Page:Japanese Physical Training (Hancock).djvu/55

Rh devoted at least ten or fifteen minutes to continued deep breathing, standing with his hands on his hips in order that he might feel the play of the muscles.

Then there came a second step in breathing. This consisted of deep breathing in such fashion that the muscles just over the hips expanded at the sides like bellows, while the shoulders did not rise a fraction of an inch with inhalation. This second exercise is the more valuable in breathing work, but it cannot be readily mastered until the first essential idea of breathing as deeply as possible at each inhalation is understood. Deep breathing is practised by the dumb animals, as may be ascertained by watching the play of the muscles along the belly of a cow or a horse when walking. Savages who possess a fairly high type of physical development breathe deeply and properly. Civilised man is in danger of losing the art.

Deep breathing should be practised not to the point of fatigue at first, yet so constantly that after a while it will become an unconscious habit. Even when this is the case, ten minutes on rising in the morning should be devoted to