Religious observation of breathing

To understand life the yogis concentrate on the breath.  The observation of the breath is the only way to god, apparently.  When we go about our daily chores, we forget that we are always breathing. Only when we meditate the breath becomes  prominent.  The exchange of the universe and the self happens mainly by this means. A constant exchange. When the breathing stops, its all over.  No wonder Hindu yogis pay so much attention to it.