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

                                        

I recently completed reading this fascinating book "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life" by Hector Gracia and Francesc Miralles which wasn't in my reading list and I'm so joyed by the choice that I bought the book and it turned out to be so astonishing.

This book has an illuminating preference in your life which teaches you how to live a happy and longer life.

This book touches ancient Japanese well-practiced culture and technique which is an aspect of their long happy life which is termed- Ikigai. According to the Japanese, everyone has an Ikigai. An Ikigai is essential ‘a reason to get up in the morning’. A reason to enjoy life. 

                      

                

Your Ikigai lies between these interconnecting circles of life which are the most important needs for a happy life and the Japanese will not recognize this contemplating process because for them happiness and living an older life have a multifaceted concept.

This is merely teaching that has to be practiced and processed in our daily life.

Once you understand the meaning of Ikigai the book talks about the 5 Blue Zone with the reference were these places have practiced the art of living.  

 The five blue zones are as follows:

• Okinawa, Japan
• Sardinia, Italy
• Loma Linda, California
• The Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Ikaria, Greece

In the following chapters, the book has given more emphasis on stress and how it has diminishing power to lower your living capacity. The chapters have been put down with case studies and interviews with local village people and they have one common saying they tend to live a stressful life but also, they say that little stress is good for growing and that keeps you awakened every day to do your best.

In subsequent chapters, the authors have highlighted that people are finding a reason to live, and "Logotherapy" is an ancient practice helping people find a reason to live as it pushes people to consciously discover their life's purpose in order to confront their neuroses. Its quite evident that we discover the meaning of life rather than creating it.

The next part depicts the Power of Flow. After you have discovered your life goals and meaning to it you have to maintain the flow without being distracted to the surrounding. The author has mentioned the 7 Conditions for Achieving Flow and they are as follows:

• knowing what to do
• knowing how to do
• knowing how well you are doing
• knowing where to go
• perceiving significant challenges
• perceiving significant skills
• being free from distractions

There are various techniques designed to practice to achieve the flow. There are many approaches to achieve the flow and some of theses are as follows which are accepted internationally and are been recommended by the practitioners;

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Radio Taiso
• Tai Chi
• Qigong
• Shiatsu

The book has introduced another Japanese technique, at the end, known as Wabi-Sabi and ichi-go ichi-e.

It's a Japanese Concept that shows the beauty of the fleeting, changeable, and imperfect nature of the world around us. Instead of searching beauty in perfection, we should look for it in the things which are flawed, incomplete, and ephemeral because they resemble nature. A complimentary Japanese concept is that of ichi-go ichi-e which is translated as " This moment exists only now and won't come again".

Conclusion:

This book is intense and has a sense of relief and happiness when you complete reading this book. One thing I truly loved about this book which quoted " when we spend our days feeling connected to what is meaningful to us, we live more fully, and when we lose the connection we despair". I totally recommend this book to all the book lovers to add this to your reading list, you will not regret.