Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
There is an old saying: “Half a knowledge is a dangerous thing.” The truth of this saying is proved by nothing better than by the many cases in which foolish people run to ruin by attempting to practice Hatha[2] Yoga exercises for which they are not ready. In America the camp of the “occultists” is strewn with the remains of degenerate lives, and in Germany also some of the most eminent men have already fallen victim to this new kind of megalomania. The light which has come from the East during the last twenty years has illuminated many a dark path, but has also blinded and led astray many people who could not yet bear it. The proclamation of a truth often does not do nearly as much good as its misunderstanding and misuse does harm, and this is especially the case with those writings which treat of Hatha Yoga and “occult exercises.”
Really good theosophical books are read by only a few, because they are understood by only a few, and the reason for this is that one only begins to understand the teachings of wisdom properly when one follows them oneself. This is why the works of Jakob Böhme, Thomas von Kempen, etc. are rarely found in the hands of the “enlightened.” On the other hand, the world today is flooded with a torrent of so-called “occult literature” which supposedly gives instructions on how to acquire occult powers, and the crowds of curious people pounce on these to their own detriment. Some of these books do contain warnings, but these are rarely heeded, because the greed for the possession of occult powers blinds one, and warnings which are not scientifically based do not easily deter anyone from their plans. But this reasoning is also not understood by everyone, and therein lies the danger.
We want to try to provide a scientific justification for our warning:
Briefly, the teaching of Hatha Yoga prescribes that one should suppress the natural breathing, which occurs involuntarily in every human being, and make it a voluntary function. It is taught that there are three channels through the spinal cord through which the “breath” rises and falls, and which are called “ida,” “pingala,” and “sushumna.” Also, as everyone can observe for himself, there is a regular change in breathing, with the breath now passing through one nostril, now through the other, at regular periods of about two hours. One should therefore practice breathing voluntarily now through one nostril, now through the other, or through both nostrils, and few realize that constant interference with these natural processes is harmful and even destructive if the right understanding is lacking.
Anatomy and physiology know nothing of such channels, which, if they exist at all, are invisible and belong to the physiology of the “astral body,”[3] and are therefore of an ethereal nature. Every human being also knows that the air he breathes in does not pass through his spinal cord, but through the windpipe into the lungs and returns the same way. From this consideration, it should be clear to every reasonable person that this is not primarily a matter of ordinary breathing of atmospheric air, but of “spiritual” breathing. But in order to be able to breathe spiritually with consciousness and at will, a person must first have a spirit and awaken to spiritual consciousness; in other words, he must have become spiritually mature enough to regulate the inflow and outflow of certain etheric vibrations (tattvas). Then the external breath, which is the bearer of the life principle and these finer natural forces, regulates itself; But whoever tries to force these spiritual forces through external breathing and to subordinate the spiritual to the material, disrupts the flow of his vital forces, damages or breaks the channels mentioned above and inflicts irreparable harm on himself. Nervous breakdown, heart disease, insanity, softening of the brain, physical, intellectual and moral depravity, suicide are the consequences of such “occult exercises” continued over a long period of time, as numerous examples prove.
The correct practice of the “science of breathing” consists in breathing in spirit and breathing out love. Friedrich Rückert says the following about this in his epigrams:
“He who is absorbed in himself cannot rule the world,
And he who gives himself to it will lose himself.
To give yourself to it and then give yourself back again
To take yourself from it, that alone is joy and happiness.
The breath of the spirit should be like that of the mouth,
You send it out warm and draw it in fresh.”
This occult exercise cannot harm anyone. Anyone who knows no other breath than that of the atmospheric air, which animals also breathe, has not progressed very far in their occult science and is not yet ready for “yoga,” i.e., for union with the divine. Each of the seven principles in man has its own life and consequently its own breath, and how could a person control the breath of a spiritual organ if he knows nothing about all this and does not know it? There are different kinds of breath. Above all, in the deepest and most hidden place is the breath of God (the Holy Spirit), which is breathed into the soul of every human being and from whose presence all life springs. Rückert says:
“I see clearly enough what I need to see;
The whole creation lives from God’s breath of life.”
But in order to understand this clearly, one must first feel it, for where there is no feeling, there is also no clear consciousness; for those who feel nothing, there is also no understanding and everything remains only theory, the truth of which no one can prove to them unless it is revealed in themselves. For the “educated” sceptic, all this is just enthusiasm; for “the natural man does not receive anything from the Spirit of God; it is foolishness to him.”[4] Nevertheless, even the “educated” sceptic could not live and think if there were not a breath of this Spirit of God in his soul.
Then comes the human spiritual breath, the breath of the soul and mind, which connects man with the deity. This is the source of spiritual life in man and that which elevates man above the earthly and inspires him. Poets know this power and speak of it, but those who are only immersed in the external senses or are occupied with searching in matter have nothing to say about it. Anyone who is able to observe themselves will find that with every external inhalation a corresponding exhalation of the spiritual breath takes place, because the spiritual breath and the physical breath are connected to one another just as soul and body are and interact with one another. “Hatha Yoga” is the control of the life of the soul, the control of the soul breath and the feelings and thoughts arising from it. It is probably common knowledge that states of the soul influence external breathing. When agitated by anger, the “rage-snorting” person breathes quickly and violently; when asleep, he breathes calmly; in moments of tense expectation, his breath often stops. The spirit should control the body and the inner breath the outer; but he who wants to make the spirit subordinate to matter is putting the cart before the horse and harming himself.
The spiritual breath is the vehicle of the spiritual life in man; the air which the physical man breathes is the vehicle of his material life force. The former belongs to the immortal, the latter to the mortal part of man, and it is therefore of the utmost importance for everyone who strives for spiritual rebirth to learn to breathe spiritually in order to attain a self-conscious existence in immortality. But as far as the practice of “Hatha Yoga” or “Prānāyama” [R.H.—prāṇāyāma] in relation to the external breath is concerned, one cannot warn too strongly against it, as H. P. Blavatsky also warned urgently against it. “Prānāyama” means the killing of external life, which only has meaning when it is brought about by the awakening of the spiritual life in man. Without this awakening, such killing has the opposite effect to what is intended; it causes profound disturbances in the nervous system and is consequently an obstacle to the development of the spiritual life, which can only manifest itself in a healthy body. The idea that one can attain eternal bliss by holding one nostril is so ridiculous that a warning against it seems utterly superfluous, and can only be excused by the fact that thousands of otherwise reasonable people indulge in this delusion.
Through the external breath, the human blood, and through this the nerves and the various organs of the body, are supplied with life energy. Just as the body is the vehicle of the mental and spiritual forces, so too is the life force of the material body the carrier of mental and spiritual life. If this relationship is disturbed by incorrectly performed prānāyama exercises, profound disturbances will inevitably occur in the brain and other organs. Therefore, in people who have been misled into making such attempts by a wrong understanding of oriental writings, one often finds signs of insanity before any noticeable external symptoms of illness appear. Complete paralysis is often the result of violently induced nerve disorders, and in most cases hysteria and possession follow, as the mind loses control over the body.
Heeding these explanations is recommended to all those who do not intend to be seduced by the boastful announcements of certain alleged “professors of the occult sciences,” but for the great number of profit-seeking people who would like to acquire “occult powers” at any price in order to use the divine in man for selfish purposes, this warning is certainly in vain.
Notes:
[1] Hatha-Yoga or the Science of Breathing [Hatha-Yoga oder die Wissenschaft des Atmens. Von Dr. Franz Hartmann. Theosophischer Wegweiser 8, no. 4 (January 1907), 105-112] {This article was reformatted from the original, but with the content unchanged other than minor typos, by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025}
[2] [R.H.—This is a Sanskrit word compound meaning: sun-moon. Because it deals with the science of the left or moon (iḍā) and right or sun (piṅgalā) channels or naḍis situated to aside the central canal, the suṣuṃnā nāḍi, located at the etheric spine in the liṅga śarīra, not along the physical spine. This science originated with the Lemurian culture. Its practice was taught by the Masters of Wisdom back then, to develop the physical body of most humans because Lemuria was all about development of the physical and etheric bodies. Over time, it was to gradually fade out through the development of the Atlantean root-race which was to lay emphasis on development of the kāma rūpa or emotional body. Upon the arrival of the Aryan root-race and its emphasis on the development of the mental body or manaso-śarīra or vijñānamaya-kośa = the sheath of the intellect, Rāja Yoga (and eventually at a later period, that of mantra yoga) will become the preferred method of yoga for the Aryan root-race culture. However there are still teachers who are not aware of this fact, preferring what is now, the Haṭha Yoga method and aggrandizing monetary gain. This is why Lord Shiva is revered as a god. Shiva or Śiva is, in fact, the Serpent Power at the base of the spine. Without proper guidance, Haṭha Yoga can be exceedingly dangerous, causing the kuṇḍalinī to be aroused improperly and eventually cause death, similar to mediumship. To this day, there are members of the theosophical society who promote this by error. Also, with little understanding, there is a distortion from the moon chain teachings which has brought about a misunderstanding of the use of the sexual organs and their association with this arousal of the power or śakti at the base of the spine.]
[3] [R.H.—That is, the etheric body or liṅga śarīra or body of prāṇa. Chinese = chi.
[4] I Corinthians II, 14.