Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/248

248 which stimulates the cells to manufacture energy."—Elmer Gates.

Dr. Hack Tuke, in his well known work on mental diseases, etc., written long before the "Mind-cure" interest was manifested in the Western world, gives numerous cases of diseases produced by fear, among them being, insanity, idiocy, paralysis, jaundice, premature greyness and baldness, decay of the teeth, uterine troubles, erysipelas, eczema and impetigo.

During times when contagious diseases are prevalent in communities, it is a well attested fact that fear causes a great number of the cases, and also causes many deaths in cases in which the attack is but light. This is readily understood when we consider the fact that contagious diseases are more apt to attack the person manifesting impaired vitality, and the further fact that fear and kindred emotions impair the vitality.

There have been a number of good books written upon this matter, so there is no occasion for us to dwell at length upon this part of the general subject. But before leaving it, we must impress upon our students the truth of the oft repeated statement as "Thought takes form in action," and that mental conditions are reproduced in physical manifestations.

The Yogi Philosophy, in its entirety, tends to produce a mental attitude of calmness, peace, strength and absolute fearlessness among its students, which, of course, is reflected in their physical condition. To such persons mental calmness and fearlessness comes as a matter of course, and no special effort is necessary to produce it. But to those who have not as yet acquired this mental calm,