# PranaScience: Decoding Yoga Breathing - Type: #book - ASIN: B06XZ6GDTV - Authors: [[Sundar Balasubramanian PhD]] - Highlights - I questioned myself if I took good care of my father, and why I could not be around him when he needed me the most. The feeling that I never had a final word with him bothered me persistently. - To be more specific, by controlling the mind it is possible to liberate from the earthly desires. (p2) - It seems customary for the modern era Swamis to not ask questions or seek answers from others, because that is sometimes perceived as a sign of weakness. (p4) - Mind control, in theory, is very simple and any common person should be able to practice. It begins with a staunch focus on one’s breathing. Watch it closely as you begin circulating the air through the nostrils. If your mind wanders, bring the awareness back to the breathing. Breathing is a dynamic activity, yet it allows the mind to stick to it. Let the mind follow the breathing closely. Then the mind won’t have anything else to cling onto, and the mind will be far away from worries. (p4) - Your life is how the mind is. You are how the mind is. Therefore, mind is the master of the self, and the king of the country within. That is why a king in the Tamil language is called mannan. The mind is called manam. The one who can conquer his own mind is called the mannan, and he is the one who can stand the test of time. (p5) - Choose a comfortable seating. In the beginning a calm place is good. As you become experienced, no external sound would bother you much. Therefore, begin with choosing a calm place and a comfortable seating. Close your eyes and position the mind in the middle of your forehead. Or you can think of the throat, or you can put the mind on the tip of the nostril. Now, you don’t have to do any special exercise to the breathing. Just breath normally. It can be a slow deep breath, or shallow or mixed any way as your body demands; or in any way as it occurs naturally. (p7) - A regular practice of pranayamam make one’s life better and helps staying away from negative and toxic energy. Therefore focusing on breathing is a good practice to control the mind. (p8) - We reach out to the drink whenever we want happiness, whenever we want to forget the past, present and future. (p18) - I questioned myself if I took good care of my father, and why I could not be around him when he needed me the most. The feeling that I never had a final word with him bothered me persistently. - Notes -