Evening star., 1939-02-21
Yogo Experts Reveal Power
Of Mind Over Muscle
Indio's Quosi-Socred Physical Culture
Made Up Of "a Body Pastures

The 3,000-year -old Yoga system Of
physical culture. developed and
handed down in India for countless
generations. was demonstrated by
its foremost exponents, Bishnu
Charan Chose and his pupil,
Buddha Bose, before the congrega-
ton of the Standardization Fellow
ship last night.
Now on world tour, the Hindu
exponents of Yoga came to Wash
ingotn after several demonstrations
\ at Columbia University in New York
City.
Eighty-four different body pos
lures, designed to show the control
and development of muscles by the
mind, were presented before the fel-
loWship, non-sectarian church
founded here II years ago by Mr..
Ghoses older brother, Paramahansa
Yogananda, noted Hindu theologian.
The church's chapel is located at
4748 Western avenue NV. ,
Will Power Plays Role.
The Yoga system might be called
exercise without exercise. Mr..
Chose and Brahmachari Jotin, lead
er of the congregation, described it
as "energization of muscles by will
power" to develop not only the mus
cular tissues but the nervous and
organic tissues of the body as we'll
The usual equipment of physical
culture and the paraphernalia of
games are absent. The postures,
ranging from simple exercises taught
beginners to almost unimaginable
contortions, were demonstrated by
young Bose, whom Mr. Chose de-
scribed as "a teacher himself for the
past three years"
In India, the Yoga method always
has been connected with theology
and has been taught in connection
with religion and philosophy. The
poStures shown last night illustrated
the cardinal points of the system
breathing, posture, muscle control
and glandular development.
There are eight ways to breathe
properly, Mr.. Chose pointed out,
with breathing by force of the throat
which utilizes the full power of the
lungs.
BY muscular control, he con-
tended, he can relax so completely
while awake that he requires only
six hours Of sleep a night and can,
If necessary, get by with only few
hours of sleep a week.
Affects Muscles Differently.
Another contradiction to modern
physical culture is found in the
muscle development of Yoga. Mus
cles of the average strong man"
or outstanding athlete are developed
to the point where they are hard,
even though relaxed. An examina-
ton of the muscles of Mr.. Chose
and Mr.. Bose showed they are soft,
almost flabby, when relaxed, but
hard as a rock when contracted.
Mr.. Chooses forearm expansion has
been measured at more than 2
inches when contracted. His chest
expansion ranges between and 9
inches. That of his pupil, who is
in his 20s, is about inches.
When Mr.. Bose presented an alb
dominal contraction posture, the
center of his body became excep-
tionally thin. According to Mr..
Chose, X-ray pictures of this pos
ture have revealed most of the in
ternal organs go into the chest
box"
For beginners, the Yoga postures
are quite simple, such as a sitting
position, drawing the knees to the
body with both arms, and a hori-
zontal position, drawing a knee to
the body. "The easier postures,"
Mr.. Chose said, make the limbs
flexible. When this is achieved,
the more intricate postures become
easier"
Mr.. Chose II the head Of q sys.