Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/79

Rh loudly, besides their ears have ceased to recognize the vibrations, being so much taken up with other things. It is astonishing to find how people neglect this important feature of life. Many drink scarcely any fluids, and even say that they do not think it is "good for them." This has gone so far that we know of one so called "health teacher" who puts forth the astounding theory that "Thirst is a Disease," and counsels people against the use of fluids at all, stating that the use of them is unnatural. We will not attempt to argue with such teachings—their folly must be apparent to any one who will look at the natural life habits of man and the lower animals. Let man go back to Nature, and he will see water-drinking all around him, in all forms of life, from the plant up to the highest mammal.

So much importance does the Yogi attach to the proper use of drinking water, that he considers it one of the first principles of health. He knows that a large percentage of sick people are sick because of their lack of the fluids which the body requires. Just as the plant needs water, as well as the food derived from the soil and air, to bring it to healthy maturity, so does man require the proper amount of fluids to keep him in health, or to bring him again to health in case he has lost it. Who would think of depriving a plant of water? And who would be so cruel as to fail to provide the faithful horse with the requisite amount of water? And yet, man, while giving the plant and the animal that which his common sense teaches him they require, will deprive himself of the life-giving fluid, and will suffer the consequences, just as would the plant and horse