We can go without food, water, sleep and exercise a great deal longer than we can go without a breath. The Breath is our lifeline to the Divine. It can be said that as a person breathes, so they do life. That is self explanatory but just in case it wasnt clear, if your breath is open and consciously engaged, you are fully alive; if however your breath is shallow and often stops, you are living a contracted and less than fulfilling life.