II. The Yogis' Regard for the Physical Body
To the casual observer, the Yogi Philosophy presents the
apparent anomaly of a teaching which, while holding that the physical body
is material and as nothing when compared to the higher principles of Man, at the same time devotes much care and importance to the instruction of its students in the
direction of the careful attention, nourishment, training, exercise and
improvement of that physical body. In fact
one whole branch of the Yogi teachings, Hatha Yoga, is devoted to this care of the physical body, and goes into considerable detail regarding the
instruction of its students in the
principles of this physical training and development.
Some Western
travelers in the Orient who have seen the
care which the Yogis bestow upon their bodies, and the time and
attention which they devote to the task, have jumped to the conclusion that the
Yogi Philosophy is merely an Oriental
form of Physical Culture, a little more
carefully studied, perhaps, but a system having nothing
"spiritual" in it So much for seeing merely the outer forms, and not
knowing enough to look "behind the scenes."
We scarcely need to explain to our students the real reason
for the Yogis' care for the body, nor need we apologize
for the publication of this little book which has for
its end the instruction of Yogi students in the care and
scientific development of the physical body.
The Yogis believe, you know, that
the real Man is not his body. They know that the immortal "I"
of which each human being is conscious to a greater or lesser
degree, is not the body which it merely occupies and uses. They know that the
body is but as a suit of clothes which the Spirit puts
on and of! from time to time. They know the body for what it is, and are not deceived into
the belief that it is the real Man. But
while knowing these things, they also know that the body is the
instrument in which, and by which the Spirit
manifests and works. They know that
the fleshly covering is necessary
for Man's manifestation and growth in this particular stage of his
development They know that the body is the Temple of the Spirit.
And they, consequently, believe that the care and development of the
body is as worthy a task as is the
development of some of the higher parts of Man, for with an unhealthy and imperfectly developed physical body, the mind cannot function properly, nor
can the instrument be used to the
best advantage by its master, the Spirit.
It
is true that the Yogi goes beyond this point, and insists
that the body be brought under the perfect control of
the mind-that the instrument be finely turned so as to
be responsive to the touch of the hand of the master.
But the Yogi knows that the highest degree of responsiveness on the part of the body may be obtained only when it, the body, is properly cared for, nourished
and developed. The highly trained body must, first of
all be a strong healthy body. For these reasons the
Yogi pays such great attention and care to the physical side of his nature, and, for the same reason,
the Oriental system of Physical Culture forms a part of the Yogi science of
Hatha Yoga.
The Western Physical Culture enthusiast develops his
body for his body's sake, often believing that the body is He. The Yogi develops
the body knowing it to be but an instrument for the use of the real part of himself, and solely that he may perfect the
instrument to the end that it be used in the work of Soul growth. The Physical Culturist contents himself
with mere mechanical movements and
exercises for developing the muscles. The Yogi throws Mind into the task, and develops not only the muscle but every
organ, cell, and part of his body as
well. Not only does he do this, but he obtains control over every part
of his body, and acquires mastery over the involuntary part of his organism as well as over the voluntary,
something of which the average
Physical Culturist knows practically nothing.
We trust to point
out to the Western student the way of the
Yogi teachings regarding the perfecting of the physical body, and feel assured
that he who will follow us carefully
and conscientiously will be amply rewarded for his time and trouble, and will
acquire the feeling of mastery over
a splendidly developed physical body, of which body he will feel as
proud as does the master violinist of the
Stradivarius which responds almost with intelligence to the
touch of his bow, or as does the master
artisan over some perfect tool which
enables him to create beautiful and useful things for the world.
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