from your head I do assure you that with patient
practice you will be able to do it with ease.
When you can perform the HEAD
TO KNEE posture with ease you can graduate to a slightly more difficult
variation in which the foot is placed on the thigh as above and the
corresponding arm is placed right round the body to impart an extra pull to the
muscles of the back, thus:
Variation of Head to Knee
Posture 1. Sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out. Place the right
foot on the left thigh, as near to the body as possible. Stretch forward your left hand and grasp the
toes of your left foot. Place your head
on your left knee.
Keeping your head on your knee,
reach your right arm
round the back of your body and
try to grasp the toes of your
right foot which is on the left
thigh. Remain thus for as long as
you find comfortable, and
without straining, and then straighten
up, lie flat on the floor and
relax, taking a few deep recovery
breaths.
If you find you can do this
variation you might like to omit the simpler Head to Knee posture in favour of
this one, as the benefits of the asana are greatly enhanced by the added
stretch to die muscles of the back and shoulders.
Yet another variation of the
HEAD TO KNEE POSTURE requires a little more flexibility, and should not be
attempted until you can perform the above variation with ease.
Variation of Head to Knee Posture
Sit down on the floor as before
and place your right foot
against your left thigh, as
near to the body as possible.
Lift your left leg straight up
and catch the foot firmly in
both hands. Your leg should be
perpendicular to the floor.
Incline your head slightly
until your face touches the knee of
your raised leg. Hold this
position for as long as you can and
then repeat with the other leg.
You may perform this variation
up to six times, three for each
leg. It will take time and patient
practice to perfect, but it is
well worth the extra effort as it will
give an invigorating pull to
the sciatic nerve as well as imparting
the other benefits of the
posture.
And now for something more
spectacular. This is a colourful Yoga asana requiring flexibility and
concentration. Called the Akarna Dhanurasana or in English the BOW AND ARROW
POSTURE it will strengthen flabby abdominal muscles, thereby promoting better
elimination, and will also limber up the joints of the hips, legs and
shoulders.
Method
Sit down on the floor with your
legs stretched out. Bend
your right knee until your
right foot is over your left thigh.
Grasp the right foot with the
left hand to hold it in position
while you
Raise your left elbow while
drawing your right foot up to
touch your left ear.
Your body now resembles a bow
and drawn arrow. Look in the mirror while you perform it and you will see it is
rather a dramatic-looking pose, deserving of its name, and certainly the
benefits of it are dramatic too. Hold the pose for as long as you comfortably
can and then return to the starting position. You may perform the BOW AND ARROW
POSTURE up to four times, but please do not impart any strain to your muscles.
You may hurt yourself and achieve nothing, so do go carefully.
Sufferers from both
constipation and indigestion would do well to follow the water-drinking habits
of the Yogis. Next to air, water is one of the bodily supplies most urgently
demanded by nature. Eight-tenths of our physical body consists of water and
about two quarts a day are eliminated. An insufficient intake of water is very
often^ responsible for constipation, a congested colon, and malfunction of the
liver and kidneys.
Drink a glass of fresh water,
at room temperature, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It
should be taken hot only when your constipation is of long standing, or
persistently troublesome, in which case unsweetened lime or lemon juice may be
added to make it more palatable.
Water which has been boiled or
processed often loses some of its vitality and to restore this pass it through
the air, pouring it from one glass to the other, as this will prove more
beneficial than drinking devitalized water.
Drink from six to eight glasses
of water a day, or one glass for every fourteen pounds of your body weight. And
remember that one of the greatest crimes in the black book of bad health is the
drinking of iced water, or indeed any other iced beverage. Never, never drink
anything straight from the refrigerator, no matter how pleasant you may think
it is. Your health is more important than a few moments’ pleasure don’t you
think?
Do not drink water with your
meals but take it half an hour before or a couple of hours afterwards so as not
to impair the digestive processes by diluting the digestive juices. One of the
most powerful weapons against indigestion is the consideration of one’s mental
attitude while eating. Many people forget that the state of the body reflects
the state of the mind and vice versa. So if food is eaten in a state of
distress, anger or fear, it produces a toxic effect in the body and courts
digestive troubles. And food improperly digested leads to chronic constipation
and worse. It is far better not to eat if you are upset in any way, even though
you might think that a good meal will make you feel better. Chances are it will
not, and you will have a hefty attack of indigestion into the bargain.
It would seem unnecessary to
mention that to swallow food in large, hurried mouthfuls first thing in the
morning is not taking a good solid breakfast but cruelly treating the poor digestive
system. By all means eat a good breakfast if you can take a lot of food in the
morning, which many people can not, but do please eat it sitting down. If you
bolt large quantities of food standing up with one eye on the clock you will
spend half the morning trying to relieve yourself of the resulting digestive
upset, and so lose that much working time. It is far better to take a little
food, even a cup of tea with an egg and toast, and chew it slowly and calmly.
Enjoy what you are eating and never eat anything you dislike because you think
it is good for you. If you do not want it, you do not need it.
Unpleasant news should never be
disclosed during, or just before, meals as this upsets the digestion and indeed
the entire organism. A calm, methodical attitude towards life and its problems
(which you will gain through the study of Yoga) will result in improved
digestion, and better health and temper. Cultivate repose. It is the beginning
of all Yoga, but it is not the body’s and the mind’s need alone. It is also the
need of the world.
CHAPTER
SIX
Backache and aching legs due to bad posture
HAVE we not often admired the
graceful and dignified carriage of the average Indian man and woman, the
coltish grace of their brown-limbed children? There is no magical secret to
this natural grace, it is simply that in the East there are two natural sitting
positions which are adopted from early childhood. One of these is cross-legged,
whether in the so-called tailor fashion or with the soles upturned, in the
classical Lotus Posture. The other is on the haunches with the feet flat on the
floor. This ‘squatting’ pose is described in the previous chapter.
Americans complain that the
cross-legged and squatting positions are unnatural and so they are—to those who
are used to sitting on chairs. But in the East they are so accustomed to
sitting like that that they actually find it more comfortable than any other
position. Years of sitting in these positions tends automatically to hold the
spine in a naturally erect position, not rigidly straight as some people seem
to think, but held with its natural curves in the right place. And so, in
walking the spine is also held naturally and gracefully and this is the simple
‘secret’ behind the superb carriage of the average Indian.
I do not for one moment expect
the average American who reads this book to acquire the habit of sitting down
in the Lotus Pose or even in one of the easier cross-legged poses. These
positions should be included in the daily schedule of Yoga exercises and held for
a limited time only unless you wish to proceed to the more contemplative forms
of Yoga. The Lotus Posture, though graceful and serene in appearance is
difficult and painful for the beginner and likewise the Half-Lotus position I
have demonstrated on the cover.
However, there are three
cross-legged poses which are not beyond the reach of the more supple among you,
though I warn you that even quite young people in their early twenties
sometimes have knees so stiff that they cannot sit cross-legged on the floor. I
will describe these seated postures in turn, beginning with the LOTUS POSITION
and you can try them for yourself.
1. Lotus
Position
The advantage of this position
is that it forms a symmetrical and firm seat so that the Yogis, in states of
deep spiritual trance, did not overbalance. Sit down on the floor with your
legs stretched out, feet together. Take the right foot in both hands and place
it high up on the left thigh. The right knee should be pressed firmly to the
floor. Take the left foot in both hands and draw it gently over the bent right
leg so that the left foot is placed on the right thigh. I have demonstrated the
correct position in figure 14, page 57.
2. Siddhasana (Half-Lotus position)
If you are unable to master the
Lotus position this one is considered by many to be somewhat easier, and at the
same time more comfortable. Certainly it is preferred by many Yogis to the full
Lotus Pose. (See figure 14.) Sit down as before and place one foot with the
heel against the perineum. The other foot is then placed on the opposite thigh
with the heel pressed against the pubic bone. The hands should be placed as in
the Lotus Pose, with the thumb and first fingers joined and the palms upwards.
3. Easy
Pose
Sit down on the floor, tailor
fashion, with the heel of one foot touching the perineum and the heel of the
other underneath the opposite ankle. This is considerably easier than either
the Lotus or Half Lotus positions.
If you are very stiff and find
all three of these positions agonizing, then please do not pursue the matter. I
do not want you to suffer unnecessary pain, but if you think you possibly could
master one or all of them then do try for the sake of your posture.
The last of the seated postures
I will describe in this chapter is as follows:
Samasana or (he Symmetrical Pose
Sit down on the floor and bend
the right leg, placing the heel against the pubic bone and resting against the
left thigh. Bend the left leg and place the foot over the right one so that the
heel is set against the pubic bone and the toes are pushed between the right
thigh and calf. People who cannot master the other three seated postures I have
described are often able to sit down in Samasana without difficulty or
discomfort. (Sec Fig. 13.) All three positions will hold the spine in a
naturally erect position and so promote better posture.
The effective functioning of
the entire organism is closely linked to the healthy condition of the spinal
column and cord. As your body grows older there is a tendency for the vertebrae
to become rigid especially after a lifetime of abuse in the form of bad
sitting, walking or standing. If the body is habitually held in postures which
involve slouching the spinal column tends to get out of alignment. In
discussing this problem of backache we must face the fact that much of it is
due to bad posture. Cure the one and the other disappears, and automatically
there is an improvement in the genera! health and well-being.
I must warn you before 1 go any
farther that a few days practice of the asanas I will describe in this chapter
will not eliminate the effects of years of bad posture. If you would cure your
backache, your round shoulders, and your rather ungraceful carriage you will
have to work at it. You must keep a wary eye open at all times to see if you
are slouching. People who work at typewriters are among the worst offenders
here. Do sit with the base of your spine firmly against the back of your chair
so that the back of it supports the lower back. Sit erect at all times and soon
it will become a healthy habit.
The following simple exercise
will help to limber up the spine and prepare it for more difficult postures. It
is easy and bracing and is a vital first blow in our battle against bad
posture. Similar to the Rocking exercise described in chapter four. Try this
when you get out of bed in the morning.
The Half Somersault
Sit down cross-legged and grasp
your toes with your arms
outside your knees.
Bend forward and try to touch
the floor with your fore
head. No ? Well bend forward as
far as you can.
Still holding your toes
straighten your back and at the same
time inhale deeply through the
nose.
Hold your breath for a moment
and then bend forward
again while exhaling and when
your lungs are empty roll back
wards keeping your chin pressed
firmly down into your chest
in the chinlock I have
mentioned before.
Roll forwards once more while
inhaling until your spine is
straight. Hold this position
while you complete your inhalation.
While exhaling through your
mouth bend forward once
more to the starting position.
And that is all. Very easy this
one, but two points to remember. The whole exercise should be performed slowly
and rhythmically, with nasal inhalations and oral exhalations. It is best
performed with the eyes closed which is very calming to the mind and nerves.
The benefits are many but principally the Half Somersault brings into play the
muscles of the back, toning and stretching the whole of the spinal column.
The YOGAMUDRA exercise I
described in the previous chapter is also beneficial to people with backache
and bad posture.
Many of the Yoga exercises are
based on the natural stretching of healthy animals which the ancient Yogis, who
formulated the science of Hatha Yoga, observed and emulated. Therefore, many
Yoga asanas are named after mammals, birds, sea creatures, insects, and
reptiles. In this chapter we meet the Swan and the Camel.
The Swan Posture (Swanasana) As
its name indicates, it is a graceful exercise and will, therefore, especially
appeal to women readers, although its benefits also to male sufferers from
backache can hardly be over-estimated. Like many other Yoga asanas the Swan
Posture consists of two opposite movements which I have demonstrated in figures
15 and 16, page 61.
Lie face downwards, feet
together, palms flat on the floor
at the level of your armpits.
Keep your elbows well off the floor.
While inhaling deeply through
the nose, and pressing downwards
on the floor with your palms,
slowly raise your head, shoulders
and abdomen off the floor until
your elbows are straight. (Fig. 16.)
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
while holding your breath.
While exhaling, and keeping
your palms firmly on the floor
without moving them slowly
raise your abdomen, bend your
knees, and sink into the kneeling
position I have demonstrated
in figure 15. Keep your
forehead on the floor, your thighs pressed
against your abdomen, and your
buttocks on your heels. Remain
thus while holding your breath.
When the impulse to inhale
again appears do so and at
the same time raise your
buttocks off your heels, straighten your
knees and, still without moving
your palms return to the starting
position as in figure 16.
Repeat this to and fro movement
up to six times and do
be careful to perform your
breathing correctly.
And that is the Swan exercise.
Graceful and beneficial, it massages and helps to reduce the abdomen in the
kneeling movement and the other movement helps relieve backache and improves
the posture. The to and fro movement combats constipation and promotes the
peristaltic movement of the bowel.
The Camel Posture (Ustrasana)
This is another Yoga exercise
which involves a backward bend. I warn you before you attempt this exercise
that it is not as easy as it looks, and great care must be taken while coming
out of this position. As in all Yoga asanas you must take your time and move
without jerking and in particular this applies to movements involving the
spinal column. The Camel is simple enough.
FIGURE 17
CAMEL POSTURE
FIGURE 18 BOW POSTURE
62
BACKACHE AND
ACHING LEGS
63
Kneel down and sit back on your
heels with your toes outstretched.
Place your hands on the floor
palms down, just behind
your toes. Your fingers should
be pointing away from your
body.
Lean on your hands, throw back
your head, and while
inhaling very slowly lift your
buttocks off your knees until your
spine is fully arched. I have
demonstrated the correct Camel
Posture in figure 17, page 62.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably
can while holding your breath
then very slowly and carefully
lower your body until you have
returned to the starting position.
It is during this part of the
exercise that you have to take the
greatest care as there is great
strain on the back of the neck and
if you jerk back to the starting
position you could get a nasty
crick in your neck.
So please go carefully and you
will greatly benefit from this valuable posture. It tones and strengthens the
muscles of the spine and gives it greater elasticity. It will also correct any
displacements in the vertebrae and will strengthen the neck and shoulders. A
word of warning. The Camel Posture should not be attempted by anyone suffering
from hernia or serious abdominal disorders.
In writing this chapter on
backache and bad posture I have not forgotten the many people who suffer from
sacroiliac troubles. Here is a Yoga exercise which will bring relief from this
tiring and distressing complaint.
The Centred Spine Bend
Stand up straight, feet
together and your hands at your
sides. Cross your left foot over
your right with the toes of your
left foot on the floor and the
heel off. Your right knee-cap should
lie behind the back of the left
knee. Resist the temptation to
move your body to the left as
it is important that your spine
should remain centred, and do
not try to straighten your knee.
Inhale deeply through the nose
and while exhaling bend
forward, very slowly and
carefully, until your finger tips touch the floor or if you are very stiff
bring your fingertips as near to the floor as you can. Do not try to force your
hands lower than they will comfortably go. With constant practice you will be
able to reach the floor when you will obtain the maximum benefit from this
exercise.
Remain in the bending position
for as long as you comfortably can
without inhaling. When
the impulse to
inhale appears do so and at the same time straighten up again.
Repeat the CENTRED SPINE BEND
three or four times
then reverse legs and repeat
thus three or four times. Two points
to note. Firstly do not move
your shoulders or your buttocks
while bending forward, as all
the work should be done by the
spine above the waistline. If you perform this exercise very
slowly and carefully and
practice it faithfully at least three or
four times a day you will soon
experience relief from your
sacroiliac troubles.
The next Yoga asana in this
chapter is the BOW POSTURE (Dhanurasana) which is an intensification of another
asana named the Cobra which you will meet in chapter twelve. Dhanurasana is so
named because it strongly resembles an archer’s bow and is, you will agree, a
very beautiful posture and incidentally is a powerful weapon in our war against
backache for the vertebrae are moved in such a way that the nerve ganglions
receive a richer supply of blood.
It also exerts a healthy pressure
on the kidneys, thereby correcting any disorders in their function.
Bow Posture
Lie face downwards on the
floor, hands along your sides
and feet together.
Inhale deeply and bend your
legs keeping them as close
together as possible. Stretch
your arms upwards and backwards
and grasp your ankles.
Pull your legs as high off the
floor as you possibly can by
fully arching your spine. Hold
this position for as long as you
comfortably can while holding
your breath.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and slowly return to the starting position. I have demonstrated
the correct position in figure 18, and you can see why this posture is named
the BOW.
At first you will be able to
hold this posture for only a few seconds but very gradually extend this period
until you can hold it for a full minute. You may perform it up to six times a
day, but no straining though.
I foresee that many of you will
have some little difficulty with this asana. Either you will not be able to
keep your knees together or worse, you may not be able to raise your legs off
the floor at all. In this case try this easier method. Pull one leg up at a
time and you will soon find that your muscles will be stretched and limbered up
and you will be able to bend your body into a perfect and beautiful Bow.
This is a wonderful exercise
for the relief of backache but as it is rather a strenuous posture do please
practice it carefully.
The Bow Posture may be preceded
by the Stomach Balance which is the very simplest of the backward bending
exercises for the relief of backache.
Lie face downwards with your
arms extended in front of
you, palms downward.
While inhaling deeply slowly
raise your arms and legs off
the floor so that you are
balancing on your abdomen. Bring
your head up as high as you
can.
The higher you can raise your
head and legs the more effective is the Stomach Balance. Hold the position for
as long as you can without exhaling and then, as the impulse to exhale appears
slowly return to the starting position. Though a simple exercise it needs care
as all the backward bends tend to be somewhat strenuous. The Stomach Balance
tones up the entire nervous system and stretches the muscles of the back and
abdomen.
The Bow Posture being one of
the most beautiful of the Yoga asanas it will appeal especially to women and
here is a variation which is also striking in its aesthetic appeal. It looks
like the graceful swimming of some exotic fish, and on a more practical level
let me assure you that it is considerably easier than the full BOW POSTURE which
I have just described.
Variation
of the Bow Posture
In this variation half the body
is kept straight and half bends backwards. Lie face downwards, bend the right
knee and catch the toes of the foot with your right hand. Slowly pull the foot
towards your head bending only the muscles on the right side of the back. The
left arm should be held outstretched and the left foot likewise. Seen from the
side this posture has all the grace of the lovely BOW and something else all
its own.
And now here is another
breathing exercise which will help to counteract bad posture, drooping and
round shoulders, and curvature of the spine. It also improves flabby upper
arms, and excessive flesh on the shoulders will slowly be squeezed away. It is
called the ARMSWING BREATHING EXERCISE.
Sit back on your heels with
your spine straight. Lace your
fingers together and then turn
them palms upwards.
Inhale deeply and at the same
time bend forward until your
chin is touching the floor as
in figure 12, page 49.
Swing your arms upwards as high
as you possibly can trying again and again to swing them just a little higher.
Hold this position for as long as you can without exhaling. When the impulse to
exhale appears do so as you straighten up again. Relax and repeat from four to
six times, after which lie down for a few moments and take a few deep recovery
breaths.
If your knees are very stiff or
if for some other reason you are unable to sit on your heels you may perform
the Armswing Breathing Exercise standing up in which case you lean forward from
your waist as far as you can and bring your arms with the fingers interlaced,
as far forward as you can. The movement from the waist will help to remove
fatty tissue in this area and help the spine towards a new suppleness.
The warning not to jerk any
movements is reiterated here as you should not try to swing your arms over
violently as you may well injure a rigid muscle which would discourage you from
ever attempting this valuable exercise again. Nothing is more painful than a
muscle spasm. Practice this exercise every day and you will soon notice a
marked improvement in your posture and a new feeling of freedom from backache
and a new feeling of lightness as your straightening spine allows your lungs to
take in more oxygen. All parts of the body are interdependent. Cure your
backache and your chest complaints are eased, your temper improved, and your
looks enhanced. Do not under-estimate the gravity of bad posture. It may not be
an illness but it has a well-deserved place in this book on Yoga and health
because it can, ultimately, undermine the health of the entire organism by
restricting breathing, and cause an unhealthy complexion due to too little
oxygen reaching the blood cells. Attack your bad posture and its resulting
backache like the enemies they are.
Many people suffer from bad
posture and an ungraceful carriage because of weak legs, ankles, or feet. The
remainder of this chapter is devoted to the consideration of these particular
conditions and I will explain how they can be greatly helped by Yoga’s methods.
It has often been said that a man’s temper is only as good as his feet. If the
feet ache and burn how is it possible to be smiling and at ease? If your legs
hurt or are swollen with varicose veins how easy it is to snap at everyone and
feel that the world is a terrible place.
In this book on health I must
always be on guard against anything which can disrupt the dawning calmness of
the mind which my readers must experience if they have been faithfully putting
into practice all I have written about so far. In practicing relaxation you
will have discovered a new peace with yourself. In practicing the breathing
exercises you will feel a new glow of vitality. And if you have practiced the
asanas your health will have begun to improve beyond your wildest hopes, and
with it you will have discovered a new lease of life within yourself, a zest
for living, a new inner power. So we cannot let tired, swollen and aching feet
hold up the new feeling of health and freedom opening out before you. We cannot
let them undo all your good work. So start by putting them up higher than your
head whenever possible. It isn’t done in the so-called best of circles to put
your feet on the mantelpiece. Never mind about that. Yoga dosen’t know any
class barriers. Go on, put them up, it will do them good. And before going out
in the evening nothing could be more restful than lying on the floor in your
bedroom and putting your feet up on the bed. Remain like that for a few moments
with your eyes closed and you are a new man—or woman. The change is remarkable.
You are refreshed and alive and your legs and feet no longer feel like lead.
The following breathing
exercise added to your daily asanas will help to strengthen weak ankles,
improve flabby calves, and soothe painful or fallen arches.
The Arched Foot Breathing Exercise
Stand erect, with your hands on
your hips. While inhaling
slowly and deeply hook your
left foot round the back of your
right foot with the toes
pressing against the ankle of your right
foot.
At the same time rise up on the
toes of your right foot and
remain balanced
in this position
while you complete your
inhalation, and hold your
breath for as long as you can.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and at the
same time slowly lower your right
heel to the floor and unhook
your left foot. Both heels
should reach the floor at the same
time.
Repeat this exercise with the
legs reversed.
The Arched Foot Breathing
Exercise taxes your sense of balance but as in all such exercises it can be
used as a valuable exercise in concentration. You will wobble about at first
but gradually you will be able to remain balanced on the toes of one foot with
your hands on your hips, and remain so for as long as your breath allows you.
The practice of this exercise will not only improve your balance but fine down
calves and ankles that may be a little too heavy for your liking.
Any exercise which tones and
stretches the leg muscles and the sciatic nerve will bring relief from aching
legs and so do not omit from your daily practice schedule the exercises
described in the following chapter on lumbago and sciatica. And if you suffer
from that most distressing and common complaint, varicose veins, nothing could
be more helpful than the habitual practice of the Shoulderstand which I
described in chapter four. Also do not omit the simple, leg stretching exercise
described in chapter two. Remember the basic principle regarding the relief of
aching legs and feet. Put them up higher than your head for in this position
your legs are not subject to the downward pull of gravity and are therefore
being rested. As you lie there with your feet higher than your head try to calm
your mind and still your thoughts so that this period of rest becomes a
powerful exercise in mind control and mental stillness.
As a general rule people who
study and practice Yoga do not worry overmuch about their looks, in fact they
have a natural beauty of face and figure which comes from pure living and
mental serenity. But if you suffer from bad feet and aching legs, as your
condition gives way under Yoga’s gentle persuasion, you will find that your
looks will improve in a surprising way. Those wrinkles of pain, tiredness and
discomfort are soon ironed away from your brow and around your eyes and your
general well-being cannot but be affected by the improvement of your means of
getting about from place to place. It is a constant source of concern to me
that so many people neglect their legs and feet yet spend dollars and valuable
time on their hair and their clothes. If you want all to be well with your
world get to work now on those bad feet of yours and remember the old and wise
saying,.”A man’s temper is only as good as his feet’!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lumbago and sciatica
IN the previous chapter I
discussed backache and aching legs due to bad posture and long hours of
standing. The antidote was based on limbering up the spine and keeping it
supple, bending it this way and that to relieve tired muscles, and putting the
feet up above the head to combat the pull and downward drag of gravity. The
antidote in this chapter is based on toning up the sciatic nerve and the
muscles of the lower back to relieve the pain of sciatica and lumbago.
The first Yoga asana I would
like you to try combines the two processes. I warn you it is not one of the
easier ones but because of its value you should persevere and try to master it.
Yoga is a perpetual challenge for thinking people. Anything easily gained is
lightly prized, so when you have mastered
THE FORWARD BEND or PASCHIMOTTANAS AN A you will
feel
that you have really achieved
something. As usual I will describe the easiest variation first.
Forward Bend
Lie flat on your back, hands at
your sides and feet together.
Keeping your legs straight and
your heels on the floor slowly
raise your trunk from the waist
until you are in a sitting position.
Stretch out your arms, bend
forward, and grasp your toes
with your fingers. If you
cannot reach your toes grasp your
calves or ankles until you have
limbered up your spine enough
to be able to bend it more
fully and reach your toes easily.
Bring your forehead down until
you can press it against
your knees. Did I hear you say
“’impossible”. Most people say
that but if you take a quick look
at figure 20 you will see that it
is not only entirely possible but
actually rather easy when you
can once do it. But your spine is
too stiff at the moment is it not,
to perform this kind of bending
so be content, at this stage, to bring your forehead as close to your knees as
you can even if this means only a slight inclination of your head. If you
proceed slowly and gently you will find that your spine will gradually loosen
up, your head will be able to go lower, and soon you will be able to press your
face to your knees.
4. Remain in this position for
as long as you comfortably can and then very slowly bring your arms down to
your sides, straighten up, and lower your body to the floor again until you are
in the starting position. Lie there and relax for a few moments and attempt the
Paschimottanasana only once more. Twice a day is enough at first. As you
gradually become used to this exercise try to extend the period when your head
is on your knees in which case you need only perform this asana once.
Once you get used to the
Forward Bend and can do it tolerably well, proceed as follows which
incorporates the Yoga breathing as well.
Lie fiat, take a deep breath,
and at the same time sit up.
While exhaling bend forward and
grasp your toes, ankles,
or calves. (Fig. 19, page 73.)
Bring your forehead on to your
knees without inhaling
again. The extreme bend will
force all the air out of your lungs.
Lower your elbows to the floor
as in figure 20 and remain thus
for as long as you can without
breathing.
When the impulse to inhale
appears do so while straighten
ing up slowly.
When you have completed your
inhalation slowly lie down
until you are in the starting
position. Remain relaxed for a few
moments and take a few deep
recovery breaths.
This exercise is a more
advanced form of the Head to Knee exercise which I described in chapter five.
If you can perform the Head to Knee successfully the Forward Bend will not give
you too much difficulty. Its benefits are many. It gives the maximum of bending
capacity to the body and at the same time imparts a stimulating pressure on the
viscera. In stretching the spinal column to the greatest degree it helps to
relieve and prevent sciatica and lumbago. Like the Head to Knee posture it
tones up sluggish bowels and helps to promote better elimination, thereby being
a cleansing and purifying exercise which will help to rid the body of the
impurities which cause pain and disease. For this reason it is practiced in the
higher stages of Yoga for its spiritual values for spiritual purity is closely
linked to physical purity.
There is a standing variation
of the Forward Bend which some of you might like to try. It is possibly
slightly more difficult for the beginner as the support of the floor is removed
from the legs but the value of the posture is greatly enhanced by the extra
effort involved.
Stand up straight with your
hands at your sides. Inhale
deeply, slowly raise your arms
above your head but without
joining your fingers. Remain
thus until you have completed
your inhalation.
While exhaling bend forward
from the waist and place your
palms just below your calves.
As you complete your exhalation
press your head against
your knees as I have
demonstrated in figure 35. Remain thus
until the impulse to inhale
appears.
Straighten up as you inhale,
and complete your inhalation
with your spine erect and your
hands at your side. Perform this
asana only once or twice at
first and do not under any circumstances try to force your muscles in any way.
The FORWARD BEND is one of the Yoga exercises which helps to keep old age at
bay. Many Yogis live to be well over a hundred years old yet still look young
and remain active. When asked their secret they will tell you, ‘A man is only
as old as his spine’. Keep this saying in mind and vow to remain supple and
active for ALL of your life and not just for a third of it!
Before we leave the FORWARD
BEND I would like to describe the advanced form of it used by really
enthusiastic students. They do not catch the toes with their fingers, instead
they rest their forearms on the toes with the elbows straight. The hands are
held palm to palm, and the head is then pressed to the knees as before.
Advanced students, or the more
supple among you, might like to try another forward bending exercise which
brings the maximum flexibility to the lumbar region and its ligaments. It is
called Oopavishta-Konasana, or in English the PRISM POSTURE.
Sit down on the floor with your
legs outstretched. While
inhaling deeply move your legs
as wide apart as possible.
Catch your toes with your
outstretched hands and while
exhaling very slowly bend your
head until it is touching the floor.
Remain thus for as long as you
can without breathing.
When the impulse to inhale
appears do so and at the same time
raise your head and bring your
legs together again.
After this exercise lie down on
the floor and relax.
After the FORWARD BEND and the
PRISM POSTURE, here is something easier. It is called the WEDGE POSTURE and it
is particularly beneficial if it is performed after any forward bending
exercise because it stretches the body in exactly the opposite direction and so
relieves tension in the muscles.
Wedge Posture
Sit down on the floor with your
legs outstretched, feet
together. Place your hands behind
you, palms down, and your
fingers pointing away from your
body.
Adjust the position of your hands according to your
personal build and capabilities
and then raise your body, keeping
it as straight as possible
until you are resting on your heels and
your hands. Your body is now
shaped like a wedge. Remain as this
for a few seconds, and then
relax. Repeat three or four times.
Remember to perform the Wedge
Posture if you feel any tension
in your muscles after a forward
bending exercise. It stretches,
Umbers, and strengthens the
lumbar region and its ligaments.
And now here is something new
for you to try if you have sciatica. Tone up your sciatic nerve first with the
Forward Bend, loosen those knotted muscles with the Wedge Posture and then sit
down to do the GOMUKASANA or BULL POSTURE.
Many Yoga asanas are named
after animals and it is usually easy to see why, but wherefore the Bull
posture? If you will look at figure 23 perhaps it will explain. My feet are
arranged on either side of me rather like the horns of a bull don’t you think ?
This Sanskrit name is sometimes translated as Cow-Face Posture, but I feel that
aesthetically it is all wrong to give this rather graceful posture such a name.
Still names are not that important. What matters is to relieve your sciatica,
so let us begin.
Bull Posture
Sit down on the floor, spine
straight and legs outstretched.
Bend your right leg and place
it over the left one with your right
heel against your left hip.
Bend your left leg and place
your left heel against your
right hip. You are now in the
position I am demonstrating in
figure 23 with your right leg
uppermost.
Hold this position for as long
as you comfortably can and
then change over your legs so
that your left is uppermost.
You will feel the stretch
imparted to the sciatic nerve in the leg which is uppermost. If your sciatica
is very painful I hope you will not try to force your legs where they will not
easily go as this would cause you a great deal of pain and discomfort. Slowly
and gently is the word here, practice a little each day and you will soon be
able to execute a beautiful Bull posture. If any part of your leg or hip aches
when you attempt this asana this can be strongly massaged with your fingers to
bring relief. If you proceed with extreme caution this asana, more than any
other with the possible exception of the Forward Bend, will loosen the sciatic nerve
and restore elasticity.
If you do not suffer from
sciatica regular practice of the Bull Posture will ensure that you never do.
Your muscles in the lower half of the back will be strengthened so sufferers
from lumbago will also find the Bull Posture of great value. When, after
careful practice, you can perform this asana to your liking and can hold it in
comfort for several minutes, while you hold it practice deep breathing with
your eyes closed and your spine held straight. You will find it a valuable
exercise in the calming of the mind, and this calmness should be reflected in
the serene expression of the face.
The next stage of the Bull
Posture involves the arms and shoulders. As you sit comfortably in this seated
posture raise the hand corresponding to your leg which is uppermost and bring
it behind your shoulder. At the same time bend the other arm backwards and
upwards and join your fingers together. Proper execution of this movement will
develop your trapezoidal muscles, and prevent bursitis, and arthritis of the
shoulders. It may take a little practice for you to be able to join your hands
together in this novel way but do go slowly and you will soon succeed. It is
well worth a little effort.
The Squatting Pose which I
described in chapter five will also bring relief to sufferers from lumbago and
sciatica. Though not a beautiful posture it is an invaluable one. Yoga, as a
general rule, is as graceful as ballet dancing in its static grace as opposed
to the fleeting movements of ballet, but the ancient Yogis in their wisdom did
not omit several ungraceful postures for the sake of the body’s health and well
being. Such a one is the Squatting Pose and there are several others scattered
about in these pages. They are included for a very good reason so do not omit
them because of their lack of aesthetic appeal.
But now, to make up for the
ungainly Squat which will greatly help your lumbago and sciatica here is an
equally beneficial one which has all the bizarre grace of the insect from which
it takes its name.
Salabhasana or she Locust Posture
Lie face downwards, chin
touching the floor, hands along
your sides, palms either
clenched or flat on the floor.
While inhaling deeply raise
your right leg as high as you
possibly can, pressing into the
ground with your clenched fists
or flattened palms to give
yourself more leverage. I have demon
strated the correct position in
figure 22, page 77.
Hold this position as you
complete your inhalation and
then slowly lower your leg as
you exhale. Repeat with the other
leg. Keep the raised leg as
straight as you can and perform this
asana six times in all, three
times with each leg.
When you have practiced with
alternate legs for a few days try the full Locust Posture which involves the
raising of both legs simultaneously as in figure 21. This variation of the
Locust Posture is much more difficult but the added effort involved
greatly enhances the benefits of
this valuable posture. It has the added benefit of toning and strengthening the
muscles and organs of the abdomen as well as bringing relief from our two
antagonists of this chapter.
When you can perform the full
Locust Posture hold it for as long as you comfortably can while holding your
breath. Repeat up to six times a day.
The next posture I would like
you to try is deceptively simple. Called the FROG POSE it is performed simply
by kneeling on the floor, knees together and feet apart, and then sitting on
the floor between your feet. Simple did I say? I can hear you saying it is
impossible. Not only is it possible but if you look at figure 53 you will see
it in its extreme form when the body is bent backwards with the legs in this
position until the head touches the floor. This is called the Kneeling Bridge
Posture so if this is feasible how much more easy is the simple Frog Pose. So
do practice it and your sciatica will gradually succumb to its nerve tugging,
muscle toning persuasion.
I would like to refer you once
again to chapter five in which 1 have described the Yogamudra. This exercise
has very many benefits and not the least of these is its effect on the spinal
column and the muscles on either side of it. For the relief of lumbago you
would do well to practice it until you can perform it to perfection and hold it
for some time. Remember to do deep Yoga breathing while in this position and
straighten up as soon as you begin to feel the slightest strain. In the two
complaints with which this chapter is concerned it is of vital importance that
you do not strain any nerve or muscle. Once again I reiterate the words ‘slowly
and gently’.
I cannot mention the Yogamudra
twice in this book without telling you of the spiritual values it confers.
Although we are primarily concerned in this book with improving the health let
us never forget that the practice of Hatha Yoga cannot but have a beneficial
effect on the mind and spirit. Yogamudra, one of the basic Yoga asanas, is
essentially a cleansing exercise, both of the system and of the mind. Students
in the advanced stages of Yoga remain in this position for as long as an hour
or more.
I am not asking you to attempt
such a feat of endurance but I would like you to experience the effects of just
a few quiet moments spent in sitting in this posture, when you can do it, that
is. I am aware that for some of you this will take some time. But as you
straighten up you will experience a new clarity of vision, a new awareness, and
a heigthened sense of power and well-being. You will, as you come to learn more
and more Yoga asanas, adopt your own particular favourites and I have heard
from many people that Yogamudra is one of the most popular Yoga asanas. Not an
easy one but how worthy it is of your time, your patience and your endeavour.
And now to end this chapter I
will describe one of the most beautiful and dramatic postures in the entire
Yoga range. Strikingly graceful, it is worthy of a place in the most classical
of ballets. Called ANJANEYASANA or in English the WING POSTURE it makes the
human body into a living poem of static grace and at the same time limbers up
the muscles of the lower back, the thighs, and the shoulders. But as it is one
of the most beautiful so it is one of the most difficult to perform perfectly,
though beginners will be able to perform it in a modified way with little
difficulty. I include it in this book because it is far too beautiful to be
left out, and also because to sufferers from lumbago and sciatica it is of
great and lasting benefit.
Anjaneyasana or the Wing Posture
Kneel down with your feet
together. Your body should
be straight from the knees upwards.
Place your right foot on the
floor so that the upper leg is
at right angles to the lower leg.
Stretch your left leg back as
far as possible, keeping the knee on
the ground. Try to reach a
little farther back with your leg each
time you practice this asana.
Raise your hands above your
head with the fingers touch
ing, and palms together. Very
slowly bend your spine and your
head backwards. When performed
correctly this asana requires
the outstretched leg, the spine
and the arms to form a semicircle.
Viewed from the side this Yoga
posture looks like the flight of
some graceful and powerful
bird.
Please exercise very great care
when bending your body backwards and do not try to force any of your muscles
beyond their capacity. With practice they will loosen up and you will not
experience any painful cramp in your shoulders and thighs. Beginners to Yoga,
particularly those of you who are not used to taking exercise, may well find
that your muscles are a little sore the day after you start. Do not exercise these
muscles for a day or two but give them a rest as you try something different.
So if, after attempting the WING POSTURE your shoulders are a little stiff the
next day, then do some other exercise which involves another part of the body.
The study of Hatha Yoga in
general will increase your natural patience so that, in time, you will be
content to learn and improve slowly, and not expect dramatic results in next to
no time. The study of Yoga requires infinite patience but in studying it you
will gradually develop the patience you need. One cannot make this statement in
connection with any other form of physical culture which proves once again that
Hatha Yoga, though its province is primarily the physical body, is very much a
mental discipline as well.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever
INVARIABLY the first question I
am asked about Yoga is, ‘Do you stand on your head every morning?’ To the
uninitiated this standing on the head represents the sum total of Yoga, and it
is thereupon dismissed as a foible of cranks and crackpots. Not one person in a
hundred asks me why I stand on my head. In fact it does not cross the mind of
the average person that it could possibly have any therapeutic value or indeed
any value at all except to establish one as an eccentric. But if radiant good
health is the lot of those who practice this Headstand, then ‘long live
eccentricity’ say I.
But the Headstand or Sirshasana
has not been called ‘The King of Asanas’ for nothing. You may wonder why I have
waited until I reached more than half-way through this book before introducing
you to this best known of all Yoga postures. Simply for the very good reason
that it is difficult for the beginner to master and I wanted you to limber up
with some easier exercises before attempting to balance on your head. I place
the ‘King of Asanas’ in this chapter on disorders of the respiratory tract
because in the relief and cure of such ailments as asthma, bronchitis, hay
fever, nose troubles, and sinus troubles it has no equal.
Sinusitis, and allied
complaints, often produce severe headaches and acute discomfort in the cavities
of the nose and face. It is difficult for doctors to reach these sinuses except
by painful and unpleasant means and nasal sprays are of little use as the
openings of the cavities are on the upper side and can only be drained when the
body is inverted. This is where Yoga, and particularly the Headstand, is of
great help.
So now let us try the preliminary
stages.
The Headstand
1. Kneel down, sit back on your heels with your hands on
your knees and then bend
forward until your forehead touches
the floor just in front of your
knees. Remain in this position for
a few moments and then slowly
straighten up. The purpose of
this simple exercise is to
accustom the head to being lower than
the body. If you experience any
dizziness please straighten up
immediately and proceed with
extreme caution until you are
able to remain with your head
down without experiencing the
slightest discomfort.
When you wish to go a stage
further proceed as follows.
2. Kneel down as before, lace your fingers together and clasp
your hands round the back of
your head. Bend forward until
your forehead touches the
floor, approximately twelve inches
away from your knees as in
figure 24. Press the upper part of
your body forward a few times,
which will gradually accustom
your head and neck to the
unfamiliar pressure. Do not attempt
the next stage until you can
perform stage 2 without any dis
comfort.
3. In stage 3 you bring a little more of your weight on to your
head and arms by straightening
your legs with your heels off the
ground as I have demonstrated
in figure 25. Remain in this
position for as long as you
comfortably can and under no
circumstances remain so if you
are still experiencing any dizzi
ness. Caution in the early
stages of the Headstand will put you
safely, and confidently, on
your head.
4. After practicing the first three stages carefully you are
now
ready to let your feet leave the
ground. I always advise beginners
to the Headstand to practice
this, and the following stages, in a
corner so that you have the
support of the two walls. When you
gain in confidence you can
practice it against one wall and after
that in the middle of the room.
Meanwhile, let us return to
stage 4.1 advise you to put down
a small pad or folded blanket
for your head from now on. The
pressure on the crown of your
head is going to be considerable,
especially in stages 5 and 6,
and while Yoga asanas can
sometimes be undeniably strenuous,
even the most stoical of Gurus
(Yoga Masters) would not wish
to inflict any physical
suffering on you. So I will wait while you bring that pad for your head.
Ready ? Right, now kneel down
in your corner with your hands laced behind your head. Adopt the position in
figure 24. Raise yourself on to your toes but without straightening your legs.
Walk on your toes for a couple of steps to bring your knees nearer to your face
and then, with your knees bent give a little hop off the ground with both legs.
You will find that your feet will leave the ground easily but they will also
drop back equally easily. Be patient, you are more than half-way there. Make no
attempt to go farther as this is the stage in the proceedings when students try
to achieve too much in a hurry with sometimes unpleasant results. So perform
this hopping off the ground three or four times and then straighten up for a
rest.
There is an alternate way of
performing stage 4 which some of you might find somewhat easier. Proceeding
from the position in figure 24, rise on to your toes without straightening your
legs and bring your knees nearer to your face as before. But this time, instead
of trying to hop off the ground, very slowly press your body forwards until you
can feel your toes leave the ground. Keep your body hunched up in a ball
whichever method you adopt. If you do not you will be almost certain to
overbalance at this stage. Practice stage 4 until you can make your toes leave
the ground three times in succession. You will then, I hope, feel confident
enough to proceed to stage 5.
5. This stage is an
intensification of the last one. While I told you in stage 4 not to attempt
anything beyond getting your toes to leave the ground for a brief instant, in
this stage I would like you to increase the effort which you put into the whole
movement until very gradually your body becomes less likely to drop back
immediately. Proceed very slowly at this stage and remember at all times to
keep your body rolled up into a ball with your knees well bent. Practice this
stage frequently but do not prolong your efforts to the point when you begin to
tire. It is far better to practice stage 5 only half a dozen times at once. You
can go back to it later when you have had a short rest.
Stage 5 may be frustrating in
the extreme to you when you are impatient to rise into the Headstand but I
assure you that if you have been practicing the preliminary stages properly, in
a shorter time than you imagine you will find that your body does not drop back
to the ground as you expected, but remains poised at the half-way mark. Your
knees will sail up right past your head and you will find, if you keep
perfectly still (and don’t jerk about in sheer surprise), that you will be able
to remain so for a few seconds. Now you are really getting somewhere. But again
I must ask you to be patient and not, please not, to try and straighten your
legs. Be content, just for a little while longer, to keep your knees bent and
your body rolled up into a ball and to aim for this all-important and
controlling half-way position. You will not find it particularly comfortable
but you will feel safe and confident if you practice in a corner so that there
is no danger whatever of you overbalancing or falling. The pad under your head
will add greatly to your comfort.
When you are able to remain
immobile at the half-way
point for a second or two,
proceed as follows. When you either
take your jump off the ground
or press your body forward to
make your feet leave the ground
do so with more force than
you have hitherto been using so
that instead of stopping at the
half-way point you will swing
your legs right over and with your
knees still bent your feet will
touch the wall as I have demon
strated in figure 26. You will
find this stage very easy if you have
been practicing properly, and you
will be able to remain in this
position for a full minute or
more without the slightest effort or
discomfort. Come down, please,
as soon as you feel the slightest
strain on your head, neck, or
shoulders.
In this last and final stage of
the Headstand you have three
alternatives, according to your
individual capabilities. I will
describe first what is generally
considered to be the easiest
method. While balanced as in
figure 26, very gradually tuck in
your buttocks, bring your feet
away from the wall, and at the
same time very slowly straighten
your legs. Your feet will swing
right back to the wall at first
but do practice straightening your
legs even if at first you cannot
manage without resting your feet
against the wall. Having got so
far with the Headstand you will find that this final stage is the slowest of
all. I know it is frustrating, but once you can do the Headstand you will have
it for life, so it is worth a little of your time and patience now, is it not ?
The second method is as
follows. Proceed from the position in figure 26, but this time straighten your
legs while keeping your feet against the wall. You will be in a kind of
Headstand at once by this method but why I do not favour it as much as the
other one is that in this position your spine is uncomfortably arched instead
of being held naturally and because it shows quick results students tend to
rely on this method and become so used to the support of the wall that they
have difficulty, afterwards, in doing the Headstand without it. So really this
second method takes more time in the long run.
The third method is as follows.
Proceed from the hunched up half-way position and, instead of swinging your
feet over to touch the wall, very slowly, half-inch by half-inch straighten
your legs. You will wobble, you will fall all over the place, you will drop
back to the ground like a stone and you will probably become convinced that you
will never make it at all, but again take heart and keep practicing. Patience
is the only way and one day you will find that, instead of bouncing back to the
floor as you expected, you will remain poised on your head and arms with your
body as straight as a candle, as in figure 27, page 83.
I must warn you that, like so
many others, when you first find that you can do the Headstand, you will be so
surprised that you will probably overbalance and have to come down quickly out
of sheer amazement. It is rather like learning to ride a bicycle. When you
finally find yourself gaily pedalling along without someone propping you up,
you look around, find you have left your friend far behind and promptly fall
off in sheer horror. So while you are still flushed with your first success,
try your Headstand again. This time you will find that you can control your
muscles to such an extent that you will be able to rise slowly into a beautiful
Headstand. There you are. You finally made it. Congratulations!
Remember that when you are
practicing do keep your body rolled up into a ball with your knees near your
face both going up and coming down. When you can do a perfect Headstand it will
be of more benefit to you to perform it several times a day for short periods,
say five or ten minutes at a time, rather than to indulge in long spells of
half an hour or more. There is some controversy on this point but I favour the
‘little and often* method as being not only more beneficial but also more
practical for the business person or busy housewife. Hatha Yoga is nothing if
not down to earth and practical.
The variations of the Headstand
are many and the adventurous among my readers might like to try a few, though
please apply the same care in each case when coming down. Roll your body into a
ball and so avoid spills.
Variation 1. Your hands,
instead of being laced behind your head, are kept separate. As you rise into
the Headstand the hands should be fiat on the floor, palms downwards, about six
inches on either side of your head. While in this position you may either
straighten your legs as already described or bend your knees and place the
soles of your feet together. This stretches the muscles of the shoulders and
thighs.
Variation 2. In the above
position the legs are crossed at the knees and again at the ankles. This tones
and stretches the muscles of the thighs and legs and helps to relieve varicose
veins.
Variation 3. Again in the above
position with the hands on either side of the head, stretch your legs as wide
apart as possible until you are doing the splits upside down.
Variation 4. Here the hands are
in a different position. Before you rise into the Headstand, raise your arms
above your head with the elbows bent, with your hands grasping the opposite
forearms. Now rise into position and keep your legs straight up in the air.
Variation 5. Perform the
classical Headstand with the hands laced at the back of the head and then, with
your feet together, bring your legs forward until they are at right angles to
your body.
Variation 6. This is one of the
most advanced Yoga asanas called Oorhwapadmasana or the HEADSTAND LOTUS POSE.
While in the Headstand fold your legs into the Lotus Pose and remain thus for
as long as you can. This one is not for the beginner but the practiced student
will find it surprisingly easy.
Variation 7. If you can perform
the Headstand Lotus Position you can proceed a step farther. While in this
position twist the body from the waist to the right, to the left, and so on
from side to side. This exercises the muscles of the waistline and sheers off
fat in this area.
Variation 8. Still in the
Headstand Lotus Pose bring your crossed legs down until your body is bent
double. This needs especial care when you are coming out of it. Do so as
follows. Straighten your body first, uncross your legs, stretch them up in the
air, bend your knees, and descend with safety.
Variation 9. Though I could
take up a whole chapter on describing the many variations of the Headstand I
will make this the last one because I would like you to go on to something else
which many of you will find a little easier. In this variation of the Headstand
the first and last variations are combined. Here the hands are placed on either
side of the head, the legs are then crossed in the Lotus Position and the legs
are brought down until the body is bent double. Again please take care when
coming out of the position.
Benefits of the Headstand
This asana affects four of the
most important endocrine glands —the pituitary, the pineal, the thyroid, and
the parathyroids. The regular practice of the Headstand helps to relieve
insomnia, tension, nervousness and anxiety, poor circulation of the blood,
asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, hay fever, headaches, female disorders, and lack
of energy. It is because of its many benefits and because it affects the most
important gland in the body, the pituitary, that the Headstand has been called
‘The King of Asanas’.
A word of warning, though. If
you suffer from high blood pressure, palpitations, chronic constipation,
chronic nasal catarrh, or weak eyes, please do not attempt the Headstand. Cure
your complaints by other Yoga exercises first, but in the case of
ASTHMA, BRONCHITIS,
AND HAY FEVER 89
high blood pressure I do not recommend it under any circumstances.
Having just described, in this
chapter on disorders of the respiratory tract, one of the most difficult of the
Yoga asanas, I will now describe a really easy one which will present not the
slightest difficulty. It is an invaluable exercise for sufferers from these
complaints because it allows full expansion of the lungs while doing deep
breathing and at the same time the inverted position helps to drain congested
cavities. It is called THE
LETTER L
BREATHING EXERCISE.
Letter L Breathing Exercise
Facing a convenient wall, lie
down on your back and place your feet as high up the wall as you possibly can,
keeping your legs straight. Stretch out your arms above your head, without
joining the fingers, and hold them palms upwards and elbows straight. Your body
is now in the shape of a letter L as in figure 28, page 91.
Perform the deep slow Complete
Breath while in this position. Take as many breaths as you have time for, but
not less than ten at a time. Do not use force and at the end of each exhalation
pull in your abdomen slightly to expel the last small amount of air from your
lungs. This exercise will not only help to bring relief from asthma,
bronchitis, sinusitis, and hay fever, but the inverted posture will bring
calmness to your mind.
Having had an easy time of it
with the Letter L Breathing Exercise, try now another exercise which
incorporates breathing, stretching, and in its advanced stages, a high degree
of balance. It is the beautiful MOUNTAIN POSTURE or PARVATASANA in Sanskrit.
Mountain Posture
There are four variations of
this posture and I will describe them in order of difficulty.
Variation 1. Kneel down and
hold your body straight up from the knees to the top of your head. Raise your
arms above your head and hold them palm to palm while keeping your elbows as
straight as you can. Practice the Yoga Complete Breath while in this position
and remember not to let your body sag and to keep your tummy muscles pulled
well in.
Variation 2. Sit down in the
Lotus Pose, raise your hands above your head with your fingertips touching as
in figure 31. Holding your body very still, and without letting your arms sag,
again practice the Yoga Complete Breath. Keep this up for as long as you can
but if you feel any discomfort in your legs please undo them.
Variation 3. This increases the
stretch of the dorsal muscles while you are performing the deep breathing.
While seated in the Lotus Pose lace your fingers together and turn them palms
upwards. Now raise your arms as far above your head as you can and you will
feel a powerful stretch along your sides. This intensifies the benefits of this
asana. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 30, page 91.
Variation 4. This is one of the
most spectacular of the Yoga asanas and is for more advanced students. Although
this is primarily a book for beginners to the subject I did not want to leave
out this fourth variation of the Mountain Posture in case some of you might
feel up to trying it. It is not easy but the practice of it will help you to
acquire balance and patience. While sitting in the Lotus Pose with your hands
above your head with the fingertips touching as in figure 31, raise your
buttocks off the floor and remain balanced on your knee-caps as 1 have
demonstrated in figure 29.
To the adventurous among you
who attempt it I would say please go carefully and do not strain any of your
muscles. You will achieve nothing by forcing your unwilling muscles where they
would rather not go. Your best way to master Variation 4 is to practice the
other three until perfect and then, while supporting yourself with a
conveniently placed chair or low table you can gently pull yourself on to your
knee-caps, and then let go of the chair or table. It will tax your sense of
balance to the utmost but practice will be the answer. While poised on your
knee-caps with your arms above your head practice the Yoga Complete Breath. The
effort needed for the perfection of this advanced posture will greatly improve
your powers of concentration and in addition to the benefits to the muscles of
the arms and torso the deep breathing will help congested lungs and bronchial
tubes and the posture tones up the entire nervous system.
In a chapter devoted to
complaints of the respiratory tract one would expect that most of the exercises
would be breathing ones and so they are. Here is one which is called THE
BELLOWS
BREATH, or BHASTRIKA.
However deeply we inhale and however
thoroughly we exhale, there always remains in the lungs a residue of stale air.
It is vital to clear this out to ensure a complete renovation of air and Yoga’s
unique method of doing this is this exercise.
Sit down on a hard chair with
your feet flat on the floor,
your hands on your knees palms
down and your spine erect.
Do not let your tummy muscles
sag. While sitting up straight,
slowly and deeply inhale.
When you have completed your
inhalation suddenly bend
forward from the waist until
your head touches your knees or
as near to them as you can get
and at the same time exhale with
as much force as you can. This
is one of the few times in Yoga
that you should use force.
The bending forward movement
will squeeze every bit of stale air from your lungs.
3. As you slowly straighten
up begin inhaling again and
complete your inhalation while
sitting up straight. Then exhale
with force once more and at the
same time bend your body
forward until your head touches
your knees.
Perform the BELLOWS BREATH only
twice at first but gradually increase the number of breaths you take until you
are doing it twelve times a day. Add one extra breath per week. After every
fourth inhalation retain the breath for up to six seconds and then exhale
immediately while bending forward once more. Do not perform the Bellows Breath
to excess. Twelve times is enough even for the advanced student.
The benefits of this exercise,
apart from cleansing the lungs and bronchial passages, are the toning up of the
whole lung action with highly stimulating effects on the entire body. The
bending forward and straightening movements help to relieve constipation, and
as you know by now, anything that is an enemy of constipation is a friend of
the body. So this exercise is as useful as it is simple to perform.
And now for something more
difficult but equally beneficial. This is another asana with an animal name,
called MATSY-ASANA or the FISH POSTURE. In this exercise the chest is allowed
to expand fully during deep breathing, and it also removes stiffness of the
neck and shoulders and so is a useful exercise with which to follow the
Shoulderstand described in chapter four. It also strengthens the thyroid and
parathyroid glands and tones up the circulation of the blood. If you suffer
from excessive cold in the winter this is a good exercise to warm yourself.
There are three variations of THE FISH POSTURE and I will start with the
easiest for all beginners.
Variation 1. Lie flat on your
back with your legs outstretched and feet together. With the help of your
elbows raise your chest and bend your head as far back as you can until the
crown is touching the floor. Try to hold this position for thirty seconds, and
then very slowly lower your body to the floor. Relax for a few moments before
proceeding to:
Variation 2. A little more
difficult, this one. Sit down in the Lotus Pose, and with the help of your
elbows bend your body backwards very slowly. Bend your head back as far as you
possibly can until the crown is resting on the floor. Grasp your toes with your
fingers and arch your spine as fully as you possibly can. Remain thus for up to
thirty seconds and then relax. (See Fig. 32, page 95.)
Variation 3. Proceed as above
but instead of grasping your toes with your fingers place your hands behind
your head with your arms crossed or else with your fingers laced together and
placed just behind your neck.
If you are still having
difficulty with the Lotus Pose, and I know that many of you will take quite
some time to master it as it is very difficult for the average Westerner, then
perform the easiest of the variations of this posture until you can go a stage
farther. In all three of the variations practice the Yoga Complete Breath and
it is a good place here to remind you that this Complete Breath should be performed
slowly and fully. There should be no rushing over it. It is far better to take
two or three really deep breaths than half a dozen shallow ones. All you
hurried business people take note! The Yoga Complete Breath while performed
when the body is in the Fish Posture helps to remove the spasm from the
bronchial tubes and also helps to relieve asthma.
As with many of the Yoga
asanas, this posture has a variation for advanced students only. I include it
here for the sake of interest and in case there may be some readers adventurous
enough to attempt it.
Variation 4. Begin in the Lotus
Pose once more but this time instead of levering yourself backwards on your
elbows bend forward very slowly until your face is touching the floor. You will
feel considerable pressure on your hip joints so please be careful not to
strain yourself. Remain thus for a few seconds only and then straighten up
immediately. When you can perform this variation with ease, and it can be done
easily with patient practice, gradually extend the period when your face is
touching the floor, and then try to practice the Yoga Complete Breath. After
this variation lie fiat on your back and relax for a few minutes.
I will end this chapter with
the joker of the pack so far as Yoga is concerned. Although a highly effective
and useful exercise, it entails pulling a grotesque face, however, as Yoga is
best done in solitude there should not be anyone around to take fright! Hatha
Yoga being a complete science no part of the body has been overlooked, including
the throat and tongue, and there is a unique exercise for this area known as
SIMHASANA,
the LION POSTURE.
Method. Kneel down on the
floor, hands on your knees palms upwards, and then sit back on your heels. Very
slowly inhale, and when you have completed your inhalation hold your breath for
an instant and then exhale through the mouth with as much force as you can. At
the end of your exhalation stick out your tongue as far as you possibly can to
the point of gagging. At the same time tense every muscle in your body
including your arms and fingers, pop your eyes and generally make yourself look
like a gargoyle. The more gruesome the face the more benefit you will derive
from this exercise.
Retain this unaesthetic posture
for as long as you comfortably can without inhaling and then relax and breathe
naturally for a few seconds. Then repeat the LION POSTURE up to six times in
every practice session and particularly if you suffer from any form of chronic
condition of the throat or tongue. You will find that the practice of Simhasana
will relieve a sore throat more quickly than the most powerful drugs or
lozenges, as it supplies the throat and tongue with a richer supply of blood
which is nature’s own cure. The LION POSTURE is beloved of singers and actors whose
voices are part of their livelihood and I recommend it to anyone who has any
public speaking to do.
Ideally all Yoga asanas should
be performed in the open air in order to draw into the lungs the maximum amount
of fresh air. However, not everyone is lucky enough to have a garden in which
case you should always practice before an open window. In the case of exercises
for asthma, bronchitis, and allied complaints mentioned in this chapter, this
is a vital necessity.
CHAPTER NINE
Arthritis and rheumatism
ONE of Yoga’s answers to the
problems with which this chapter is concerned reads a little like black magic.
Still it adds a touch of the bizarre and the exotic to this exacting science of
discipline and, as with all Yoga practices, there is sound good sense behind
its methods. The Indians claim that people who are afflicted with arthritis or
allied complaints should keep a raw, unpeeled, winter-crop potato—yes, I did
say a potato!—close to their skin day and night until the condition is
relieved. It sounds a little like an old gipsy legend and as a matter of fact I
did meet a gipsy some time ago who was afflicted with arthritis in the
shoulders. I told him this Yoga story about keeping a potato near one’s skin
and he looked at me in sheer amazement. He was completely puzzled as to how I
had got hold of this old ‘gipsy’ secret, so it seems that way back in time,
gipsy or Yogi, they had respect for the humble potato as a powerful cure for
arthritis.
It need not be a very large
potato as apparently the smaller ones work just as efficiently and I must say
more conveniently. An over-large potato carried upon the person could lead to
all kinds of questions and complications. The potato should be discarded when
it either grows very hard like a stone or else becomes soft and wrinkled, and
should be replaced by a fresh one, but make quite sure it is a winter-crop one.
You could keep it in your
pocket during the day and at night slip it into the toe of an old stocking and
draw the other end over your hand so that the potato does not roll away from
you while you sleep. If you are married this practice could produce some
hilarity from your partner but the laugh would be yours if you cured your
arthritis by this unorthodox method.
So bear with the jeers of your
mate and try the experiment. You may be agreeably surprised.
For good measure, while you are
on the potato cure, you should drink potato water, which is one of the very
best alkalizing drinks and helps the system to eliminate the impurities which
are to blame for your complaint. To prepare this drink, and it need not be
unpalatable if you flavour it well, wash four or five fairly large potatoes but
do not peel them. Put them in a saucepan with two pints of water and bring to
the boil. Simmer them slowly for about an hour and then strain through a fine
sieve or cloth. Drink the water first thing in the morning, at least once or
twice during the day, and just before you slip your hand into that stocking
with the potato in it before you hop into bed at night. If you visit your local
health shop you will find all kinds of vegetable extracts and salts with which
to make your potato water more drinkable.
It is also highly beneficial to
arthritis sufferers to eat one or two finely grated raw potatoes, including the
skin, every day. I know it sounds revolting but, added to soups, stews, salads
or vegetables just before serving you would hardly know it was there! However,
your system will know it is there and react “n a very favourable way. It is
worth trying is it not? and I would be most interested to hear from my readers
who notice an improvement in their condition through the ‘potato cure’.
But let us now turn this from a
cookery book back into a book on HathaYoga! Here is an exercise known as HALAS
ANA or the PLOUGH POSTURE. One of the basic Yoga asanas, it stretches the
vertebrae to the maximum, and subjects the abdomen and its organs and muscles
to a powerful massage. The nerve centre and cells along the spine are
stimulated as they receive a richer supply of blood. By practicing this
exercise your spine will gradually become more elastic and as it effects the
kidneys it is a powerful way of eliminating the toxic waste that is the primary
cause of arthritis and allied complaints. Waste is the foundation of all
disease. It cannot flourish if the body is purified. And now for the PLOUGH
POSTURE. (See page 137.)
1. Lie down on your back, feet
together and hands along your sides. Raise your legs and buttocks off the
ground and as you put your hands on your hips to steady yourself push your legs
over your head while keeping your knees straight. The first stage of the Plough
Posture is pictured in figure 44, page 137.
2. Bend your legs backwards until your toes touch the ground. Press your
chin firmly against your chest in a chin lock and place your hands, palms down,
facing the opposite way to your legs. Your body now roughly resembles an
old-fashioned plough. Try to increase the stretch of your spine by pushing your
toes away from your head as far as you can. I have demonstrated the correct
position in figure 45. Your hands may be placed in two other ways if you wish.
One way is to lace them together and place them behind your head just above the
neck and the other is to keep them on the hips as in stage one. Indeed this way
may help you to push your body over a little more and increase the stretch of
the spine.
Some of my older readers may
find difficulty with Halasana at first so try it this way. Take your starting
position with your head two, three, or more feet away from the wall according
to your height and convenience. When you swing your legs over your head your
toes will touch the wall. Try then to walk down the wall with your toes, but
gently please. Do not try to force your toes lower down the wall than they will
comfortably go, otherwise an enraged and rigid muscle could repay your lack of
consideration by giving you agony for weeks, which would have the effect of
scaring you away for evermore from this most valuable posture. So careful,
please.
When you are able to perform
this Plough Posture to your liking try to increase, all the time, the overall
stretch, as this position is most beneficial when carried to its extreme form,
i.e. with the toes at the maximum distance from the head and the chin pressed
firmly into the middle of the chest, as in the illustration.
The way you unwind yourself
from the Plough Posture is equally important as the way you get into it.
Performed in its correct way, the unwinding of the Plough requires considerable
muscular control so, as always, go slowly at first and constant practice will
give you the control you need. As you unwind this posture keep your head on the
floor throughout until you return to the starting position flat on your back.
Your natural tendency will be to raise your head as you unwind but, although
you must do it this way when you first begin, always bear in mind what you are
aiming for. The keeping of your head on the floor increases the work on your
dorsal and abdominal muscles and gives them a very powerful massage and exercise.
As you unwind bend your knees as this will make things easier for you than
keeping them straight, and above all unwind slowly- This posture is, as you
will have realized by now, deceptively simple looking. Graceful in execution
and beautiful in its static stage, nevertheless it uses a lot of muscles which
you may seldom have used before in this particular manner, and it also requires
a high degree of muscular control to perform it to perfection.
When you can do this classical
Plough Posture perfectly you might like to try three variations, just to add
variety to your daily practice schedule. In each case the posture will limber
the spine, keep it more supple and youthful and therefore discourage arthritis
and rheumatism.
Variation 1. This differs from
the Halasana I have just described only in the position of the arms. This time
they should be outstretched and pointing the same way as your legs so that you
can touch your toes with your fingers.
Variation 2. Execute the first
Plough Posture I described and then move the legs as far apart as possible,
remaining thus for as long as you comfortably can. This imparts an extra
stretch to the muscles of the legs and thighs.
Variation 3. This variation of
the Plough Posture is called Kama Peedasana or the Ear to Knee Posture.
Proceeding from the Plough
Posture, draw your knees up to your ears, your legs remaining flat on the
ground from your knees to your toes. Bend your arms and place your hands behind
your knees in order to keep them pressed to the floor. Only the most supple
among my readers will be able to do this at first but regular practice of the
other variations will limber your spine sufficiently for the Ear to Knee
Posture.
Whichever variation of the
Plough Posture you perform, do not omit the Yoga Complete Breath while
remaining in this static pose. Your chest will be somewhat restricted and you
may possibly find that the taking of a deep breath is a little uncomfortable at
first, but do keep trying and you will find it gets easier as you practice. No
Yoga asana should be performed unless it is in conjunction with Yoga breathing.
The one complements the other to affect the entire organism.
The following exercise will
help those who suffer from calcium deposits at the shoulder joints. Sit down in
the Lotus Posture, or if you cannot yet do this sit down in the Easy Pose. If
this too is beyond you sit down on a hard chair with your back straight. Raise
your right hand and bring it behind your shoulder and at the same time bend
your left hand behind your back and join your two hands together. I mentioned
this position of the hands earlier in connection with the Bull Posture for
sciatica but sufferers from arthritis and rheumatism in the shoulders will also
greatly benefit from this simple arm exercise. Remain in the position for as
long as you comfortably can and then perform it with reversed arms. Practice
this exercise at any time of the day you possibly can and incidentally, if you
have round shoulders it will greatly improve this condition.
1 will end this chapter with
another breathing exercise which most of you will find easy and pleasant to
perform. It is called the WINDMILL breathing exercise and again will help to
rid the body of calcium deposits and tone the nerves and muscles of the back,
shoulders, and arms.
Standing legs apart inhale very
slowly and deeply through
the mouth. At the same time
lift your arms sideways to shoulder
height, palms downward.
Complete your inhalation.
While holding the breath swing
the arms, upwards and
backwards three times in
succession like a windmill, and then
in the opposite direction three times. This should be done
rhythmically and without hurry.
Exhale with some force through
the mouth as you slowly
lower your arms. Finish this
exercise standing up straight and
performing a few Yoga Complete
Breaths.
If you suffer from arthritis or
rheumatism practice the exercises in this chapter faithfully and don’t forget
that potato will you!
CHAPTER TEN
Obesity and the improvement of the
figure
THIS chapter, 1 have no doubt,
is the one to which the majority of women will turn first. Knowing as you do
that Yoga can give you a perfect figure you have made this your main reason for
pursuing the subject. I assure you this is no worse a reason for beginning the
study of Yoga than any other. There cannot really be a bad reason for wanting
to do something good, and though Yoga offers much in the way of a peaceful and
healthy existence your main concern, at this stage anyway, is how to get that
pad of fat off your hips and reduce that bulging tummy. So be it. I will show
you the way and as you learn more and more of Yoga perhaps eventually your
reason for studying it will be a more spiritual one.
There is little need to explain
to you the connection between obesity and your health. Apart from being
aesthetically all wrong it puts a strain on the heart, the internal organs, the
legs and feet and in fact the entire body. It is dangerous to be overweight. It
is your duty to improve your figure for the sake of your health, your peace of mind
and your general well being.
But before I explain how Yoga
can help you to regain a slim, supple, and graceful figure I must impress on
you right at the beginning that there is no magic formula which will sheer
those extra pounds off you while you go on eating four square meals a day with
snacks in between and goodness knows how many cups of tea sweetened with sugar.
In short, Yoga is not black magic. It is sheer common sense. It will help you
if you are prepared to help yourself.
In presenting various Yoga
asanas in this chapter I must again impress on you that these alone will not
make you lose weight. Yoga you see is a way of life not just a system of
physical culture.
You must study Yoga as a whole
and let it pervade every part of your life. Let it gradually alter your way of
thinking and in time it will affect your attitude towards food. For many people
food is a social occasion, or a means of chopping up the day. To very many
others it is a form of sheer solid comfort in times of stress or anxiety. To
still others it is a hobby or a release from boredom. They don’t know what to
do with themselves so they eat—and grow fat.
I do not suggest that you try
drastically to alter your eating habits as soon as you read this book. Let Yoga
gently do that for you. Practice Yoga as a complete science, and very slowly
adjust your eating habits according to your state of mind. By this I mean that
at the moment, maybe food is of major importance to you. It is right that you
have this incentive to eat for it is necessary to take food in order to live,
but many people, far too many, take far more food than they need. This results
in a gradual build up of fat in the body until there you are—two, three, or
even more stones overweight. It is never easy to take off weight and Yoga is
not a short cut by any means, but this much I promise you. That once you have
slimmed, the Yoga way, you will be able to eat as you please and not gain an
ounce. Yoga, in affecting the glands, establishes a rhythm in the body so that
you do not feel a desire for food that you do not need. You want to eat only
enough to keep superbly fit. Your new calmness of mind will make it unnecessary
for you to turn to food for comfort or as a means of relieving tension or
boredom. As I have said, Yoga will affect your way of life, even against your
will; it will alter your attitude towards many things and one of these things
is the food you eat.
Having warned you that I have
no magic formula dreamed up by the ancient Yogis with regard to recovering a slim,
beautiful figure, let me discuss the first step in this ‘battle of the bulge’.
The majority of overweight people suffer from chronic constipation, so one of
your very first tasks is to turn back to chapter five, re-read all I have
written, and vow to make an immediate onslaught on your sluggish bowels, as
this complaint is very fattening as well as uncomfortable. Practice all the
Yoga asanas described in the chapter on constipation, and in particular
practice the water-drinking habits of the Yogis and the relaxing and
contracting movements known as Uddiyani. This ridding your body of excessive
waste, and the practice of Yoga asanas and breathing exercises will go a long
way towards sheering that superfluous fat from your body and here is a Yoga
asana which will help you on your way. It is called the SIDESLIP and it should
not present too much difficulty if you spend the first couple of days limbering
up your torso with the following simple movements.
Limbering up Exercises
Stand up straight, feet
together, arms raised to shoulder
level.
Holding your arms steady swing
them as far as possible
round to the right.
Twist your body to the maximum
to bring your right arm as far round as you can and at the same time turn your
head to look over your right shoulder so that you twist your neck to the
utmost; as you turn slowly bend your left arm so that when the swing to the
right is at its height your left thumb should touch your right shoulder.
3. Hold this position for a few seconds and then repeat the
swing to the other side. You
can repeat these swings ad lib but
at first it is as well to limit
yourself to a maximum of six if you
have never taken any exercise
before.
Two points to remember. These
swinging movements from side to side should be performed slowly and rhythmically.
Emphasis is on the full sweep of the arms and the twisting of your torso to the
utmost rather than on speed. Speed isn’t a word used in Yoga, rather substitute
the word pressure. At the extreme points of the twisting movement you can exert
a slight pressure to enhance the value of this limbering exercise. And having
practiced it for a day or two you should graduate with no difficulty to a more
advanced lateral twist called THE SIDESLIP POSTURE.
1. Kneel down on the floor and
sit back on your heels. Raise your arms above your head, clasp your hands
together and turn them palms upwards.
Slide your body off your heels to the right and at the same time gently
swing your arms towards the opposite side. I have demonstrated the correct
movement in figure 34. You should not bend forward while performing this
movement but move from the waist to the side only.
Now raise your body off the
floor, swing it slowly and
gently to the other side and at
the same time swing your arms
over to the opposite side. Try
to keep your knees together
throughout the Sideslip
Posture, but if you find this difficult or
impossible at first you may
hold your knees apart to maintain
your balance but at all times
endeavour to bring your knees
together.
Many people, while attempting
this asana for the first time have difficulty with stage 3, that is the lifting
of the body off the floor and the swinging it to the other side. In fact some
people have trouble in getting themselves off the floor at all in this position
and others, if they do succeed, land with a great thump on the opposite side
and have difficulty getting up from there. Be patient. This exercise is not
quite so easy as it looks. Graceful, and a great favourite with women
everywhere, it looks simple enough but in actual fact it requires a high degree
of muscular control and concentration.
Remember your head while you
are doing the SIDESLIP POSTURE. It should bend the same way as your arms, which
you should, throughout the movement, try to press backwards as far as possible
to avoid any possible sagging forward of your body.
This asana is one of the finest
in the entire Yoga range for slimming the waist and reducing that pad of fat
which often settles on top of the hipbones. You will feel a powerful stretch
from your hips to your armpits and if you do this exercise correctly you will
feel rather sore in the region of your hip joints the next day. This is normal
and it will prove to you that this Yoga exercise has already begun to work for
you. While one side of your body is being stretched the other side is being
powerfully contracted. You can feel it squeezing the fatty tissue. It also
imparts a healthy massage to the organs and muscles of the abdomen and helps
the torso towards a new suppleness and grace.
When you can perform the
SIDESLIP POSTURE at a moderate speed and with some degree of muscular control,
then try to slow down the whole process so that it becomes a study in slow and
gentle motion. This calls for a much higher degree of muscular control and thus
the benefits of the posture are greatly enhanced. When you have perfected your
movements in slow motion regulate your deep breathing so that you lean to one
side while inhaling and to the other while exhaling. Rhythm and slow motion are
the final keywords in this exercise.
In its perfect form the
Sideslip Posture should be as follows. Lean to the right while inhaling. Remain
immobile as you complete your inhalation and hold your breath for as long as
possible. When the impulse to exhale appears do so as you raise your body off
the floor and swing it to the other side. Remain immobile as you complete your
exhalation and remain holding your breath for as long as possible before
inhaling again. This constitutes one round. Perform up to a dozen rounds a day,
starting with four and adding two rounds per week.
Like the Sideslip Posture this
next exercise is not so easy as it looks. It is called AROHANASANA or in
English THE RAISED HEAD AND LEGS POSTURE. This asana wages war on that bulging
abdomen.
Lie flat on your back with your
legs outstretched and your
feet together. Lace your
fingers together and place them at the
back of your head just above
your neck.
Inhale very slowly and deeply
and at the same time raise
your head, shoulders, and legs
off the floor remembering to
keep your knees straight. Hold
this position until you have
completed your inhalation.
I have demonstrated the correct
position in figure 36, page
111.
After holding your breath for a
few seconds very slowly
return to the original
position.
These instructions are
simplicity itself and even the photograph of me lying with my head, shoulders
and legs raised can give you little idea of the sheer muscular effort involved
in holding them that way. But try it for yourself. Those two words *very
slowly’, in connection with the lowering of the legs will catch most of you out
at first. You will want to plop your legs down on the floor in a great rush,
but try as hard as you can to resist this impulse. It is the easy way out and
you will gain nothing from employing it. You want to reduce that abdomen don’t
you ? Then do please remember that there is no hurry at all in this exercise,
and the slow s-l-o-w lowering of the legs is precisely what strengthens, tones,
exercises, and reduces those flabby abdominal muscles and helps to reduce fat
in this area.
This is an exercise that
requires a lot of patient practice before you can perform it perfectly. As it
is a strenuous posture do not do it more than twice a day for the first few
days and after that very gradually increase the number of times you do it up to
six.
In addition to toning and
strengthening the abdominal muscles and reducing excess fat this exercise also
helps to relieve constipation so it is doubly beneficial to the
would-be-slimmer. The back and shoulders are also strengthened by the slow
motion lifting and lowering of the head and shoulders.
A word of warning. This is not
an exercise for women during pregnancy or who have any internal disorders, and
people with hernia should practice it with extreme caution.
For those readers who find the
Arohanasana too strenuous or simply beyond you, here is a similar though much
easier exercise which is called UDHITTA PADASANA or THE RAISED
LEG POSTURE.
1. Lie on your back with your legs outstretched and feet
together. Inhale slowly and
deeply and at the same time raise
your right leg, keeping the
knee straight, until it is at right
angles to your body as in
figure 37, page 111.
2. Remain thus as you complete your inhalation, hold your
breath for a few seconds while
keeping absolutely still, your
other leg flat on the floor.
3. When the impulse to exhale appears do so and at the same
time very slowly lower your
leg. Repeat with the other leg.This simple exercise may be performed once or
twice a day until you feel you are ready to try it with both legs at once. This
exercise, like the previous one will help to break up fatty tissue in the
abdominal area. I must warn beginners to this, and the previous exercise that
they might find their abdominal muscles a little sore the day after starting as
you are using muscles which may never have been used in that way before. Do not
worry about the discomfort. It means that Yoga is working for you so you should
welcome it as a sign that you were performing the exercise properly. Remember
always to lower your legs s-1-o-w-l-y.
Let us now try a standing
posture for the improvement of the figure. This one will keep your spine
healthy and supple, reduce abdominal fat, tone up sluggish bowels, and slim
your waist. It is called THE WOODCUTTER Exercise.
Stand erect, feet far apart.
Stretch out your arms, lace
your fingers together and
imagine that you are holding a very
heavy axe.
Inhale slowly and deeply and at
the same time slowly raise
the ‘axe’ above your head until
you are leaning back as far as
you can without losing your
balance. I have demonstrated this
backward bending position in
figure 40, page 112.
Remain in
the backward bend as
you complete your
inhalation, remain immobile for
a few seconds holding your
breath.
When the impulse to exhale
appears swing the ‘axe’ down
slowly as though there were
actually a log in front of you and
you were chopping it up. The
downward movement should be a
very powerful one but do not
stop when you reach the imaginary
log but let your hands follow through
your legs as in figure 39.
Repeat this exercise six times,
and do watch the following four points. Firstly that your elbows should be
straight throughout, secondly that your feet should be firmly planted on the
floor without moving, thirdly that you do not move your buttocks whilst you are
bending down, and lastly that all the movement should be done from above the
waist. The lower half of the body should remain absolutely still.
A word of warning. This is a
rather strenuous exercise and I do not recommend it for women with internal
complaints or people with weak hearts. This exercise should not be done during
menstruation.
The next posture for reducing
abdominal fat is called THE TRIANGLE
BEND.
Stand erect with your hands
clasped together behind your
back. Your feet should be far
apart with your knees straight.
Inhale slowly and at the same
time turn your torso, from
the waist upwards, slightly to
the right. Continue with your
inhalation as you bend your
head slowly until your forehead
touches your right knee. Your
hands should still be clasped
behind your back. I have
demonstrated the position in figure 38.
Remain in this position for as
long as you comfortably can
without exhaling, and when the
impulse to exhale appears do
so, at the same time slowly
straightening up.
Repeat the movement to the
other side, bending your head
towards the left knee.
That is the Triangle Bend.
Repeat it twice each way at first but when you are limbered up you can perform
it up to half a dozen times. Did I hear some of you say ‘impossible’. I’ll
admit that if you are very stiff, or very much overweight, the Triangle Bend
may well seem so, but again I must ask you to practice it, without straining,
and you will soon be pleasantly surprised at how easy this exercise really is.
It reduces fat on the abdomen, waist, and thighs.
And now for another posture
which has a similar name. This is TRIKONASANA or THE TRIANGLE POSTURE, and you
may find it easier than the previous one. It is one of the most effective Yoga
asanas for reducing fat round the waistline, the hips, the upper arms, and the
thighs, and it should present little difficulty even to the beginner.
Trikonasana
Stand erect, feet far apart,
and your arms extended sideways
at shoulder level. This is the
starting position as in figure 41.
While keeping your head in the
same position (that is not turning it) bend slowly to the right until your
right hand touches your right foot. You will have to bend your right knee a
little to do this and at the same time your left leg should remain outstretched
to maintain balance.
Your left arm should be
gradually brought up and over your
head as far as possible, as I
have demonstrated in figure 42.
Remain in this position until
you have completed your
inhalation.
When the impulse to inhale
appears do so and at the same
time slowly return to the
starting position. Repeat this exercise
to the other side.
The most important feature of
this exercise is the gradual increase of the stretch of the free arm, which
should be brought over farther and farther each time you practice this
exercise. It should be performed four times a day at first and when you become
more flexible it can be performed up to a dozen times a day. The accent is on
slow and rhythmical movement, as this exercise is much more beneficial to the
health and the figure when performed slowly and gracefully. The breathing
should also be carefully timed to coincide with the appropriate movements.
Trjkonasana is not a very strenuous posture but all the same I do not advise it
for women with any kind of internal disorders or for people suffering from
hernia.
This being the last of the
so-called ‘slimming1 Yoga asanas, I should like to lend a helping hand to those
of you who, with the best will in the world to practice Yoga and grow slim,
feel that you cannot find the time to practice. I know it isn’t always easy
especially if you go out to business as the mornings are filled with rushing
about, and breakfasts and bath water, and if something has to be left out—well
that’s Yoga isn’t it? This is one of the main reasons, I find, why would-be
devotees of Yoga do not pursue the subject.
In view of the fact that Yoga
asanas should be done on an empty stomach it is usually convenient to perform
your practice schedule first thing in the morning when you get out of bed. You
may feel you are too sleepy to do them then but you will find that some of the
asanas are very bracing owing to their stimulating effect on the nervous system
and soon give you a wide-awake feeling. And once you have established the habit
of doing Yoga postures first thing in the morning it should become as much a
part of your routine as having your morning bath or cleaning your teeth. So,
starting with one of those bracing exercises, here is a ten-minute practice
schedule which is not beyond the means of anyone. All you do is get up ten
minutes earlier. Ten short minutes each day—so very little time to devote to
Yoga, but how rich will be the rewards, so rich that I feel convinced that many
of you will soon want to get up even earlier to devote yet more time to this
healthful study.
Ten-Minute Practice Schedule
1. Limbering up for Sideslip 1 minute
2. Sideslip 3 minutes
3. Raised Head and Legs Posture
or } four
times 2 minutes
4. Leg Raising Posture
5. Woodchopper—six times 1 minute
6. Triangle Bend—four times 1
minutes
7. Triangle—six times 2 minutes
This ten-minute practice
schedule can be varied of course, according to your individual needs and the
amount of time at your disposal. There may be one exercise which you find you
like better than some of the others in which case do spend more time on that
one. The schedule I have set out is a mere indication of what can be done with
a few minutes set aside for Yoga practice. Do not omit the correct breathing as
you perform these exercises and if you would slim do please avoid constipation,
as this is one of the worst enemies of the body and of the figure. Yoga will do
wonders for your health and your appearance, and for your figure but do please
give it a helping hand by watching your diet. The next chapter is devoted to
this subject.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Diet
THE body needs food for two
purposes, as fuel to supply our energy, and to repair body tissues. Four
elements are needed for the building of the body and for its repair, namely (1)
protein or nitrogenous food, (2) carbo-hydrates, (3) fats or hydrocarbons, and
(4) minerals, these four elements being found in greater proportions in
vegetables than in flesh foods. The most valuable vegetable sources of protein
are cheess, soya beans, nuts, peas and milk, and the most wholesome sources of
starches and sugars are honey, wholewheat, oats, unpolished rice, and potatoes.
Fruits and vegetables, as well as supplying organic minerals and hydrocarbons,
also aid in keeping an alkaline reserve in the blood, essential for carrying
waste carbon dioxide to the lungs for elimination.
I am not going to try to
convert any of my meat-eating readers to vegetarianism (as the practice of Yoga
will do this for me in time), but I would say this. That although the meat
eater may look strong and healthy he has not the endurance, the staying power,
and the resistance to disease of the vegetarian. That a natural diet of fruits,
greens, milk and dairy products, citrus fruits, and whole grains is man’s ideal
and vitamin-packed health-giving diet.
It is interesting to note that
all food is originally produced in a vegetable form and is in effect stored up
sunshine. Think of an orange. The next time you pick one up to peel and eat it
and throw the vitamin-rich skin into the dustbin, think of it as it really is,
a parcel of distilled sunshine. And why throw the peel away? Eat a bit of it
with the rest of the orange and what you do not eat try grating it into various
other foods to add a rich and tangy flavour. It is full of vitamins and added
to a jar of honey it adds that extra something.
So to eat vegetables is to eat
distilled sunshine. To eat flesh is to take vegetable food secondhand from
another animal, and here it is interesting to note that man eats mainly the
flesh of vegetarian animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, and poultry, deer, and
rabbits. He does not eat the flesh of carnivorous animals.
Why kill helpless and friendly
animals? Why subject them to the pain and terror of the slaughterhouse when
there is so much goodness to eat from the clean earth? Why take a life away
when we can eat fruit off the trees, and all the bounty of the harvest? Why all
this violence in the name of good eating? Why not have mercy? The pure in mind
do not kill, and the pure in body do not need to kill. Think, do think, about
it first the next time you cut a piece of steak and carry it on your fork to
your mouth; think of the animal who died in pain to provide you with this supper
of yours. Are you sure it is worth it? And are fruit and vegetables and nuts
not more pleasant to handle than wet and bleeding pieces of a dead animal?
It is interesting to note that
once a person becomes a vegetarian and knows the health and purity which
results from eating good and pure food, he seldom if ever reverts back to the
lower type of food. As he grows spiritually, man ceases to desire flesh foods.
Thus man’s choice of foods is directly influenced by his degree of mental
purity.
And so the Yoga diet is simply
to keep as closely as possible to natural foods. This means plenty of nuts,
whole cereals, and fresh fruits and juices. From these man can get all the
vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals he needs. From these also he has
the means whereby to nourish the cells of the body without overburdening the
system with unnatural and alien foods and drinks. It should be noted that even
the most perfect system cannot work to the maximum of its efficiency when it is
fed with unnatural foods.
What, then, are these unnatural
foods to be avoided? These are the refined, processed, tinned and packaged
foods, the worst offenders being white sugar, white flour, white rice and any
other food from which the vitality has been refined out. Pickles, preserves,
sweets and over-salted foods should be avoided, as should anything containing
artificial ingredients. This, 1 know, is not easy if one tends to eat out a
great deal. Well-meaning relations and friends hand us heavily iced sweet cakes
and sandwiches made with that unwholesome substance, white bread. What can one
do to avoid complete social ostracism? That is a problem which you can work out
for yourselves, according to your individual circumstances but to all of you I
would say this, avoid these foods wherever possible but do not, in the process,
offend anyone. Rather eat a piece of cake than hurt someone’s feelings. You can
leave most of it in crumbs on your plate without arousing suspicion.
The three main rules of the
Yoga diet are (1) non-violence, (2) moderation, and (3) attitude of mind.
Non-violence I have already discussed. What then of moderation ? You must train
yourself to eat only what you need and no more. As you proceed with your
studies of Yoga you will find yourself taking less interest in food and more
interest in spiritual matters. Food no longer becomes a break from the round of
work. It becomes a time of refuelling the body so that it may continue to
flourish. Remember to chew each mouthful slowly which simple practice will
gradually accustom you to taking only as much food as you need, not as much as
you think you want. By all means enjoy your food but take it in moderation.
And what of attitude of mind?
It is not necessary for you to become cranks and food faddists who measure
every mouthful you eat. It is not necessary for you to set up a hue and cry
about the needless slaughter of animals for food. Quietly pursue your own
course, eat only what is pure and natural and your influence will be far
greater on those around you than by any more noisy methods.
I am by no means deaf to the
many arguments against vegetarianism that are hurled at me from time to time.
They go as follows. If everyone became a vegetarian we should be completely
overrun by animals. That without eating flesh our diet becomes dull and
uninteresting. That the vegetarian diet is not filling and the amount of food
one has to consume to satisfy one’s hunger tends to make one gain weight. That
one becomes socially ‘difficult’ and eating
out becomes something of a problem. That the fancy health food shops are much
more expensive than the other food shops. These are the main objections
although there are many more. Let us demolish each one in turn.
Firstly the danger of us being
overrun by animals if everyone became a vegetarian. Not true, for the simple
reason that animals raised for commercial slaughter are artificially bred to
multiply at a greater rate than is natural. If it became unprofitable to breed
animals the number of them would be drastically decreased by introducing
alternate breeding methods.
From the economic standpoint,
if everyone became a vegetarian the area of land used to graze animals for food
could be used to raise anything from four to forty times as much vegetable
food. Meat is actually no more than very expensive, secondhand, vegetable food.
It is a known fact that vegetable foods can be produced much more economically
than flesh foods.
Let us then consider the second
argument against vegetarianism, that the vegetarian diet is dull and
uninteresting. To a cook who is imaginative and adventurous, this need not be
so. To one who is not, a flesh diet is equally as unpalatable for a good cook
can show her talent with any kind of food. And what can be more colourful and
exotic than a plate full of mixed and brightly coloured vegetables topped with
grated cheese. What a conglomeration of colours, textures, and flavours. What a
wealth of vitamins, and what easily digestible nourishment. Food without
killing, surely that is the ideal diet for a thinking man?
The third argument, that the
vegetarian becomes socially a difficult customer, is one which the strong
minded will choose to ignore. If your ideals and beliefs are against the
killing of innocent animals and the eating of their flesh, then you will not
mind being misunderstood by well-meaning friends and relatives. Those closest
to you will be only too ready to respect your wishes. As far as eating at
restaurants is concerned there are many fine and economical vegetarian
restaurants up and down the country and if your own particular district has
none you could always take your own packed lunch to work. You can always get
round the difficulties if you really want to.
And the fourth argument that
the vegetarian diet is not filling enough and that the extra intake of food
tends to make one gain weight? What of this? This is where the eating habits of
the Yogis will help you. They chew their food slowly and at the same time very
gradually decrease their intake of food until they are eating only enough to
keep alive and superbly healthy. More food than this amount is superfluous and
tends to put on weight but you will notice that no devotee of Yoga has even an
ounce of superfluous fat on him or her.
And what of the last argument,
I mentioned, that health food shops are expensive markets and eat up the
household budget? True in a sense maybe, if you do not bother to learn
vegetarian cookery. If you are a housewife, and your cooking is good and tasty,
then perhaps your husband and your children will become vegetarians too. If you
live alone you have no one to consider but yourself, and if you are a bachelor,
your mother, your sister or even an understanding landlady will come to the
rescue. What I am impressing on would-be vegetarians is that it can be done if
you really want to. And I am not asking you at this stage to become a
vegetarian but merely making various practical suggestions as to how it can be
done in the event of your gradually turning against the eating of flesh foods
for the reasons I have already outlined.
This is a book about Hatha Yoga
and I am writing it mainly from the point of view of your health. However, the
body and the mind being inseparable, in showing you how to discipline the one I
cannot but mention from time to time the effect upon the other. As Yoga gives
your body a new lightness and suppleness you will find that you have gradually
become a more spiritual person and food will be of less importance to you than
before. You will become more sensitive to the feelings of others and therefore
stop to consider the feelings of helpless animals in slaughterhouses up and
down the country.
You who long to be slim, to
regain your youthful suppleness and vitality, are going to be helped to this
end not, as I warned you at the beginning, by any magical or ‘crash’ diet, but
simply by adjusting your eating habits and way of thinking. Where to begin ?
First of all remember that our
bodies are only nourished by food which they can break down and assimilate and
that, ideally, all food should be laxative. This is far from the case, however,
and far too much devitalized and unnatural food is being consumed in this
modern world with the result that an appallingly high percentage of the
population suffers from constipation and other disorders of the digestive
tract. As I said at the beginning of chapter eight, the Yogis name constipation
as ‘the Mother of all diseases’, and here we might aptly name devitalized food
as ‘the mother of all constipation and digestive disorders’.
What is devitalized food and
why are the Yogis so against it? Dead and devitalized foods include everything
that has been preserved, bottled, bleached, refined, canned, pickled, or
polished. When I say avoid eating white flour products, white sugar products,
and polished rice you will ask why. What is wrong with these substances? Simply
that in their refined state they are unsuitable as foods and are actually
harmful to the human body. What is wrong with eating raw sugar, whole wheat
flour products, and unpolished rice? They may prove somewhat dearer but who in
his right mind would try to economize on good food? And in the case of raw
sugar be careful that you are not buying refined sugar that has simply been
coloured brown. And try, for a change, to sweeten your food with honey. More
easily assimilated than any other food, it is especially beneficial to older
people and those of you who are suffering from digestive troubles of any kind.
Being a lifelong honey eater I
cannot impress on you too strongly how wholesome and nutritious a food this is.
The purest and most natural of foods, it is cheap and plentiful and yet so few
people recognize its enormous value.
I seem to hear protests in my
ears already. Do you say that you once bought a jar of honey, and you tried to
eat it and what happened. It simply would not go down. You dislike the stuff
and that is that. But wait. Perhaps you once bought a pound of sour apples. Did
you then decide never to buy apples again because you disliked the taste of
sour ones? There are very many different honeys. Maybe the jar you once bought
was a blended honey, better used in cooking. Why not try one of the dark
honeys, brown as a nut, with the strong and heady sweetness of sunshine? Why
not try one of the mild, creamy white honeys, thick and subtle flavoured? There
is such a bewildering variety of honeys from all over the world that I could
not possibly name them all, but perhaps the most delectable of all, though it
is a matter of personal preference, are the clover honeys, smooth and mellow as
butterscotch, and with an unforgettable bouquet, and the dark-toned, exotic
honeys of the Caribbean.
And do not, please, think that
honey is always clear golden or biscuit coloured. Honeys are as multi-coloured
as a rainbow. The French honey that is gathered from the blooms of gooseberry
and sycamore trees is an exquisite sea green. The flavour, need I say, is
beyond words. From Brazil comes a black honey, from Africa a clear, pale green,
and from Texas comes one of the most unique honeys in the world, the remarkable
guajillo honey which is crystal white with a pearly reflection like new milk.
Not always available in American “health-food” stores, but to be looked for at
any rate, is the exotic lotus honey of India. It is as exciting, as mysterious,
and as health giving as Yoga itself. I could go on for a whole book writing
ecstatically of the wonder and the glories of honey but let it suffice to say
that if you think you dislike honey then try all the different ones you can
find. If you fail to find one you like you are indeed unique.
If you feel I was becoming
lyrical over honey I am going to be just the opposite about its greatest
rival—sugar. Why, I wonder, did we abandon honey, nature’s most nutritious
sweet food, in favour of dry, sterile, refined sugars? I am afraid that there can
be only one answer—sheer ignorance of the basic needs and capabilities of the
human organism. Because, up to about the year 1700 sugar was the exclusive
amenity of the aristocracy, it came to be greatly prized by the masses as a
delicacy. It had a certain social significance as, say, caviare has today. So
when a new process was discovered of refining sugar cheaply and in large
quantities honey began to lose its popularity as a sweetening agent and became
increasingly less available as sugar became more so.
Then physicians in America and
Europe began to realize that a tragic dietary mistake was being made and that
the over indulgence in artificial sugars was causing increasing ill health. New
digestive and nervous disorders began to make their appearance, and the
instance of diabetes shot up alarmingly.
Many people do not know that
granulated sugars, syrups, treacles, and molasses are artificial sweets. Still
fewer people know that they are also powerful stimulants, drugs which are
actually habit forming. So used are people to taking them as an everyday
commodity that they have come to regard them as harmless, pleasant, and
nourishing. I assure you that they are neither harmless nor nourishing though
no doubt many would protest that they are pleasant.
The sweets that 1 have
mentioned are manufactured by a process which destroys all their nutritive
elements. In the case of granulated sugar the sugar crystals that are formed
after the cane juice is treated with the fumes of burning sulphur or heated
with bisulphide of lime, are sterile and devitalized. It is just this fact
which makes sugar a commodity that will keep almost indefinitely which is a
distinct advantage from a commercial point of view but hardly from a health
one.
Sugar granules, in their final,
highly concentrated form, are powerful stimulants. When they reach the human
stomach they oxydize violently upon their contact with oxygen, which produces
an explosive effect upon the digestive system and causes an increased activity
in the internal organs. White sugar can be compared with a highly combustible
fuel that violently ignites, burns with a fierce intensity, and as quickly dies
down.
Can you imagine the shock
treatment all this activity has on the digestive and nervous systems? And
because of this fast dying down the body is aware of a hunger for more and more
sugar. It is this fact that makes people often eat as much as a pound of sweets
or chocolates at one sitting. The desire for ‘just one more’ becomes a
compulsion, and the more poorly nourished a person is the more susceptible he
will be to sugar addiction. For that is what it is, an addiction, no less. That
sugar, in the last analysis, can cause serious malnutrition is proved by the
fact that although like alcohol, it is a quick source of energy the effects do
not last and as the body becomes more and more dependent on these ‘quick lifts’
it becomes less inclined to eat nourishing food.
To sum up the case for honey
and the case against sugar I would say this. That artificial sugars must be
broken down by the digestive tract into simple sugars before they can be
utilized by the body, and thus they put an undue strain upon the system. The
use of honey presents no such problems as it consists entirely of natural
sugars that do not have to be oxydized by the digestive tract. Honey is
absorbed at once without excessive stimulation or shock to the system and it
does not result in a craving for more. Sugar is no substitute for honey as,
chemically, it is of an entirely different nature. So why be dictated to by the
heavy hand of commerce ?
In order to guide you in your
choice of foods for your Yoga diet I will here outline the principle vitamins
and their easily available food sources. Vitamins, in controlling the body’s
use of minerals, promotes a balance in the body necessary for the proper
functioning of the endocrine glands and the formation of hormones.
Vitamin A
The body uses this vitamin best
in conjunction with vitamin D in the proportion of 7-1. The principle sources
of vitamin A are cabbage, carrots, celery, endive, lettuce, oranges, parsley,
prunes and dried apricots, spinach, tomatoes, and watercress.
Lack of vitamin A produces
scaly skin, stones in the kidney and gall bladder, catarrh and sinus
infections, poor digestion, and low resistance to disease. This vitamin is
essential for proper growth of body tissues, and increases resistance to
infections of the urinary and respiratory tracts.
Vitamin Bx
The principle sources are
cabbage, carrots, celery, coconuts, citrus fruits, parsley, radishes, turnip
tops, and watercress.
Lack of vitamin B1 results in
low heartbeats, poor appetite, gastric, intestinal and nervous disorders,
chronic constipation and the enlargement of the adrenal glands and the
pancreas. Violent exercise, increasing age and weight, and feverishness all
increase the body’s need for this vitamin.
Vitamin B2
The main sources are apples,
apricots, cabbage, carrots, coconuts, citrus fruits, prunes, spinach, turnip
tops, and watercress. The supply of this vitamin decreases when there is an
increase in the consumption of fats and minerals, and is conserved by the
intake of fibrous foods.
Lack of vitamin B2 results in
lack of energy and stamina, loss of hair, cataract, tongue ulceration, and
disorders of the digestive tract.
Vitamin C
I would mention that copper
cooking vessels cause a serious loss of this vitamin. The main sources of it
are citrus fruits, cucumber, parsley, pineapples, radishes, rhubarb, tomatoes,
turnips, watercress, carrots, and green leaf vegetables.
Lack of this vitamin causes
many illnesses, among them being weakness and shortness of breath,
palpitations, headaches, tooth decay, peptic and duodenal ulcers; heart
disease, circulatory disease, and the impaired function of the adrenal glands.
Vitamin D
This vitamin is stored in the
skin as ergosterol, which is converted into vitamin D2 by sunshine or
ultra-violet light. Vitamin D controls the calcium content in the blood; excess
of vitamin D results in a number of disorders, including diarrhoea, depression,
and severe toxic disturbances.
Lack of this vitamin results in
fragile bones, rickets and bow legs, poor retention, and cramps resulting from
abnormally low calcium metabolism. Though this vitamin is not found in fruits,
vegetables and cereals, butter is an excellent source as is cod liver oil, for
non-vegetarians. For the vegetarians there are a number of artificial sources
of vitamin D, among them irradiated ergosterol.
Vitamin E
This vitamin is stored in the
muscles and fat and as it is rapidly depleted it must be renewed regularly. The
main sources of it are wheat germ, celery, lettuce, leafy green vegetables, and
parsley. According to recent medical research, lack of vitamin E can produce
sterility in both sexes, miscarriage, and loss of hair.
Minerals
The following minerals have
been declared essential to the human body by research authorities—calcium,
chlorine, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium,
sodium, and sulphur. I will describe each one briefly, listing the main food
sources.
Calcium (alkaline). Daily
requirements, adults 10 grains, children 15 grains. This mineral builds strong
bones and teeth, aids heart action and the clotting of the blood, and helps to
establish the correct balance of vitamin D in the body.
Main sources of calcium are
cheese, milk, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, carrots, celery, figs,
rhubarb, and parsley. Blackberries and cranberries are also a good source of
this mineral.
Chlorine. This is a general
cleanser of the body and helps to expel waste matter and purify the blood. It
also aids in the formation of gastric and other digestive juices. The main
sources of this mineral are fruits and vegetables.
Copper (acid forming). The main
sources of this mineral, which is necessary for the absorption of iron in the
body, are leafy vegetables, fresh and dried fruits.
Iodine (acid forming). As this
mineral is essential to the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, deficiency
in it results in goitre.and general glandular disturbances. The main sources of
it are green leafy vegetables, carrots, cucumber, prunes, radishes, pineapples,
and tomatoes.
Iron (alkaline). This is the
mineral that figures prominently in the building of red corpuscles, and which
also absorbs and carries oxygen in the bloodstream to all parts of the body.
There must be adequate supplies of chlorophyll and copper in the diet to effect
the proper assimilation of iron, and some experts consider that a woman needs
three to four times as much as a man. The main sources of iron are whole wheat,
oatmeal, dried beans, dried peas and dried fruits, green leafy vegetables,
cheese, tomatoes, bananas, and fresh string beans. Lack of iron results in
anaemia and general fatigue.
Magnesium (alkaline). This is
the mineral that keeps teeth and bones strong and hard. It also helps to build
cells, particularly of the lungs and nerves, and also helps to form albumin in
the blood. Lack of this mineral results in poor circulation, constipation, and
acidity. The main sources of this mineral are nuts, whole wheat, unpolished
rice, oatmeal, dried fruits, and leafy vegetables.
Phosphorus (acid forming). This
is another mineral essential to the building of sound bones and teeth and it
also maintains the alkalinity of the bloodstream by the phosphates it forms.
The most important sources of this mineral are nuts, particularly almonds,
cereals, grapes, citrus fruits, blackberries and cranberries, cucumbers, whole
wheat, wheat germ, soya beans, tomatoes, and watermelons.
Potassium (alkaline). This is
the mineral basis of all muscular tissue, and is vital to the correct
functioning of the liver. The main sources of this mineral are leafy green
vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Sodium (alkaline). Though this
mineral is important to the” body in forming the digestive juices, the saliva,
bile, and pancreatic juices, and for the elimination of carbon dioxide, table
salt is not the most beneficial source. It is far better to obtain it from its
natural sources such as whole wheat, rye bread, buttermilk, celery, bananas,
leafy vegetables, and beetroot.
Sulphur (acid forming). This
mineral has an antiseptic effect on the alimentary canal, is a constituent of
the haemoglobin and keeps the blood purified, and prevents toxic impurities
from accumulating in the body. All fruits and vegetables are good sources of
sulphur but these should be well balanced with foods of a high phosphorus
content such as milk, cheese and eggs, cereals and nuts. Foods high in
phosphorus but low in sulphur can lead to improper balance of these minerals in
the body.
The above will serve as a
useful guide to your future eating habits and with a little experimenting you
will find a diet that keeps you healthy and provides all the essential elements
you need. Though diet is very much a matter of individual taste and circumstances,
here is a list of ‘musts’ that I learned from my own Yoga teacher.
If you do not want anything,
then do not eat it even if you
think it is good for you. By
all means eat meat if you like it but
do not eat it merely because
you think you cannot live without
it. Apart from cheese, eggs,
and nuts, the soya bean products,
weight for weight, contain more
protein than the best steak.
Soya bean is not only cheaper
and more nutritious but it is also
non-acid forming.
Eat a little less of everything
but do effect this very gradually.
Do not starve yourself or
suffer hunger pains between meals but
do try to cut down on your
intake of food.
Avoid the
‘dead’ and devitalized foods, i.e. everything
refined, bleached, or
preserved. Eat wholewheat bread, raw
sugar, or honey.
When eating fruit do not throw
away the peel. Eat it with
the fruit, or in the case of
oranges, lemons, or tangerines the
peel can be grated to add a
delicious and tangy flavour to
other foods. Always cook potatoes in their jackets, either
baked or boiled. Much of the
protein in potatoes is usually
thrown away with the peel. And
remember the tops of celery,
carrots, turnips and beetroots
are too nutritious to be thrown
away. Cut them up and steam
them with the rest of your
vegetables.
Instead of serving just one
vegetable at a meal, cut up
several kinds and steam them
very slowly in very little water.
Do not overcook, in fact many
vegetarians prefer chopped or
diced vegetables to be slightly
underdone. This preserves the
natural texture and flavour.
Always cook vegetables slowly
in a pan with a tight fitting
lid and avoid copper cooking pans
if possible.
Do not drink too much tea or
coffee as tannic acid and
caffeine are not beneficial to
the body. By all means enjoy a
cup of tea or coffee but make a
mental note that you will gradually
cut down your intake. At the
same time try to drink more milk,
either hot or cold, but please
never iced.
Do not throw away water in
which vegetables have been
cooked. Why dump vitamins down
the sink when they make an
excellent basis for soups? With
a little seasoning added they are
very palatable to drink just as
they are.
Avoid fried foods especially if
you are over forty. When
you do eat fatty foods choose
what are known as unsaturated
fats—corn oil, sunflower seed oil,
and soya bean oil. Avoid
animal fats such as butter,
lard, and dripping, and also avoid
olive oil and margarine.
Experiment with cheeses. They
are all a wonderful source
of protein and America alone
has many fine cheeses with which
to vary your diet to say
nothing of the delicious cheeses from
other countries. Be
adventurous, try new things, and above all
eat only what is pure and
natural. Do not over-indulge and
whenever you are tempted to
reach for that chocolate box go to
the fruit bowl or the honey pot
instead. Try dates instead of
sweets.
To conclude I will list the
five basic Yoga rules for the maintenance of health and the prevention of
disease.
Natural wholesome food, enough
and no more for the
body’s needs.
Proper breathing and breath control exercises, for the
increased oxygenation of the
blood.
The practice of relaxation of
the body and of the mind.
Regular exercise to stimulate the circulation
and to keep
the spine supple and healthy.
The practice of concentration and
meditation, and the
correct method of directing the
thoughts towards positive
spiritual growth.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Female disorders
IF half the female Yoga
enthusiasts 1 know began their study of Hatha Yoga for the sake of improving
their figures, it can be safely said that the other half did so because of
menstrual pains and other female disorders. Many females find that drugs do
little to alleviate the dragging down pains they have to endure every month,
and so year after year they suffer in silence.
But this kind of pain is unnecessary.
Yoga can and does help. Practice, at least twice a day throughout the month,
the Sarvan-gasana or Shoulderstand described in chapter four, or if you are
unable to do this, try lying down with your feet very much higher than your
head. The chief function of this inverted posture in the battle against period
pains lies in the reversal of the influence of gravity upon the internal
organs. The fluids of the body tend naturally to flow downwards and even the
skeleton is subject to downward displacement by the pull of gravity. The
downward drag, though it may be held in check by a healthy and active body, is
nevertheless always present in some degree.
There is a greater tendency in
women than in men to suffer from varicose veins and prolapse of the viscera,
this being due to the wider pelvis and larger number of abdominal organs. By
inverting the body and holding it in poised stillness, all downward pressure is
relieved. Practice the Shoulderstand over a period of time and you will soon
begin to notice a lessening of the intensity of your discomfort each month,
until after a time it will cease altogether to be a problem. Though a certain
degree of slowing down of activity on the first two days of a period is
advisable, there need not be any undue resting. Incidentally the Shoulderstand
is especially recommended for women after childbirth after a suitable period of
recuperation has elapsed, but in all cases do not prolong the posture beyond
the point of absolute comfort. No Yoga exercises should be performed during
pregnancy or menstruation except the breathing ones, which can be done with
impunity.
An especially valuable exercise
for women suffering from ovarian and uterine disorders is the BHUJANGASANA,
called in English the COBRA POSE. AS it belongs to the basic group of essential
Yoga asanas it should never be omitted from any practice schedule, no matter
what the ailment from which you are suffering. It is not at all difficult and
can be performed by beginners in all age groups.
Cobra Pose
Lie face downwards on your mat
with your chin on the
ground, and your legs straight
and feet together. Place your
palms on the floor at shoulder
level keeping your elbows high
off the ground.
Inhale slowly and deeply and at
the same time slowly raise
your head, shoulders, chest and
upper abdomen, leaving the
lower part of your abdomen on
the floor. Keep arching your
spine as you complete your
inhalation, and remain thus for as
long as you comfortably can
without exhaling. You will feel a
strong pressure in the lower
part of your back as you push your
head back as far as you can.
And remember to keep your elbows
bent and well off the floor. I
have demonstrated the correct
position in figure 43, page
133.
When the impulse to exhale
appears, do so and at the same
time gradually lower your body
until you are once more touching
the floor with your chin.
Without pausing, inhale again
and repeat the movement
and after the second
performance of the Cobra relax before you
repeat the exercise a third and
fourth time.
The Cobra has many benefits and
is as suitable for men as for women for it affects the adrenal glands which lie
above each kidney, and the backward bend of the Cobra sends them a richer
supply of blood and subjects them to a healthy pressure. The Cobra is also
beneficial to people suffering from backache, displaced vertebrae, and poor
circulation.
A word of warning though. You
may not be used to exercising and your spine may be stiffer than you think so
do please be careful while bending backwards in this exercise. Be sure not to
jerk your body as you raise it off the ground as you could easily injure a
rigid muscle and the pain could last some time. Remember that the Cobra is a
beautiful and graceful exercise. As you leave the floor come up slowly and
majestically like a rising cobra and under no circumstances must you force
yourself to hold the position longer than you find comfortable. Gradually
increase the time you hold it until you can remain immobile in the Cobra pose
for ten seconds. When you are limbered up you can perform this asana up to six
times a day.
While the Cobra is particularly
useful to women suffering from dysmenorrhcea, amenorrhcea, leucorrhcea, and
various other utero-overine troubles, the overall benefits can be greatly
increased by those students able to increase the backward bend. Do not perform
the variation until you are able to do the Cobra I have just described with
perfect ease and comfort.
Cobra
Variation 2. From the first
position, rise into the Cobra with the elbows bent and the spine arched. Slowly
straighten the elbows, push the head back as far as you can, so that the
bending of the spine involves the sacral to the cervical region. Remain thus
for as long as you comfortably can without strain and then relax. When you can
perform variation 2 you can, if you wish, omit variation 1 from your practice
schedule.
Variation 3. There is yet a
third variation of the lovely Cobra Pose for advanced students but it can be
achieved by beginners who are athletic or who have been trained in ballet. From
variation 2, with elbows straight, bend the spine backwards still farther,
gradually bring your toes towards your head to touch the back of your head.
This tones the deep and the superficial muscles of the back, and also relieves
backache, helping to keep the spine young and supple.
And now to return to another
inverted posture to rest the internal organs. For my readers who find the
Shoulderstand just a little too strenuous but who need the benefits of this
valuable posture, there is a slightly easier posture which has the delightful
name of VIPARITA-KARANI MUDRA, meaning literally reverse effect. For short we
will call it THE REVERSE POSE.
The radiations which we receive
from the earth are negative while those from the cosmos are positive. Thus,
when in the ordinary standing position we receive the negative radiation
through the soles of our feet and the positive radiation through the top of the
skull. In the Yoga poses in which the body is turned upside down, viz.
Shoulderstand, Headstand, and Reverse Pose, the effect is just the opposite.
Additionally these postures bring an unaccustomed rich supply of blood to the
lower intestinal organs.
Viparita-Karani or Reverse Pose
Lie flat on your back, hands along
your sides and feet
together. Inhale deeply and at the
same time raise your legs and
buttocks off the floor, putting
your hands on your hips to steady
yourself and keep your body
reversed.
Place your thumbs just under your
hip bone and your
hands round the back of your
hips. You will find, by practice,
your most suitable position of
hands and elbows which should
be set about a foot apart to
maintain correct balance. I have
demonstrated Viparita-Karani in
figure 44, this position also
being the preliminary position
of the Plough Posture described
in chapter nine.
You will see from the
illustration that Viparita-Karani does not require the body to be held
straight, but bent at the waistline which should make it easier for some of my
readers than the Shoulderstand. Do please keep your knees straight, though, and
while in this position hold your body in poised stillness with your eyes
closed. Hold it for one minute at first but gradually extend the time until you
can hold it steadily and comfortably for ten minutes or more, according to the
time at your disposal.
This posture is especially
recommended for women who suffer from many kinds of female disorders, and any
kind of physical or mental distress during the menopause. Because this posture
affects the gonads it controls the ageing processes in the body and helps to
restore youth and vitality and a sparkle to the eyes.
Viparita-Karani is very much a
beauty treatment for it supplies the skin with an extra amount of blood and so
prevents and smooths away untimely wrinkles. This natural beauty treatment is
said by some to be worth far more than the costly facial massages in beauty
salons which are so beloved of film stars.
Before I go on to your next
exercise I would mention here that the CAMEL POSTURE or UTRASANA described in
chapter six in connection with backache should also be practiced by women
suffering from displacement of the uterus and fallopian tubes provided that the
displacement is not of a serious order. If you find the Camel too strenuous,
try this similar but slightly easier asana which is called CHAKRASANA or the
WHEEL POSTURE. Some of the variations of Chakrasana are only within the scope
of the most advanced student of Hatha Yoga, but this one is quite easy for
beginners.
Assume a kneeling position with
your knees slightly apart.
Inhale deeply and at the same
time bend slowly backwards, at
the same time raising your
buttocks.
As you complete your inhalation
grasp your ankles and
remain thus for as long as you
comfortably can without exhaling.
When the impulse to exhale
appears do so and at the same
time slowly return to the
starting position. Twice a day is enough
at first for this posture but
you can gradually increase the number
up to six. Lie down and relax
after this exercise, and take a few
deep recovery breaths.
To end this chapter I will describe
a series of slow and graceful movements which incorporate much of what I have
described in this chapter. For the busy housewife and mother who has little
time to spare, these movements act as a time-saving beauty treatment, a toning
up of nerves and muscles, and above all a means of relieving her internal
disorders. These movements include the Shoulderstand, the Leg-raising Pose
(Udhitta Padasana), Viparita-Karani, and the Plough Posture, and we will call
this series of seven movements YOGA IN SLOW MOTION.
Lie flat on your back with your
arms extended at shoulder
level. Keeping your toes
pointed and your knees straight slowly
raise your legs until they are
at right angles to your body. 1 have
demonstrated the correct
position in figure 46, page 139.
Still keeping your legs
straight and your knees together
lower them to the left, thus
forming a right angle with the body
as I have demonstrated in
figure 47. Your feet should be barely
touching the floor. Raise them
once again to the vertical and
then very slowly lower them to
the other side, until they are
barely touching the floor.
Raise them once again to the vertical,
remain poised thus for an
instant and then very slowly lower
them to the starting position
without altering the position of
your head, shoulders, and arms.
Relax before proceeding to the
third movement. The first two
are simplicity itself and the only
point to remember here is that
the movements should be done
in an unhurried and graceful
manner.
It is a good idea to put a slow
piece of music on the gramophone, something relaxing and deep-toned, to put you
into the right mood for these exercises and to encourage you to move slowly and
rhythmically.
Keeping your knees together,
toes pointed and legs straight,
raise them not more than an
inch or two off the floor and move
them very slowly round at floor
level until you are once again in
the position I have
demonstrated in figure 47. From this position
raise them to the vertical,
lower them to the other side and, still
without touching the floor,
bring them round to the starting
point. Relax for a few moments
and then repeat this movement
bringing your legs to the
opposite side.
From the starting position
bring your arms slowly towards
your body and
at the same
time raise your buttocks and
legs off the floor and rise
into a Shoulderstand, supporting
your back with your hands. The
Shoulderstand is pictured in
figure 6, page 39.
From the Shoulderstand slowly
bring your legs over your
head and lower them until the
toes are touching the floor behind
your head. You are now in the
Plough Posture which is pictured
in figure 45, page 137.
From the Plough Posture return
to the Shoulderstand, and
remain poised thus for a few
seconds.
Bend your body slightly at the
hips and at the same time
lower your hands, until they
are extended at shoulder level.
You should now be in the
position demonstrated in figure 46
with your legs pointing towards
the ceiling. From this position
slowly lower the legs and lie
fiat with the arms still at shoulder
level.
This completes the series of
exercises. Memorize them before you begin so that your performance is one
continuous graceful movement, up and down, side to side, up and down. The
benefits of this Yoga in Slow Motion series cannot be too strongly emphasized.
From a purely physical point of view all the muscles of the torso and legs are
brought into play, particularly the abdominal and dorsal muscles. From a mental
point of view it is a good exercise in concentration and control which is vital
if the movements are to be performed as they should be, that is slowly,
gracefully and above all fluidly. There should be no change of rhythm
throughout, and the pauses should match the even rhythms of the movements.
Points to remember. Keep your
legs straight throughout, and the toes pointed. Move your arms in rhythm with
your legs, and lastly remember your facial expression. It should reflect inner
peace and serenity, no matter how hard you are concentrating. And remember to
play some slow music while you do these movements. This will not only make it
more pleasant for you but will help you to establish an even rhythm. Almost any
Beethoven or Mozart slow movement would be suitable but I leave the choice to
your personal taste. Yoga in Slow Motion is recommended for toning up the
system after childbirth after a suitable rest period has elapsed following
confinement.
‘Women should practice Yoga
that they will have healthy and strong children. If mothers are healthy the
children will be likewise. The regeneration of young women means the
regeneration of the whole world.
Women who practice a course of
asanas systematically, with interest and attention, will have wonderful health
and vitality. I hope they will give patient hearing to my earnest and sincere
prayer and start practicing the asanas from the very day they read the Yoga
lessons.
Glory to these women who tread the
path of Yoga.’
SIVANANDA, the great modern saint.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Headaches, eyestrain and stiff neck
PERHAPS it has not occurred to
you that nervous tension may be the cause of weak eyesight and eyestrain. When
first considered, these two factors may not seem to be related, but it is an
established fact that anxiety and nervousness stimulate excessive eye muscle
activity which in turn gives rise to symptoms of eyestrain.
If, therefore, you have a
nervous temperament, and who has not in these troubled times, and you suffer
from symptoms of eyestrain, you may be able to overcome these symptoms simply
by learning to relax. Eyestrain is a very common ailment suffered by those who
live in a state of nervous tension because slight defects of the eyes, normally
tolerated by a calmer person, becomes aggravated in nervous people.
So it is Yoga again to the
rescue and your answer to this problem in the first instance lies in reading
chapter two again and practicing the CORPSE POSTURE faithfully every day for at
least ten minutes, and more if you have time. This is not time wasted but time
well spent even though it might take you some time to train yourself not to
keep glancing up at the clock and listing in your mind all the chores you have
to do while you are ‘relaxing’ on the floor. No, you must be firm with
yourself. Think yourself into a calm state of mind before you lie down on the floor
and practice stretching and relaxing. Then sink slowly into the Corpse Posture,
close your eyes and try to empty your mind of all thoughts but one pleasant
one. It helps if you are by a fire when you relax and if there is a slow and
beautiful piece of music playing in the background, for this will help to put
you into a drowsy and peaceful mood. If you find this inconvenient first thing
in the morning, try it at night before you go to bed.
Not only will it help you to
sleep but it is unlikely that you wilt wake up with that morning headache which
goes hand in glove with tension and eyestrain.
Some of you may find that
eyestrain makes your eyes itch or smart, in which case when you lie down to do
the Corpse Posture you will find it soothing to lay pads of cotton wool soaked
in warm water on your eyelids. You will have to concentrate really hard to coax
all your muscles to relax and you will have to be really stern with yourself
whenever you find your mind wandering, but mental discipline is not achieved
easily but you will find that the rewards for your efforts are well worth it.
In addition to practicing
relaxation I will describe some very gentle exercises which are designed to
develop concentration and mental focusing and also to soothe the eyes and strengthen
them. The first of these is a simple exercise called TRATAK or GAZING EXERCISE,
and it has two variations. The first one involves sitting down, either on the
floor or on a chair but in either case with the spine straight, and gazing at
the lighted flame of a candle. The candlestick should be placed on a table so
that the flame should be level with your eyes and three to four feet away.
Gaze at the flame while you
count to sixty and try very hard not to blink during that time. After the
count, close your eyes and try to hold the flame in your mind’s eye for a few
moments. Open your eyes once more, gaze at the flame, and count to sixty. Close
them again and relax.
You may continue the gazing
exercise for five minutes but gradually extend the time ad lib until you can do
it for ten minutes without undue strain. All eye exercises should be done very
gently, and if any discomfort is felt they should be stopped immediately.
Tratak is an excellent and
soothing exercise for the nerves and helps to relax the mind as well as the
eyes.
Variation 2. Again sit
comfortably with your spine straight and gaze at the tip of your nose while you
count to sixty. Under no circumstances should you experience any strain during
this exercise and if you do, please cease immediately. If you feel any
tiredness, watering or pain close your eyes and relax your facial and eye
muscles. After the count of sixty blink
your eyes tightly a few times and keep them closed while you count to sixty again.
Open them once more, gaze at the tip of your nose, blink a few times, and then
close them again.
This exercise strengthens the
eye muscles and increases the powers of concentration by fixing all the
attention on one point and through that to the central nervous system, which
will be soothed and relaxed. Always try to still the stream of circling thought
and these gentle exercises will give you a manifold reward.
Here is another exercise which
will not only help to relieve
eyestrain but the vision will
become clearer as the ophthalmic
nerves receive a richer supply
of blood. Sit down, either on the
floor cross-legged or else on a
hard chair with the spine held
erect but with the body quite
relaxed. Without moving the head,
lift your eyes and find a small
object which you can see clearly
and without straining. Then
find a similar point with the eyes
lowered, which you can see
without effort. Use these points to
glance at as you raise and
lower your eyes alternately several
times. Your breathing should be
normal. Glance up and down
four times, then close your
eyes to rest them for a few moments,
and repeat the up and down
movement of the eyes another four
times.
Repeat the same exercise but
this time move your eyes from
left to right without moving
your head.
The same exercise is repeated
with the eyes looking obliquely
upwards and downwards with the
eyes half closed. Choose a
point which you can see high up
on the wall from the corner of
your eyes, and then find one
which you can see clearly when the
eyes are obliquely lowered.
Repeat the upward and downward
movement of the eyes four
times, blink and relax for a few
moments and then repeat the
movements another four times.
Rest.
These movements are repeated in
reverse, starting with a
point on the opposite side of
the wall from the previous exercise, thus if you were glancing obliquely upward
right and downward left in the previous exercise these movements are reversed
in this exercise.
And now for something
different, though again I must
ask that you do this exercise
very gently and without experiencing
strain of any kind. It entails
rolling the eyes very slowly clockwise
and then anti-clockwise. Thus,
lower your eyes to the floor and
then slowly roll them round to
the right, continue rolling them
upwards until you can see the
ceiling and then lower them
slowly until you can see the
floor again. You must move very
slowly making a full vision
circle. When you have completed one
circle close your eyes after
blinking several times and relax.
After a few moments repeat the
movement in the opposite
direction. Repeat this exercise
twice each way and then close
your eyes and relax before
proceeding to the next exercise.
This exercise entails changing
the vision from close to
distant points. It is best done
with a candle flame once more
which should be placed in front
of your face just below the tip
of your nose. Holding the
lighted candle in your hand very
slowly move it away from you,
without raising or lowering it,
until you can see the flame
without straining and without any
blur. Raising your eyes slightly
look straight into the distance
and let your eyes alight on a
small point which you can see
clearly. This point and the
flame of the candle are the two things
you must look at in this
changing vision exercise.
Look at the flame, which is the
closer point, and then look at the distant one. Repeat these eye movements six
times then close your eyes and squeeze them tightly. Repeat another six times,
blink again and relax.
7. And now for something different again. This exercise will
not only help to relieve eyestrain
but will also relax you if you
are tense and remove stiffness
of the neck. It is a specially good
exercise when you get up in the
morning as many people suffer
from ‘morning stiff neck1
mainly through using too many pillows.
It is also a good exercise to
practice before performing the
Corpse Posture as it has a
soothing effect on the nervous system
and aids relaxation thereby.
I want you to imagine that your
head is too heavy for your body and that no matter how you try to keep it
squarely on your shoulders it always rolls away from the upright. Let your head
drop forward until your chin is on your chest and then let it roll slowly
clockwise several times, up to six. Then repeat the movements six times in the
opposite direction. Be careful to watch the muscles of your back and shoulders
and your facial muscles as these should be quite relaxed during this head
rolling exercise. Keep your eyes open during this exercise and let them follow
the direction of your head movements.
Do not be surprised if you hear
a grinding and a cracking noise as your head rotates. This is an indication
that the linings of the joints in your neck are inadequately lubricated and
that there is an accumulation of calcium deposits there. This is a sure
indication of your need to practice this exercise which will keep your upper
spine flexible and healthy. The Yogis maintain that you are only as old as your
spine and that by keeping the spine in a flexible, elastic and healthy
condition you can ward off old age for longer than you think. It is worth a
little trouble and exercise, is it not, to maintain one’s health? So practice
this head rotating exercise whenever you have a quiet moment and can perform it
inconspicuously.
All the stretching exercises I
have described in this book, and particularly in chapter two can be performed
in connection with exercising the eyes. The Backbend described in chapter four
can be performed so that your eyes follow the movements of your head and are so
exercised, and likewise in the Triangle Posture* described in chapter ten.
To try something new in this
combination of stretching and eye movement, try the Sideways Bend. Stand erect
with your hands on your head, your fingers laced .together. Keep your feet
together and your knees straight. Now bend sideways from the waist only for as
far as you can, remain thus for a few seconds and then move slowly to the other
side. Your eye movements should follow the movements of your head but on no
account should you experience any strain. If you do, please stop at once. Eye
exercises should always be done very gently and
with extreme caution. If there
is any pain or watering please blink your eyes tightly and then relax.
And now for one last exercise
to relieve eyestrain, which is also a good exercise in concentration and the
calming of the mind. It is known as PALMING THE EYES.
1. You have a choice of two
positions. For the young and flexible I would suggest you sit down on the
floor, cross-legged and your spine held erect. Draw up your knees slightly so
that you can place your palms over your eyes without bending your head at all.
When you have a satisfactory seated position rub your palms together vigorously
to charge them with electricity and place them over your closed eyes. There
should be a cupped palm over each eye with the fingers of the right hand
crossed over the fingers of the left or vice versa. The fingers should rest on
the forehead and the elbows should rest on your raised knees. Do not bend your
head.
The second seated position is
for those who cannot sit cross-legged on the floor. Choose a hard chair before
a table and sit with your elbows on the table in such a way that when you place
your palms over your eyes you can do so without bending your head. You may have
to use a book or two under your elbows to achieve this position. Having done so
rub your palms together vigorously and then place them over your eyes in the
position already described.
You can remain in this position
for as long as you find convenient. It has the effect of relaxing the nerves
and relieving eyestrain, but it can also be used for the purpose of practicing
concentration. While you are ‘palming’ your eyes choose a simple object such as
a rose you have seen, a candle flame or some similar small thing and hold the
image of it in your mind for as long as you can. When your thoughts stray lead
them gently back to the object of your concentration.
You can also use this quiet
period of ‘palming* the eyes to practice the Yoga Complete Breath. As your
spine should be held straight throughout this exercise, without bending your
head, it is a suitable position in which to practice deep breathing. Breathe in
to a count of four, hold the breath to a count of four and exhale to a count of
eight. Do this slowly and rhythmically and you will find that at the end of
your exercise when you open your eyes you will find a new calmness that perhaps
you have never known before.
Palming the Eyes is a simple
exercise but perhaps it is the most valuable of all in the relief of eyestrain
for, as I said at the beginning of this chapter, one of the primary causes of
eyestrain is tension. Remove the one and the other automatically disappears. It
would seem unnecessary to say that you should not read or do close sewing if
your eyes are tired, nor should you read in bed with the book above the level
of your eyes. The eyes should never be subjected to strain of any kind, and all
possible care should be taken to protect them from this. They are precious and
are deserving of your consideration.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Stomach, kidney, and liver
complaints
OF all the gems in the rich
collection of Yoga asanas there shines forth one which, in sheer beauty,
symmetry and grace, outshines all others except, perhaps, the serene Lotus,
that impenetrable fortress of repose. 1 refer to Ardha-Matsendrasana, called in
English the SPINAL TWIST, not a very poetic name for what you will see is a
Yogic poem of graceful movement. It has the fathomless mystery of Yoga itself,
but, also like Yoga it has a bearing and a meaning within our everyday lives. I
have said that one is as old as one’s spine and I have described all manner of
Yogic postures designed to keep the spine healthy and supple, mainly involving
forward and backward bending movements. The SPINAL TWIST effects in the dorso-lumbar
and lumbar region a lateral twist which not only keeps the spine healthy but
which imparts a health-giving massage to the abdominal organs and to the
kidneys.
The Spinal Twist is probably
one of the most difficult asanas in this book but to write a chapter on stomach
complaints without mentioning this posture would be tantamount to sacrilege, so
I will describe it in three simple sections, and at the end will describe a
simplified version of the posture for my readers who find the Spinal Twist a little
beyond them.
Spinal Twist
1. Sit down on the floor, spine
straight, legs outstretched and feet together. Raising the right leg place it
against the outside of the left knee with the sole firmly on the floor. Stretch
out your left arm and place your fingers on the toes of your right foot.
Thirdly, place your right arm around the back of your waistline as far as you
can, so that your outward facing palm rests on your left hip bone. At this
stage please look at figure 48 in which I have demonstrated the correct
position. (Page 151.)
This is the first stage of
Ardha-Matsendrasana. It is advisable to practice the correct movements of the
arms and legs before proceeding to the next stage. Remember that your spine
must be held straight and your head up throughout this exercise. Slouching will
not only spoil the look of the posture but will drastically decrease its many
benefits, so it is as well to perform this exercise before a mirror and check
your posture at each stage of the proceedings.
Having arrived at the position
as illustrated in figure 48 take a slow and deep breath through the mouth, hold
the breath for an instant, and while you exhale turn first your head, then your
shoulders, and then your back towards the right. Slowly please, and when your
lungs are completely empty you will rind you can turn just a fraction more to
the right. Remain thus for as long as you comfortably can. When the impulse to
inhale returns do so and at the same time very slowly unwind until you are once
more in the position in figure 48.
When you have mastered this
first stage of the Spinal Twist proceed to the next.
2. Assume the first stage of
the posture which by now will be familiar to you, bat this time bend your left
leg until your heel touches your right buttock. The hands should be in the same
position as before. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 49, page
151.
Again take a slow deep breath
through your mouth, pause for a second holding your breath and, while exhaling,
slowly turn to the right as far as you possibly can, making a slight extra
effort when the lungs are completely empty. Remain thus for as long as you find
comfortable, and try to exert as much pressure as possible at the height of the
lateral twist. When the impulse to inhale appears do so and at the same time
slowly and gracefully unwind. After a slight pause inhale again, and while
exhaling turn again to the right, returning to the starting position when the
impulse to inhale appears. Lie down after this and relax for a few moments,
taking a few deep recovery breaths before sitting up to try stage three of the
Spinal Twist.
3. In this third and final
stage you assume the second pose as in figure 51 but instead of placing your
left arm outside the left knee you place it inside as I have demonstrated in
figure 50.
Impossible did you say? Not if
you practice. Do it slowly like this. Raise your left arm, place the point of
your left elbow on your right knee and very slowly glide it along the right
side of the right leg until your fingertips either touch the floor or else you
can grasp your ankle as in the illustration. The purpose of this last movement
is to keep the muscles of the spine rigid on one side while those of the other
are subjected to the lateral twist. It is this third and final movement which
is the most important one though the mere altering of the position of an arm
might seem, at first glance, to be of slight importance. When you can perform
this exercise you will feel the enormous difference between stage 2 and stage 3
of this posture.
Having successfully assumed the
correct pose at stage 3, again inhale slowly and deeply through the mouth, turn
slowly to the right as you exhale, exert as much extra pressure as you can at
the end of your exhalation and after holding the pose immobile for as long as
you can slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the twist and then lie
down on the floor and relax. When you are rested repeat all movements with legs
reversed.
Complicated? Yes, I’m afraid it
is at first, but once you master the movements you will find it is likely to
become one of your favourite asanas. It is beautiful to look at, and when I
explain the benefits of this lovely asana you will surely want to keep
practicing it until you can perform it to perfection. And I assure you that it
looks somewhat more complicated on paper than in practice so study the
illustrations carefully, one stage at a time, and check your posture before a
mirror. I have known many people learn this posture in one or two lessons, but
do not be discouraged if you take a little longer. Hurry is a word which is
left entirely out of the Yoga vocabulary.
Ardha-Matsendrasana primarily
affects the adrenal glands which are situated above each kidney, thus sending
them a richer supply of blood. Thus sluggish kidneys are toned and the posture
also benefits a congested liver and spleen. Because it calls into play the deep
muscles of the dorsal and lumbar region, the spine is strengthened and made
more flexible. People with lumbago should also practice it as it brings relief
from this and allied complaints, and those with constipation and digestive
troubles would also gain much relief from practicing and perfecting the Spinal
Twist. Nerves and ligaments of the spine arc subjected to a healthy pull, and
the spinal nerve roots and sympathetic system are toned so that this posture
beneficially affects the entire organism.
As though all these benefits
were not enough this posture confers on all who practice it the grace and
flexibility of a ballet dancer.
In figure 51 you will see a
posture which is similar to the Spinal Twist with the exception of the upraised
right arm. The right arm is held with the upturned palm at shoulder level
instead of being wound round the back of the waistline. This variation of the
Spinal Twist is known as the SPHINX, and the exercise may be practiced thus as
a variation of the more strenuous one just described. And for those of you who
find the Spinal Twist just that much too difficult, here is a similar asana
which will confer almost all the benefits, but to a slightly lesser degree.
This exercise is called VAKRASANA or in English
THE HALF TWIST.
Sit down on the floor with the legs
stretched out and your
feet together. Bend the left leg
and place the foot on the outside
of the right knee, with the sole
firmly on the floor.
Bend the right leg until the heel
of it touches the left
buttock. Place your hands on
the floor on either side of you
with your thumbs and fingertips
just touching the floor. I have
demonstrated the correct
position in figure 52, page 155.
Inhale slowly and deeply and
while exhaling turn the body
slowly to the left. Hold this
position immobile for as long as you
comfortably can and then, while
inhaling again slowly return
to the starting position.
Repeat the movement to the other side,
and then relax. Vakrasana can
be performed up to six times a
day, and do please remember
that emphasis should always be on
the pressure at the height of
the lateral twist rather than on the
number of times of performance.
If, after practicing Vakrasana
for some time, you find that your spine is sufficiently limbered up for you to
be able to perform the full Spinal Twist, do practice it in its three stages
until you can do it with ease.
And now for something
different. This next exercise, called the KNEELING BRIDGE posture, is a
combination of the Frog Pose which I described in chapter seven and the Fish
Pose (Matsy-asana) which I described in chapter eight. This asana will bring
relief from disorders of the stomach, the pelvic organs, and the kidneys, and
imparts a healthy pressure to the deep muscles of the spine.
Kneel down keeping your knees
together and your feet
apart. Very slowly sit down on
the floor between your heels thus
assuming the Frog Pose.
Using your elbows, and moving
them carefully one at a
time, start to bend backwards
with your head thrown right back,
until the top of your head
touches the floor.
Lift your elbows from the
floor, place your hands, palms
together, over your diaphragm,
and fully arch your spine. I have
demonstrated the correct
position in figure 53, page 155.
Remain in this position for as
long as you can and all the while arch your spine to the utmost, at the same
time pressing downwards with your head. You will find this posture strenuous at
first but as you become limbered up it will become easier. Try to increase the
time you hold it until you can remain immobile for thirty seconds.
Great care must be exercised
when coming out of this posture. No jerks please, and do not hesitate to use
your elbows or your hands to support your back as you lift yourself up off the
floor. When you are proficient at the Kneeling Bridge posture you will be able
to exercise enough control to rise out of it gracefully with no support
whatever but until that time please go very carefully.
In addition to the benefits to
the lower organs already outlined the Kneeling Bridge posture limbers and
stretches the neck, larynx and trachea and thus improves the speaking and the
singing voice. It also tones up four important glands, the adrenals, the
pituitary, the thyroid and the pineal so altogether it is one of the most
valuable Yoga asanas and should never be omitted from any practice schedule.
I must warn my readers who
suffer from heart disease, hernia, and uterine disorders that this exercise is
not suitable for them.
A word here about gallstones,
an ailment which is becoming increasingly prevalent in this day of synthetic
foods and refrigerators. It is well known to those who practice Yoga that there
is a thirty-three and a third per cent chance of a complete cure from
gallstones by careful dieting, and without surgery.
The worst offenders in this
complaint are animal fats, ice-cold drinks, and ice-cream. The substances of
which gallstones are made are produced when the body is unable to cope
adequately with the amount of fat consumed. To avoid gallstones drink plenty of
pure, fresh water, at least nine or ten glasses a day. Take it hot if you wish,
with flavouring added, but never, never drink it ice cold. Avoid all foods and
drinks straight from the refrigerator, avoid all fried food, animal fats, salad
cream, and oils. Plenty of fruit is the order of the day and if you like fresh
vegetable juices, so much the better. In this way you will not only avoid
gallstones but liver and kidney diseases as well. And remember that animal fats
include lard, butter, liver and egg yolk, these so-called saturated fats being
high in cholesterol which substance builds up in the arteries and causes
untimely ageing.
If you must eat fats then take
the so-named unsaturated ones which include the vegetable oils—sunflower seed
oil, corn oil, olive oil, soya bean oil, and sesame seed oil, but even then it
is not advisable to over indulge in these. If you have trouble with your
pancreas, liver, spleen or kidneys be sure to master and keep practicing the
ABDOMINAL LIFT which I described in chapter five. It is impossible to
over-emphasize the far-reaching benefits of this exercise.
Sufferers from all stomach and
internal complaints would do well to practice the art of clean eating. Eat only
what is pure and wholesome. Study all I have written in the chapter on diet and
do not eat anything which has been refined or preserved. Above all, read again
chapter five and practice the exercises therein
STOMACH AND
LIVER COMPLAINTS 157
every day from now on. Free
yourself from ‘the mother of all diseases’ and you will be well on the Yoga
path to perfect health and everlasting youth, the Yoga path to Self-Realization
and Inner Peace.
If the way of Hatha Yoga seems
rocky and fraught with difficulties, so that your steps falter and you wonder
where all this hard work leads, let the immortal words of the Bhagavad Gita,
the ancient Hindu Song of God, inspire you to further efforts.
‘ With the sword of the
understanding of thyself thou shall rend asunder in thy heart every doubt
arising from ignorance, and thou shalt
achieve thy permanence
in Yoga.”
