Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/197



in his original state did not need to be instructed in physical exercise—neither does a child or youth with normal tastes. Man's original state of living gave him an abundance of varied activity out of doors, and with all the best conditions for exercise. He was compelled to seek his food, to prepare it, to raise his crops, to build his houses, to gather up fuel, and to do the thousand and one things which were necessary to live in simple comfort. But as man began to be civilized he also began to delegate certain of his duties to others, and to confine himself to one set of activities, until at the present day many of us do practically no physical work, while others do nothing but hard physical work of a limited scope—both living unnatural lives.

Physical labour without mental activity dwarfs a man's life—and mental labour without some sort of physical activity also dwarfs the man's life. Nature demands the maintaining of the balance—the adoption of the happy medium. The natural, normal life calls for the use of all of man's powers, mental and physical, and the man who is able to so regulate his life that he gets both mental and physical exercise is apt to be the healthiest and happiest.

Children obtain the necessary exercise in their