Theosophical Correspondence.
Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
Question: — Today we hear a lot about “breathing exercises” that are supposed to develop magical powers in people, and others describe them as extremely dangerous. What should we think about this?
Answer: — Everything in the world has two sides, and everything that can be used can also be abused or used incorrectly through ignorance. “The breathing exercises” that are taught in various “esoteric” schools and also publicly advertised today have benefited the few who had the necessary spiritual maturity and the right understanding of them, but have caused great harm among the many ignorant, and it will therefore be useful to make a contribution to explaining them.
Like every other element, air also contains the seven well-known principles, and when inhaled, each of these serves to nourish the corresponding element in the body. Everyone knows the strengthening effect of the pure air in the high mountains when one takes a deep breath of it, and there are regions where the air is so strong and, so to speak, “nourishing” that one needs very little physical food in such places. I myself once lived on just one orange a day for six weeks in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado at an altitude of 8,500 feet above sea level, and I found it to be excellent and did not feel any need for any other food. If people were more spiritual, their physical organism would also be more ethereal and refined, and they would not need any other food than the atmospheric air, which is actually said to be the case on other planets.
But, as I said, the air contains not only material, but also astral and spiritual elements, and by breathing correctly, the astral body and the mental body are also nourished, strengthened and enlivened. Spiritual breathing can also take place at the same time as physical breathing. F. Rückert says: “Man breathes in knowledge and breathes out love.” Spirit, soul and body are connected to form a whole in man and influence each other. Free breathing promotes the feeling of freedom as well as free thinking, and anyone who is absorbed in a thought and wants to hold on to it involuntarily holds their breath.
There are four processes to be distinguished when breathing, namely:
- Inhalation. This is when air and the forces contained in it enter the organism.
- Retention, which is a kind of digestion; because when, as is the case with rapid inhalation and exhalation, the air that has entered is immediately expelled again, the elements contained in it are not fully absorbed.
- Assimilation or the absorption of these elements, which requires physical, mental and spiritual nourishment.
- Exhalation or the expulsion of what is unsuitable.
Physiologically speaking, when breathing, the more or less pure and oxygen-rich air is inhaled into the lungs, and a combustion process takes place, whereby the venous blood is enriched with oxygen and the carbon dioxide produced is excreted. In external breathing, this is done by the organizing force of nature without the self-conscious participation of man. During spiritual breathing, which takes place at the same time as external breathing, man has the power to absorb good feelings and thoughts and incorporate them into his spiritual organism, and to expel those that are not uplifting and suitable for his development. However, as mentioned, the assimilation of suitable elements does not take place quickly, but requires a certain amount of time, as does digestion.
The instructions given for this spiritual breathing or “Hatha Yoga” are as follows:
- Breathe in slowly and deeply.
- Hold back the inhaled air as long as this does not cause you any effort.
- Breathe out what is not inhaled quickly and completely.
Breathing should always take place through the nose and not through the mouth. Inhalation should not follow exhalation too quickly, so that the distribution of the inhaled elements can take place calmly; however, any violent intervention is harmful. Calmness of mind causes external breathing to become calm as well. Body, soul and spirit should be in harmonious harmony.
It is therefore not advisable to undertake such breathing exercises, except in moments of inner peace and solemn elevation of the soul. Like combines with like, and he who has impure desires or thoughts within himself (and the desire to satisfy scientific curiosity is also impure because it arises from conceit and avarice) attracts and fixes in himself by such exercises the corresponding harmful elements. From this arise not only harmful effects on the respiratory organs and the nervous system, but also the mind, soul and body are poisoned. Physical and moral depravity, diseases of the brain and spinal cord, paralysis, madness, possession, insanity, death or suicide are the frequent consequences of the wrong use of occult powers, and find their victims in persons who are not yet ripe for an understanding of these things, and examples of this are not lacking.
Everything that man undertakes in spiritual-divine matters out of his own will or selfish intention has no real value and ends up doing him harm. “Only what God[2] does (in us) is well done.” Spiritual breathing is the business of the awakened or resurrected inner man in us, just as external breathing is the business of the mortal personality; but a union (yoga) can take place between the life of the inner and the outer man, and this takes place precisely through the harmonious union of the external breathing with the spiritual breathing.
Such things have at all times been considered as belonging to a sacred science and have not been communicated to the unholy, the profane, the scoffers and the doubters in order to protect themselves and others from harm that may result from misuse, and for this reason H. P. Blavatsky also always warned against such exercises, which are called “Prānāyama. [R.H.—prāṇāyāma, or restriction of prāṇa]” The term “Prānāyama” means the use of material life force to increase spiritual life. If there is no spiritual life to increase, then only disorder and waste of the life force occurs, to the detriment of the physical life force; the nerve currents are disturbed, and the above-mentioned conditions are the result. It must be left to the judgement of each individual whether he considers himself pure and mature enough for such exercises.
Notes
[1] Hartmann, F. (1907). “Theosophical Correspondence. Nowadays, one hears a lot about ‘breathing exercises’ that are supposed to develop magical powers in people, and others describe them as extremely dangerous. What should we think about this?” Hutwohl, R. (trans.), Theosophischer Wegweiser 8, no. 11 (August), 325-327 {Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025}
[2] [R.H.—Dr. Hartmann refers here to the Higher Self or Soul, not the theistic God. This is one of the eight limbs (aṣṭāṅga) of Kingly Yoga or Rāja Yoga, as taught in the Yoga Sūtras by one of the great paraṃparā (i.e., in a continuous lineage) Masters: Patañjali (who was the guru of Gauḍapāda, who was the guru of Śaṅkara).]