Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/226

226 order to keep out its rays—run away from it in fact. Now, remember right here that when we speak of the sun's rays, we are not speaking of heat. Heat is produced by the action of the sun's rays coming in contact with the earth's atmosphere—outside of the earth's atmosphere (in the inter-planetary regions) intense cold prevails, because there is no resistance offered the sun's rays. So when we tell you to take advantage of the sun's rays, we do not mean to sit out in the heat of the mid-summer sun.

You must stop this practice of running away from the sunlight. You must admit the sun to your rooms. Do not be so afraid of your rugs or carpets. Do not keep your best rooms closed all the time. You do not wish your rooms to be like a cellar into which the sun never shines. Open your windows in the early morning, and let the rays of the sun, either direct or reflected, beat into the room, and you will find an atmos­phere of health, strength and vitality gradually pervading your home, replacing the old atmosphere of disease, weakness and lack of life.

Get out into the sun once in a while—don't shun the sunny side of the street, except when the weather is very warm indeed, or about noon-time. Take sun-baths occasionally. Get up a few minutes earlier, and stand, sit or lie down in the sun, and let it freshen up your whole body. If you are so situated that you may do so, take off your clothing and let the sun's rays reach your body without the interference of clothing. If you have never tried this, you will scarcely believe how much virtue there is in a sun-bath, and how strong you will feel after