My yoga teacher always said that we've been gifted a certain number of breaths. By slowing our breath down during āsana practice and by doing prānāyāma, we potentially lengthen our life span. Animals like giant tortoises take only about 4 long breaths per minute and they live up to 150 years. On the other hand, animals like dogs take between 20-30 breaths per minute and only live up to 20 years. People who suffer from lung issues like lung cancer, COPD, and interstitial lung disease take over 24 breaths per minute. This is much higher than the average person who takes between 12-16 breaths per minute. What are your thoughts?