Hindu Medicine c8.128

c8.128

Moreover, there is yet another archaic idea underlying the effort to master and stem the tidal flux of breath by conquering the natural compulsion to exhale. Command of the secret of keeping the vital breath within the organism, indefinitely and at will, would imply the power to prolong life as well. The master-adept of yoga, who has overcome the need to exhale, would be free to postpone the hour of breathing his last. The “supreme divine being,” the vital force, might never leave his organism.