BREATHING EXERCISE.

Find a quiet place as far as possible, where the air is pure and the surroundings soothing and pleasant.  After a bath or a thorough rubbing of the body from top to toe, with a wet towel, on an empty stomach, take this exercise:  Send a current of holy thought to everyone, on planes seen and unseen, north and south, east and west, engage in meditation—­take anyone of the meditation exercises you like.  When you are perfectly calm and relaxed, seat yourself cross-legged, assuming any posture that comes easiest to you, with head, neck and chest held in a straight line and the weight of the upper parts of the body resting on ribs.  Keep the region about the waist quite free.  Loosen the cloth there out and out.  Now inhale air slowly and steadily through right nostril after closing left nostril with your finger as long as it takes to count sixteen mentally.  Close both nostrils, holding the inspired air within and count sixty-four.  Then very slowly exhale the air through the left nostril for as long as it takes to count thirty-two.  You must begin with a 4 second inhalation, 16 second retention and 8 second exhalation.  Instead of dry counting you might improve yourself decidedly by repeating the word “Fearless” as many times holding mentally that dominant idea back of the word.  Practise 5 pranayamas mornings and evenings for one week daily.  Increase to 10 next week.  Work up to 20.  Go slowly.  Practise as long as you like, but not less than 6 months.  Be serious and earnest.  This is not for non-serious minds.  This exercise will augment digestive power, steady heart-action, make the body light and the mind calm.  It shall help also miraculously in your Soul-Unfoldment.  During this practice be pure in all ways.  Observe Bramhacharya.  Practice mental concentration and spiritual meditation.  Don’t talk much with others.  Don’t encourage any but holy society.  Don’t sleep much.  Don’t work very hard.  Keep your emotions well-in-hand.  Be always engaged mentally and physically.  Be hopeful and cheerful.  Never encourage negative thinking.  It shall do wonders for you.

PHYSICAL EXERCISE.

Exercise No. 1.

Stand straight, facing a corner of the room with bare feet about 14 or 15 inches from the corner itself, arms straight out, even with shoulders or perhaps two inches below, hands resting on the two-side walls, chest out, abdomen in.  Now lean forward towards the corner, without moving the feet or bending the knees.  Aim lightly to touch the corner with the chest, while holding the head and abdomen as far back from the corner as possible, arms and hands slipping forward on the walls in a straight line with shoulders.  Resume first position without moving the feet or lowering the arms, and repeat.  Make the forward movement slowly, at the same time inhaling through nostrils a slow, full breath; put your whole effort into stretching the chest forward and upward (careful not to bruise