It is necessary that the breath should flow freely through the lungs, tubes, and veins of the body, and things that one eats and drinks often block the channels through which the breath passes, invigorating and revivifying every particle of the body. All skin diseases are caused by want of breath in the skin. The mystic feels not only the vibrations of music but even the vibrations of the breath of another. Music, so to speak, touches every particle of the mystic's being.
Breathing exercises will not give proper results if the channels of the breath are not cleared. The spine, the lungs, the tubes and veins of the body, the intestines should be kept clear. When the channels of the breath are blocked one feels heavy, depressed, lazy, drowsy, and confused, the expression becomes dull and the voice harsh; then the movements become void of grace and beauty when sitting, or standing, or walking, or moving; in every action one expresses a weakness, a lack of spirit. Feebleness is different from lack of spirit. A person may be strong bodily but may lack spirit, and the teaching of Christ is that “it is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing.”
The vehicle which is made of earth can be cleansed with water and by air. Therefore, besides external ablutions, inner ablutions are necessary to make the body a proper vehicle for the working of the spirit. In many different religions different ways of ablutions are taught. They are not only for the cleanliness of the body, but are also helpful in making the body a fitting instrument for the spirit to experience life.
The external organs of the body are used for external activities, but the inner ones are the instruments of the mind. The factors which are closer to the mind and which are more important for man than the physical organs are the centers which are located in the body, and the cleaner the channels of the breath are, the more active do the centers become. The breath is to these centers as the air is to the plants. Besides inner ablutions, the breathing practice itself cleanses the channels of the body.
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