In yoga we call breathing exercises pranayama: prana = life force, ayama = to extend or expand. So essentially, working with the breath is a way of not only calming the mind, but increasing our prana, or life force. When we use various pranayama practices, we are expanding and increasing our prana (also called life force energy). Without proper cultivation of our prana, we may feel tired, stressed, burned out, anxious, sick, and depressed. When working with the breath in specific ways, you can decrease stagnation, disease and mental distress in the body and experience increased health and vitality every day.