Tag: anxiety

How the Japanese Art of Kintsugi Reminds Us of Our Value

I’ve always found the Japanese culture simply fascinating. They have such a

disciplined and respectful nature. Also, they have an incredible knack for making everything beautiful. I mean look at their gardens!  Today, I want to focus on the Japanese art of Kintsugi.

When a dish or plate breaks do the Japanese throw it away? No, they piece it back together using liquid gold or silver. They work to save the ceramic piece. They make it whole again and honor the broken places. The result is an entirely new plate, dish, or vase. An entirely unique piece of art. There is respect for what it once was, respect in the repair, and respect in the final piece. And where there was perhaps a beautiful vase, there is now an even more beautiful vase. The vase, even though it experienced a period of brokenness, was always valuable. The Japanese demonstrate such an ability for patience and recognition that while something is in need of repair, it is still worthy of respect and love.

If the Japanese take this much care with an inanimate object, imagine the kind of care they practice with each other. With themselves! I think they truly practice mindfulness from birth.

When we experience bouts of anxiety and depression, we feel a bit broken. Because we are. We are working through a period of illness. During these times we often feel less worthy than those who do not experience these challenges. Yet,  maybe we could take the perspective we just need a bit of self-care–liquid gold!

While we repair remember to focus on self-love and know that, yes, we are most definitely worthy! Each time we bring ourselves through this repair, we are creating a more unique and beautiful version of ourselves.            -Namaste

Live in the Moment

When folks remind us to live in the moment, they’re actually offering up sound advice. Yes, we hear it a lot, and it’s tempting to blow it off as just another platitude. But here’s why it is sound advice: When we focus on what is happening right now, we are not worrying about the future or the past.

Those of us who suffer from anxiety or depression (or both) are often ruminating about some past detail or obsessing over an unknown future event. We are either living in the past or living in the future. We are, however, not present in the here and now. So we’re not living our life!

When we take time to meditate or practice yoga, we’re training our minds to focus on what’s happening now. Focusing on yoga poses, or on our breath, forces us to let go of the past and not worry about tomorrow. Additionally, if we focus on a task we are doing more intently, such as walking to the car or folding the laundry, we are training our mind to focus on what is going on in the moment. This is otherwise known as mindfulness.

So as we attend to our tasks more mindfully and practice grounding through meditation or yoga, we stop thinking about the past and the future and our minds calm down. Space opens up enabling us to concentrate on tasks more, relax a bit, and appreciate the little things that we often take for granted while we obsess about the past or the future.

Here’s to living in the now.

Photo by Prasanth Inturi from Pexels

Disclaimer: All articles written on Microyogi are opinions and not meant to serve as any kind of instruction for how to move your body. I am merely writing as a means of trying to find my own answers. I am not a medical expert.