Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/88

88 practice to regain it. A little practice will soon begin to create a demand for water, and you will in time regain the natural thirst. A good plan is to keep a glass of water near you, and take an occasional sip from it, thinking at the same time what you are taking it for. Say to yourself: "I am giving my body the fluids it requires to do its work properly, and it will respond by bringing normal conditions back to me—giving me good health and strength, and making me a strong, healthy, natural man (or woman)."

The Yogis drink a cupful of water the last thing before going to bed at night. This is taken up by the system and is used in cleansing the body during the night, the waste products being excreted with the urine in the morning. They also drink a cupful immediately after arising in the morning, the theory being that by taking the water before eating it cleanses the stomach and washes away the sediment and waste which have settled during the night. They usually drink a cupful about an hour before each meal, following it by some mild exercise, believing that this prepares the digestive apparatus for the meal, and promotes natural hunger. They are not afraid of drinking a little water even at meals (imagine the horror of some of our "health-teachers" when they read this), but are careful not to "wash down" their food with water. Washing down the food with water not only dilutes the saliva, but causes one to swallow his food imperfectly insalivated and masticated—makes it go down before Nature is ready—and interferes with the Yogi method of masticating the food (see chapter on same). The