I’m the Champion of Balance, and don’t tell the other champions, but I’m the Champion of all Champions! My message is simple: breathe!

My element is AIR. You can live weeks without food and days without water. But only minutes without air. That’s why I’m so important. Air is life. Now you may be thinking, Breathe? Really? That’s it? It’s not like I’m not breathing now. What’s the big deal?

Fair enough. Here’s the deal. Controlled breathing is what enables us to speak and sing. But there’s more. Normal breathing is automatic and unconscious. Experiments have shown that controlled breathing (or just being conscious of your breathing) creates connections between the conscious and unconscious areas of your brain. This results in reduced stress, increased awareness and focus. You immediately calm down. You see things more clearly. You make better decisions. You can better control your reactions. Angry? Breathe. Anxious? Breathe. Stressed out? Breathe. Trouble sleeping? Breathe. That’s right. Breath brings balance. And balance is health.

Yoga is all about controlled breath. Learn basic yoga breathing exercises. They are tried and tested and very simple, and they can be practiced anywhere and anytime, even on the pitch. Give it a try. Seriously. You need to breathe anyhow. Why not master it as well? It does miracles. Trust me, I’m the Champion.

Plants: these, too, are very important. We inhale oxygen (O2) and exhale carbon dioxide (CO2), which is basically oxygen with one carbon atom. Plants take this compound, remove the carbon and release the oxygen, which we can breathe again. Plants use the carbon for their construction. Plants are made from carbon. This isn’t just amazing. It’s beautiful, too. So visit nature regularly and always keep plants in your house to honour this relationship. It’s so precious.

My card is at the centre of the deck. There are 24 cards before me and 24 after me. I’m at the centre of the lower and higher, the inner and the outer. Everything has to go through me for it to serve its purpose. Balance is key.

Draw my card? Take a deep breath!