Hatha
Yoga of the Body
Chapter 9 Hunger vs. Appetite
As we said
at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, Hunger
and Appetite are two entirely different attributes
of the human body. Hunger is the normal demand for
food—Appetite the abnormal craving. Hunger is like
the rosy hue upon the cheek of the healthy
child—Appetite is like the rouged face of the
woman of fashion. And yet most people use the
terms as if their meaning were identical. Let us
see wherein lies the difference.
It
is quite difficult to explain the respective
sensations, or symptoms, of Hunger and Appetite,
to the average person who has attained the age of
maturity, for the majority of persons of that age
have had their natural taste, or hunger-instinct,
perverted by Appetite to such an extent that they
have not experienced the sensation of genuine
hunger for many years, and have forgotten just
what it felt like. And it is hard to describe a
sensation unless one can call up in the mind of
his hearer the recollection of the same, or a
similar sensation, experienced at some time in the
past. We can describe a sound to the person of
normal hearing by comparing it with something he
has heard—but imagine the difficulty of conveying
an intelligent idea of a sound to a man who was
born "stone-deaf;" or of describing a color to a
man born blind; or of giving an intelligent
description of an odor to one born without the
sense of smell.
To
one who has emancipated himself from the thrall of
appetite, the respective sensations of Hunger and
Appetite are quite different and readily
distinguished one from the other, and the mind of
such a one readily grasps the precise meaning of
each term. But to the ordinary "civilized" man
"Hunger" means the source of appetite and
"Appetite" the result of hunger. Both words are
misused. We must illustrate this by familiar
examples.
Let
us take Thirst, for instance. All of us know the
sensation of a good, natural thirst, which calls
for a draught of cool water. It is felt in the
mouth and throat, and can be satisfied only with
that which Nature intended for it—cool water. Now,
this natural thirst is akin to natural Hunger.
How
different is this natural thirst from the craving
which one acquires for sweetened, flavored
soda-water, ice-cream soda, ginger ale, "pop,"
"soft drinks," etc., etc. And how different from
the thirst (?) which one feels for beer, alcoholic
liquors, etc., after the taste has once been
acquired. Do you begin to see what we mean?
We
hear people say that they are "so thirsty" for a
glass of soda-water; or others say that they are
"thirsty" for a drink of whisky. Now, if these
people were really thirsty, or, in other words, if
Nature was really calling for fluids, pure water
would be just what they would first seek
for, and pure water would be the thing which
would best gratify the thirst. But, no! water will
not satisfy this soda-water or whisky thirst. Why?
Simply because it is a craving of an appetite
which is not a natural thirst, but which is, on
the contrary, an abnormal appetite—a perverted
taste. The appetite has been created—the habit
acquired—and it is asserting the mastery. You will
notice that the victims of these abnormal
"thirsts" will occasionally experience a real thirst,
at which time water alone will be sought, and the
tipple of the appetite not thought of. Just think
a moment-is not this so with you? This is not a
lecture directed against the fancy drink habit, or
a temperance sermon, but just an illustration of
the difference between a natural instinct and an
acquired habit, or appetite. Appetite is an
acquired habit of eating or drinking, and has but
little to do with real hunger or thirst.
A
man acquires an appetite for tobacco in any of its
forms; or for liquor, or for chewing-gum, or for
opium, morphine, cocaine, or similar drugs. And an
appetite once acquired becomes, if anything,
stronger than that natural demand for food or
drink, for men have been known to die of
starvation because they had spent all of their
money for drink or narcotics. Men have sold their
babies' stockings for drink—have stolen and even
murdered in order to gratify their appetite for
narcotics. And yet who would think of calling this
terrible craving of appetite by the name of
Hunger? And yet we continue to speak of, and think
of, every craving for something to put into the
stomach as Hunger, while many of these cravings
are as much a symptom of Appetite as is the
craving or desire for alcohol or narcotics.
The
lower animal has a natural hunger until it is
spoiled by contact with man (or woman) who tempts
it with candies and similar articles, miscalled
food. The young child has a natural hunger until
it is spoiled in the same way. In the child,
natural hunger is more or less replaced by
acquired appetites, the degree depending largely
upon the amount of wealth its parents possess—the
greater the wealth, the greater the acquirement of
false appetite. And as it grows older, it loses
all recollection of what real Hunger means. In
fact, people speak of Hunger as a distressing
thing, rather than as a natural instinct.
Sometimes men go out camping, and the open air,
exercise, and natural life gives them again a
taste of real hunger, and they eat like school
boys and with a relish they have not known for
years. They feel "hungry" in earnest, and eat
because they have to, not from mere habit, as they
do when they are home and are overloading their
stomachs continually.
We
recently read of a party of wealthy people who
were shipwrecked while on a yachting pleasure
trip. They were compelled to live on the most
meager fare for about ten days. When rescued they
looked the picture of health—rosy, bright-eyed,
and possessed of the precious gift of a good,
natural Hunger. Some of the party had been
dyspeptics for years, but the ten days' experience
with food scarce and at a premium, had completely
cured them of their dyspepsia and other troubles.
They had obtained sufficient to properly nourish
them, and had gotten rid of the waste products of
the system which had been poisoning them. Whether
or not they "staid cured" depended upon whether
they again exchanged Hunger for Appetite.
Natural
hunger-like natural Thirst expresses itself
through the nerves of the mouth and throat. When
one is hungry, the thought or mention of food
causes a peculiar sensation in the mouth, throat
and salivary glands. The nerves of those parts
manifest a peculiar sensation, the saliva begins
to flow, and the whole of the region manifests a
desire to get to work. The stomach gives no
symptoms whatever, and is not at all in evidence
at such times. One feels that the "taste" of good
wholesome food would be most pleasurable. There is
none of those feelings of faintness, emptiness,
gnawing, "all-goneness," etc., in the region of
the stomach. These last mentioned symptoms are all
characteristic of the Appetite habit, which is
insisting that the habit must be continued. Did
you ever notice that the drink habit calls forth
just such symptoms? The craving and "all-gone"
feeling is characteristic of both forms of
abnormal appetite. The man who is craving a smoke,
or a chew of tobacco feels the same way.
A
man often wonders why he cannot get a dinner such
as "mother used to cook." Do you know why he
cannot get it? Simply because he has replaced his
natural Hunger by an abnormal appetite, and he
does not feel satisfied unless he gratifies that
Appetite, which renders the homely fare of the
past an impossibility. If the man were to
cultivate a natural hunger, by a return to first
principles, he would have restored to him the
meals of his youth—he would find many cooks just
as good as "mother" was, for he would be a boy
again.
You
are probably wondering what all this has to do
with Hatha Yoga, are you not? Well, just this: The
Yogi has conquered appetite, and allows Hunger to
manifest through him. He enjoys every mouthful of
food, even to the crust of dry bread, and obtains
nourishment and pleasure from it. He eats it in a
manner unknown to most of you, which will be
described a little further on, and so far from
being a half-starved anchorite, he is a well-fed,
properly nourished enjoyer of the feast, for he
has possessed himself of that most piquant of all
sauces—Hunger.
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