5 per cent of free
oxygen.

Not only is every part vitalized by the oxygen, but the act of
digestion depends materially upon a certain amount of oxygenation of
the food, and this can be accomplished only by the oxygen in the blood
coming in contact with the food and producing a certain form of
combustion. It is therefore necessary that a proper supply of oxygen
be taken through the lungs. This accounts for the fact that weak lungs
and poor digestion are so often found together. To grasp the full
significance of this statement, one must remember that the entire body
receives nourishment from the food assimilated, and that imperfect
assimilation always means an imperfectly nourished body. Even the
lungs themselves depend upon the same source for nourishment, and if
through imperfect breathing the assimilation becomes imperfect, and
the lungs in turn become weakened, they are rendered still less able
to perform their work properly, and so in turn the body becomes
further weakened. Every particle of food and drink must be oxygenated
before it can yield us the proper nourishment, and before the waste
products of the system can be reduced to the proper condition to be
eliminated from the system. Lack of sufficient oxygen means Imperfect
nutrition, Imperfect elimination and imperfect health. Verily, "breath
is life."

The combustion arising from the change in the waste products generates
heat and equalizes the temperature of the body. Good breathers are not
apt to "take cold," and they generally have plenty of good warm blood
which enables them to resist the changes in the outer temperature.

In addition to the above-mentioned important processes the act of
breathing gives exercise to the internal organs and muscles, which
feature is generally overlooked by the Western writers on the subject,
but which the Yogis fully appreciate.

In imperfect or shallow breathing, only a portion of the lung cells
are brought into play, and a great portion of the lung capacity is
lost, the system suffering in proportion to the amount of
under-oxygenation. The lower animals, in their native state, breathe
naturally, and primitive man undoubtedly did the same. The abnormal
manner of living adopted by civilized man--the shadow that follows
upon civilization--has robbed us of our natural habit of breathing,
and the race has greatly suffered thereby. Man's only physical
salvation is to "get back to Nature."

CHAPTER IV.

THE ESOTER