Jim teaches yoga at the little place on Chenery.

At the end of each of the two grueling ‘beginner’ sessions I’ve participated in—he has softly chanted during relaxation--svasana. He has a nice voice and like any voice, its many layers-tempo, timbre, pitch, volume, resonance—communicate a lot.

His voice is like a parent singing a lullaby to a much loved child.

One of the Shintaido teachers told me about a group of volunteers who come on request to quietly sing at a person’s deathbed. Human song to bring peace.

A mother is reading to her young child at Nervous Dog Coffee. Her voice sounds tight, ragged, but her son is looking at her, rapt.