Ikigai » 6 Healthy Habits for a Happier You | Life Lessons from the Okinawans

hey guys welcome back in today's video i wanted to delve into the ancient japanese philosophy of ikigai [Music] i first came across this word earlier in the year when i finished listening to an audiobook by hector garcia and francesca morales titled ikigai the japanese secret to a long and happy life in japanese the word iki means life and the word gai means value or worth so the word ikigai is said to roughly translate to a reason for being it's what helps us get out of bed every morning and what brings our life more purpose and meaning in order for us to be able to live a life discovering and living out our ikigai we need to first look inwards at our health and well-being which form the foundation in this book the authors travel to the japanese island of okinawa okinawa is a blue zone which is a region where people have higher life expectancies than the rest of the world the centenarians of okinawa share their daily lifestyle and well-being practices that they believe are the secret to their health happiness and longevity in this video i'll be sharing six of the lifestyle practices that i came across in this book [Music] we live in a world where a fast-paced lifestyle is the standard it can often feel like we're rushing through our days with a sense of urgency just brushing the surface without actually going deeper and connecting with what we're doing slowing down and being present allows us to really take everything in and fully experience the moments in our day and by doing this our life starts to take on more meaning and purpose which deepens our self-awareness helps us to live more intentionally and start prioritizing the things that matter all habits take time so i've personally been starting with just small daily actions like switching off my phone when i'm eating so i can just enjoy my meal allowing my mind to solely focus on brewing that cup of tea in the mornings without any distractions or by journaling and reflecting on my thoughts i found all of these things really therapeutic and great ways in which i can feel more present in my day [Music] there's a japanese word shinrinyoku which literally translates to forest bath it's the simple act of spending time in nature and just allowing all of our senses to be fully immersed in the beauty and stillness of nature more and more studies are showing that spending time in nature benefits us both physically and mentally we tend to be less sedentary when we're outdoors it can help regulate our circadian rhythm so we sleep better and spending time in nature helps to reduce our levels of stress and anxiety some ways in which i've personally been enjoying connecting with nature is through things like spending time in my garden going for a walk in our local park and even simply by taking off my shoes and walking on some grass all of these things can help us gain the health benefits that nature has to offer [Music] the okinawan diet is widely talked about when it comes to health and wellbeing it's known to consist of a wide variety of fresh fruit vegetables and grains and very little processed foods meats and refined sugars the okinawans make sure that they're getting enough nutritional variety in their diets by trying to as they say eat the colours of the rainbow at every meal harahachibu is a popular phrase used during mealtimes in okinawa it means to only eat until you're 80 full or to simply stop eating when you notice you are almost full but could have a little more okinawans believe that overeating wears down the body leading to unnecessary stress on our digestive systems and in the long term can affect our health also herbal teas such as green tea and jasmine tea are the most widely consumed beverage in okinawa they are high in antioxidants and help promote digestion [Music] according to this book studies from the blue zones have discovered that people who live the longest are not necessarily the ones who exercise the most intensely but simply the ones who move the most every day our bodies are built to move and in order for it to carry us through life we need to give it some regular maintenance this can be as simple as getting off the couch and walking for 30 minutes or more every single day it can be anything that's going to get you moving and break a bit of a sweat also being more intentional with decisions like taking the stairs instead of the lift or maybe walking the longer route to get somewhere all of these little things can add up and help us stay more active during the day taking time out of our day to give thanks and reflect on what we're grateful for helps us gradually shift our mental focus from our worries and the not so good to the more positive research has shown that practicing gratitude regularly over time increases our awareness of the positive which helps to improve our mental health and helps us cope better during stressful times one way that i've really enjoyed practicing gratitude is by keeping a gratitude journal i usually try and write down three things that i'm grateful for at the end of each day it definitely took some practice but actually writing it down has meant that over time i've collected my own list of things and moments that i'm grateful for so on those days when things aren't going as well it just helps to come back and reflect on the things that i've written down giving thanks also deepens our appreciation for what we already have in our life and this in turn allows us to be more content and happy [Music] and finally keeping our bodies and minds constantly engaged by doing more of what we love and living our ikigai is said to bring more purpose to our life our ikigai can be one or many things and it can be forever changing and evolving as we are but ultimately this concept of ikigai embodies the notion that when we spend our days doing more of what we feel connected to we tend to live a fuller life and ultimately we are much happier versions of ourselves as a result and that's it for this video i hope you guys enjoyed it and found it useful if you're interested in learning more about ikigai and the okinawan lifestyle i'd highly recommend checking out this book which i'll leave the link to down below thanks for watching and i'll see you guys next [Music] time

Channel: Life of Kotts

Views: 287,471

Keywords: Ikigai, japanese wellbeing, slow living, mindfulness, journalling, ikigai book, japanese secret long and happy, francesc miralles, how to be happy, find your ikigai, hygge lifestyle, hygge, intentional living, okinawa, okinawan diet, gratitude, japan, change your life, happy living, hygge home, how to be healthy, healthy lifestyle, hector garcia, #ikigai, #japan, #slowliving, #intentionalliving, #hygge, #hyggelifestyle, #findyourikigai, #okinawanlifestyle, #healthyhabits

Id: MxxE0dEiqzo

Length: 6min 57sec (417 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 31 2020