Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/194

194 as the variety open to the student is so great that he should not require to have illustrations given him. Just let him give way to the mental idea of a good, restful stretch, and Nature will tell him what to do. Here is one general suggestion, however: Stand on the floor, with your legs spread apart and your arms extended over your head, also spread apart. Then raise yourself on your toes and stretch yourself out gradually as if you were trying to reach the ceiling. A most simple exercise, but wonderfully refreshing.

A variation of stretching may be effected by "shaking" yourself around lose and limp, employing as many parts of your body as you can. The Newfoundland dog, shaking the water from his skin when he emerges from the water, will give you a general idea of what we mean.

All of these plans of relaxing, if properly entered into and carried out, will leave the one practicing them with a sense of renewed energy and an inclination to again resume work, the same feeling as one experiences after arising from a healthy sleep and a subsequent good rubdown in the bath.

Perhaps it will be as well for us to give an exercise in Mental Relaxation before we conclude this chapter. Of course, physical relaxation reacts on the mind and rests it. But Mental Relaxation also reacts upon the body and rests it. So this exercise may reach the needs of some who have not found just what they required in the preceding pages of this chapter.

Sit quietly in a relaxed and easy position and