HATHA YOGA/PART 1
CHAPTER 1.
WHAT IS "HATHA YOGA"
The science of Yoga is divided into several branches.
Among the best known and leading divisions are (1) Hatha Yoga; (2) Raja Yoga;
(3) Karma Yoga; (4) Gnani Yoga. This book is devoted only to the first named,
and we will not attempt to describe the others at this time, although we will
have something to say upon all of these great branches of Yoga, in future
writings.
Hatha Yoga is that
branch of the Yoga Philosophy which deals with the physical body—its care—its
well-being—its health—its strength—and all that tends to keep it in its natural
and normal state of health. It teaches a natural mode of living and voices the
cry which has been taken up by many of the Western world: "Let us get back
to Nature," excepting that the Yogi does not have to get back for he is already
there, for he has always clung close to nature and her ways, and has not been
dazzled and be fooled by the mad rush toward externals which has caused the
modern civilized races to forget that such a thing as nature existed. Fashions
and social ambitions have not reached the Yogi's consciousness—he smiles at
these things, and regards them as he does the pretenses of childish games— he
has not been lured from nature's arms, but continues to cuddle close up to the
bosom of his good mother who has always given him nourishment, warmth and
protection.
Hatha Yoga is first,
nature; second, nature, and last, nature. When confronted with a choice of
methods, plans, theories, etc., apply to them the touchstone: "Which is
the natural way,” and always choose that which seems to conform the nearest to
nature. This plan will be a good one for our students to follow when their
attention is directed to the many theories; "fads”; methods; plans and
ideas, along health lines, with which the Western world is being flooded.
For instance if they are
asked to believe that they are in danger of losing their "magnetism”, by
coming in contact with the earth, and are advised to wear rubber soles and
heels upon their shoes, and to sleep in beds "insulated” with glass feet,
to prevent nature (mother Earth) from sucking and drawing out of them the
magnetism which she has just given them, let the students ask themselves "What does Nature
say about this?” Then, in order to find out what nature says, let them see
whether nature's plans could have contemplated the manufacture and wearing of
rubber soles, and glass feet for beds. Let them see whether the strong magnetic
men, full of vitality, do these things—let them see whether the most vigorous
races in the world have done these things—let them see whether they feel
debilitated from lying down on the grassy sward, or whether the natural impulse
of man is not to fling reclining on the bosom of their good mother earth, and
whether the natural impulse of man is not to fling himself upon the grassy
bank—let them see whether the natural impulse of childhood is not to run
barefoot; whether it does not refresh the feet to take off the shoes (rubber
soles and all) and walk around barefooted; whether rubber boots are
particularly conducive to "magnetism” and vitality, and so on.
We give this merely as
an illustration, not that we wish to waste time in discussing the merits or
demerits of rubber soles, and glass bed feet as a preservative of magnetism. A
little observation will teach the man that all of nature's answers show him
that he gets much of his magnetism from the earth, and that the earth is a
battery charged with it, and is always willing and anxious to give forth its
strength to man, instead of being devoid of it and to be dreaded as being
anxious and likely to "draw" the magnetism from man, its child.
Some of these latter day
prophets will next be teaching that the air draws Prana from people, instead of
giving it to them.
So, by all means, apply the nature test to
all theories of this kind—our own included—and if they do not square with
nature, discard them—the rule is a safe one. Nature knows what it is about—she
is your friend and not your enemy.
There
have been many and most valuable works written on the other branches of the
Yogi Philosophy, but the subject of Hatha Yoga has been dismissed with a brief
reference by most of the writers upon Yoga. This is largely due to the fact
that in India there exists a horde of ignorant mendicants of the lower fakir
class, who pose as Hatha Yogis, but who have not the slightest conception of
the underlying principles of that branch of Yoga. These people content
themselves with obtaining control over some of the involuntary muscles of the
body (a thing possible to anyone who will devote
to it the time and trouble necessary for its accomplishment), thereby acquiring
the ability to perform certain abnormal "tricks" which they exhibit
to amuse and entertain (or disgust) Western travelers. Some of their feats are
quite wonderful, when regarded from the standpoint of curiosity, and the
performers would be worthy applicants for paying positions in the "dime
museums" of America, indeed their feats being very similar to some
performed by some of the Western "freaks."
We hear
of these people exhibiting with pride such tricks and acquired habits as, for
instance the ability to reverse the peristaltic action of the bowels and
intestines, and the swallowing movements of the gullet, so as to give a
disgusting exhibition of a complete reversal of the normal processes of those
parts of the body, so that articles introduced into the colon may be carried
upward and ejected from the gullet, by this reversed movement of the
involuntary muscles, etc. This, from a physician's point of view, is most
interesting, but to the layman is a most disgusting thing, and one utterly
unworthy of a man.
Other
feats of these so-called Hatha Yogis are about on a par with the instance which
we have reluctantly given, and we know of nothing that they perform which is of
the slightest interest or benefit to the man or woman seeking to maintain a
healthy, normal, natural body. These mendicants are akin to the class of
fanatics in India who assume the title "Yogi", and who refuse to wash
the body, for religious reasons; or who sit with uplifted arm until it is
withered; or who allow their finger nails to grow until they pierce their
hands; or who sit so still that their birds build nests in their hair; or who
perform other ridiculous feats, in order to pose as "holy men" before
the ignorant multitude, and, incidentally, to be fed by the ignorant classes
who consider that they are earning a future reward by the act. These people are
either rank frauds, or self-deluded fanatics, and as a class are on a par with
a certain class of beggars in American and European large cities who exhibit
their self-inflicted wounds, and bogus deformities, in order to wring pennies
from the passers-by, who turns his head and drops the coppers in order to get
the thing out of his sight.
The people whom we have just mentioned are regarded with
pity by the real Yogis who regard Hatha Yoga as an important branch of their
philosophy, because it gives man a healthy body—a good instrument with which to
work—a fitting temple for the Spirit.
In this little book, we have endeavored to give in a
plain, simple form, the underlying principles of Hatha Yoga—giving the Yogi
plan of physical life. And we have tried to give you the reason for each plan.
We have found it necessary to first explain to you in the terms of Western
physiology the various functions of the body, and then to indicate Nature's
plans and methods, which one should adhere to as far as possible. It is not a
"doctor book", and contains nothing about medicine, and practically
nothing about the cure of diseases, except where we indicate what one should do
in order to get back to a natural state. Its keynote is the Healthy Man—its
main purpose to help people to conform to the standard of the normal man. But
we believe that that which keeps a healthy man healthy will make an unhealthy
man healthy, if he follows it.
Hatha Yoga preaches a sane, natural, normal manner of
living and life, which, if followed will benefit any one. It keeps close to
nature and advocates a return to natural methods in preference to those which
have grown up around us in our artificial habits of living.
This book is simple—very simple—so simple, in fact, that
many will most likely throw it aside because it contains nothing new or
startling. They have probably hoped for some wonderful recital of the far famed
freak tricks of the mendicant Yogis and plans whereby these feats could be
duplicated by those who would read it. We must tell such people that this book
is not that kind of book. We do not tell you how to assume seventy-four kinds
of postures, nor how to draw linen through the intestines for the purpose of
cleaning them out (contrast this with nature's plans) or how to stop the
heart's beating, or to perform tricks with your internal apparatus. Not a bit
of such teaching will you find here. We do
tell you how to command a rebellious organ to again function properly, and
several other things about the control over an involuntary part which has gone
on a strike, but we have mentioned these things only in the line of making man
a healthy being—not to make a "freak” of him.
We have not said much
about disease. We have preferred to hold up to your gaze the Healthy Man and
Woman, asking you to look well at them and see what makes them healthy and
keeps them healthy. Then we call your attention to what they do and how they do
it. Then we tell you to go and do likewise, if you would be like them. That is all we try
to do. But that "all” is about everything that may be done for you—you
must do the rest yourself.
In other chapters, we tell you why the Yogis take care of
the body, and also the underlying principle of the Hatha Yoga— that belief in
the Intelligence behind all Life—that trust in the great Life Principle to
carry on its work properly—that belief that if we will but rely on that great
principle, and will allow it to work in and through us all will be well with
our bodies. Read on, and you will see what we are trying to say to you—will get
the message with which we have been charged to deliver to you. In answer to the
question, with which this chapter is headed: "What is Hatha Yoga?",
we say to you: Read this book to the end, and you will understand some little
about what it really is—to find out all
it is put into practice the precepts of this book, and you will get a good fair
start on the road to that knowledge you seek.
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