3 Mindfulness Concepts From Japan That Will Help You Slow Down, Reflect and Find Peace
#1. Yutori: Creating time to be fully present.
When it comes to mindfulness practices, the Japanese are 10 steps ahead of us.
Many people have turned to the Japanese concept of ikigai to help them live a life where passion meets purpose.
But there’s more to well-being than ikigai. The Japanese have many more concepts that help them live a slow, intentional, and authentic life.
Let me introduce you to the 3 concepts that helped me the most. They’ve helped me slow down, reflect, and feel at peace with who I am — and I’m sure they can do the same for you, too. :)
1. Slow down with Yutori: The space to have peace of mind
Yutori literally means ‘spaciousness’, and it’s about taking the time to fully be present and immersed in where you are and what you’re doing.
Recently, I realized that the real luxury in life is having more moments of yutori.
I was craving one last week, actually.
It started snowing for the first time this winter. I don’t know about you, but for me, snow is still as magical ever. And it’s even more special now that snow is getting more and more rare. It’s quick to disappear, too. So when I opened the curtains last week and saw how everything was covered in snow, my jaw dropped.
All I wanted to do was take my time to enjoy the snow while it was here. It was a Thursday morning though, and all I wanted to do was go on a walk. But instead, I had to quickly deice my car, hop in, and make it to the office in time for a meeting.
This moment perfectly captures the essence of yutori for me. Oh, how I wish I was able to take my time to enjoy the scenery, without having to rush off to do other things.
A photo of me in the snow in Austria (2017). Can you tell I love snow?
2. Reflect with Shoshin: The Practice of Seeing Life with Wonder
Essentially, shoshin is about asking yourself questions all the time. It’s about going through life with child-like wonder. It requires you to approach people with a ‘what do they know that I don’t know’ mindset. It needs you to be present and ask questions about the here and now.
If you’re going out for a walk and run into a cat, you could pet it (I certainly would), but you could also wonder: why does it purr? Why did this cat approach me, but not my friend? Why does it like trees so much?
Shoshin is about approaching life with a beginner-like mindset. Everyone can apply shoshin to their lives. We’re all beginners in life, no matter what phase you’re in.
Change is the only constant in life, so you’ll never run out of situations where you do something for the first time. Ever. Everything you do on automatic pilot now was once new to you. From learning how to tie your shoes to learning how to drive a car.
Shoshin is about chasing moments to learn and asking the right questions. Your life can be full of novelty if you allow it.
Did you know 4 year-olds ask about 300 questions per day? The average adult only asks 25 to 30 per day.
Regardless of your age, everyone is both a student and a teacher. There’s something you can learn from anyone. But if you stay in your teaching role for too long, you’re not learning at all.
3. Find Peace with Kensho: Seeing Yourself for Who You Really Are
This is my personal favorite.
Kensho is made up of two characters: ‘see’ and ‘character’, and has come to mean ‘seeing yourself for who you really are’.
It’s about seeing ourselves with clarity and acceptance, so we can become our most authentic selves.
It’s not about assuming that you can do it all. Authentic people know they can’t do it all, and they’re at peace with it.
If you see yourself for who you are, it will guide you to say no to things that don’t serve you, to acknowledge where you’re lacking, and to celebrate and do more of what you’re good at.
Kensho helps you live a life aligned with your interests, values, and goals.
TL;DR
Implement these 3 Japanese concepts to slow down, reflect, and feel at peace.
Yutori: creating time to fully immerse yourself
Shoshin: letting curiosity guide you through life
Kensho: seeing (and accepting) yourself for who you are
You’ll benefit most from them if you implement them all. That’s because yutori, shoshin and kensho are highly intertwined.
You can’t have self-awareness (kensho) without constant wonder (shoshin).
Nor can you follow your curiosity if don’t take the time to fully immerse yourself in the here and now (yutori).
What concept do you want to implement more in your life? Let me know in the comments.