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Hatha Yoga: The Yogi Philosophy of Physical Well-Being1904
the cat crouched in an easy, graceful attitude—no muscular contraction, no
tense attitude; a beautiful picture of intense vitality in repose, but ready for
instant action. Still and motionless remains the animal; to all appearances it
might be asleep or dead. But wait till it moves! Then like a flash of lightning
it darts forward. The repose of the waiting cat, although absolutely devoid
of movement or tense muscles, is a very live repose—a very different thing
from “laziness.” And note the entire absence of quivering muscles; of nerves
“on edge”; of beaded perspiration. The machinery of action is not strained
with waiting. There is no waste motion or tension; all is in readiness, and
when the moment of action comes the prana is hurled into fresh muscles
and untired nerves and the action follows the thought like the spark from
the electric machine.
The Hatha Yogis do well to use the cat family as an illustration of grace,
vitality and repose.
In fact, there can be no great power of quick and effective action unless
the ability to relax is also there. People who fidget, fret, and fume, and
“stamp” up and down, are not the people who do the best work; they wear
themselves out before the hour for action arrives. The man who may be
depended upon is the one who possesses calmness, the ability to relax,
repose. But let not the “fidgety” person despair; relaxation and repose may
be cultivated and acquired just as may be other desirable “gifts.”
In our next chapter we will give a few simple instructions to those wishing
to acquire a working knowledge of the Science of Relaxation.