Reading haiku helps quiet the mind, but ignite it at the same time. Breath and the body. There is much to be said of the simple phrasing in haiku. Using the haiku discipline the brain is forced to focus in ways western society doesn't usually consent to doing. It may be a kind of meditation. The breath is affected based on the subject. Shallow when reading about war, or deep and slow when reading about loving another. The body responds with the breath.