The clothing should be loose, especially around the neck and chest. It
is advisable, when convenient, that the collar should be removed for
the duration of the exercises. The buttons of the coat and vest, too,
should be unfastened. (After a short time it will be found that these
buttons must be placed nearer the edges of the garments.)
The girl or woman who wishes to get the best results from these
exercises should be sure to have no clothing on that may bind her about
the waist, constrict her diaphragm, or press upon her abdominal muscles.
It is almost superfluous to say that she should never attempt her
exercises without, at least, first divesting herself of her corset--if
she wears corsets. It is better to wear merely the comfortable union
suit that so many sensible girls and women now wear. For this affords
perfect freedom of movement and permits every muscle to be properly
tensed and relaxed by the deep breathing exercises, and the gymnastic
movements that accompany them.
The first requirement throughout all the exercises is a preliminary
releasing from the lungs of the old, dead air, which is a continual
source of self-poisoning. This accumulation must be driven out from
the points of the lungs before the new breath is taken. It is repeated
also on the conclusion of all the exercises. It must never be neglected.