Later this month, I’m hosting an event with my friend Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian on the science of breath and its connection to the wisdom of the Tirukkural. If you or anyone you know live in the Seattle area, you are most cordially invited to attend. You’ll find details at the bottom of this article.
Sundar is a leading expert on yogic breathing or pranayama. One of the many things I’ve learned from him is that chanting can be a wonderful way to work with your breath. As he put it in the title of an album he released a few years ago, “Chanting IS Pranayama.”
I love this reminder that a simple but meaningful act such as chanting can be a form of strengthening your breathing and nourishing your body.
His most recent book, Breathe a Little Better: One Pranayama a Week, draws on five chapters from the Tirukkural to explore how pairing chanting and breathwork can cultivate mindful eating, gratitude, diligence, love, and resilience. If you’re drawn to any of these topics, I highly recommend taking a look.
The Art of Reading Out Loud
Along with chanting, which may or may not be a person’s cup of tea, reading out loud can also be a way of nourishing your breath and body. One of my favorite books by the 20th century historian and philosopher Ivan Illich, In The Vineyard of the Text, describes how for millennia, until the 12th century in the West, reading meant reading aloud.
In the Middle Ages, for instance, doctors prescribed reading as a form of exercise on par with taking a walk.
When we read silently, we engage only our eyes and our intellect, but when we read out loud, we engage our lungs, our voices, our tongues, our mouths, and our ears as well. We get a far more encompassing and embodied experience of words.
That’s part of the reason Illich speaks of reading being akin to a walk through a vineyard. When we read out loud, we may find ourselves slowing down and savoring what we’re reading rather than just scanning for ideas.
Here, for instance, is a short recitation from the Kural, along with a reflection on breath and breathing:
If you find yourself drawn to exploring your breath but not necessarily to attending a workshop, I’d suggest pulling a favorite book off the shelf and reading a passage that you love out loud, noticing what you notice in your body and breath.
This can be a beautiful form of breathwork that costs next to nothing and rewards you not only with a stronger voice and deeper breath, but also a deeper experience of what you read.
If you’re willing, take a moment right now and read something you find moving out loud. Then send me note and tell me what your experience was like!
Science of Pranayama: An Evening of Breath, Science & Well-Being
Join me and Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian on Vashon Island for a hands-on evening of Pranayama (yogic breathing), exploring the science of breath and its connection to the wisdom of the Tirukkural. All practices are performed comfortably while seated. No yoga poses involved.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
7:00-9:00pm
Tree of Life Wellness Center
Admission by donation · All amounts welcome · Pay what you can
Breathing in and out with delight,
Thomas
Stay In Touch!
If you’d like to receive reflections like this one in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.
Together we can explore what Ezra Pound calls “news that STAYS new.”