Pottery That Has Been Put Back Together Again
Candice Kumai is best known for her clean green smoothies, matcha confections and healthy condolement foods. But in her new book, Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit, the classically trained chef takes us on a unlike journey to healing and health past exploring the powerful message behind Kintsugi.
Yous're likely wondering, what is Kintsugi?
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gilt — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you lot can create an fifty-fifty stronger, more cute piece of fine art. Every intermission is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-erstwhile technique really highlights the "scars" as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have cleaved, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient.
Kumai, who is one-half Japanese, beginning learned nearly Kintsugi every bit a kid from her mother and grandmother, but it wasn't until recently that she rediscovered it'southward relevance. "Kintsugi was something I had learned at a very young historic period, but it was brought dorsum to me when I was going through a actually hard time in my life," Kumai says. That's when Kumai decided to make a trip to Japan and study under a Kintsugi master in Kyoto. "It occurred to me that people needed metaphors and objects to understand the fine art of healing. Kintsugi reveals how to heal and shows y'all that you are better with your aureate cracks," Kumai says.
During the three years information technology took Kumai to write, edit and shoot photos for the book, she visited Nippon ten 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 can be a way to reframe hardships to remind yourself that you lot're not a victim of your circumstances — and to assistance you come up out the other side stronger.
Kintsugi is the Japanese fine art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with golden — a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections.
"You won't realize your full potential until you become through the tough times," Kumai says. With that said, Kintsugi takes work and awareness in order for it to truly be healing. That work, Kumai says, starts with following the main principles she outlines in her book. Here, Kumai gives us a gustatory modality of how you tin can apply some of these Kintsugi practices to your everyday life.
Wabi sabi: admire imperfection
Wabi sabi is near celebrating imperfections and living just. "Anybody goes through tough times and leading a life of perfection isn't necessarily realistic," Kumai says. In Japanese, wabi means lonely and sabi is the passage of time. Together, they teach u.s. how to embrace the good and bad parts of ourselves and the disproportion of life. Dr. Rachel O'Neill, LPCC, a therapist at Talkspace, says, "Embracing the imperfect means that nosotros celebrate our strengths. This shift of mindset, from striving for an impossible platonic to embracing our strengths, leads to a more positive and strength-oriented mindset."
Gaman: live with resilience
Gaman is the ability to suffer, be patient and remain calm. Everyone can practice gaman in everyday life by meditating, through visualization or by taking a few moments to just breathe. Christine Tolman, LPC, says, "Past focusing on something as simple and vital as breathing, we are giving our minds a interruption. Resiliency can be skillful every twenty-four hour period in how you answer to daily stresses." Instead of focusing on negative circumstances, Kumai says you can use challenges every bit an opportunity to learn. Whether you lot're going through something as serious and life-changing every bit a divorce or are trying to get through a stressful work week, gaman encourages u.s. to tap into our inner strength and focus on our potential. "If one can practise strength from within, that is more than powerful than anything negative," Kumai says.
Yuimaru: treat your inner circle
In Kumai's volume, she talks nigh yuimaru, which is the Kintsugi practice of valuing togetherness. Yuimaru helps y'all heal through the strength and nourishment of friends and family. During her time in Japan, Kumai met with her mother'southward friends and family unit and learned how being vulnerable with them actually helped her realize what she needed in life. "When you have intendance of your inner circle, you tin can have proficient intendance of yourself. I learned to love myself and take intendance of myself like I would a all-time friend," Kumai says. Cynthia V. Catchings, LCSW, executive director at the Women's Emotional Wellness Center in Alexandria, VA, says, "Deepening our relationships can assistance us be kind to ourselves. When we know that we have a adept back up organization, we tend to have care of ourselves a little more. The whole idea about giving and receiving [has] emotional rewards."
Eiyoshoku: nourish your torso
When I was in Japan, I learned how the devotional monks ate but and very make clean. They live with very piddling; it taught me that we don't need a lot to take care of ourselves.
A positive heed starts with a strong, salubrious body. As a chef, Kumai uses cooking as a form of self-intendance 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 consume. "When I was in Japan, I learned how the devotional monks ate just and very clean. They live with very little, and it taught me that we don't actually need a lot to take care of ourselves," Kumai says. The torso and mind connection is linked through the type of food nosotros consume, so when we fuel our bodies with a simple, healthy diet, our minds will benefit the same way. Dr. O'Neill says, "When we consume mindlessly or unhealthily, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to refuel our bodies and minds. Nourishing from the inside out is an of import aspect of cocky-intendance."
Kansha: cultivate sincere gratitude
Perhaps the most important concept in Kintsugi wellness is kansha, which is the act of expressing gratitude for the good and the bad. "When you realize everything that you have, you're able to heal faster and be more resilient. Practicing gratitude is likewise about living in the present moment and not wishing for things you don't take," Kumai says. Kansha ways letting get of your own ego and reframing experiences so that you rewire your brain to see the positive instead of the negative. Catchings says, "Gratitude is almost the good and the not-so-practiced. Everything happens for a reason, and there is no difficult situation that comes our way without a purpose. That purpose is us becoming better, resilient and more grateful individuals."
Kumai hopes that by teaching others about the practice of Kintsugi, she can help people realize that at that place's another side to health, beyond the latest diet craze or the best yoga pants. As Kumai puts it, "Wellness is about the practice of resilience, overcoming challenges and beingness a better version of yourself with all of your gold 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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