XXVIII. Fresh Air
Now, do not
pass-by this chapter, because it treats of a very common subject. If you feel inclined to
so pass it by-then you arc the very person
for whom it is intended, and by whom it is most needed. Those who have looked into the matter and have learned
something of the benefit and necessity of fresh air, will not pass this chapter by, even though they may know all
that it contains-they are glad to read the good news again. And, if you
don't like the subject, and feel inclined to skip it, then you surely need it.
In other chapters of this book we have
spoken of the importance of breathing-both in its esoteric as well as
its exoteric phase. This chapter is not
intended to take up the subject of breathing again, but will merely give
a little preachment upon the necessity of
fresh air and plenty of it-a preachment much needed by the people of the
West, where hermetically closed sleeping
rooms, and air-tight houses arc so much in vogue. We have told you of
the importance of correct breathing, but
the lesson will do you but little good unless you have good fresh air to breathe.
This thing of people shutting
themselves up in tightly closed rooms,
lacking proper ventilation, is the most stupid idea that one can conceive of.
How people can do it after
acquainting themselves with the facts regarding the action and
functions of the lungs, is more than the
thinking man can answer. Let us take a plain, common-sense, brief look
at this subject.
You will remember that the lungs are constantly throwing
off the waste matter of the system-the breath is being
used as a scavenger of the body, carrying off the waste
products, broken down and refuse matter from all parts of the system. The
matter thrown off by the lungs is almost as
foul as that thrown off by the skin, the
kidneys and even the bowels-in fact, if the supply of water given the system is not sufficient,
nature makes the lungs do much of the
work of the kidneys, in getting rid of the foul poisonous waste
products of the body. And if the bowels are not carrying off the normal amount of waste matter, much of the
contents of the colon gradually
works through the system, seeking
an outlet, and is taken up by the lungs and thrown off in the exhaled breath. Just think of it-if
you shut yourself up in a tightly
closed room, you are pouring out
into the atmosphere of that room over eight gallons an hour of carbonic acid gas, and other foul and
poisonous gases. In eight hours you throw off sixty-four gallons. If there arc two sleeping in the room,
multiply the gallons by two. As the
air becomes contaminated, you
breathe this poisonous matter over and over again into your system, the quality of the air becoming
worse with each exhaled breath. No wonder that anyone coming into your
room in the morning notices the stench
pervading it, if you have kept the windows lowered. No wonder you feel cross, stupid, quarrelsome, and generally
"grouchy" after a night in this kind of a pest house.
Did you ever think
just why you sleep at all? It is to give
nature a chance to repair the waste that has been going on during the day. You cease using up her
energies in work, and give her a
chance to repair and build up your system so that you
will be all right on the morrow. And in order to do this work right, she requires at least normal conditions. She expects to
be supplied with air containing the proper proportion of oxygen-air that
has been exposed to the sunlight of the
preceding day and which has thereby been freshly charged with Prana. Instead of this you give her nothing but a limited amount of air, half-poisoned
with the refuse of your body. No wonder she gives you nothing but a
patch-work job sometimes.
Any room that smells of that peculiar fetid odor that you
have all noticed in a poorly ventilated bedroom, is no place
for you to sleep in until it has been ventilated and kept supplied with fresh
air. The air in a bedroom should be as nearly as possible kept as pure as the outside air. Don't be afraid of catching cold.
Remember that the most approved
modern method of treating consumption
calls for the patient to be kept in the
fresh air, at night, no matter how cold it is. Put on plenty of bed covering, and you will not mind the
cold after you get a little used to it. Get back to nature! Fresh air
does not mean sleeping in a draught, remember.
And what is true of
sleeping rooms is also true of living rooms, offices, etc. Of course, in winter
one may not allow too much of the outside air to get into the house, as that
would bring down the temperature too low,
but still there is a happy compromise which may be made even in cold climates. Open the windows once in awhile and
give the air a chance to circulate in and out. In the evening, do not
forget that the lamps and gaslights are
using up a goodly supply of oxygen also-so freshen things up a little,
once in awhile.
Read up
something on ventilation, and your health will be
better. But even if you do not care to go that deep into the
matter, think a little bit of what we have said, and your
common sense will do the rest.
Get
out awhile every day and let the fresh air blow upon
you. It is full of life and health giving properties. You all
know this, and have known it all your lives. But,
nevertheless, you stick indoors in a manner which is entirely foreign to
Nature's plans. No wonder you do not feel
well. One cannot violate nature's rules with impunity. Do not be afraid
of the air. Nature intended you to use
it-it is adapted to your nature and requirements. So don't be afraid of
it-learn to love it. Say to yourself while walking out and enjoying the fresh
air: "I am a child of Nature-she gives me this pure good air to use, in
order that I may grow strong and well, and keep so. I am breathing in health
and strength and energy. I am enjoying the sensation of the air blowing upon
me, and I feel its beneficial effects. I am Nature's child, and I enjoy her
gifts." Learn to enjoy the air, and you will be blessed.
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