Ikigai: awareness to your well-being

Book title: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Book authors: Héctor García and Frances Miralles

Review by Anjum

I was browsing the little bookshop in the airport in Srinagar. It’s called Gulshan book store. There was a small crowd of people purchasing postcards and writing on them. I found a little space for me in the bookshop and started browsing. There were a bunch of books about Kashmir, its history, but I couldn't find any that were super appropriate for me. Also, those books were large hardcovers and I already loaded my husband’s backpack with the last moment souvenirs I bought. I was like, but I have to have some book from this place! Then I disshelf this little book called “Ikigai” and next thing, I bought it.

Over the two flights and the waiting in between them, I read Ikigai. Right now I am transitioning to a more conscious self in life. I am trying to stay healthy, pay attention to my emotions, routines. Trying to add more balance. I recently read a book on health and nutrition and loved it. So, Ikigai suited my taste. And I am thankful to buy this book at the last moment, because it kept me engaged in knowing about the cultures of well-being in Japan’s Okinawa. Really appreciated the practices this community does.

The happiest people are not ones who achieve the most. They are the ones who spend more time than others in a state of flow.

The concept of flow inspired me. In everyday life, we have to do so much work. Put clothes in washer, reply to a message in social, time to drink tea, workday was not productive enough - sometimes dozens of thoughts related to work and life pop into our heads. We try to do all at once and lose focus. Flow means we reach a state of calmness by doing the same work with focus without interrupting ourselves with work that we will do later.

Other inspiring concepts discussed here are- hara hachi bu, eat until you are eighty percent full. Wabi-sabi, look for beauty in everyday things, instead of looking for perfection. Make a strong, withstanding culture, not buildings. And “the now and here”. Live now and here. This is on my list to practice.

The book helps you identify how you can improve your well-being- eat well, sleep enough, move etc. But there are also many barriers for everyone's personal struggle. I , for example, am very  attached to inertia. Say, I am writing this book review and it’s dinner time, I will be trapped in the “flow” of writing, that I will probably harm myself by eating a late meal. This type of detailed solutions are out of scope of the book. But the book does well by giving you an outline of how you should take care of yourself and a bunch of concepts so that you can get inspired and hopefully make a little change in your lifestyle to make it better.