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Hatha Yoga: The Yogi Philosophy of Physical Well-Being1836
health in this respect?” Well, our answer is: “First get rid of the abnormal
filthy accumulation, and then keep yourself sweet and clean and healthy, by
following nature’s laws. We will endeavor to show you how to do both of
these things.”
If the colon is but slightly filled with impacted faeces, one may get rid of
it by increasing the fluids and by encouraging regular movements, and by
treating the intelligence of the cells of the stomach (as hereinafter described).
But, as over half of the people who are mentally asking us this question, have
colons more or less filled with old, hardened, impacted, faecal matter, of
an almost green color, which has been there for months, perhaps longer,
we must give them a more radical remedy. As they have gone away from
nature in contracting this trouble, we must aid nature somewhat in restoring
lost conditions so that she may thereafter have a clean colon to work with.
We will go to the animal kingdom for a suggestion. Many centuries ago the
natives of India noticed that certain birds of the Ibis family—a long-billed
bird—would return from journeys into the interior in a wretched condition,
which was due either to their eating some berry which was very constipating,
or else having been where there was no water to drink—possibly both. This
bird would reach the rivers in an almost exhausted condition, scarcely able to
fly from weakness. The bird would fill its bill and mouth with water from the
river and then, inserting the bill into the rectum, would inject the water into
the bowel, which would relieve it in a few moments. The bird would repeat
this several times, until the bowel was completely emptied, and would then
sit around and rest for a few minutes until its vitality was restored, when,
after drinking freely from the river, it would fly away as strong and active as
ever.
The chiefs and priests of the tribes noticing this occurrence, and its
wonderful effect upon the birds, began to reason about the matter, and
finally some one suggested that it might be tried to advantage upon some
of the old men who, by reason of their non-activity and sedentary habits,
had departed from nature’s normal plan and had become constipated. So