In Hathayoga Pradipika 4.

29, the author stresses the importance of the breath by saying that if the mind is the king of the senses, the master of the mind is breath. If breath is made to move rhythmically, with a controlled, sustained sound, the mind becomes calm. In that calmness, the king of the mind (the soul) becomes the supreme commander of the senses, mind, breath, as well as consciousness. When you learn to focus on the inhaled breath and the exhaled breath, you experience a neutralizing effect on the mind. This reaction led Svatmarama to conclude that the control of prana is the key to super-awareness or samadhi. In the chapter Samadhi Prakarana of the Hathayoga Pradipika, Svatmarama gives glimpses of his experiences of samadhi. He says, If one learns not to think of external things and simultaneously keeps away inner thoughts, one experiences samadhi. When the mind is dissolved in the sea of the soul, an absolute state of existence is reached. This is kaivalya, the freedom of emancipation. The goal of yoga is a state of equilibrium and peace. Patanjali warns the student of yoga not to be deceived by this quietness, for it could lead to a state of yogabhrastha or falling from the grace of yoga. He also says, The practice of yoga must