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For the monks in the temples, the very act of preparing and eating shojin ryori is an exercise in appreciation and mindfulness. A shojin cook uses fresh ingredients of the season and makes sure not to waste anything-every last bit of an ingredient is somehow incorporated into the dish. Shojin cooking is all about simplicity and harmony. Shojin ryori, which can be translated as “food of devotion”, is a vegetarian cooking tradition practiced by Buddhist monks since ancient times. The careful preparation of the ink and the gentle brush strokes require complete focus and tranquillity, fully grounding the shodo practitioner in the moment. It’s an ancient art form, but it’s still widely practiced and considered an important way to foster a meditative state of mind in Japan. Shodo, or “the way of writing”, is classical Japanese calligraphy. It’s believed that the fixing of shattered objects-and the celebration of their uniqueness-may also help the healing of wounds to the self. Kintsugi is based on the belief that breakage and imperfections are part of life, and that what is broken can be mended into something uniquely beautiful if treated with the love, care and attention. Shattered cups, mugs, bowls and plates are repaired into beautifully resurrected masterpieces, using a mixture of powdered gold and lacquer. Kintsugi, which means “golden joinery”, is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold seams. Fully engaged in the ceremony, the tea master and his or her guests temporarily withdraw from the mundane world to share a moment of beauty and serenity. It’s a carefully choreographed ceremony of preparing and sharing a bowl of finely powdered green tea, called matcha, served with traditional Japanese sweets to harmonise the tea’s bitter taste. Tea ceremonies are still an important part of Japanese culture today-and the ceremony still involves a lot more than putting on a pot of water to boil. Japan’s ceremonial tea drinking, known as chadō, is a beautiful practice rooted in Zen Buddhism. The science-backed mental and physical health benefits of this popular wellness ceremony include reduced stress levels, improved sleep, increased focus and creativity, accelerated recovery from illness, a strengthened immune system and a higher sense of overall happiness. Simply being in a forest and absorbing its atmosphere has a restorative effect on the body and mind. Taking a forest bath means immersing yourself in a forest for several hours and soaking up its sights, smells and sounds. To find peace and recovery, the Japanese practice something called shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”.
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Here’s a list of 8 beautiful Japanese traditions that will inspire you to deepen your immersion in the moment, bringing greater health and happiness to your life. Everyday practices of self-care and self-awareness have been ingrained into the Japanese culture for centuries. But to the Japanese, mindfulness can take the form of just about anything, from eating a meal to taking a bath. In the West, we tend to think of mindfulness as that which the Japanese call “zazen” – meditating cross-legged on a cushion. In Japan, the antidote to autopilot and the secret to a happy and healthy life has long been known to be mindfulness.
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We’ve become more and more disconnected from ourselves and the natural world around us, which is hurting our health and happiness. We stumble from one task to the next on autopilot, so caught up in our smartphones and to-do lists that we fail to notice the small joys of life. But life is speeding up, and with it, our way of living. Paying attention to the moment may seem simple. The Ritual of Namaste The Ritual of Namaste.The Ritual of Cleopatra The Ritual of Cleopatra.Soulwear Collection Soulwear Collection.Elixir Hair Collection Elixir Hair Collection.The Ritual of Samurai The Ritual of Samurai.The Ritual of Karma The Ritual of Karma.The Ritual of Hammam The Ritual of Hammam.The Ritual of Ayurveda The Ritual of Ayurveda.The Ritual of Sakura The Ritual of Sakura.The Mansion Collection The Mansion Collection Shop the collection.Amsterdam Collection Amsterdam Collection.Serendipity Serendipity Shop the collection.