Chapter 2, V40
“So long as the breath is restrained in the body, so long as the mind is undisturbed, and so long as the gaze is fixed between the eyebrows, there is no fear from Death”
Chapter 4, V29
“Mind is the master of the senses, and the breath is the master of the mind....”
These verses sum it all up for me.
Living in a world where many decisions are based in fear is taxing to say the least. We fill our heads with the negative possibilities instead of the positive opportunities. We save money because we are afraid that one day we will run out of it (when really we would naturally save money if we only bought the things we needed). We exercise because we fear that our bodies will be judged (when we should exercise because it is healthy for us). There are countless examples of these scenarios.
I love these passages because they tell us that if our breath is flowing and our minds are clear, then we are capable of mastering our own senses. We are free from fear of death. We are free from fear of life. This is why we practice breathing and meditation: to master the mind so that we may live in a perpetual state of blissful awareness.
