THE T E N - P O I N T

WAY T O H E A L T H
SURYA NAMASKARS
S ln im a n t Balasahib Pandit Pratinidhi, I3 .A .
R A J A H O F A U N D II

E D IT E D

W IT H

AN

I N T R O D U C T I O N BY
L O U IS E

M ORGAN

20 I L L U S T R A T IO N S

J. M . D E N T A N D S O N S L T D
LONDON

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CONTENTS
CHAP.

PACE
INTRODUCTION

I. THE HABIT OF HEALTH

II. THE MEANING OF SURYA NAMASKARS

*9
*4

III. THE PRELIMINARIES

34

IV. BREATH IS LIFE

38

43

55

V. THE TEN POINTS

VI. VALUE TO WOMEN

VII. WARDING OFF OLD AGE

61

VIII. USE IN SCHOOLS

IX. OUR OWN EXPERIENCE

66

73

X. EVOLUTION OF SURYA NAMASKARS

78

XX. HEALTH THROUGH SPEECH

til

XII. THE SOUNDS THAT HELP .

88

93

97

X V . POINTS ABOUT DIET

IOJ

XVI. N2W LIFE FOR OLD

108

XIII. CURE OP CONSTIPATION

X IV . TUBERCULOSIS

between pages 12 a n i l 13

PHOTOGRAPHS .
d ia g r a m s

,>

52 a n d 53

IN T R O D U C T IO N
i
A

l it t l e

o v e r a y e a r a g o , in in y c a p a c i t y as

jo u r n a li s t , I h a d t h e p r i v i le g e o f t a lk in g w it h o n e
o f t h e m o s t v i t a l h u m a n b e in g s I h a v e e v e r m e t
a n d I h a v e in t e r v ie w e d h u n d r e d s o f t h e w o r l d s
o u t s t a n d in g m e n a n d w o m e n .

H e is the R ajah o f A undh, ruling prince o f

one o f the states in the Bom bay Presidency, a
wise legislator and hum anitarian, who is rebuild
ing his domain into a m odern progressive state
from w hich old age, pain, disease, worry, and
econom ic ills arc being grad u ally elim inated.
I h ad discovered beforehand that the rajah
was over seventy, and know ing that Indians age
early, I was prepared for even more o f the
sagging muscles and profound wrinkles which
m ark the vast m ajority o f old people* everywhere.
Im agine my astonishment, therefore, when
the rajah s secretary presented m e to him in the
draw ing-room o f a suite at the S avoy H otel, to
see a m an with the agile, supple m ovem ents o f
youth, eyes shining like a boys, strong, brilliantly
white teeth, firm muscles, radian t sm ile, and a
m ind that worked like summ er lightning.
7

I NT R O D U C T I O N

He looked a youn g m iddle-age. L a ter he was

to tell m e that h e had known no illness, not even
a cold, for tw enly-eigh t years.
Y ou seem surprised not to find me the usual
d o cd crin g old c re a tu re ! he said, and his secre
tary jo in ed in o u r laugh. It was im possible to
resist the good hum our o f this youn g m an o f
seventy-one.
T h e rajah then told m e a story o f healing and
the renew ing o f the life force w hich sounded like
the discovery o f the long-sought F ountain o f
Y o u th .

But the secret w as nothing so m iracu lou s; it

la y in a series o f exerciscs called S u ry a Xam askari, literally translated Sun Prayers/
T h e y were sim plicity itself, he explained,
taking only five or six m inutes to com plete a
round o f tw enty-five cycles and requiring no sort
o f equipm ent w hatever.
B reathing was a fundam ental part o f Su rya
Namaskars, three controlled breaths bein g taken
for each cycle o f ten positions.
A n y one could try them , o f a n y age, men or
wom en alike. T h e y cost nothing, all that was
ncccssary lifting a flat floor space ab o u t two feet
b y seven feet.
T h e rajah had brought with him a film taken

INTRODUCTION

in his paJacc and in his slate schools showing

himself, his ranee, children, and subjects going
through the exercises, and I w as shown stills'
from it.
T h e ranee, a charm ing w om an o f thirty-six
who has had eight children,, looked like a girl o f
sixteen. H er body was slender, supple, and
d elicatcly rounded. I was told she is extrem ely
strong and suffers p ractically no pain a t ch ild
birth.
T h e effcct o f Su rya N am askars on w om en is
even m ore astonishing than on m en, said the
rajah. O u r wornftn agr* very rap idly, but now
th ey can keep the vita lity an d beau ty o f their
youth to an advanced a g e.
A n o ih er wom an actor in the film was the
sixty-ycar-old m other o f ten children, w ho had
suffered all her life from rheum atism and super
fluous fat. She began the N am askars in 1925,
and had com pletely got rid o f her rheum atism
and was now as young-looking as h er d au gh ters.

3
I was deeply impressed w ith the rajah 's story,
b u t, being a sceptical new spaperw om an, not en
tirely convinced. So w hen I returned to the
office o f m y paper, the N ews Chronicle> to write
the interview for the next d a ys issue, I did not

IO

I N T R O DU C T I O N

sign it, for to sign it w ould have im plied more

crcdcncc than I felt.
A year earlier, and 1 should soon have forgotten
both rajah and story in the whirl o f Fleet Street,
where one event tops another in the coursc o f an
hour or even less.
But, as it happened, I had had a twelvem onth o f
unusual stresses and strains, and was for the first
time aw are o f a possible drain on the abundant
capital o f energy with which N ature had sup
plied me.
Also, I was on the ev e o f m y holiday. T h e
im age o f the ageless m an went with m e to the
Dorset coast, and there I found m yself one
m orning trying Surya Nam askars in the spirit
in which the rajah h a d described them to me.
From the v e ry first I noted a reflow o f energy
back into m y being. Pursuing them with too
m uch vigour, I strained several musclcs, so that
I lim ped for days. B ut, in spite o f this, I per
sisted, and in six weeks tim e I understood the
significance o f m any sayings o f the rajah which
had been obscure to m e.
M eanw hile, letters h a d been pouring into the
jVews Chronicle office, requiring further inform a
tion in regard to the fountain o f y o u th and
the ten -p o in t w ay Co h ealth ' the exercises
described in m y interview with the rajah, and

I NT RODUC TI ON

as a result I was asked by the editor to write a

scries giving full particulars o f Su rya Namaskars.
T h is brought me in touch w ith a twcnty-threcycar-old son o f the rajah studying la w in London
for the purpose o f helping his father in his
state work.
Shrim ant A ppasahib was a m agnificent physi
cal specim en, but there was about him a more
impressive qu ality than perfect bodily fitness,
l i e had, in the midst o f nerve-ridden London,
an O lym pian ealmncss and poise.
H e had practised Su rya N am askars since he
was a small boy, and to them he attributed the
fact that he had never bad an illness and never
known such a thing as fear. I w atched him
pose for the photographs at the end o f this book,
and when he had finished the dozen o r so
N am askars necessary he was dripping and radiant
as i f he had risen out o f some eternal spring.
T h e great advantage o f these exercises, he told
m e, is that they do not strain any part o f the
body, o r ovcr-dcvelop some muscles at the ex
pense o f others, but they search out every cell
and sinew, rousing them, and tuning them into
harm ony. T h e y make the body sing.
In this w a y Shrim ant A ppasahib used them as
a tonic im m ediately after a hard d a y s sport, such
as ski-ing, to prevent soreness and fatigue.

12

INT RODUC TI ON

T h ey had also kept his nerves in good condition

for his law exam inations, he told me, removing
all trace o f uneasiness and clearing his brain.

4T h e News Chronicle scries illustrated with photo

graphs o f Shrim ant A ppasahib appeared in
August 1936, and now, o ver a year later, I still
receive letters regularly from people all over the
country and abroad who have been carrying out
the exercises and deriving benefit from them.
T h ey have told me o f rem arkable cures, o f the
restoration o f faith and hope, and o f the intensi
fication o f emotional experience which m ade each
waking to a new d a y a delight.
These letters com e from a representative scction
o f the readers o f a great national newspaper
doctors, school teachers, bankers and bank clerks,
poets, saxophonists, new spaper vendors, char
women, typists, retired civil servants, writers,
engineers, actors, and dozens o f other types.
O ne letter touched me m ore than most, and
I reproduce it here, om itting only the nam e and
address:
D e a r S ir ,
H a v in g been a reader o f y o u r p ap er for a num ber
o f years I should lik e to th a n k L ouise M o rgan through
y o u r p ap er for the S u rya N am askars.
F irst o f a ll, I h ave been a m iner and h av e worked

PH OTOGRAPH S
SU R Y A N AM A SK A R S D EM O N STRATED
B Y A N E X P E R T , A P P A S A H IB , S O N O P
T H E R A J A H O F A U N D II

I NT R O D U C T I O N

*3

at ------ C ollieries since th e a g e o f 18 a n d a m now 52,

n e a rly a ll th a t tim e h a v in g been, sp en t cru ttin g , that
is d rivin g tunnels from o n e seam o f co al to an oth er
u sin g com pressed a ir e n g in e w h ich y o u h old against
th e b o d y for b o rin g h oles w h ic h a r c a fte rw a rd s changed
w ith P o w d e r and th en fired. Y o u c le a n u p a n d ca rry
on til! C o a l is reach ed . Som etim es the ro ck is $0 h a rd
it w ill tak e o v e r an h o u r to bore it o n e y a rd . J u st
th in k o f th e d u st w h ich is not a llo w e d to settle o w in g
to th e C a fllin g a b o u t o f th e e x h a u st a n d w ith a ll the
latest devices. A m a n m ust b re a th e a b ig p ercen tage
o f dust. F or e v e ry sh ot thats Jired th e concussion
p icks u p dust fifty y a rd s a w a y . N o w o n d e r three o f
m y m ates h a v e d ie d before th e a g e o f forty-three.
A b o u t m y o w n h ea lth , on F ob 22nd [936 I h a d to
g iv e u p w o rk o w in g to Silicosis h av in g b e e n X -r a y e d
and foun d w ell-established in bath lu ngs. I am
re ce iv in g C o m p en satio n w eek ly for sam e.
W hen visitin g m y P anel D o cto r w h ich is on e and a
h a lf m iles a w a y there is a steep b a n k for a b o u t sixty
yard s. E v e r y tim e I h a v e g o n e th a t w a y I h ave had
to stop h a lfw a y for a few seconds to g e t m y breath ,
n o w I c a n w a lk p retty sh arp all th e w a y to the D octors
w ith o u t a n y effect.
I h a p p e n e d to read Louise M o rg a n s first a rticle o f
exorcises b u t d id n 't th in k a n y thin g o f it till the next
m o n iin g as I la y in b e d too tired to g e t u p thinking
and w ish in g 1 co u ld d o ro o y ard s in tw e n ty seconds*
then I th o u g h t a b o u t lungs th a t w ere id le, could I get
them to w ork. S o I slip ped o u t o f b e d a n d stood in
position, n o w d r a w in c o u n t seven, I d id , w h en up to
three I w a s d o n e b u t I kept on p u ffin g o u t till I counted
four a n d after fo llo w in g it up e v e ry m o rn in g as soon
D

I NT RO DU C T I ON

as I get OXil o f bed I feel th a t m uch better I can COunc

nine now and instead o f tw o hours in th e green fields
w h ich used to kn ock me up I can do six w ith ou t being
e x tra tired. T h e d o cto r tells m e I shall be able to
w ork ag ain in A few years tim e.
W ill fellow sufferers ju s t think o f it, nerves better,
m ental w orry gone, ju st t r y the breathing exercises.
I f you w ould like to la k e co p y o f C ertificate, w ill

forward it on to you.
Shake hands w ith Louise M o rg a n for m e as I feci a
n e w matt.

..

f u r n
to u r s faithfully,

T h e testimony o f these unsolicited letters, cover

in g a period o f over a year, added to m y own
personal experiment, has convinced me that
Surya Namaskars have a healing, strengthening,
and revitalizing effect on the entire being on
mind and spirit as well a s body.
T h e y help w om en e q u a lly w ith m en because
th eir aim is to free to th e fullest exten t the
in d ivid u al personality.
Som e explanation o f their pow er m ay be found
in the facc that they arc the concentration o f
hundreds o f generations o f human experience.
T h e rajah emphasizes their ancient and tradi
tional origin; he himself has but improved and
adapted them.
T h e y include the full cycle o f hum an activity
since the casting-out from the G arden o f E den;

INTRODUCTION

15

the thrusting down o f th e treader o f grapes and

the wom an in childbirth, the proud stretch o f the
warrior and the eoqucttc, the swing o f reaper
and weaver, the tautness o f runner and mother
protecting her young, the bend o f the weeder,
the washer, and the hum an being at prayer.
In our m echanized times, these natural physi
cal movements h ave been lost o r distorted, and
it restores something o f the prim itive vigour and
oneness o f being to revive them.
W e westerners arc a youn g people. T h e East
goes back a very long w a y I
o
Sound is always associated with m ovem ent in
eastern exercises. T h e recitation o f the mantras,
which arc certain syllables so ancient that they
have lost their m eaning, invariably accompanies
the ritual o f health or religion.
But the rajah desires most sincerely to have it
known that the furthest thing from his mind is
any kind o f proselytizing purpose.
T h e mantras are essentially non-religious, and
owe none o f their virtues to a religious sourcc.
Instead o f the mantras themselves [kram, krim , hrurn,
hrnim , kraum, hralt}, the separate vowels o r con
sonants o f w hich they a rc com pounded m ay be
spoken w ith exactly as go o d effect.

I N T R O DU C T I O N

6
T h e present edition >f Surya Namaskars is the
fifth. T h e first three w ere published in India
in 1928, 1929, and 19 3 1, and each edition was
o u t o f print a few m onths after publication.
So sure was the faith o f the rajah in Su rya
Namaskans to im prove th e physical, m ental, and
spiritual condition o f m ankind, that he published
the book out o f his p rivate purse. W hatever
m oneys accrued from th e sale o f the book were
devoted to welfare w ork am ong the youth o f liis
state. T h e rajah s share in th e present edidon
w ill be devoted to the sam e object in this country.
I wish to thank M r G erald Barry, editor o f
the N ews Citronicie, for allow in g m e to reprint the
photographs o f S lu im a u t A pp asah ib taken from
the series o f articles published in A ugu st 1936.
I
should like also to express m y appreciation
o f the kind help given m e b y M r $- N . D utt o f
India House in ad a p tin g the Indian term inology.
L. M .

THE TEN-POINT
WAY TO HEALTH

CHAPTER 1
THE HABIT OF HRALT1I

M ost people think th a t i f th ey d id m ore busi

ness, th ey w ou ld e n jo y life b elter, b u t they do
not a p p reciate the fa ct th at i f th ey en joyed life
b etter th ey w ou ld d o m ore business.
Unless they are healthy they can never enjoy
life.
M an s first d u ly , therefore, is to acquire superb
health. Your succcss financially, socially, and
personally depends fundam entally on your health.
T h e annual loss to industry and com m erce, not
to mention die privation entailed on individual
families, brought about b y illness and physical
inefficiency on the part o f workers is beyond
computation.
T h e philosopher Emerson says: T h e first
wealth is health. Sickness is poor-spirited and
cannot serve any o n e; it must husband its re
sources to live. But health or fullness answers
its ow n ends, and has to spare, runs over and
inundates the neighbourhoods and creeks a f other
men's necessities.'
T h e tim e has now com e for som e strenuous

20

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

effort to be m ade in a ll seriousness to overcom e

the national d egeneracy, and econom ic ineffi
ciency all o ver the w orld, du e to bad health.
U ntil now , a num ber o f different w ays and
methods h ave been trh:d with b u t small succcss.
In spite o f the ad van ce o f m edical science, <>!<!
diseases are on the increase an d new ones arc
com ing into existence.
All this is due to the in excusable and p ro
foundly cu lp ab le neglect o f the wise m axim ,
Prevention is better than cu re. O u r chief
energy should now be directed tow ards adopting
measures to prevent rather than to cu re disease.
T h is is the o n ly w ay to break the vicious chain
o f h cicd ity, w h ich passes on the ill health o f the
father and m other to the children. C reate a
race o f health y fathers and m others, and you
w ill have h ealth y children. L et us forget our
unhappy generation and build for the future.
Some scientific and system atic form o f bodily
cxercisc, adopted to develop youn g bodies to
tliei> jvrfi'Clion, chonM flienjfbrc
once he en
forced upon the youn ger generation in general,
and upon yo u n g people in p articu lar in schools,
colleges, and universities.
T h ere arc no short cuts or specifics for health.
It must be acquired and m aintained throughout
life by the observance o f a rigid regim en. From

THE

HABIT

OF

H E A LT H

21

our lon g observation an d persona! experience

w e art; convinced th a t some sort o f persistent
effort is required on the p ait o f the individual
for him or her to gro w strong a n d h ea lth y, and
to rem ain so.
T h e great thing is to create the h a b it o f health
in youth.
Physical exercise has alw ays been, and sii)l is,
necessary to the hum an being for health. It is
as necessary to life as water, food, air, and
sunshine. In the present te rrib le sLrugglc for
existence it is indispensable to every m odern
individual, so th at he m a y be a b le to support
h im self and his fam ily and be a help rath er th a n
a h ind rance to his eomm univy and to the w orld.
A lm ost all children, until they are about eight
years old., am use themselves b y running about
and rom ping and b y playing a variety o f out
door and indoor gam es. T h ey arc u sually so
active th at they keep their m uscular system in
fairly good tone and their various functions
fairly norm al. W hen, however, children are
confined in schoolroom s for hours on end and
the chubbiness o f infancy begins to disappear
to m ake w a y for further bodily developm ent,
they must be m ade to take som e m ethodical
exercise every d a y w ith ou t fail.
U n til a b oy or girl knows how absolutely

22

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

H E A LT H

necessary regular cxercisc is for his or her bodily

and m ental developm ent h ealth , strength,
vigour, and fitness system atic cxcrcises should
be enforced upon young people by their parents,
guardians, and school authorities.
T o leave this vitally im portant m atter to the
discretion or fancy o f the children themselves
w ill not do now adays, especially w hen the suc
ceeding generation is gettin g ap p reciably w eaker
than the preceding one in spirit, vitality, and
longevity. It is high tim e for us to take im m e
diate steps to check this grow in g degeneration.
W e cannot afford to proceed in the old, selfsatisfied m anner an y longer.
In the words o f a Board o f E ducation hand
book prepared for tcachcrs in British schools:
P rim arily , o f co u rse, h ealth is a life to be live d and
n ot a snbjeet to b e tau gh t. C h ild re n a r e fa r m ore
lik e ly to a cq u ire h ab its o f h ea lth y liv in g th ro u gh being
trained to perform th e acts up on w h ic h h ealth depends
th a n th ro u gh m erely receivin g in stru ction w h ich is
m a in ly theoretical in ch aracter. L e ft to them selves,
y o u n g ch ild ren w ill not perform these acts b y the ligh t
o f n atu re. T h e y re q u ire to be in itia ted in to th e life
o f h ealth . T h e y should a cco rd in g ly b e required to
p erform certain acli as a m a tte r o f regular routine. . . .
T h e study a n d p ra ctice o f h e a lth m ust form , from the
first, p art o f th e e v e ry d a y life o f th e sch ool. I t sh ould
he co n n ected in the m ind o f th e ch ild not o n ly w ith

THE

I I A B I T OF

HEALTH

23

duties to his com rades, his sch oo l a n d his hom e, b u t

also w ith (he w elfare attd happiness o f (he nation
ac large.

But though it is b y far the best thing to rcccivc

this initiation into chc life o f health w hile still a
ch ild , it is never too late to begin it even u p
to the age o f seventy.
W e cannot em phasize this fact too strongly.
W e h ave known men in the sixties and wom en in
their fifties in bad health, suffering from such
com plaints as rheum atism , poor com plexion,
falling h a ir, indigestion, cou gh , backache, and
a dozen other afflictions, becom e strong and w ell
through follow ing the right typ e o f exerciscs.

CHAPTER II
T H E M EANIN G O F S U R Y A N A M A S K A R S

Is there a universal kind o f exercise, righ t for all

ages, for child ren and wom en as w ell as for m en,
costing nothing, and capable o f b e in g performed
in a short time, w ithout accessories, at an y
m om ent, anyw here?
T h e re is, and it is tailed S u rya Nam askars.
O u r In dian readers w ould know at oncc what
we m ean.
But to western readers w e must
explain.
S u rya Namaskars* arc literally translated sun
obeisances or sun prayers. T h e y go back
thousands o f years. T h en , as now , m an looked
to the sun for light, w arm th, health, hygiene,
and food. T h e sun purified things th at had
festered or m oulded or accum ulated diseasegerm s in the dark. T h e sun caused the grow th
and ripening o f grain, fruit, an d other foods by
w hich m an sustained life. T o ea rly m an, the
sun was the lifc-giver, and the thinkers and sages
o f India thousands o f years ago show ed their
gratitu de by m aking obeisances (or doin g exer
cises) at the rising and the setting o f the sun.
24

MEANING

OK SU RY A

NAW ASKARS

25

T h e y bowed to the sun as you w ould to-day to

one w h o had bestowed so m a n y priceless #ifis
on hum anity.
.Sun w orship is anathem a to m a n y westerners
because they do not rightly understand it.. B ul
d ie great G erm an philosopher and scientist,
lim s t H aeckel, knew the reality w h ich lies behind
the sun-sym bol. H e w rote:
T h e sun is the deity o f light and warmth, on whose
influcncc all organic life insensibly and directly de
pends. Sun-worship (solarism or heliothcisin) seems
to the modern sciential to be the best o f all forms of
theism, and the one which may be most easily recon
ciled with modem monism. For modern astrophysics
and gcogcuy have taughc us that the earth is a frag
ment detached from the sun, and that it will eventually
return to the bosom of its parent. . . . Indeed the
whole o f our bodily and mental life depends, in the
last resort, like all other organic life, 011 the light and
heat o f the sun. . . . As a matter of fact the sunworsbippers attained thousands of years ago a higher
intellectual and moral standard than most o f the other
theisU. When I was in Bombay in i88t I watched
with the greatest sympathy the elevating rites of the
pious Parsees, who standing on the seashore, or kneeling
on their prayer-rugs, offered their devotion to the sun
at its rise and setting.
L e t u s e m p h a s iz e h e r e , fo r th o s e w h o w o u ld
b e i n c lin e d to o b je c t to S u r y a N a m a s k a r s o n th e

26

THE TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

ground th at they a rc a religious rite, that they

have the appearance only o f a religiou s rite.

B ath in g and deep b reath in g a rc regarded by
the H in du s as religious duties, b u t this docs not
result in th eir bein g shunned b y others. W e
m ust m ake a d e a r distinction b etw een things
tech n ically religious and things w h ich , bein g
good in them selves, a rc for chat reason in
cluded b y som e people in their d a ily religious
duties, and w h ich a rc therefore o n ly a p p aren tly
religious.
R ules o f health h a v e nothing to d o w ith dogm a
or w ith b lin d religious faith.
W e should like also to address a special word
to those w h o hesitate to laun ch out on a n y course
o f cxcrcises at a ll. It is a cause for constant
w o n d er to discover th e enorm ous n u m b er o f
people o f all nations w h o creep th ro u gh life,
w ith a gro w in g m ountain o f ach cs an d pains on
th eir shoulders, n ever m akin g th e slightest physi
ca l exertion in ease they m ig h t hurt them selves,
o r even die o f h eart-fa ilu re*!
G o d m ad e us a ll alike in fundam entals, w ith
the sam e sim ple hum an needs underneath all
ou r infinite diversities o f personality. A n d one
o f these sim ple hu m an needs is exercise the
d a ily airing and use o f all the cells in our bodies,
w hich, for w an t o f this, atro p h y and die. D ead

M E AN I N G

OF SURYA

N A MA S K A RS

2/

cells in a liv in g organism are, as w e d o not need

to em phasize, no help to th at organism .
Let us assure these alarm ists w h o h ave for
gotten w h a t ic is like to feel the jo y an d rad ian ce
o f youthful m ovem ent that, i f th ey began slow ly
and proceeded g ra d u a lly but persistently, they
w o u ld w ithin a m onth o r six weeks be astonished
to rea lize th a t th ey ca n , a t th e age o f forty-five
or sixty o r seventy o r even eighty, feel once m ore
the surge o f th e clear, rap id blood o f youth in
their veins.
B ut, these fear-ridden people w ill s a y : Look
at the professional athletes and strong m en an d
w om en w h o die o f all sorts o f diseases, and,
m oreover, d ie yo u n g .
W e rep ly th a t none o f these evils is du e to a n y
system o f exercise. T a k e , for exam p le, the sim ple
case o f the Indian paidlw an or wrestler.
M ost pa/dlwans a rc obsessed w ith the notion
th at he w h o can d o five hundred dands or J o t s is
necessarily stronger and healthier than lie w ho
can do o n ly four hundred, though the latter m ay
be m uch the stronger and healthier o f the tw o.
D om inated b y this w ro n g id ea, the pahilw an
alw ays seeks to d evelo p his m uscular system at
the expense o f his v ita l ca p a city, and as a neces
sary and natural consequence, he suffers either
from heart-affections o r from m uscle-binding.

28

THJfci T E N - P O I N T

WAY

TO

HEALTH

A n o th er exam ple o f the pahilw ans lo gic is that

the m ore food he can ca t the stronger and
healthier he w ill be. W hile youth a n d vigour
continue, his faulty logic m ay a p p ear qu ite con
vincing, b u t w hen age comes on a n d forces upon
him the w isdom o f reducing his exercise, he still
goes on scuffing himself, with the necessary and
natural consequence o f indigestion.
Instances o f harm ful cfFcccs from excrcisc are
m ostly d u e to over-exertion, ovcr-caCing, wrong
eating, o r 10 other devitalizing excesses.
It is this passion for excess that is responsible
for the ills from which the pakihvun and m any
an ord in ary person as w ell suffers in later life.
Exercise h as nothing to do with it.
Excess,, not athletics, kills the athlete.
Su rya iNamaskars have m an y advan tages over
the usual types o f exercise.
A ll gam es, w hether eastern or western, require
one or m ore com panions. E ven the g re at Indian
gam e o f w restling needs an opponent, while
most other gam es need either m an y players or
various accessories.
E xcrcisc w ith Indian clubs o r dum b-bells can
not be done w ithout clubs or dum b-bells. F or
riding, y o u need a horse or a b icycle. Y o u can
not sw im without water. W alking, though re
quiring n o apparatus nor a com panion, takes a

MEANING

OF S U R Y A

NA MAS KA RS

2Q

lot o f lim e. A w alk o f eight or ten miles cannot

ordinarily be done in less than two hours or
tw o and a half, at the rate o f fifteen or twenty
m inutes a mile. A nd alm ost all out-door exercises
depend on favourable weather.
A team -gam e requires a spacious ground,
w h ich m ay not alw ays be available. In large
towns there are not alw ays sufficient playgrounds
to accom m odate all school, colleger, and univer
sity student*. T a k e Poona as a n exam ple o f an
In dian city. It has o ver ten thousand pupils
atten din g m unicipal schools alon e, with but four
playgrounds for them all, each ground affording
space for only tw o o r three hundred children at
the most.
T h e ideal exercise should develop not only the
lim bs, muscles, and internal organs o f the body,
but should also prom ote m en ial and spiritual
developm ent. T o m ake such a physical cxcrcisc universally popular an d A cceptable there
should be no necessity for apparatu s or ap plian ces;
it should be easy to d o ; it should take a short
tim e to perform ; it should be o f such a nature as
to en a b le it to be carried out an yw here and by
a n y b o d y ; and should not necessitate a partner
or com panion. Su rya N am askars fulfil all these
requirem ents.
M oreover, they m ake for all-round developm ent,

30

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

w ith special tonic efl'ect on th e three p rin

cip al working parts o f the b o d y, on the propur
functio.ung o f w h ich a ll h ealth depends. W c
h ave found b y actu al exp erien ce that S u rya
N am askars, if regu larly an d m eth o d ically per
form ed, render these three organs cap ab le o f
resisting disease o r diseasc-gcrm s:
(1 ) The digestive organs, including stom achs liver,
intestines, tic. A n a p p a llin g n u m b e r o f p eo p le
su ffe r from sto m a c h ic a n d in te stin a l d isorders,
su ch as d y sp ep sia a n d co n stip a tio n . T h e s e resu lt
in liv e r tro u b le , d ro p sy , piles, d ia b etes, a n d a
host o f o th e r diseases.
(2) Heart and lungs. Colds, coughs, asihm a,
tubcrcclosis, p alp itation s and other com plaints
are sym ptom s o f h ea rt and lun g derangem ent.
(3) The nervous system , including the brain and
spinal cord. B rain affection is indicated b y h ead
ach e, brain-fag, loss o f m em ory, in san ity. A il
m ents of th e spinal cord are paralysis, m yelitis,
sclerosis, fatigue after slight exertion , depression,
cold hands and feet, disturbed sleep.
Su rya N am askars h a v e a p a rticu la rly notable
efleet on the nervous system , w h ere resides
ch iefly the spring o f hum an p ow er. It is from
here that en ergy is transm itted to the tissues and
organ s o f the body. A personality is m ade
strong, com pelling, and active not so m uch b y

MEANING

OF

SURYA

N AM ASKARS

31

m uscle as b y the vital energy behind the

m uscle.
S u ry a Namnsknrs cUrcctly stim ulate the nerve
centres, actin g on them in a d ram atic an d alm ost
visible w a y , as w e shall try to p ro v: in a later
ch apter.
C h ild ren from eight to tw elve, w ith norm al
h ealth , should do from tw enty-five to fifty S u rya
N am askars d a ily ; boys and girls from tw elve to
sixteen should d o g en e ra lly from fifty to a
h undred. W e h a v e observed tha; in some
schools and colleges p h ysical training, such as
gym nastics, d rill, etc., is given to students tw ice
o r three tim es p er w eek. S u ch spasm odic efforts
w ill n ever p rod u ce the desired benefits w hich we
all w an t every b o y and girl to possess.
Persons a b o v e sixteen should grad u ally in
crease the num ber o f S u ry a N am askars up to
three hundred d a ily , acco rd in g to their ca p a city.
A fte r sixty-five o r seventy, how ever, one should
du till death as m an y as one's bodily condition
w ill allow .
T o d o abo u t a thousand N am askars a d a y for
a few m onths and then to com e down to about
tw enty-five, o r to g iv e them u p altogether, is
positively harm ful, in the sam e w a y as it w ould
b e both foolish a n d dangerous to cat tw o or
th ree times the usual q u a n tity o f food and then

32

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

to give up- eating altogether. T h e rules that

govern diet an d pastim e ap p ly to exercise as
w ell. A n cxercisc to b e beneficial, should be
taken d a ily , regularly, continuously, and pro
p ortion ately to ones strength.

T o gain the desired end* therefore, Surya

Nam askars must be done system atically. T h ey
arc not a rope-dancers antics. T h e y must be
so perform ed as to develop and strengthen every
part o f the bod y alike.
T h e rew ard w hich aw aits those w h o perforin
S u rya N am askars according to our instructions
w ill be th e constant jo y in life w hich G od in
tended for all His creatures.
T o be free from w orry or tiredness and to keep
health y a n d fit for years together w ithout an
ailm ent, w ith o u t even a slight cold, is a supreme
happiness. O n ce it is know n, it is never re
linquished at an y price.
W e m ust in this prelim inary chapter draw
attention also to the vita l im portance o f speech
in connection with S u rya N am askars. T h e body
is not com p letely functioning i f the vo cal cords
arc left silent. M oreover, the vocal cords when
vibratin g extend their influence beyond them
selves to ev ery corner o f the body.
In In d ia the V c d ic hym ns and nam es o f the
sun are rccitcd by H indus w hen perform ing the

ME ANI NG

OF S U R Y A

N AMAS KARS

33

S u r y a N am askars. T o non-Ilindus who on reli

gious grounds m ight objcct to reciting the hym ns,
or w ho m ight consider that to repeat the nam es o f
th e son such as M itray a N am ah , R a v a y c N am ah,
w o u ld sm ack o f idolatry, w c recom m end the use
o f the meaningless m onosyllables, om, foam , h im ,
h u m , h a im , kraum , hrah , know n as mantras.
T h ese sounds possess an inherent health-giving
virtu e , and arc too valu able in their physical
effccts on the body to om it, w hatever the religious
faith o f the performer.

CHAPTER III
THE PRELIMINARIES
I n the form in w h ich w e present them w c b elieve

S u ry a N am askars to be the perfect instrum ent,

n ot o n ly fcr k eep in g the body fit, b U for w ard in g
o f f old ag;; a n d disease, in vigo ratin g the in in d,
strengthening th e c h a ra cte r an d w ill, an d in
creasin g to ius fu llest lim it o n es c a p a c ity for
jo y o u s living.
Hut before yo u begin w e m ust g v e y o u a few
w arnings and hints.
F irst, and m ost im p o rtan t, consult y o u r doctor
a b o u t y o u g e n e ra l cond ition . Title it to m ake
sure th a t you arc fit to tak e a n y exercise a t all,
a n d l o enable you to m easure y o u r im p rovem en t
six months hence.
Secondly, th o u gh these exercises m a y look
alm ost absurdly sim ple, th ey arc extrem ely diffi
c u lt to perfect. U nless yo u have been taking
y o u r d aily d o z e n regu larly, it w ill be a t least
a m on th jcfo re you arc rea d y to put all the ten
positions together into single r.yr.lc o r N ainaskar.
T h ird ly , d o n ot forget th a t one o f the finest
an d m ost effective little com bin ation s o f w histle
31

THE

PRELIMINARIES

35

an d red ligh t w ith w h ich N a tu re a lw ays dangersignals u n th in kin g hum an bein gs )s fa tig u e . Y e t
w c often disregard u is w a rn in g an d p lu n ge hullh ea d cd ly alo n g the -oad o f d a n g e r w h ic h is the
c h ie f reason w h y thousands o f persons a rc living
on the b o rd e r-lin e o f p h ysical and nervous
collapse.
E very p h ysical exercise should therefore be 30
taken that, w ith five to ten m inutes rest deer
finishing it, one should feel fresh, in vigorated,
a n d ch eerfu l afterw ards.
In other w ords, cxercisc o n ly w ith in the limit
o f o n es stren gth . Be careful a t the beginning,
an d add g ra d u a lly to the len gth o f th e cxcrcise
p erio d as o n e s strength increases. T h is go.den
ru le applies m ost p articu la rly to S u ry a X am askars.
F ive o r ten m inutes a fla y , p referab ly before
breakfast, w ill be am ple for th e fu st few weeks,
u n til you g e t y o u n d f lim b ered u p . A certain
a m o u n t o f discouragem ent is in e vita b le at the
b egin n in g o f all reconstructive systems o f physical
cu ltu re. T h a t p ciio d m ust b e lived through
p ersevcrm gly i f sncccss is to b e won. But i f
you w ill o n ly stick to it, you w ill feel so full o f
new h o p e in a m onths tim e that yo u w ill never
w an r m g iv e u p the exercises that h a ve bestowed
this n ew life u p o n you.
I f you w ish to p rove to yo u rself b y actual

36

THE T E N -P O IN T

WAY

TO

H E A LT H

facts how m uch good Su rya N am askars can do

you. have yourself weighed and measured and
keep the record in a small book. Put down
your w eight and the follow ing measurements:
height, chest deflated and expanded, waist, hips,
thigh, c a lf upper arm , forearm , waist, ankle.
T a k e your w eight and measurements again at
regular intervals o f six months. You w ill note
an astonishing difference. Y o u r w eight w ill b e
com e normal,t yo
waist
i u r chest will fill out,r your
*
and hips will be m ore slender. W hatever part
o f you is too thin or too fat w ill be autom atically
regulated to its proper size and weight.
A nother prelim inary, at your ow n discretion,
is to h a ve a piece o f cloth, tw enty-tw o inches
square, o f woollen, silk, cotton, or linen m aterial,
o f whatever colour and texture pleases you, to
place your hands on while you go through the
exercises. I f your floor is polished lino, a square
o f rubber w ould be best, to avoid slipping.
T h e hands w ill be placed Hat on this cloth anti
remain there fixed in the sam e spot for all posi
tions exccpt the standing ones.
T o aid concentration, w hich is a very im
portant part o f Surya Namaskars, have a picture
o f something or someone o f significance to you
hung up on the w all before you. O r on a piece
o f cardboard paint a sun o r a star o r a circle in

THE

PRELI MINARIES

37

a vivid co lou r o r colours and p u l th at u p in

front o f yo u , so th a t b y fix in g y o u r eyes on it
you w ill g ra d u a lly a c q u ire Lhc p o w er o f co n
ce n tra tin g y o u r m ind.
Tin: mind wields such a pow er in every hum an
action that nothing can be done satisfactorily
w ithout it. Therefore, each perform ance o f the
S u rya Nam askars should be perm eated with the
active consciousness th at one is being helped by
them . Concentrate on the id ea that every m ove

m ent is bettering a particular m uscle or part o f

the body, and let all yo u r m ind-force and w ill
pow er radiate towards that spot. C on ceive that
the special part is getting stronger, firmer, bettershaped, m ore active, o r thinner, or fatter, and
the object w ill be attained in a surprisingly short
time.
T h e full developm ent o f every part, the
am elioration o f disease, o r the rem oval o f pain,
cannot be brought about unless the w hole w eight
o f m ind and w ill arc brought to bear upon the
part throughout the exercise.
In this w a y one begins to establish mental
control over ones body, a vital principle in the
life o f the happy creative man or wom an.

CHAPTER IV
BREATH IS LIFE
I t is also advisable, before begin n in g to learn
(he exercises, to lc a m b o w to breath e. Breathing
is difficult to learn for those w h o h a v e never
really breathed since th ey w ere sm all children.
Som e never take a d e ep breach except once a
year, w hile on h o lid ay, ancl then only a few.
T b e r i a re ton positions in each N am askar,
ea ch follow ing the other in an unbroken rhythm
to m ake a single N am askar. But rem em ber that
th e tenth position is a return to the first position,
so th a t it is also th e begin n in g o f the second
N am askar. W e explain this here because m an y
are corfused over the n u m b er o f breaths taken
for each N am askar.
T h e re are three fu ll breaths three full in
halations, three holdings o f the breath, and
three com plete exhalations to cach > am askar.
W hen doing a ro u n d o f tw enty-five, the fourth
breath , taken In a t the tenth positicn, is die
first breath in the first position o f the next
N am askar.
R h y th m ic breath in g is o n e o f the secrcts o f

id
S

B R E A T H IS LIVE

39

the w onderful p o w er o f the cxcrcises 10 revitalize

the body. Y o u m ay, lo r p ractice, breathe rh yth
m ically anyw here yo u happen to be standing,
w alkin g, o r sitting.
T h e significance o f the breath o f life has
been known since th e earliest ages in die East.
T h is know ledge has never been lost, but it has
been handed do w n through untold generations.
R ecen tly, the W est seem s to h ave discovered the
profound truth lhat air is th e elixir o f life, and
th at one o f th e m ost precious sources o f health,
efficiency, and happiness costs nothing.
lr is tr.edically ascertained th at w e take tw enty
thousand respirations in tw enty-fou r hours. T h a t
is, w e each h ave tw enty thousand chance; to drink
d eep o f die elixir o f life. H o w m a n y o f us d o so?
W a tch yourself breath e. Y o u take niggling little
sips w hich fill o n ly a very few o f th e lv.ng cells.
T r y taking great d eep draughts o f a ir. It is the
greatest tonic ever prescribed b y an y doctor.
W ithcot the breathing, S u ry a N am askars w ould
lost: h a lf or m ore o f their virtue. T h e y w ould act
lik e a sm ouldering ra ih e r than a clea rly burning
iirc, like th e sun under a h eav y clou d raiher than
in a bright b lu e oky.

B ut first y o u m ist become aw are o f yo.tr breath.

Tou cannot drink deep o f a healing draught that y o u
do not k\ow is there.

40

THE T EN -PO IN T W A Y

TO H EAI.TH

S tu d y y o u r breath ing. P ro b a b ly yo u r chestw all scarccly m oves w ith the in take o f air, be
cause it is so small in qu an tity. M ost likely
yo u r abdom en does not m ove at all.
I f you try to breath e d eep , y o u r chest an d
shoulders w ill lift, and yo u r abd o m en w ill be
d raw n in. T h is is th e w ro n g w a y.
T r y insiead to take the a ir first in to the
bottom Df the lungs, lettin g yo u r abdom en ex
p an d to its fullest e x te n t; open y o u r ribs like a
fan, and lift yo u r chest last o f all, w ith ou t raising
the shoulders. Y o u w ill be am azed to find how
m uch your lungs can really take in.
N o w try holding y o u r breath for a few seconds.
T h is m ay m ake yo u d iz z y at first. B u t do not
be a fra id ; it o n ly m eans that you a re so unused
to the h e a d y effect o f the elixir o f life th a t a
good drink o f it is too m uch for you.
A s the air is held in the lun g cells, it keeps
their walls stretched, exercising them an d m aking
them strong. A s th ey strength en, they will ex
p an d 10 air a u to m a tica lly, thus h elp in g you in
yo u r effort to breathe co rrectly.
W hen after an yth in g from three to sixty or
m ore seconds yo u exh ale, d o so com pletely,
m aking a n aspirate sound such as hurt a t the
end to ensure that the last particle o f used air
has beer: breathed out to m ake room for fresh

B RE ATH

IS LIPR

4 1

air. E xh a la tio n is ev ery bic as im portant as

inhalation.
N o w for ;i w arn in g. A ll n ew things should
at the begin n in g be done gen tly and gradually.
Y o u w ill adjust yo u rself w ithou t discom fort to
the new w a y o f breath in g if you do so bit by
bit. Y o u r lungs, ribs, and chest m a y ach e at
first. T h is w ill be N a tu res w a y o f telling you
that you are d riving yo u r poor feeble bellows
to the flam e o f life too hard. T h e y have not
been used for years and they m ust strengthen
before they can b lo w the flam e into a bright,
steady, jo y o u s glow .
T h e besl tu n e for your rh yth m ic breathing
is seven-tim e. C ou n t seven for each breath,
m aking the tem po q u ick at first, and later
len gthening it. Fill your lungs in two counts,
hold the breath for four, and em pty them in one.
W e d o not suggest that you alw ays breathe in
seven-tim e. I f you d o so for a total o f thirty
m inutes a d a y , it w ill b e enough to tune u p the
rest o f yo u r breath ing. T h e m ore you breathe
rh yth m ically the nasicr you w ill find it to breathe
correctly a t all times, w hether you are aw are o f
breathing or not.
It will g iv e yo u a w onderful sensation o f selfcontrol and self-awareness w hen you can m atch
the rhythm o f yo u r breathing w ith the rhythm

42

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

o f th e exercises. Y o u w ill feel rhythm ic all over,

and in accord w ith the great rhythm o f life and
the universe.
Y o u w ill b e a w a re o f th e wonder o f liv in g , and
o f yo u r p ow er to .share in ic, as no am ou n t o f
a ctu al adventurous life in the external w orld ca n
teach yo u . Y o u w ill k n ow m ore abo u t yourself
than years o f ju n gle-h u n tin g o r d e a lin g w ith
international affairs, big business or w orldly
success w ould ev er g iv e you. Y o u w ill feel:
I can d o great things. 1 can and w ill live to
th e utm ost c a p a city th at G o d ntended m e to .
Y o u w ill, in fact, b e m eeting yo u rself for the
first tim e.
O n e further point before w e com e to the cxcrciscs them selves. T h e East and W est differ in
the m an n er o f exh alation , though this is not a
very im p ortan t distinction. W ; personally ad
vocate stron gly exhalation as well as inhalation
through the nose o n ly. It is generally the custom
in the W est to inhale tin v u g li ilxc nose an d exh ale
through the tnourh. D o w hich ev er suits you
best.

CHAPTER V
TI1E TEN POINTS

W e give w h a t is in fundam entals the age-old

m ethod o f perform ing S u ry a N am askars, and
the one follow ed b y o u r revered father, the late
R a ja h o f A u n d h . F or fifty-five years he d id these
S u rya N am askar,. W e follow the sam e m ethod,
b u t have developed and ch an ged it in accord an ce
w ith m odern scicncc over a course o f n early
thirty years practice and experim ent b y o u r
self in person.
Nov\r, h avin g learned to breathe, yo u are read y
to try the T en -P oin t W a y to H ealth . B u t you
need n o t w orry about regulating and controlling
yo u r breathing until yo u can , w ith p ractice, d o
the m ovem ents correctly, alm ost au tom atically.
T h e n y o u w ill find i t e a s y to m a n a g e y o u r b r e a th .

Positions a rc illustrated a t the end o f the hook.

P o s it io n O

ne

S p read cloth on floor. W ear as litL le c l o t h i n g

as p o s s ib le , the less t h e b e t t e r . L et th at l i t t l e he
lo o s e and a i r y .
Stand in the su n ligh t i f t h e r e is
a n y , w ith feet andknees t o g e t h e r and t o e s t o u c h i n g
43

44

THIS T E N - P O I N T

WAY

TO

HEALTH

the ed ge o f the cloth. J o in hands resting on

chcst a n d press the palm s firm ly together.
R aise ch cst and pull abdom en in and up as
far as possible. T h is stom ach m ovem ent, p allin g
in and u p and relaxing, is one o f the m ost im
p ortan t 5 n the w hole cycle, and is repeated
m any tim es.
It not o n ly reduces an unsightly
bulge, b u t m akes stom ach an d bow els function
properly.
S ta n d so th a t a p lu m m e t lin e d ro p p ed from
the to p o f y o u r h ead sh o u ld g o th ro u g h shou ld er,
h ip , k n e e , a n d ankle.
T h is is the stance tau gh t by the ancient Y o gis
o f In d ia , and is th e stance w hich is being taught
to thousands o f school child ren in G re a t Britain
to-day in accord ance w ith the B oard o f E d u ca
tions m ost recent syllabus.
T h u s is the w isdom o f the ages rediscovered
in tim e o f need.
N o w , stiffen yo u r w hole b o d y, begin n in g w ith
the feet. Push them into th e floor as i f yo u were
taking ro o t there. Stiffen especially your waist
a t the b ack . Y o u w ill have trouble in stiffening
the sto m ach flat if it is h eavy and en larged , but
in tim e y o u w ill be surprised to find h o w easily
yo u can control it. T h e first signs w ill be that
you feel the m iddle o f yo u r spine m ove back,
and th e base m ove forw ard.

M a k e yo u r spine

THE

TEN

PO I N TS

45

as straight as possible, especially a t the w aist,

w ith ou t raising the shoulders.
It is w ell to begin the stiffening proccss w ith
the toes and m ove g rad u ally u p to th e top o f chc
head, concentrating on each separate p a rt that
is being stiffened, doing it slow ly and d elib erately.
Y o u w ill thus becom e aw are o f e v e ry m uscle in
y o u r body. Proceed from the shoulder to the
tips o f the fingers, thinking yo u r w a y to each
separate tip, stiffening jo in t by jo in t o f cach
separate finger.
Inhale as yo u d o so, and hold the breath .
T h is is B reath O ne.
W hen you com c to your face, senile g e n tly ,
lifting its muscles in to happy lines.
W ith eyes fixed on the pictu re o r d ra w in g on
th e w a ll, con ccn tratc on the thought o f th e good
th at is bein g done you. T h in k o f the life-giving
fresh a ir reachin g lu n g cells th at h ave n ea rly
dried up for w a n t o f it, o f y o u r stretched spine
energizing the spinal cord and the n crvc-ccntrcs
in yo u r brain, o f yo u r tau t abdom in al muscles
rousing the colon to action , y o u r h ea rt sending
blood like a m ou n tain torrent instead o f a
sluggish b ack w atcr to all parts o f y o u r system .
People w ith round shoulders o r a stoop will
feel an ap preciable strain in the back. B u t by
proceeding carefully, they should be a b le in a
T>

46

TIIE T E N - P O I N T

WAY

TO

HEALTH

few weeks tim e to straighten out w ith ou t too

m uch effort., and the poor poker sp in e w ill
becom e the flexible instrum ent w h ich N ature
intended it to be.
T h e sensation you should h ave is o f feeling
ta ll, ar.d it should rem ain w ith you throughout
the day.
W h erev er yo u feel a strain in doin g a n y of
the m ovem ents, it w ould be wise to return for
the time being to Position O n e a n d d o this only
for a few days, breath in g in seven-tim e as you
hold the position? and concentrate.

P o s it io n

Two

K eep in g the knees straigh t, drop yo u r bands

to th e floor, p lacing them flat upon the cloth
ju s i within the edge. A s y o u do so, ex h a le com
p letely, exp ellin g ev ery last atom o f used air.
T h is is the end o f B reaih O n e . I f y o u r hands
net l r e a c h m u c h b e lo w y o u r a n Lice c first,

d o not be depressed. In a few- weeks tim e, with

regu lar p ractice ev ery m orning, y o u should be
a b le to et th e palm s dow n . U n til then, bend
yo u r knees; to g e t y o u r palm s dow n. B u t aim
at straightening the knees as soon as possible.
T h e palm s should b e p laced alm ost parallel
to the sides o f th e cloth o r a t a n in w ard an gle

THP. TEN PO IN TS

47

o f ab o u t tw enty-tw o degrees. Som e prefer a

forty-five degrees angle, w hile others p lace the
palm s w ith fingers turned in a t u right an gle to
the b o d y. W h atever be the angle, die balls o f
the thum bs should be on a lin e with the toc-s.
In bending, touch o r try to touch the knees
w ith the forehead or nose. Squeez ng in the
abdom en w ill help to attain this position as w ell
as 10 exp el all th e used air.
D o not confuse this position w ith the fam iliar
cxercisc o f 4touching the toes. It. is n u c h m ore
purposeful and stirring. T h ousan d s w ho 4touch
their toes religiously ev ery d a y have no idea
w h at real exercise is like! H o w m any people,
after to u ch in g their toes, feel the healthy sweat
com ing from every pore?
T h ro w yo u r head dow n as a fisherm an flings
his b a it into a stream . A im yo u r head at your
knees, and turn y o u r eyes u pw ards towards your
waist. T h is w ill in tim e m ake y o u r spine beauti
fu lly supple and as clastic as a ch ild s.
A g a in , do not o verd o this a t first, or yo u will
strain yo u r back and lim p for a w hile, and this
m ay p u t you o ff the exercises for gocd.
U nless you a rc in prim e condition, yo u w ill
also feel d izzy a t first. I t w ill d o yo u no harm ,
h ow ever, an d o n ly goes to prove how badly
balan ced yo u arc.

48

THE

T F. N - P O I NT W A Y

TO

H E A LT H

A good plan is 10 try knitting Positions O n e

and T w o together w ith a kind o f pum ping
rhythm u n til m ovem ent and breath ing follows
in a single -even flow dow n-u p , dow n-up, downup, cu t-in , out-in, out-in. Y o u w ill now feel
the first sense o f rhythm ical w ell-being, as i f your
nerves h ad suddenly *tuned-in 5 to the peaceful
rhythm o f the world o f natural things like the
stars, the tides, the changin g o f the seasons.
Y o u w ill find that in Position T w o the muscles
o f the calves, the rear p art o f the thighs, hips,
waist, and alm ost all muscles o f the back and
spine receive a strain, w hich m eans the gradu al
developm ent o f these parts and the elim ination
o f uric a cid and other toxins the seeds o f
prem ature decay and decline.
T h e spine in this position is stretched a funda
m entally im p o rtan t action. T h e anim als know
the w isdom o f this. W atch your cat or d o g ; it
strctchcs its spine a dozen times a day.

P o s i t io n T

hree

Y o u r hands are still on the cloth, w here they

should rem ain as fixed as roots until you take
Position T e n , w hich is the sam e as Position O n e.
T r y to feel your hands rooted, as w ere your feet
in Position O n e. T h e y are now yo u r pivot.

THE

TEN

PO I NTS

49

In h ale d eep ly and hold yo u r breath. T h is is

B reath T w o . W ithout bending the arms, drop
to your right knee, and lift the head as high as
yo u can, looking upwards. T o u c h the floor with
kn ee an d toes, the o th er knee ju ttin g ahead o f
th e vertical arm . Tress thigh as hard a<; possible
in to the side. K e e p holding Breath T w o .
D ro p on the right knee in the first round, on
th e left in the second, and so on alternatively,
e a ch tim e pressing the thigh firm ly into the
side.
In this w a y the left, thigh exerts pressure on
th e spleen, and the right thigh on the liver.
I f the liver is o u t o f order, it is advisable that
th e right thigh only be taken forw ard until the
liv er bccom es norm al again. Those whose liver
com p lain t is hereditary or chronic had better
take forw ard the right thigh alw ays until all signs
o f their com plaint have disappeared.
S im ila rly, those w ho suffer from com plaints o f
the spleen are advised to bring forw ard the left
th igh until they find an im provem ent in their
condition.
T h e fact that Position T w o is assumed after a
d e ep breath has the special m erit o f compressing
the lower p art o f the lungs, thereby drivin g the
fresh air to the upper part o f the lungs and
thorou ghly ventilating the remotest corners, where

50

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

tuberculosis b acilli generally find a place. This

cxcrcisc also compresses the spine, and tlius
there is a sp ecial virtue in stretching it in other
positions.

P o s i t io n F o u r

Still holding B reath T w o , and keeping arm s

and hands as before, raise y o u r body and push
leg w hich has been pressing against side to join
the other one. Bend your head into the neck.
Y o u r b o d y should form an inverted V . Y ou
w ill know yo u have the right position when the
muscles behind knees and ankles feel as i f they
w ere go in g to crack. D o not at first try to force
y o u r heels o n to the floor or you w ill lam e yo u r
self. W ait u n til all sense o f undue strain in the
muscles an d ligam ents behind knee and ankle is
elim inated.
By now y o u w ill be feeling the existence o f
muscles o f w h ic h you w ere never before aw are.
T h e great ad van tage o f S u rya N am askars is that
they reach all sorts o f small and obscure parts
o f the b o d y, tuning them all into harm ony.
Position F o u r is p articu larly beneficial to those
w ith thick o r inflexible ankles. T h e stretching
and com pressing o f the musclcs m elt a w a y fat
an d m ake th e ankle light and supple ir* m ovem ent.

THE

TEN

POINTS

P o s it io n F i v e

K eep in g hands rooted, drop flat on the floor,

to u ch in g forehead, nose, chest, knees, toes, but
not the hips or abdom en. T r y to press the chin
in an d d o w n against the collar-bone. Exhale
B reath T w o w hile dropping, pushing the last
rem nant out o f the lungs w ith the m ovem ent o f
d ra w in g in and up the abdom en.
T h e c h ie f aim o f Position F ive is to lift the
abdom en an d hips as high o ff the floor as possible.
T h is squeezes every fraction o f useless fat off,
lea vin g the muscles clean and supple.
T h e bending o f the head exercises the muscles
o f n eck a n d throat, filling out the skin and pre
ven tin g the ro p y o r crep ey effect so com m on
in o ld er wom en.
W e find it better to keep the nose also clear
o f th e ground. T his intensifies the action on the
neck muscles.
T h e whole o f the bo d y above the knees is sup
p orted b y hands, wrists, and forearms. T h is
strengthens an d lim bers u p the joints, especially
those o f the w rist, and gives flexibility and g ra ce
ful m ovem ent.
P

o s it io n

'

ix

K e e p hands* toes, and knees as in l ivc.

Straigh ten arm s, inhale (Breath T h ree), throw

$2

THE T EN -PO IN T W A Y TO H EALTH

clicst out as far as possible, curve the b a ck , and

look a t coding, stretching ncck back to its fullest
extent. H old ihe breath.
In this posture p ra ctica lly the w h o le w eight o f
the b o d y is ca rricd b y the arms. H cn ce th ey
are grad u ally rendered shapely, stron g, and
supple. T h e chest becom es wider and deeper.
T h e bust in w om en is im proved an d developed,
becom ing firm and elastic. In nursing m others
this posture has been know n to increase the
q u antity o f m ilk. A s in Position F ive, the throat
is filled out and im p roved . A n y tendency tow ards
tonsillitis and o th er throat troubles is checked by
this exercise.
P o s it io n S e v e n

Y o u arc still holding B reath T h ree, w hich is the

last and longest breath in the cycle o fte n positions,
an d is held until y o u exhale it in Position N ine.
R isin g from N in e to T e n , you take in Breath Four,
w h ich counts as B reath O n e o f tlie second cycle.
B eginning w ith Seven, the cycle is n ow com
pleted b y repeating the first four positions in their
reverse order.
Position
Position
Position
Position

Seven
E ig h t
N in e
Ten

=
=
=
*1

Position
Position
Position
Position

Four
T h re e
Two
One

THE TEN

POINTS

53

T o achieve balance, there is one slight varia

tion. In Eight, instead o f kneeling on die righ t
knee, kneel on ;hc left, that is, i f you arc in
norm al health. If, as explained earlier, you
suffer from liver or spleen trouble, continue to
use the same knee.
T h e table given below w ill h elp you at first
to m em orize positions and breaths. C o p y it out,
paste i t on cardboard, and keep iL where you can
see it easily.
(1) Stand (in)
(2) D ouble over (out)
(3) R iy lx t l e y b a d i (in)

(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(<j)

Inverted V (hold)
F lat 011 floor (out)
T ru n k raised on arms (in)
Inverted V (hold)
L eft leg back (hold)
D ouble over (out)

( 1 0 ) S ta n d (in)

A single Su rya X am askar, or one com plete

cyclc o f ten positions, can be done b y an expert
in tw enty seconds.
W e recommend for the beginner fifteen N am as
kars in five m inutes as an aim . In six months
you should be doing abo u t forty N am askars in
ten minutes.

54

th e

te n - p o in t w a y

to

h e a lth

A b o v e all, do not be in a hurry. T a k e your

ten m inutes a d ay w ithout fail, as regularly as
you ca tch the train to town e v e ry m orning.
P ut y o u r w hole heart and m ind in to it. K n o w
that if y o u persist, seem ing m iraclcs w ill happen
to you. W ork a t the different positions separ
ately, p u ttin g together first those th a t com e most
easily to you. O n e d a y you w ill su dden ly find
yo u rself g o in g through the entire cycle auto
m a tically, and you will be rew arded with a
glorious sense o f freedom, pow er, a n d happiness.

CHAPTER VI
V A L V E T O W O M EN

A s w c strongly recom m end S u ry a N am askars for

wom en young and o ld . m aids and m atrons (even
pregnant wom en or nursing m others) die fol
low ing instructions, based 011 actual cxpericncc,
w ill be found useful to wom enfolk in special
conditions.
T h e X am askar exercise should be suspended
during the m enstrual period, from the time the
menses actu ally begin to How until they stop,
the norm al period bein g four to six days. A t
the end o f the period the exercise should be
begun again w ithout d elay .
A n expectant m other m ay continue the X'amaskar cxcrciscs as usual until she com pletes the
fourth m onth o f p rcgn an cy. From the fifth
m onth to the end o f the seventh the exercise
should be m odified in accord an ce w ith her state
o f health. I f she is in an y doubt, she should
consult her doctor. F ro m the beginning o f the
eighth m onth until ch ild -birth she should only
do the deep breathing an d rcciting o f the manlras.
T h e n\c.ntiai are exp lain ed fully in Chapters X I
and X I I .
55

56

THE

TEN-POINT

W AY TO

H K A L TI I

Even after the suspension o f the Namaskars,

no pregnant w om an should sit or lie dow n in
laziness, b u t should d o light and pleasant work,
such as dom estic duties, w alking, gardening, and
so on u n til the very hour o f child-birth.
Resum ption o f the cxcrcises after child-birth
should be undertaken on the advice o f the doctor.
Som e wom en could d o them safely and with
gref.t advantage w ithin <1 m onth o f child-birth.
Others w ould h ave to w a it several m onths. In
an y case, th ey should be resumed g rad u ally,
care being taken to avoid all strain or tiredness.
W henever a girl or w om an cannot take, o r is
prevented from taking, a n y bodily exercise for
reasons other than ailm ent or disease, she will
be helped b y rccitin g the mantras , eonccntrating
her m ind as strongly as possible on a n y desire
she wishes to attain.
A part from the above special conditions, women
should follow exactly the sam e rules that govern
m en in perform ing S u ry a Nam askars.
T o those who hold that w om en do not need
as m uch exercise as men it should be pointed
o u t that w om an the m other is, in the words
o f an Indian poet, the m in e o f heroes and great
m en. and that yo u cannot exp ect a w eak and
sickly m other to bear health y, strong, an d longlived children.

VALVE

TO

WO ME N

57

A re the present generation o f our yo u n g girls

and wom en models o f physical perfection?
Is it not a fact that in m any cases they com e
o f parents who have rarely enjoyed norm al
health?
Is it not a fact that m any yo u n g wom en arc
averse to m arriage because o f the dudes o f
m otherhood ?
Is it not a fact that there is a general dread o f
m otherhood in the m inds o f young w ives through
out the w orld?
Is it not a fact that there is an ap p allin g infant
m ortality amongst our cily-dw cllcrs?
Is it not a fact that ve ry few youn g m others
arc able to su ckh their children and that the
w idely advertised foods have to be depended
upon m ainly because the m other is often a
m other w hen she is hardly fit to be one?
In his novel, The Silver Spoon, John G alsw orth y
described a modern youn g w om an as flat as a
board behind and before. T his still holds true
o f the vast m ajority o f youn g wom en from C h in a
to Peru.
T h e on ly rem edy for this m ost deplorable
state o f things is to p u t our girls and wom en
through a scientifically designed coursc o f physical
culture. T h ere ii no doubt at all that girls
and youn g wom en derive benefit from S u ry a

58

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

N am askars. Indeed, eases arc know n o f m atrons

o f fifty w h o only after a short course have almost
regained their youth.
T o chose readers w h o can afford it w e recom
m end a i least a cursory perusal o f numerous
m agazines an d books on p h ysical culture that
h ave recen tly been published in In d ia , Europe,
and A m crica , and o f the large o u tp u t o f literature
about th e science o f eugenics. A ll who study
these carefully will be convinced that the same
w u r s c o f physical training as is prescribed for
men is also beneficial for w om en w ith , o f course,
a few m inor adaptations.
Girls a n d wom en in great n um bers have bene
fited from Su rya Nam askars in b o d ily and mental
health an d in general appearance. W e vouch
for this personally.
It m ight be o f interest to k n ow w hat Surya
N am askars have done for o u r R anisahib.
before she took up the cxcrciscs eleven years
a go, she had backache w henever she worked for
an hour o r so in a sitting position. N ow , though
she studies and works harder an d longer in the
same position, she feels no pain w hatsoever. It
has entirely disappeared.
She used to suffer occasionally from indigestion
and constipation. These ailm ents too have dis
ap peared . Pain above the w aist used to afflict

VALUE

TO

WOMEN

59

her, but that has cca scd . A num ber o f menstrual

irregularities h ave also c lc a rc d up since she began
these cxcrcises.
W eakness subsequent to child-birth disappears
m ore rap id ly than before, and parturition is prac
tically painless. O u r children are healthier and
stronger. T h e R a n isah ib looks younger, though
she is the m other o f eight children.
Even m ore con vin cing is the case o f Mrs
S au bhagyavati Sitabai K irlo skar, wife o f the
tutor to the R an isah ib. She is now aged sixtyone and is the m other o f ten children.
W ithin six months o f beginning to d o Su rya
N am askars system atically, most o f the superfluous
fat from w h ich she h ad suffered for m any years
and a ll h er rheum atism and backach e dis
appeared. H er digestive system began to func
tion better, her hair stopped falling out and its
form er lustre retu rn ed ; her com plexion becam e
clearer and ruddier, even her nails showing a
redder tint. Perspiration lost its unwholesom e
odour an aw kw ard personal com plaint from
w hich she had suffered m uch. T h e muscles o f
her arms, legs, and b u st bccam c firm er and
stronger. H er chest m easurem ent increased by
tw o inches, w hile that o f the abdom en decreased
b y tw o inches.
S u rya N am askars h a v e a peculiar im portance

60

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TD

HEALTH

for wom en in so far as they m ore than men

d epen d upon p h ysical attractiveness, and b y the
harm onious action o f these exercises in toning
u p rtll their physical processes th ey acq u irc a
v e ry bloom o f personality.

CHAPTER VII
W A R D IN G O P P OI.r> AGP.

P r e m a t u r e old a g e and p rem ature d eath are

tragedies. T h e spirit o f youth is alw ays and

everyw here desirable, n ay, absolutely necessary.
I t is w ell said d ia l ii is better to w e a r o u t Lhan
to rust o u t/ A n old m an or w om an, though
takin g cxercisc, m ay not be q u ite as Springy or
nim ble as a youth or a m aiden, nor should one
expect to h a v e a : tw enty-five la ce on a seventyfive b o d y 5; but discontinuance o f all bodily
activities w ill in variably brin g about rap id d e
generation and decay.
Tin: fo lio w irg conditions, am on g others, are
u n iversally regarded as indispensable for m aking
old bodies y o u n g :
{ i } A strong, Hraigiit, and flex ible spint. A straight
spine is o n e c h it enables yo u to carry yo u r body
erect. T h e central nervous system consists o f
brain and spinal cord w ith n erve ram ifications
radiating throughout the body, f t is the spinal
cord that represents life. I f it is diseased, death
w ill fo llo w ; i f it is u n h ealth y, the b o d y w ill be
u nhealthy. I f the nervous system is not func
tioning norm ally, all the in volu n tary actions o f
61

62

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

the h eart, stom ach, liver, kidneys, and glands

w ill fail to w o rk properly.
(2) A stron g bach. A m an is as strong as his
back. S in ce m ost o ld people are seen w ith their
backs bex^t* it is g en era lly thought that a curved
back a n d rounded shoulders a rc inevitable in
one s d eclin e. T h is is, how ever, w ron g. W ith
proper care and regu lar excrcise all m en and
w om en n o t deform ed from b irth ca n c a rry them
selves lik e true soldiers o f life to the very end.
(3) A stron g stomach. A fter the age o f abo u t
fifty-five o r sixty a m an o r w om an should have
on ly one m e a l, o r at m ost two. in tw enty-four
hours. O v ere a tin g , w ro n g eating, o r taking
stim ulants and drugs, results in the accu m u la
tion o f undigested food in the colon, an d this is
one o f th e contributor)' causes o f constipation,
w hich m others a brood o f diseases.
(4) Colon cleanliness. M ost people are lik ely to
conclude th a t bccause their bow els m ove once a
d a y , they are therefore free from constipation.
B ut how th ey m ove is the question. Y o u m ust,
therefore, g e t yo u r colon exam in ed an d see that
it is n eith er encrusted nor engorged.
(5} F lex ibility o f jo in ts . A m ajority o f old folk
suffer from s tiff jo in ts join ts affected w ith rheu
m atism o r gou t, as a result o f overeatin g or w rong
eatin g.

A. jo in t in a n y m echanism , w h eth er o f

WARDING

OFF

OI.D A G E

63

w ood , seed, o r flesh, v.ill function stiffly o r not

at all if neglected.
(6) Absence o f O besity. Jc has been found that
obesity tends to shorten life. I f you w ish for
active lon gevity, the g irth o f yo u r ab d o m en m ust
be considerably less than that o f yo u r chest.
{7) Active skin. It is not generally rccogn izcd
that the greatest single cxcrctory organ is the
skin, upon the p rop er functioning o f w h ich the
health to a large extent depends. N o real reason
exists ibr load ing ourselves w ith a burden -of u n
necessary cloth in g in o u r cou n try, o r in an y
co u n try, for th at m atter. A t a con servative
estim ate clothes m ust be responsible for more
than ten to fifteen per cent o f disease and for a
Considerable portion o f the cost o f living. D aily
exposure to fresh air and sun w ill ren d er the
skin active a n d yo u n g.
(8) Youthful spirit. ' A m an is as old as h e feels
is an a d a g e that is ap plied w ith greater force to
those o f a d van ced age. T h e m inute a m a n loses
faith in bis youthful spirit a n d begins to feel like
an old m an and adopts the m ann er o f a n old
m a n , he w ill rap id ly becom e old. F aith is the
dom in an t principle in m an.
A s soon as a person retires from his usual
service o r w ork, he thinks th a t he is old a n d has
nothing to do in the w orld b u t to spend th e rest

64

th e

TBN-rOINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

o f his life in laziness, u nder the groundless ap p re

hension that a n y b o d ily a c tiv ity o r exertion will
shorten his life. But h e should rem em ber that
it is ru stin g o u t and not w earin g out th at causes
p rem atu re senility and death.
Y o u th fu l spirit depends upon th e a ctiv ity o f
b o d y and m ind. B o d ily activity a n d m ental
a ctiv ity are interdependent. T h erefore, be in o
cu lated w ith the feeling th a t yo u w ill ever con
tinue yo u n g and active, an d yo u w ill rem ain
yo u n g a n d active.
M en tal a ctiv ity is necessary to the best degree
o f health and especially in old age. It is found
from statistics that professional m en and m ental
workers, such as scientists, philosophers, theo
logians, etc., live lon ger than m an ual workers
and those given to hard b o d ily labour.
I f yo u w a n t y o u r m ind an d body to function
norm ally, they must both have reg u lar o ccu p a
tion or exercise.
It is b u t natural for m an to wish for a lon g
life and yo u th fu l spirit. B u t m a n y, instead o f
o b eyin g the w ise la w s o f N a tu re , w aste their
tim e, m oney, a n d energy in the v a in search for
som e p an acea, not realizin g th a t it is only to be
found in their ow n bodies. T h e m ad cra ze (or
countless specifics, patent m edicines, and drugs
in o rd er to prolong life o n ly shortens ii in th e end.

WARDING

OF F

OLD

AGE

65

T h ere arc m en w h o h ave reached old age after

a d e a n , plain, useful, an d strenuous life, an d to
such it is suggested that th ey subm it them selves
to a m od erate course o f S u ry a N am askars in
order th a i their useful and active life m ay be
prolonged.
T h e re is another class o f o ld m en on w hom
sen ility is forced b y m isfortune in the shape o f
com pu lsory residence in cro w d ed cities, sickness,
bereavem ent, o r o th er reverses in life : to such
S u ry a N am askars arc useful in th at they m inister
not only to the body b u t to th e spirit as w ell.
T h e third class o f p rem aturely old m en con
sists o f those w h o h a v e p layed ducks and drakes
w ith their health and youth and h ave thoroughly
ru ined their constitutions, being in consequence
g iv e n up by dociors. E ven to these can be held
out a prom ise o f redem ption, if they be like
children and follow faithfully th e practice o f
S u ry a N am askars.
It has been said that m an begins to die the
m om ent he is born. T h e in evitab le end, how
ever, can be postponed for a long, lo n g tim e, if
o n ly b y p rop er exercise w e lid ourselves o f the
prod ucts o f decay. I f w e ever really learn to do
this, w e should, barrin g accidents, liv e far beyond
the lim it o f one hundred years.

CHAPTER VIII
USE IN SCH O O LS

W e h a v e been fortunate enough to convin ce our

people a t A u n d h o f the usefulness o f physical
ed ucation in gen eral am i o f th e S u ry a N am askars
in p articu la r, a n d th ey h ave taken to them w ith
such enthusiasm as to dem and a stale regulation
to m ake S u ry a N am askars com pulsory in all the
schools.
I t is our dearest wish th at the students o f our
schools sh o u ld extend th e benefits o f the system
not on ly to their families* but to all w ith w hom
they com e in contact.
Shou ld o u r dream be realized, there w ill be
seen w ith in the short space o f five o r ten years
a vast im p rovem en t in the health , strength, and
spirit o f those w ho attend school a n d collegc.
W e w ill n o t, h ow ever, be fu lly satisfied i f the
health o f o u r boys on ly i$ im proved, because
S o ciety req uires th at the health o f o u r girls the
m others o f the racc should be im proved even
before th a t o f the boys.
O n e o f th e ch ie f m erits o f S u ry a N am askars
is that it c a n he ad ap ted to g ro u p o r mass exer
cise. U n d e r proper supervision, hundreds o f

66

USE IN SC HO OLS

67

students boys and girls can be m ade to take

this exercise sim ultaneously, thus affordin g th e
d o u b le ad van tage o f cffiticn cy and econom y o f
tim e. T h e students m ay be group ed accord in g
to age, height, o r capacity.
W e are con vin ccd from o u r experience o f
gro u p cxcrcises perform ed in all the p rim a ry
an d m iddle schools as w ell as in the high school
o f the A u n d h S ta te for th e past tw elve years,
that S u ry a N am askars are the ideal cxcrcisc for
use in large groups.
It is h a rd ly necessary to observe that the
d a ily p ractice o f S u ry a N am askars, far from
interfering w ith an y gam e o r pastim e requirin g
p h ysical exertion, a c tu a lly adds to the enjoym ent
o f it.
W e arc not opposed to o utdoor gam es, sports,
or gym nastics. F ar from i t ! T h e m ain poin t
w e w ant to em phasize is that, com bin ed w ith
th e pursuit o f a n y sport o r gam e, there m ust be
a d a ily exercise like S u ry a N am askars, w h ich ca n
be d o n e singly or (ft m m e a ll th e y e a r round in
order to la y a real a n d lasting foundation o f
health and strength. F or this cxcrcisc puts o n e
in con d ition to take part in an y sport o r athletics
requiring strength and endurance.
A system atic d a ily perform ance o f S u ry a
N am askars forms a basis for all o th er bodily

68

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

a ctivitie s, b ccau sc it is found to g iv e in a m arked

degree the p o w e r o f con trol o v er body an d m ind
a n d th e c a p a c ity to use ones stren gth to the best
a d v a n ta g e in gam es anti sports, especially those
w h ich require p rolon ged exertion , w ith ou t in
ju rio u s results. It m inim izes the risk o f over
strain , esp ecially o f the heart.
N o rm a l all-roun d h ealth , acq u ired b y the d a ily
perform an ce o f S u ry a N am askars, w ill en a b le
ch ild ren to ren d er a better accou n t o f them selves
not o n ly in a n y sport o r g a m e b u t in ev ery d a y
life as w e ll.
T h e e x p erien ce o f tw o schoolm asters bears out
w h a t w e h a ve said. W e g iv e th eir o w n accou n t
b elo w .

he

x p e r ie n c e

dkkar,

ead

of

Mr

hankar

a s t p .r ,

ari

arath i

Java-

Sch ool,

I n d a p u r , Po o n a D is t r ic t

In th e m onth o f M a y 1925, stom ach a ch e b egan

to afH ict m e d a ily a t a b o u t tw o o clock in the
aftern oon . T h e pain g ra d u a lly in creased to such
a p itch th a t despite th e varied treatm en t o f doctors
an d p hysician s a l In d ap u r, I felt as th o u g h several
scorpion s w ere stinging m e in th e stom ach. T h en
I w en t to P o on a, w h ere I p laced m yself under
the trea tm en t o f a w ell-kn ow n m ed ical p ra cti

USE

IN

S C H O O LS

69

tion er for ten days. T h e r e w as slight relief, bu t

the p a in persisted.
I returned hom e to In d a p u r an d con tin ued
to take m cd icin c an d fo llo w a regim en us p re
scribed b y the P oon a d o cto r, b u t all in vain .
T h e th o u gh t th a t the disease m igh t p erm an en tly
sap m y en ergy and co n stitu tion h a d taken the
h eart o u t o f m e, w h en th e b o ok o n S u ry a N am as
kars b y the C h ie f o f A u n d h ca m e to h a n d . A
ca refu l perusal o f the b o o k in d uced m e to try
th e N am ask ar exercise for relief. I did try and
w as ab le to d o fifty N a m a sk a rs w ith in a w eek,
as I h ad a lre a d y done a g re a t d eal o f gym n astic
w ork.
T h e w o n d erfu l a lle v ia tio n o f m y disease, b ro u g h t
a b o u t b y the exercise w ith in so short a lim e, en
cou raged m e to co n tin u e. I g ra d u a lly in creased
th e n u m b er o f N a m ask a rs to tw o h u n d red , w h en
a ll pain van ish ed an d I was restored to health.
I w as v e ry h ap p y to fin d that S u ry a N am askars
a ch ie ved w h a t all m ed ica l treatm ents and oth er
exercises failed to d o . I h ave since then been
a staunch ad h eren t o f S u r y a N am askars.
H a v in g been thus co n v in ce d o f the th era
p eu tic and p ro p h y la c tic v a lu e o f the N am askar
exercise, 1 w ished th at a ll m y assistant tcachers
a n d pupils should also p ro fit b y p ractisin g this
w onderfullv efficien t exercise.

70

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

I accordingly convened a p u b lic m eeting, con

sisting o f teachers, students, and a large num ber
o f townsfolk, and d elivered a lecture on the
necessity and im portance o f S u ry a Nam askars
for keeping one a lw a ys fit and healthy. T h e
lecture proved so effective that all the teachers
and students agreed w ith one voice to d o the
N am askars in the sch o o l every day du rin g school
tim e. T h e public, too, were so favou rably im
pressed that they im m ed iately subscribed towards
a fund necessary to erect a spacious anil con
venient hail for doing this cxercisc.
T h e hall was soon b u ilt to the d eligh t o f us
all. A s m any as a hundred and fifty students
arc n o w taking this N am askar exercise sim ul
taneously in this hall u n d er m y direction.
A nother idea soon stru ck m e : 1 wished to find
by actu al com parison i f Jors an d B aiihaks, sys
tems o f Indian gym nastics, i f d a ily and m ethodi
c a lly practised, w ould p rod u ce the sam e results.
I therefore m ade two batches, each consisting
o f tw enty-five boys o f alm ost the same age,
strength, stature, and circum stances. T h e ir in
dividual m easurements a n d weights w ere recorded
in a register specially k e p t for the purpose, before
each batch com m enced its own form o f exercise.
T h e same period o f tim e w as allotted to both
the parties to do their respective excreiscs. T w elve

USE

IN SCHOOLS

71

months reg u la r p racticc conductcd u n d er inv

personal supervision proved the decided superi
ority o f S u r y a N am askars over Jors a n d Baithaks.

T h e E x p e r ie n c e o f M r G . K . G o k h a l b , M .A .,
S u p e r in t e n d e n t ,

N ew

u b l i,

hakw ak

E n g l is h

S chool,

is t r ic t

H a vin g d ecid cd to give a trial to S u ry a N am askars 1 c a m e to A u n d h from H u bli and put

m yself in th e hands o f an expert in Surya
N am askars, who is also a great enthusiast. I
took m y first lesson on the 13th O c to b c r 1928,
and it required four o r five days for m e to learn
the m ovem ents. I was doing only h a lf a dozen
N am askars d a ily as m y bod y was s tiff and the
various m uscles were p u t to a considerable strain
in doing even such a sm all num ber o f N am askars.
But g ra d u a lly they appeared easier to do and in
a few days t could com plete tw elve N am askars
alm ost a ccord in g to the rules laid d o w n . I could
increase b y a b o u t six N am askars every h a lf week
o r so. T o m y great surprise, on the seventeenth
d a y o f m y train in g, I could do fifty N am askars
w ithout being p articularly fatigued or feeling out
o f breath. T h is I consider to be a g re a t m erit o f
the mantras an d hym ns, w hich arc so grad u ated
that the period o f rest du e to their recitation

72

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

goes on lengthening as the N am askars go on

increasing in num ber. I f the length o f the
m antras for the first tw elve N am askars be sup
posed to be one u nit th e length o f the mantras
for ilie next six N am askars is tw o un its; for the
next three N am askars, it is four units, an d for
the next three ic is tw elve un its; so th at you feel
q u ite fresh b y th e tim e you have finished the first
Cyr.lc nf fw cn ty-fou r o r tw en ty five Namn;kar&.
I can assure all those w h o m ay be th in kin g o f
taking tins N am askar cxcrcise that ii is easy to
learn and q u ite safe, as it docs n o t p u t a n y undue
strain o r do a n y in ju ry to a n y m uscles or organs
o f the b o d y. T o d o the m ovem ents e x a ctly a c
cordin g to th e rules prescribed w o u ld in volve
su ch a strain, b u t ih c beginner is not expected
to aim so h ig h ; it is better for him to attain
perfection g ra d u a lly. In fact, some o f the posi
tions arc so hard th at they can o n ly be done
p erfectly after m onths o f practice.
E ven w ith the little p ractice 1 h a v e had I am
begin n in g to Teel the beneficial cffccts o f the
exercise. T h e extra fat on m y abdom en is
vanishing and m y chest seems to be expanding.
T h e constipative tendency, w h ich h ad so far
a p p eared natural and inseparable from me, seems
w ithin control, and 1 am feelin g m ore buoyant
an d cncrgetic.

CHAPTER IX
O U R O W N E X P E R IE N C E

yo u n g w c studied w restling under Im am

U ddin. a w ell-know n professional w restler from
the Punjab. W e also practised Jor, Baiihaks,
and In d ian clubs, but, in acco rd an ce w ith the
accep tcd doctrines o f the old school o f wrestlers,
w e used to ca t unnecessarily fatty foods, and
thus p u t on an excessive am ount o f fat.
In i % 7 w c read abo u t S an d ow , a fam ous
physical culturisc. W c purchased a ll his apparatus
an d books.. and for fu lly ten years practised regu
la rly and continuously accord in g to his instruc
tions, w ith the result that the chcst m easurem ent
rem ained the sam e, w hile th at o f the w aist and
abdom en show ed a m arked reduction. Since
190U. bein g influenced b y the exam p le and
a d v ice o f our esteem ed friend Shrim an t Sir
G an g a d h arrao , C h ie f o f M iraj, w e h ave been
doin g S u rya N am askars every d a y w ith mantras
an d V e d ic hym ns, and the result has been a most
rem arkable lightness o f body, b u o yan cy o f m ind,
an d a general feeling o f youthfulncss, w h ich must
be experienced to be understood.
But the highest benefit o f a ll is that du rin g the
W

hen

73

74

THE

ten -p o in t

w ay

to

HEALTH

p ast iv'enty-onc years, w e h ave been absolutely

free from fevers and other ailm ents, and h ave
n ever even suffered from a cold or cough, w hich
is regarded as in evitab le even b y m edical men.
B u t the most surprising p roo f o f the stam in a and
resisting p ow er o f the b o d y a cq u ired through
S u ry a N am askars lies in the fact that, though
w e subm itted to p lagu e inoculation no less than
four tin e s, w e had no fever an d experienced no
s o n o f m uscular p ain sufficient to p reven t us
from d^ing o u r d a ily N am askars.
W c subm it th at this tw enty-seven years ex
perience and stu d y h ave qu alified us to state
w ith a m easure o f au th o rity th at o f all the
systems o f p h ysical exercise, S u rya N am askars
stand first and forem ost in p rom oting bodily and
m ental health a n d in endow ing o n e w ith an
equ anim ity o f m ind, w hich rem ains unruffled
even under the m ost trying conditions.
I n tlic circum stances, it m a y be o f interest lo
know rhe d a ily program m e w h ich at th e ago
w hen most m en sit a b o u t in a kind o f m ental
and bodily torpor, w c follow w ith all the vigou r
and jo y o f youth.
W e rise each d a y at 3.30, w ith a sense o f
w elcom e for the w o rk before us. U n til 6 .15 the
tim e is spent in b athin g, cxcrcising, an d m orning
worship. Exercise includes a n h our's S u rya

OUR

OWN

E X P E R IE N C E

Jj

N am askars and a brisk clim b u p a h ill six

h undred feet high.
O u r schedule then proceeds m ore or less as
fo llo w s;
G .15-7.30. B reakfast
children.

w ith

R anisahib

and

7.30 -9.3 . State affairs.

9.30-10.30. P ain tin g w h ile listening to the
read in g o f newspapers.
10.30-11.30. D inner.
11.30 -12.30 . R ead in g.
1a.30-1.30. Siesta.
1.30-3. L ite ra ry w ork.
3-6. O fficial w ork. Correspondence,
disposing of petitions, exam ining
routine w ork o f the secretaries,
superintending sculptural, blockm aking, and o th er works, and
so on.
6-.fi.3n. R v e n in g w orship .
6.30-7.30. E ven in g m eal.
7.30-8.30. R e a d in g co th e R anisahib and
children.
8-30-3.30. Sleep, w hich com es w i:hin five
m inutes o f resting the head on
the p illow , and is sound and
dream less.

76

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

T h is has been our diet for m an y years, and

was worked out after persistent trial:
Breakfast. T w o cups o f cow s m ilk, w arm and
fresh from the udder, and a little cream m ixed
w ith honey.
Dinner. A b o u t eight ounces o f boiled w hole
brow n rice (rice w ith hull on ly rem oved and not
pearled or p olish ed ); between tw o and Sour
ounccs o f w h o le -w h e a t b re a d ; a little pulse,
one or tw o raw or cookcd vegetables without
condim ents; a little milk or milk products,
such as curds, b u tte r-m ilk , g h ee; fruit and
nuts.
Supper. T h e same as dinner, h u t m uch less in
quantity.
A ll fried articles are generally excluded from
our dietary.
W e drink fresh, cool, spring w ater, scented
w ith some fragran t flower, as rose o r jasm ine.
W c never drink w ater at meals but alw avs
* an
hour after meals, and whenever w c feel thirsty
betw een meals.
M a n y ignorantly think that i f a sufficient
qu a n tity o f beverages other than w ater be con
sum ed, w aier as such m ay be dispensed w ith.
T h e re could be no greater fallacy. It must be
em phasized that from a therapeutic point o f view
there is 110 substitute for pure w ater.

OUR

OWN

E X P E R IE N C E

77

W e cat nothing between m eals, not even fruit.

A ll stim ulants and narcotics, such as tea, cofFce,
cocoa, tobacco, and so on, are absolutely avoided.
In addition to regular d aily cxcrcisc and a
wholesom e frugal diet o f vital foods, w e practise
frequent fasting com pleie or partial.

CHAPTER X
E v o r .x rn o N

of

su ry a

nam askars

W e arc often asked t h e qu estio n : 4H as the method

o f S u rya N am askars w h ich you arc now advo

catin g been follow ed b y you from the b egin n in g?
In reply, w c shall try briefly to show how the
present system w as grad u ally evolved from ihe
old method.
It was in jy o S that w e first began to do Su rya
N am askars in th e old style. A cco rd in g to this
the knees w e re not straightened w h ile bending
over, nor w as th e foot brought forw ard on a line
with the palm s, and it was not necessary to stand
e r e a at the begin n in g o f earh N am askar or to
regulate the b reath in g in the w a y w c h ave
indicated.
A fter doing the Nam askars in this w ay for
about a year, w e tried one d a y to brin g the toes
o f one leg forw ard on a line with the palm s, and
found that it p u t a greater strain on the abdom en
and w aist. T h is was the first im provem ent made
on the old style.
O n another occasion., w h ile attem pting to
straighten the knees w hen bending over to place
78

EVOLUTI ON'

OF S U R Y A

NAMASKARS

the palm s on the ground, w e cxpcricnccd a still

greater stretching sensation in the calves, thighs,
w aist, abdom en, and throughout the back. A
m aterial im provem ent resulted.
Follow ing the custom o f the old school o f
wrestling and athletics, w e ate freely o f fatty and
protcinaceous foods, such as crcam , butter, and
nuts, and consequently p u t on an excess o f fat
all over the b o d y, especially round the abdom en.
A s w e fell it neccssary to reduce the girth o f the
abdom en, all such m ovem ents as gave a vigorous
stretch and compression to the abdom en were
g ra d u a lly introduced.
T h e changes thus m ade in the m ode o f doing
Narnaskats vigorously strained and acted upon
the stomach and abdom en muscles, and g ra d u
a lly g o t rid o f a tendency to constipation. T h o u g h
ihe bowels sometimes fail to function the first
thing in the m orning, they do open freely an
hour or so after the N am askars.
W hen required to stand for a longer time than
u sual in order to recite certain prayers and
hym ns, we tried to stand crect, w ith chest in
flated and throw n forw ard, and felt an appre
ciable strain in the abdom en and waist regions.
Since then w e assumed this attitude in every
Nam askar.
W hen taking the right foot forw ard, a studied

80

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

IIEAI-TH

pressure on die right side o f the stom ach, an d a

sim ilar pressure on the left side in takin g the
left foot forw ard, w ere found to stim ulate the
liver and spleen respectively.
W ith the introduction o f these im provem ents,
w c n atu rally stopped the old w a y o f doin g four
or five N am askars in one breath. D iscovering
as well that a com plete exhalation greatly facili
tated the action o f p ullin g up the abdom en, we
m ade use o f this in the positions o f bending over
and touching die groun d w ith chcst and forehead.
A t first w e began to take one full breath lor
one X am askar. F in ally, w e found it most use
ful to accom p an y each draw ing-in o f the stom ach
w ith a com plete exhalation, so that three full
breaths cam c at length to he included in per
form ing a single Nam askar.
W e have explained this a t some length, be
cause w e feel that w e have played our sm all
part in helping our fellow -m cn and in helping
to change matters.

CHAPTER XI
n E A I . n i T H R O U G H SPEECH

W e now com e to a p art which will sceni obscurc,

and perhaps even childish and forbidding, to
m an y western readers. D o not hu rry to read
and ponder over tins chapter. T a k e your time
w ith the cxercisc;? alone, and there w ill com e a
m om ent when y o u w ill he prepared to u n der
stand w h at w c h a v e to say here sym pathetically,
and w ith ou t p reju dice due to preconccivcd ideas.
T h en perhaps y o u w ill try the additional help o f
Speech in connection w ith the cxcrciscs.
Indian thinker-s and healers h ave known for
countless generations the secret o f gain in g health
through speaking, and have b ro u gh t it to a fine
art. T h e am a zin g thing is that it has not been
m ore universally recognized that the vo cal cords
arc a pare o f th e body w hich need exercise as
m uch as any o th er part. W h y leave them dead
and silent w hile a ll the rest o f the bo d y is being
tuned up?
A n y one who has studied singing w ill know
w h at jo y and invigoration, as w ell as self-control,
com e through singing, and in w hat good condi
tion it tends to k eep the throat and chcst.
fii

82

THE.

TEN-POINT W A Y

TO

HEALTH

T h e n atu ral thing for the m an o r w om an going

abou t the tasks o f the field and hom e is to whistle
or sing.
M illio n s o f o u r In d ia n people h a v e experienced
the w o n d erfu lly healing and vita lizin g pow ers,
p h ysiolo gical as w ell as psychic, possessed by the
ap p aren tly m eaningless sound om , known tim e
o u t o f m in d a s the P ranava, and o f th e six sounds
kratiiy firim , h u m , hraim , lira urn, an d hr ah, know n

as th e Bija M antras.
T h e lo u d and c lc a r repeatin g o f these seven
sounds influences the vital organs su ch as the
heart, stom ach, and brain, an d serve not only
as a p ro p h yla ctic (preventive) b u t as a thera
p eu tic (curative) as well.
T h e first sound om is pronounced w ith a pro
longed o and a prolonged in , rh ym in g with
hom e.5
N ext comc-5 h r am. In this a ll th e sounds arc
long. T h e correct p ronunciation is hraaamtnm,
rh ym in g w ith ca lm . T h e aspirate sound h
proceeds fro m the heart. E v e iy tim e, therefore,
y o u say hram, the heart vibrates vigorou sly. T h e
proccss o f p u rify in g the blood takes place in the
heart, tor th e p ure blood th at runs to a n y affccted
p a rt o f the b o d y is pum ped out by the h eart. I f
th a t blood is m ade pure bi;l'orc it reaches the
affected or diseased p a ri o f the system , then only

HEALTH

THROUGH

S P EE CH

83

the desired result w ill follow, i.e. the cu rc o f the

affection o r m alad y. Should im pure o r to xic
blood circu late through the b o d y the a ffected o r
diseased p art is lik ely to g et w orse in stead o f
being cured. E very manlra, therefore, is m ad e
to sound w ith th e initial aspirate h w ith a v ie w
to vib ratin g and strengthening the heart so th a t
it pum ps out pure blood o n ly.
Just as each manlra begins w ith the asp irate b
ii ends w ith d ie lab ial nasal m.* Every' n orm al
respiration has to be m ade through the nose. It
is this respiration that also helps to purify the
blood. T h e oxygen taken in w ith each in h a la
tion com es in con tact with the vcinous blood a n d
renders it p ure and red, and the carbo n d ioxid e
from th e im p ure blood is breathed out. As
respiration is d o n e through the nose an d w in d
p ip e, both o f these organs should be kept free
from ailm ent o r disease. E a ch mantra is m ad e
to term inate in the continuous or p rolon ged
nasal m m m m to v ib ra te and keep h ealthy the
nose and w indp ip e.
Likew ise in each mantra there stands the lin gu al
V betw een the initial aspirate h and th e fin al
nasal m . T h e consonant V is held alm ost as
im portant as om.
In uttering the consonant
V the tip o f th e tongue strikes the front p a la te
an d

tends to vib rate the brain.

Ilc n c c th e

84

THE

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WAY

TO

HEALTH

p rop er utterance o f the p sych ic syllables hram,

/trim, ctc., vibrates and invigorates the heart,
w indpipe, and brain three o f the vital organs,
the soundness o f w h ich is neccssary to keep the
system strong and healthy.
In reciting the mantras one has to open the
m outh for h an d to shut it for m .
T h e re is an elegant cou p lct in Sanskrit eu lo
gizin g /tram w h ich when freely translated m ea n s:
T h e mere utterance o f r a in kram drives out
sin-toxin from the open m outh, and being afraid
o f its re-entrance, the consonant m serves the
purpose o f a door b y closing the lips.
T h e continuous long vow el ; a in hr am
strengthens the ribs, purges the alim entary canal
o f toxins, drives aw a y leth argy, and cleanses the
u p p er portion o f th e lungs b y stim ulating them.
T h e mantra 'fo a m ' has proved a cu rative for
asthm a, bronchitis, and for predisposition to
tuberculosis.
T h e long vow el sound i in hrim (as f e e in
seen ) stim ulates the action o f the throat, palate,
nose, and the upper part o f the heart. T h e
repetition o f /trim clears the respirator)' and
digestive passages o f phlegm secreted or col
lected there. In the first o r second round o f
N am askars, done w ith the mantras , it is .some
times, if not often, necessary to eject the super-

HEALTH

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S P EE CH

85

fluous m ucus fron the nose, throat, or m outh,

but after ab o u t two rounds the respiratory passage
is thoroughly cleared.
T h e long vow el sound u in h u m (as fo o in
ro o m ) , effectively excites or stim ulates the liver,
spleen, stom ach, an d intestines, and reduces the
abdom en. W om en suffering from chronic dis
order o f the low er l egion o f the abdom en w ill im
m ensely profit b y repeating hrum loudly and fully.
T h e com pound vowel sound o f the syllable
hraim (as l i in tim e ) stirs u p die kidneys.
T h e repeated u tterance o f hraim in the Surya
Nam askars serves as a diuretic.
T h e com pound vo w el sound o f the numlra
'foaum * (as o u in ro u n d ), acts on the rectum
and anus and helps them to function norm ally.
L ast, but not th e least, is hrah, w h ich vibrates
the chest an d throat.
T h u s a ll these seem ingly m eaningless sounds
produce vibration in different vital parts o f the
system , stim ulate them, purify the blood, and
consequently rem o ve disorders, ailm ents, and
diseases in those regions.
T h is table w ill h elp you to rem em ber the p ro
nunciations o f these curative sylla b le s:

om rhym es w ith h o m e
h a m rhym es w ith c a lm

36

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

h im rhym es w ith se e m
h u m rhym es wit It 'r o o m
hraim rhym es w ith 1 lim e
hraum as in ro u n d
hr ah as in h u rrah
These syllables should be rep eated loudly and
d e a r ly o n assum ing the first position in each
N am askar.
T his is the abbreviated mantra c h a rt w hich we
suggest fo r beginners. It is w ell to cou n t the
N am askars as w ell, as in d ic a te d :
N am askar ).
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

9.
co.
11.
12.
e 3.
14.
15.
16.

Om hr am one
Om hrim two
Om h u m three
Om hraim four
Om hraum five
Om h a h six
Om h a m seven
Om hrim eight
Om hum nine
Om hraim ten
Om hraum eleven
Om h a h tw elve
Om h a m hrim thirteen
Om hrum hraim fourteen
Om hraum hr ah fifteen
Om h a m hrim sixteen

HEALTH

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87

17. Om hrum hra im seventeen

j8. Om hraum h r ah eighteen
19. Om hr am hrim hrum hraim nineteen
20. Om hraum h r ah h r am hrim tw enty
21. Om hram hrim hrum hraim twenty-one
22. Om hraum hr ah hram hrim twenty-tw o
23. Om hrum hraim hraum hr ah hram
tw enty-three
24. Om hrim hrum
tw enty-four.

hraim hraum hrak

CHAPTER XII
TUF. SOUNDS TIIAT HEL1*

I t w ill be noiiccd that the length o f the

mantras

is increased towards the end o f che round o f

N am askars. T h is is to give longer periods o f
rest anti norm al breathing, so that one n ever gets
out o f breath no m atter how m an y rounds arc
don.
A s a m atter o f possible general interest we
explain the m ethod used b y m an y o f add in g to
the tnanlras the tw elve nam es o f the sun in the
Sanskrit language, w h ich gives a further lengthen
in g o f the period o f rest and furth er help from the
p ractice o f speech.
T h ese nam es o f the sun are:

M ilraya Namah ( friend o f all, I bow to th ee).

Raoqye Namah ( praised b y all. I b o w to th e e ).
Suiyaya Namah ( guide o f all, I bow to th ee}.
Hhanave Namah ( bcstower o f beauty, I bow to
thee ).

K hagaya Namak ( stim ulator o f the senses, 1 bow

to th ee }.

Pusfuw. Namah ( nourishcr o f life. I bo w to th ee ).

88

T IIE

S O t.'N D S T H A T

H ELP

89

Hiranyagarhhaya JVatima ( prom oter o f virility,

I bow to th c c ).
M arickaye jYakm a ( destroyer o f disease, I bow
to th ee ).
Adilyaya J't'aim a ( inspircr o f love, I bo w to
th ee).
Savitre Jv'akma ( begetter o f life, I bow lo th cc ) .
Arkaya Nahma ( in spircr o f aw e, I bo w to th e e ).
Bhaskaraya Js'uhrrta ( refulgent one, I bow to
th c c ).
T h e following ab rid ged m ethod o f using the
nam es o f the sun is suggested as bein g suitable
lor Christians, H in d u s, non-H indus, Parsecs,
M oham m edans, a n d m em bers o f a n y other
faiths alike:
Use om once o r tw ice or m ore w ith each
repetition o f sounds.
Prcccde each n a m e o f the sun with one manlra,
tw o nam es o f th e sun w ith tw o mantras, four,
w ith four, am i tw elve w ith alt six mantras
tw ice over.
A round accom p an icd b y these vocal exercises
will take about eigh t minutes.
Before closing this chapter, w e should like to
say a few words o n the subject o f o u r ancient
learning.

90

THK

T F .V -P O IN T W A V

TO H EALTH

In these days, d o m in ated b y m achine-m ade

exp erien ce, people w h o h a ve lost confidence in
their o w n creative pow ers arc fond o f railin g at
the ancient cu ltu re o f th eir racc, w h eth er it be
In d ia n o r a n y other.
M a n y arc sw ayed b y the fallacicus argu m en t
that h a d their a n cien t civilizatio n been good and
sound, they w o u ld n ot b e red u ccd to th eir present
d ep lo rab le cond ition.
O n the o th er hand, those w h o study o u r a n cien t
h erita g e and a rc fu lly a w a re o f its v a lu e seem
u n ab le to m ake their tea ch in g accep tab le b y
presenting it in term s o f m odern m edical and
h ygien ic science.
It took C o u e to teach us the v iitu c o f j a f m ,
o r con stan t m editation upon a ccrtain idea, or
H ad d o ck to instruct us in the im p ortan ce o f w ill
pow er, or W illiam J a m e s to enlighten us on the
sign ifican ce o f m en ta l control. A n y o n e w h o
read s the w orks o f these m en ev en cursorily and
com p ares their teachings w ith thos; o f ancient
In d ian sages w ill n o t fail to b e stru ck w ith
w o n d er at the resem blance.
Q u ite u n arm ed as th e y w e re w ith the m ech an i
c a l ap p lian ces a v a ila b le to m odern science, our
sages m ad e m a n y discoveries far in a d v a n ce o f
their tim e.
It m ay be new s to most o f o u r readers to be

THE. 30 UNI?3 THAT HELP

91

told th a t the ca th ctcr is m entioned in the

A tlia r v a V e d a , the date o f w h ich ca n n o t be
la ter th a n 3000 b . c ., and th a t the surgeons o f
the linn; o f the R ig v c d a could fit up a m etallic
leg to a w o m an so as to en able h er to m ove
about.
T h e ancient rishis, o r sages, a p p e a r to h a ve
k n o w n som ething o f higher m athem atics also.
T h e y w ore v e ry fond o f using a p h rase w hich
m ay b e ren d ere d : ; I f infinity be su b tracted from
in fin ity, the rem a in d er is in fin ity.
T h e r e is a story- in the Puranas th a t Som a
m arried the tw enty-seven daughters o fD a k s h a and
th at four o f them bro u gh t forth the four planets
M ars, M e rc u ry ,J u p ite r,a n d V en u s. T h e g reat
astronom er B en tley rea d in to these m arriages a
co n cealed reference to t ie con ju n ction o f the
M o o n w ith the several planets in those constel
lations. B en tleys calculations w ere ch cck cd by
Ilin d m a n , and it m a y now he asserted th at the
P u ra n ic story refers to astronom ical phen om ena
w h ich took place w ithin the cou rsc o f sixteen
m onths ab o u t 1424 an d 1423 B.C.
W c learn from the testim ony o f G reek historians
th at a t the tim e o f A lexan d er the G re a t there w ere
vmdjfas, or physicians, in the P u n ja b w h o could
successfully cu re eases o f sn akc-b itc; these A le x
a n d er w as perforce com pelled to en g ag e when

92

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WAY TO

HEALTH

his M aced o n ian physicians confessed their in

a b ility to d eal w ith such cases.
W c cou ld g iv e m an y fu rth er exam ples o f
ancicnc Indian truths, w h ich h a v e been in
depen d en tly discovered b y m od ern scientists, but
this is h ard ly the place to d o so.
B rahm ans have been, rig h tly or w ron gly,
ch arged w ith d elib erate con cealm en t o f their
w isdom . It is not for m e to ex a m in e th e ju stice
o f this charge, b u t it can n ot be loo deep ly im
pressed th at nothing w ould g iv e us a greater
happiness than to sec the entire w o rld enjoying
th e fruits o f o u r ancient civilizatio n .

CHAPTER XIII
CURE

W e shall devote
o f constipation,
greatest enem ies
C onstipation

O F C O N S T IP A T IO N

a n entire ch ap ter to the subject

a s w c consider it o n e o f the
o f the hum an race.
is a condition in w hich die

evacu ations from the bowels a rc o f insufficient

frequency and am o u n t, m ore or less faccal m a iler
bein g retained in th e intestines.
M odern civ iliza tio n w ith all its conquest o f
N atu re has m iserably failed to confer perm anent
an d lasting health on civilized m an.
O n the con trary, the incidence o f disease is
ap p allin gly great.
I f one is called upon to express in one w ord
the m a n y and m ultifarious diseases from w h ich
the m odern man is suffering, th at one w ord will
be constipation.
F rom constip ation start m ore than ninety per
ccn t o f ills, in asm u ch as toxins or poisons from
w aste food m atter Hood the system and attack
yo u in your w eakest p oin t, w hatever th a i happens
to be.
Poisons set u p b y constipation g iv e conditions
favou rable to c a n c e r and o th er dread diseases.

94

THE

ten -p o in t

w ay

to

HEALTH

B u t the inroads o f constipation a rc so insidious

th a t die sufferer often ignores them , finding
nothing v e ry m uch out o f the ordinary.
T h ere arc a thousand and one causes o f consti
p ation , p ra ctica lly all o f them being p reventable
o r curable. B u t all this ap paren t m ultiplicity o f
causes can be traccd to w ron g diet o r overeating,
and to lack o f p rop er physical cxercisc.
F ew people ev er en joy com p letely perfcct
health. Y o u realize it in yo u r ow n case. H ow
often you feel below p a r! N o t ill, yet not cer
tain ly a hundred per cent fit. Science now tells
us w h y this is so. W ron g diet or overfeeding
and lack o f exercise arc the cause.
H o w shall w c chan ge this state o f a ffa iis? By
drugs? T h e tendency o f p eo p le suffering from
constipation is to turn to drugs for relief. But
d ru gs tend U> perpetuate the ailm en t instead o f
rem oving it. It is in o u r opinion sheer folly to
believe hat drugs cure diseases. T h is b e lie f is
in itaclf a contribu ting factoi tu the b u ild in g o f
the w o n t form o f constipation.
Proper b o d ily exercise, com bined w ith a
balanced diet, w ill p revent an d curc constipation.
A s m ore unhappiness o f civilized folk is due to
constipation than to a n y o th er ailm en t, it follows
th at an y form o f exercise that w ill p reven t and
Cure constipation w ill be a priceless boon.

CURE

OF

C O N S T IP A T IO N

95

S u ry a N am askars are. pre-em inently calcu lated

10 g iv e those m ovem ents to the abdom in al inusclcs
an d to the entire digestive can al tha: stim ulate
the peristaltic action o f die bow els, on which alone
depends a thorough evacu ation o f waste m atter.
T h e muscles w h ich a rc o f p rim a ry im portance,
an d w hich a rc also most a p t to be neglcctcd and
left unexerciscd b y a norm al m an o r w om an o f
sedentary pursuits, are those o f the walls o f the
abdom en.
M ost o f die positions in S u ry a N am askars are
specially designed to give to the abdom inal walls
those stretching and con tractin g movem ents w hich
best sccure elim ination from the colon
And we
w an t to em phasize this p articu lar feature o f S u rya
N am askars. In n o other form o f cxcrcisc do we
find these system atic stretching and com pressing
m ovem ents.
Y o u w ill, perhaps, a sk : W h y shov.ld I need
the S u ry a N am askars w hen I w ork hard all d a y
w ith p len ty o f exercise?' T h e best answ er to
this is for you to an alyse your o w n bodily condi
tions. R em em ber that the reason yen are not
in the best o f shape physically and m entally is
because you do not get the righ t kind o f cxcrcise.
S u rv a N am askars not o n ly n orm alize the bow el
functions but build yo u a il over. N o d a ily em
p loym en t can d o this, as jill em ploym ents a t best

96

THE

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WAY

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HEALTH

develop a n d strengthen som e parts o f y o u r body

a t th e sacrifice o f others.
Constipation seem ed in o u r case to be a fam ily
co m p lain t passed dow n from father to son. T h e
ailm ent ra n throughout o u r fam ily.
W as it o n ly due to a con tin uation from genera
tion to gen eratio n o f the sam e dietetic o r hygienic
errors? In any ease, sincc w e suffered from the
com p laint w h ile doing system atically and con
tinuously fo r several years other types o f exer
cises than S u ry a N am askars, w e w ere convinced
w c h ail to p u t u p w ith it as a fam ily trait.
T h is constipation produced piles, w h ich had
to be rem oved b y operation abou t 1909. T h e
rem oval o f the piles ga ve us g reat relief, b u t
constipation w as still there.
S in ce w e com m enced S u rya N am askars, how
ever, constipation- the arch-enem y g ra d u a lly
dim inished until it to tally died a w a y w ithin a
cou p le o f years. T o -d a y w c are q u ite free from
it, though it is a m atter o f gen eral experience
that con stip ation has a firm er g rip in advan ced
a ge. W e should doubtless be in even more
vigorous health to-day i f w c had taken to S u rya
N am askars from boyhood.

CHAPTER XIV
T U B E R C U L O SIS

W e shall g iv e another com plete ch a p ter 10 th e

second great scourge o f m ankind tuberculosis.
W e use the term in th e sense o f p ulm on ary o r
lu n g tuberculosis.
T h e germ -theorists hold that consum ption is
causcd b y m icroscopic germ s, callcd tubercle
bacilli, because w henever an y p a rt o f the b o d y
is attacked b y tuberculosis vast num bers o f these
germ s are found in it. B u t at the sam e tim e th ey
adm it th at p eo p le w ith sufficiently strong resist
in g p ow er cannot be affected b y these germ s.
T h en it follows that i f the resisting p ow er he
increased there w ould he no fear o f these bacilli
hence no consum ption. A n increase in o n es
disease-resisting pow er can be attained b y S u ry a
N am askars.

Only when the. so il is first prepared u/fon w hich the

tubercle bacillus can thrive w ill its depredations becom e
noticeable.
G erm s o f variou s kinds, such as those o f
d iph th eria, typ hoid, m alaria, or tuberculosis,
a re found in th e throats or spittle o f h ea lth y
97

98

THE T E N - P O I N T

WAY

TO

H E A LT H

persons. T h e average d w eller in a city breathes

and swallows m illions o f disease gctm s. Some
succum b, others resist.
W e therefore w ish Co em phasize with all the
p ow er w e possess that if you have acquired and
retained vigorous health and resisting pow er by
doing Surya N am askars, yo u need not be afraid
o f g crn s.
I t has been estim ated that one-fifth o f the
humar. race succum b lo tuberculosis.
T he greatest brains o f the m edical profession
have sought a specific rem edy for y;ars. T h ey
still seek it. H um anity w aits.
T h e habit o f sleeping out o f doors at night and
living out b y d a y does not bring about the results
sought for, though it helps considerably to cure
and prevent, consum ption.
T h e o n ly infallible rem edy for the cure and
prevention o f tuberculosis lies in the correct
method o f breathing.
T h e expression deep b reath in g is generally
taken to m ean filling ones lungs w it.i air w ith a
view to increasing their capacity. Put the secret
o f deep breath ing is not so m uch in the m ethod
o f in itia tio n as in that o f exhalation. T h e
m an n a- o f exhalation as expounded b y all o f
our authorities, such as Patanjali. Y ajn avalkya,
V asisiha, H ata-Y oga-P rad ip ica, Am rita-Bindu-

T U B E R C U L O S IS

99

Upanishad, and others, is to exhale slow ly

through the nose Only and to press in or squeeze
the stom ach as far as one car* do in order fn
expel all the toxin-laden air from the lungs.
Most m odern A m erican and E uropean authori
ties on deep breathing agree wi h our principle
and m ethod o f exhalation.
Just consider/ observes D r W . R . Lucas,
what deep breath ing w ill do for you. N o
m atter w hat your physical troubles are, deep
breathing w ill help to overcom e them . It helps
to cure cold feet b y bringing more oxygen into
the blood. It helps to drive a v a y constipation
b y g iv in g internal massage to the bowels. It
helps to overcom e torpid liver b v the exercise
given to that organ. It helps to cure rheum atism
b y securing enough oxygen to burn up some o f
the foreign deposits in various parts o f the body.
It costs nothing and has on ly good aftcr-cficcts.
T h e am elioration and cure o f consumption and
the prevention o f pneum onia depend as m uch
on the ;iir you exhale as on the air you
inhale.
Y o u w ill notice how this scientific m ethod o f
exhalation is adopted in S u ry a Nam askars. In
perform ing one N am askar one has to squeeze
or p ull in the stom ach three times to sccurc
com plete exhalations.

IOO

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

I I EAI . TH

Y o u thus d o au to m atically as m a n y as seventyfive deep breaths in perform ing one round o f

tw enty-five N am askars. In four rounds o f N am as
kars, w hich a n average m an o r w o m an can easily
do w ithin thirty m inutes, you a c tu a lly com plete
three hundred d e ep breaths, i.e. three hundred
full inhalations, three hundred holdin gs o f breath ,
a n d three hundred com plete exh alation s!

CHAPTER XV
P O IN T S A B O U T D IE T

results o f an exam in ation o f the opinions o f

m od em A m erican and E urop ean dietitians and
o f the facts o f our ow n personal experience h ave

he

led us to p lacc g re a t em phasis on d ie im portance

o f diet. W e d o n o t w ish, how ever, to dogm atize
on this su b ject; a few broad suggestions arc all
w e shall attem pt to offer.
T h e r e should be an am p le su p p ly o f fresh clean
m ilk in ones d a ily d ietary. E a ch individual
should h ave a t least a cu p o f m ilk a t each m eal.
A ll m ilk-products cheese, butterm ilk, butter
m a y be eaten w ith benefit.
A liberal use o f fresh fruits and berries is alw ays
desirable. A sm all q u a n tity o f nuts should form
p art o f o n es m eals.
I t is v ita lly im p o rtan t th at w ith grains the
w h o le natural kernel be used, w ith husk o r bran
u n rem oved, as in w h o le brow n rice (unpolished)
an d w hole w h eat. T h ese grains w ill g iv e better
results i f th ey be a llo w ed to germ inate a little
before being used.
Peas, beans, kid n ey beans, lentils w hen slightly
lOt

102

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WAT

TO

HEALTH

germ inated and crushcd in a food-chopper,

seasoned to taste an d mixed w ith grated coco
nut an d onion, w ill m ake a very tasty and sub
stantial food, affording a goodly supply o f vitam ins
and m ineral salts.
Fresh fruits arc not alw ays availab le through
out the year, except at very high prices, but
w hole grains, peas, and the various kinds o f beans,
especially i f germ inated, serve to a certain extent
the sam e purpose as fruits.
A ll leafy vegetables should b e eaten w henever
possible uncooked, for cooking destroys p a ri o f
their value.
Potato, carrot, and onion can be used in an
infinite variety o f w ays boiled, baked, steam ed,
or raw .
T o m ato , a valu ab le vegetable from the nutri
tional point o f view , is an im p ortan t article o f
the d ie ta ry ; lor the tom ato yields large quantities
o f vitam ins, an d m ineral sails.
Eggs or the yolks o f eggs aic n ext in im portance
to m ilk.
R efined sugar m ight, w ith advan tage, be dis
pensed w ith. It m ay be used very sparingly
w hen absolutely necessary. R a w su gar o r honey
is better.
But w hatever one cats, ons should regulate the
am ount according to the needs o f the body.

POINTS

ABOUT

DIET

IO3

A manual w orker will consum e larger quantities

th an a clerk.
W ater should be drunk freely betw een meals.
A good plan is to drink a large glass o f w ater the
first thing in the m orning, and several glasses
between mcnla. A fam ous doctor o m c said iliaL
i f a ll his patients drank, as lie did, eight glasses
o f w ater a d a y, none o f them w ould ever again
com e back to him .
T h is chapter o n d iet must include a word o f
warning, especially to the yo u n g enthusiast in
hcahh culture. D o not be led a w a y w ith the
idea that the true test o f yo u r physical powers
is yo iu ca p a city to gorge large quantities o f
eatables. Em phasis is laid on this p articu lar
form o f weakness, because it is so com m on.
A n ou ier form o f weakness is the h a b it o f
bolting .* Both these weaknesses should be
avoided. T h e y result in throw ing an unw ar
ranted burden on the digestive organs and
p rod u ct conditions favourable to the inception
o f diyeusc. R em em ber that m an y diseases arc
due to overeating or hurried eating. A good
rule is to eat less, and take m ore tim e to cat it.
I f you feel that your liver or stom ach is not
working properly, do not d ru g yourself, but
observe a fast and take the extra load o ff your
stom ach or liver.

104

THE

ten -po in t

w ay

to

health

T h e question is often a sk e d : H o w m an y meals

a d a y should be ta k e n ? 1 T h o u g h the answer
m a y depend on a num ber o f factors, such as the
cap acity o f th e cater, the life tic leads, the q u a lity
and q u an tity o f the food he takes, w c ven ture to
sa y frcm o u r ow n experience and th at o f others
that for an average m an or w om an, three m eals a
d a y w i:h no snacks betw een a re q u ite enough. T e a

should be a d rin k in g , no t an e a tin g , ccrcm o n y.

H ow ever careful w e m a y be in selecting the
proper food and in regu latin g the q u a n tity, some
undesirable and unnecessary edibles an d liquids
find their w ay into our stom ach, o w in g p a rtly
to our ignorance, a n d p artly to force o f habit,
and are likely to cau sc trouble.
T o counteract this unpleasant result, fasting,
as a rem edial m easure, is absolutely ncccssary.
T h e G olden R u le is to fast w h e n you lose
appetite. Loss o f appetite is N a tu res w arn in g
that no m ore bu rden should be laid on the
digestive organs. It is a good p lan to set a p art
for fasting a certain d a y each w eek o r each
fortnight.
In m any religious orders ccrtain fast-days have
been set aside, as L en t, R o za , E kadashi, etc.
A fast m a y be com p lete or partial. In a com
plete fast, nothing but pure w a ter is taken.
F or a p artial fast try an all-m ilk diet o f milk

PO I N TS

ABOUT

D I ET

IO5

d ilu ted w ith w ater, or a honey-and-w atcr m ix

ture, o r cle a r soup, o r orange ju ic e , o r lem on
ju ic e , o r buteerm ilk. W ith the soup, oran ge,
lem on, or butterm ilk d iet, p len ty o f w a ter should
o f course be taken as well.
A w ord or- tw o on cooking food the h ea lth w ay
w ill not be out o f p lace.
T h e o rd inary m ethods oi cooking vegetables,
ccrMils, and oth er <bod3 in large quantities o f
w ater destroy the n u tritive elements con tain ed
in them . T h e excess w a ter after boiling is usually
discarded and the w ashed-out rem nants o f the
food arc eaten.
O u r cooks and housewives boil dead m any
vegetables, cereals, and legum es. T o m ake sure
there is no life lefe in them , the w ater is some
times chan ged tw o o r three tintes! A ll the
m ineral sails are lost in this w ay salts w hich
a rc v ita lly necessary to health.
W h en 1he vegetables a re thus rendered taste
less and flavourless, sauces and spiccs are poured
over them in the v a in efiort to res'.orc to them
the lost taste o r flavour.
T h ese sam e foods, how ever, when properly
cooked, retain a ll the nu tritive elements and
flavou r, and h ave a richness and individuality
o f taste th at could not be equ alled o r im itated
b y th e most elaborate sauces and dressings.

106

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

T h e re arc m any excellent w a ys o f cooking

foods, but the p rinciple underlying a ll is exactly
the same.
Jn brief, it i s : L e t s learn do the w o rk o f cooking.
T h e re a re m any steamers on th e m arket, at
all sorts o f prices. O n e m ay cook an entire m eal
in some o f them. T h ese w aste n ot a single drop
o f the goodness in the foodstuff p u t into them .
O n e m a y also steam all lands o f food b y
p uttin g v e r y liu le w a ter in the p o t, covering it

so chat it is practically air-tight, an d pulling

over a v c r v low flame.
For exam p le, to cook six m edium potatoes, put
them in a n y kind o f saucepan o f a size to just
hold them . Put h a lf a tca-cup o f boiling w ater
in, and co v cr closcly. W h en th ey are done,
the w a te r should have com pletely evaporated.
Potatoes should alw ays be cooked in their jackets
to preserve the goodness, being skinned o n ly after
cooking.
A liu le shaking o f the pot o ver the flame
should m ake your potatoes fit for a king- -per
fectly d ry , and full o f their own goodness.
O r , if yo u arc using the heat o f the oven for
bakin g, p u t the tightly covered dish w ith the
sm all am ou n t o f w ater into ih e o v e n , and the
potatoes o r vegetables will cook there ju s t as
successfully.

POINTS A B O U T

DIET

IO7

N ow that fire-proof glass is so read ily obtain

able, an cxcellcnt idea is to cover the cooking
vessels w ith a fire-proof glass plate. O n e m ay
then observe the progress o f affairs, an d tell at
oncc w hen the w ater h as boiled aw ay, w ithout
lifting the cover.
A n oth er w ord o f c a m io n ! W e arc out for
health, happiness, efficiency, and lon gevity, and
w e are not out lor la rge, prom inent muscles.
Therefore, w e w ould advise you to find o u t for
yo u rself the q u a lity an d -quantity o f food that is
good for yo u as w ell as th e am ount o f exercise,
w ork, recreation, and rest that you need.
O n e has personally tx> adjust the equation
between work and play, sleep and wakefulness,
food and fasting, exorcise and rest by careful
experim entation. G en era l directions arc all that
can be given here.
T h e re is a beautiful sayin g in M arath i which
m eans that m ens constitutions differ as their
faccs, and hcn cc cach in d ivid u al m ust find out
for him self his personal needs.
Proper selection o f d ie t from vital foods, w ith
fasting a t regular intervals, w hen coupled with
system atic Su rya N am askars, should in a single
generation p rod ucc a w onderfu l im provem ent in
the health, strength, vigo u r, and bodily size o f
a people.
H

CHAPTER XVI
N E W L IF E F O R O L D

c h a p tc r w ill be in the nature o f a sum m ary.

W e shall brin g together all the reasons w hich
m ake S u ry a N am askars a universally acceptable,
practical* and con ven ien t system o f exercise.
T

h is

T h e y can be taken b y all persons w ithout

exception .
T h e y can be done singly o r in groups o f
hundreds o r thousands.
T h e y ca n be done outdoors o r indoors, day
o r n igh t, a t all seasons o f the year.
T h e y take o n ly a few m inutes to do.
T h e v are easy to learn an d to rem em ber.
T h e y a rc not spccial exercises for this or
th a t p a rt o f the b o d y, but for th e whole
body.
T h e y require n o outfit.
T h e y c a n be taken throughout o n es life,
from ch ild h oo d to old a ge, an d thus easily
becom e a habit.
T h e y can be taken an yw h ere at a m om ents
noticc w h erever o n e goes.
lO'o

NEW

LIFE

FOR

OLD

1 OQ

T h e y cosc n othin g and req u ire no in itia l

outlay or upkeep.
T h e y strengthen the entire digestive system
and cu re o r p revent constipation.
T h e y d evelop the lungs and p reven t tu b e r
culosis, and w ill help to heal it to a g re a t
degree.
T h e y in vigo rate the heart, an d w ill rem edy
high blood pressure, palpitations, an d other
derangem ents b y im p roving the circu lation o f
the blood. A c tiv e circu lation is a prim e la w
o f health.
T h e y tone up the nervous system , doing a w a y
w ith brain-fag, forgetfulness, w o rry, an d o th er
m ental troubles. T h o u g h shattered n erves
take a longer tim e and are m ore difficult to
rep air than oth er cells, the correct perform ance
o f the exercises w ill slow ly b u t surely restore
them to norm ality.
T h e y stim u late gla n d u lar activity and g iv e
a new vig o u r to the glands. O w in g to th e

strctch in g a n d com pressing m ovem ents o f th e

throat, the thyroid gland is stim ulated an d
tendency to goitre is o b viate d . C o rre c t
glan d u lar functioning is vital for health a n d
attractiveness.
T h e y im prove the colo u r and function o f
the skin by en ab lin g it to era d ica te to x ic

IIO

THE

TEN-POINT

WAY

TO

HEALTH

im purities througli profuse perspiration and

to absorb vital energy from the atm osphere.
A d e a r skin glo w in g w ith health and vig o u r
is a w in n in g factor for men and w om en in
business and social life.
T h e y strengthen the neck, shoulders, arms,
wrists, fingers, back, waist, abdom en, thighs,
knees, calves, an d ankles. Strengthening the
b ack is know n to be a sim ple but efficient
rem edy for kidney troubles.
T h e y im prove and develop the bust o f m aids
and m atron s; keep it firm and elastic; restore
it to norm al functioning, and increase the
q u a n tity and im prove the q u a lity o f m ilk in
nursing mothers.
T h e y stim ulate the uterus an d o varies;
rem ove m enstrual disorders and consequent
p a in an d m isery; render ch ild-bearing less
painful and less dangerous.
T h e y prevent th e h a ir from fallin g out an d
lessen its tendency to grcyncss.
T h e y counteract the bad effect o f high heels,
tight shoes, belts, collars, and o th er restrictive
cloth in g dem anded b y custom or fashion.
T h e y reduce red und ant fat, especially the
fac a b o u t the abdom en, hips, thighs, neck,
an d chin.
T h e y rcduce the abnorm al prom inence o f

N E W LIKE FOR OLD

III

the A d a m s a p p le b y the forw ard bending o f

the neck.
T h e y destroy the offensive odour o f per
spiration.
T h e y reduce bow-leggedness.
T h e y m ake yo u im m une from disease by
giving a trem endous increase to your diseaseresisting power.
Besides n orm alizing the functions o f the in
ternal organs, th ey give you external shape
liness, grace, a n d attractiveness.
T h e y arc th e quickest m ethod for increas
in g and m aintaining youthful buoyancy. T h e
spirit o f yo u th is an in valu able asset. It is
wonderful to k n o w that you are fit and can

get the m ost o u t o f life.

T h e y w ill gen erate in you go od and opti
m istic thoughts, and give a charitable and
sanguine turn to yo u r disposition.
T h e y w ill, in short, unlock the d o o r to the
glorious health, strength, efficiency, and long
life w h ich e v e ry m an is heir to.
A n d it will co st you nothing to try them.
S u rya N am askars are cap ab le o f givin g all
these gifts to m en and w om en because they
possess the u n iqu e feature o f co-ordinating the
action o f all the v ita l organs, muscles, and other

112

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WAY

TO

HEALTH

parts o f the system, w h ich arc thus developed,

and strengthened sim ultaneously. W e do n ot
profess th a i the S u rya N am askars are a p a n acea
for all the ills that th e hum an flesh is heir to,
b u t w e have no hesitation in assuring our readers,
m en and w om en, y o u n g and old, rich and poor,
strong and w eak, that this system of' exercise, if
lo yally and steadfastly follow ed, will rew ard the
perform er w ith su perb health, v ib ra n t energy,
and new life for o ld /
L ife j a song o f happiness to m e and m ine
through S u rya N am askars. T h is book is m y
thank-offering.

T h e tea positions o f a
X a m a sk a r a re re p e a te d
here an d m a y be d ctach cd
w ithout dam aging the book.
T h e pages arc perforated
for easy rem oval.