III. Move your arms forward until they form an
angle of forty-five degrees with the body. Press
the palms down until the chest is up comfortably.
IV. Now let your arms drop back without letting
your chest fall. Feel a sense of ease and freedom
over the whole body. Breathe naturally and
deeply.
In other words, to "poise" the breath, stand erect, at attention. Most
people when called to this "attention" posture stiffen themselves so
that they are in a position of resistance. When I say _attention_,--I
mean the position in which you have alertness but at the same time
complete freedom,--when you can freely smile, sigh, scowl and
sneer,--the attention that will permit expansion of the chest with every
change of mood. Then, open the mouth without inhaling. Let the breath
out for five seconds, close the mouth and inhale through the nostrils. I
keep the fact that I breathe into the lungs through the nostrils before
me all the time. Again open the mouth without allowing the air to pass
in. Practice this until a comfortable stretch is felt in the flesh of
the face, the top of the head, the back, the chest and the abdomen. If
you stretch violently you will not experience this feeling.