Reptilian Mind

The savage mind, the old mind, the one we have in common with snakes and lizzards neurophysically "located" in the Medulla Oblongata.

The reptilian mind controls the Four Fountains: Self Preservation, Hunger, Sex, and Sleep. This is the mind that makes you grab food, without abiding by any social etiquette or formality, without asking permission. It circumvents the 'higher mind' or Human Mind and usually gets that person into some trouble by breaking a societal rule of some sort. It seems that some (but not all) Men are governed by their reptillian mind. They get hungry they grab, they get horny they rape. The Fight or Flight response is also associated to this mind.

Breath is in under the influence of the reptillian mind as well which is part of the Autonomic Nervous System which mainly governs the involuntary systems of the body. That doesn't mean they, The four fountains and Nervous System, cannot be tapped into and mastered.

In fact Eastern esoteric arts systematically show how one can master ones own Autonomic Nervous System. The Hindu Yogic Sciences, Chinese Chi Gung, Middle-Eastern Sufism etc.. are all paths to the same goal.