LESSON SIX
24. There are Yogis who, after years of practice of this exercise, are able to retain the breath for one or even two hours. This seems miraculous to the ordinary person.
25. Alternate Breathing. Close the left nostril and inhale a breath slowly through the right nostril. Exhale without retaining through the same (right) nostril. Now inhale through the left and exhale through same. Practice a number of times, alternating the nostril every time.
26. Breathing exercise of Thought Control. Close the left nostril and inhale a breath through the right. Retaining the breath as long as you can, try to concentrate on the act of retaining the breath without allowing any thoughts to enter your mind. Exhale through the right and inhale through the left and do likewise. The attempt to control thought every time when the air is in the lungs will help you to acquire the habit of thought control easily.
27. Other methods of controlling thought are by concentrating the mind on some sound such as the ticking of a clock, or on deep silence in which you hear a “still small voice”, or by concentrating the gaze on some object or on an empty void. By combining one or more of these with breathing you can acquire the art of thought control in a very short time.
28. An exercise for the Transmutation of Reproductive Energy. In order to affect a transmission of the reproductive energy to the solar plexus or to the region of the heart and lungs, or to the brain when the sexual instinct is uppermost, you should first close the right nostril flow if you are male, or the left nostril flow if you are female. You may keep the required nostril closed with one of the fingers till you go through the exercise. Stand erect or sit erect with feet placed squarely on the floor and inhale a deep breath through the open nostril. Retaining the breath, expand and contract the abdominal regions several times and then exhale. Inhale again through the same nostril and do as before.
29. When you inhale three or four breaths as directed the emotions will be subjugated but now you must transmit the energy to the required region. Do this by inhaling another breath and retaining it without expanding or contracting the abdomen. Then, contract or draw in the anus, mentally ordering the energy to be transmitted to the required region. Exhale, and inhale another breath and contract the anus as before. If you have mastered the act of drawing in the anus, you will actually feel the etheric energy which animates the sex organs being drawn up,
30. Remember in the transmutation of the reproductive energy, the most essential thing is the contraction of the anus, there should be no contraction or shrinking of the abdominal regions, but an internal action of the intestines and the muscles of the anus, only.
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LESSON SIX
Review Questions
1. Why should we practice deep breathing?
2. How do Yogis practice rhythmic breathing?
3. What is the first important rule to be remembered in breathing exercises?
4. Why is this necessary?
5. What is the next important rule?
6. What is the third rule?
7. Why should this be done?
8. What is the next important rule?
9. What is accomplished by this?
10. What are the next two rules?