The World Is Full of Brokenness and Its Their Job to Put It Back Together Again.
Candice Kumai is best known for her clean green smoothies, matcha confections and healthy comfort foods. Just in her new book, Kintsugi Health: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Listen, Torso, and Spirit, the classically trained chef takes us on a different journey to healing and wellness by exploring the powerful message backside Kintsugi.
You lot're likely wondering, what is Kintsugi?
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with aureate — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, y'all can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of fine art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-twelvemonth-old technique really highlights the "scars" as a role of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches united states of america an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have cleaved, we actually create something more than unique, beautiful and resilient.
Kumai, who is half Japanese, offset learned about Kintsugi as a kid from her mother and grandmother, but it wasn't until recently that she rediscovered it'south relevance. "Kintsugi was something I had learned at a very young age, but it was brought back to me when I was going through a really difficult time in my life," Kumai says. That'south when Kumai decided to brand a trip to Japan and study under a Kintsugi primary in Kyoto. "Information technology occurred to me that people needed metaphors and objects to sympathize the art of healing. Kintsugi reveals how to heal and shows you lot that you are ameliorate with your golden cracks," Kumai says.
During the three years it took Kumai to write, edit and shoot photos for the book, she visited Japan 10 times, learning just how relevant the message of Kintsugi is to our everyday lives. Whether you're going through the loss of a loved one or a job, or are recovering from an injury, divorce or other personal tragedy, Kintsugi tin can be a way to reframe hardships to remind yourself that you're not a victim of your circumstances — and to help you come out the other side stronger.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gilt — a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections.
"You won't realize your total potential until you go through the tough times," Kumai says. With that said, Kintsugi takes work and awareness in order for information technology to truly be healing. That work, Kumai says, starts with following the main principles she outlines in her book. Here, Kumai gives us a taste of how y'all can apply some of these Kintsugi practices to your everyday life.
Wabi sabi: admire imperfection
Wabi sabi is most celebrating imperfections and living simply. "Anybody goes through tough times and leading a life of perfection isn't necessarily realistic," Kumai says. In Japanese, wabi ways alone and sabi is the passage of time. Together, they teach us how to cover the good and bad parts of ourselves and the asymmetry of life. Dr. Rachel O'Neill, LPCC, a therapist at Talkspace, says, "Embracing the imperfect means that we gloat our strengths. This shift of mindset, from striving for an impossible ideal to embracing our strengths, leads to a more than positive and strength-oriented mindset."
Gaman: live with resilience
Gaman is the power to suffer, be patient and remain at-home. Everyone tin practice gaman in everyday life past meditating, through visualization or by taking a few moments to just breathe. Christine Tolman, LPC, says, "By focusing on something as elementary and vital as breathing, nosotros are giving our minds a break. Resiliency can be practiced every solar day in how y'all answer to daily stresses." Instead of focusing on negative circumstances, Kumai says you lot tin can use challenges equally an opportunity to learn. Whether you're going through something equally serious and life-changing every bit a divorce or are trying to go through a stressful piece of work week, gaman encourages us to tap into our inner strength and focus on our potential. "If one can practice forcefulness from within, that is more powerful than annihilation negative," Kumai says.
Yuimaru: care for your inner circumvolve
In Kumai'south book, she talks about yuimaru, which is the Kintsugi practise of valuing togetherness. Yuimaru helps you heal through the strength and nourishment of friends and family. During her time in Japan, Kumai met with her mother's friends and family and learned how beingness vulnerable with them actually helped her realize what she needed in life. "When you take intendance of your inner circle, you can take good care of yourself. I learned to love myself and accept care of myself similar I would a best friend," Kumai says. Cynthia V. Catchings, LCSW, executive director at the Women's Emotional Health Middle in Alexandria, VA, says, "Deepening our relationships can help us be kind to ourselves. When we know that nosotros take a proficient back up system, we tend to take care of ourselves a little more. The whole idea about giving and receiving [has] emotional rewards."
Eiyoshoku: nourish your body
When I was in Japan, I learned how the devotional monks ate simply and very make clean. They live with very petty; information technology taught me that we don't need a lot to take care of ourselves.
A positive listen starts with a strong, healthy torso. Every bit a chef, Kumai uses cooking as a course of self-care and meditation: Seeing and tasting food nourishes the body and soul. These days we tend to complicate nutrition and overthink what we should and shouldn't eat. "When I was in Nihon, I learned how the devotional monks ate only and very clean. They live with very little, and information technology taught me that we don't really need a lot to take intendance of ourselves," Kumai says. The body and mind connection is linked through the type of nutrient we consume, so when nosotros fuel our bodies with a simple, healthy diet, our minds will benefit the same way. Dr. O'Neill says, "When we eat mindlessly or unhealthily, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to refuel our bodies and minds. Nourishing from the within out is an important attribute of self-intendance."
Kansha: cultivate sincere gratitude
Perhaps the most of import concept in Kintsugi wellness is kansha, which is the act of expressing gratitude for the skilful and the bad. "When you realize everything that you lot accept, you're able to heal faster and be more resilient. Practicing gratitude is as well virtually living in the present moment and not wishing for things you lot don't have," Kumai says. Kansha ways letting become of your own ego and reframing experiences and then that you lot rewire your encephalon to encounter the positive instead of the negative. Catchings says, "Gratitude is about the skilful and the not-then-good. Everything happens for a reason, and in that location is no hard situation that comes our mode without a purpose. That purpose is us becoming ameliorate, resilient and more than grateful individuals."
Kumai hopes that by instruction others about the practice of Kintsugi, she can help people realize that at that place's another side to wellness, beyond the latest nutrition craze or the best yoga pants. Equally Kumai puts it, "Wellness is about the practice of resilience, overcoming challenges and being a amend version of yourself with all of your aureate cracks."
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Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/how-japanese-art-technique-kintsugi-can-help-you-be-more-ncna866471
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