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THE SCIENCE OF BREATHING
we say that this should be done only for about five minutes each day, and that is sufficient ; and as this peculiar system of breathing, which is only resorted to as a matter of exercise, is really for the purpose of strengthening the moral as well as the physical nature, the time is important. There is a rule among the Hindus that in any act of a spiritual nature nothing of the physical nature should interfere, even so far as the physical nature is concerned, certain functions of the body ought not to continue when other functions are going on. The stomach ought not to be filled with anything when we want to breathe rhythmically in this way, because when the parts cannot move in a natural way there is an obstacle, and rhythmical breathing would interfere with digestion if practised immediately after eating, therefore it should be practised early in the morning and never just after it meal. The rule of the Yogis is that they breathe in this way four times a day, morning, noon, six p. m. and midnight. They do not sleep so much as many other people do, and their quantity of food is also limited. The rules have something to do with the different plexuses and centers of the occult powers. The spinal columm is a great repository of many powers. There are at least six centers there ; the plexuses located there are prostatic, epigastric, cardiac, sacral, laryngeal, and cavernous. One is on the back of the spinal column, the others near the navel, heart, throat and in the forehead between the eyes ; and there are also others all over the body. The five
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