Pradnya Deshmukh

Book Review IKIGAI-The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Ikigai is an inspiring self-help book by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles. 'Ikigai' is a profound Japanese concept which translates roughly as 'a reason for being' or 'purposeful life' The authors explain the concept of 'ikigai’ with a diagram by Mark Winn. According to it, ikigai is the intersection of four key elements i.e. passion, profession, mission and vocation. The book revolves around the Okinawa island of Japan. Okinawa holds first place among the world's ‘Blue zones’(Geographical areas with a longer life expectancy). The authors visited Ogimi town on north end of the island. They interviewed the centenarians (age>100years) and super centenarians (age>110years). They studied the secrets of their extraordinary longevity and summarised the research in this book. What did I take away from 'Ikigai’? 1. Stay active, don't retire: Always move your body and keep doing what you love for as long as the health allows. 2. Don't Fill your stomach: 'Hara hachi bu’ - means fill your belly to 80 percent. Stop eating when you start to fill full. 3. Socialize: Enjoy your time with good friends and your loved ones. 4. Live in moment : Don't waste time thinking about past or future. 5. Take it easy: Walk slowly & you'll go far i.e. urgency in anything is not good. 6. Be grateful: Say thanks to everyone and everything that keeps you alive. 7. Smile: Practise mindfulness and keep smiling. 8. Follow your ikigai: Find your purpose & follow it. I have to admit that there are many concepts in the book which you might have heard may times before; but the purpose of the book is to help you find your ikigai and to share insights from Japanese philosophy on the lasting health. I'm not exaggerating when I say it is literally 'Life changing’.