Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/196

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A favorite Yogi plan for snatching a moment's rest from the task of the hour—taking rest "on the fly," as one of our young friends recently expressed it—is as follows:

Stand up straight, with head erect and shoulders thrown back, your arms hanging loosely by your sides. Then raise your heels slowly from the ground, gradually throwing your weight upon the balls of the feet, and at the same time raising your arms up by your sides until they stand out from your shoulders like the outstretched wings of an eagle. Take a deep breath as the weight falls upon the balls of the feet and as the arms spread out and you will feel like flying. Then expel the breath slowly and gradually sink back upon the heels and let the arms sink to their first position. Repeat if you like the sensation. The rising and extending of the arms will impart a feeling of buoyancy and freedom that must be experienced to be realized.