Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/17

Rh we apologize for the publication of this little book which has for its end the instruction of Yogi students in the care and scientific development of the physical body.

The Yogis believe, you know, that the real Man is not his body. They know that the immortal "I" of which each human being is conscious to a greater or lesser degree, is not the body which it merely occupies and uses. They know that the body is but as a suit of clothes which the Spirit puts on and off from time to time. They know the body for what it is, and are not deceived into the belief that it is the real Man. But while knowing these things, they also know that the body is the instrument in which, and by which the Spirit manifests and works. They know that the fleshly covering is necessary for Man's manifestation and growth in this particular stage of his development. They know that the body is the Temple of the Spirit. And they, consequently, believe that the care and development of the body is as worthy a task as is the development of some of the higher parts of Man, for with an unhealthy and imperfectly developed physical body the mind cannot function properly, nor can the instrument be used to the best advantage by its master, the Spirit.

It is true that the Yogi goes beyond this point, and insists that the body be brought under the perfect control of the mind—that the instrument be finely turned so as to be responsive to the touch of the hand of the master.

But the Yogi knows that the highest degree of responsiveness on the part of the body may be