The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-11-20

rule holds good-the larger and stronger
the animal the more slowly and deeply
| IT OrCatheS. The more oxygen it gets
the more powerful it is The ant is,
IN proportion TO its weight. a hundred
times rs strong as the elephant-aud
uses up about twenty times as much
oxygen. The ant, like all insects, Is
| very strong, being able to sustain two
thousand times the weight of it's own
body. And all insects are deep breath
ers. especially the hard workers, like
ants and bees. Among men also the
deep breathers are the hard workers.
SIMPLY because deep breathing gives
one the trength-strength Of body and
strength of will-to work hard. The
men at the head of the worlds great
enterprises today are almost without
exception men who are deep breathers,
and who therefore get a full supply
of the food that is in the air
review Of the strong men Of all
times would show that all or nearly
all of them have been remarkable for
their full chests and good lung power.
Washington, Napoleon, Webster. Glad
stone, Grant. Frederick the Great. and
in our own day those models Of energy,
Taft. Bryan. show by their type OF
body that they have large. active lungs
lungs which enable them to draw from
the air large supplies of the life giving
oxygen. And how shall I get more
of this wonderful air food?" you will
perhaps ask. Simply learn to breathe.
that's all. Ii is not especially difficult
to breathe correctly, although in some
cases it will take quite a little time
several months, perhaps-to learn.
First of all. don't wear tight cloth
ing. If your collar, neck dressing, cor
set. belt. coat or waistcoat is tight.
you can't breathe correctly. and there
is not the slightest use i'm trying to
do so. In correct breathing the body
expands several inches. in all direc-
tions-from side to side. from back 10
front and from above dOWnward; and
this expansion cannot take place If the
body be bound with tight clothing. After
freedom of the body has been obtained
it is generally necessary to take special
exercises for the purpose of making
the body so flexible that it can expand
in order to take in the air, to breathe.
For this purpose the following simple
exercises are most valuable.
The first exercise is for the purpose
of lifting up and expanding the body.
as only the expanded body can be fleX-
ible enough to take in deep draughts
of the food that is in the air. Stand
with feet together. Now inhalC deep.
full breath. at the same time swinging
the arms up at the sides until the palms
meet above the head and turning the
face up toward the ceiling Then, hold
ing the breath. stretch firmly. After
a few moments exhale the breath, re-
lax the muscles and swing the arms
down to original position.
The second exercise ACCOM- plishes the
same result in rather different way:
Stand with feet together. arms hang
ing. Now take slow, full breath. at
the same time swinging the arms
straight up in front of you until they
are over The head. Then. without hold
ing the breath, sweep the arms down.
ward and backward until they are i'm
the original position. The movement
of the arms in this exercise is almost
in q circle, up in front as the breath
is taken in. downward and backward
as the breath is exhaled.
The next exercise is more directly
conductive to flexibility. not only Of
the chest walls but of the entire body:
Stand with left foot i'm advance. bear
ing the weight upon that leg. ExhaIe
the breath slowly. allowing arms. head
and body to droop forward. Then in
hale full, deep breath easily at the
same time uplifting the body and face
and swinging the arms up over the
head Not only for imparting power
and fleXibility to the chest and lungs.
but also as an exercise for general
body upbuilding. this is one of the best
I know.