I learned to be aware of my breathing by practicing Tai Chi Chuan. An hour of practice when I woke up, helped me to calm my mind and increase my energy, facing the rest of the day with a greater ability to concentrate and control stress. At that time I was unaware of the extent to which breathing was responsible for the benefits I derived from practicing this ancient martial art, until I read the book Oxygen Advantage, by Patrick McKeown. That reading allowed me to connect art and science. From that day on, I have not stopped training myself to understand how breathing can help us improve our health, sports performance, mental focus and control our response to stress.