[music]

In Japan, we do not think of self-care

as something separate from daily life.

We do not schedule it like an

appointment or treat it as a reward for

working hard. Self-care is woven into

the fabric of how we live, move, and

relate to the world around us. These

practices have been passed down through

many generations from grandparents to

parents to children. Some come from

ancient samurai traditions. Some come

from Zen temples, and some are folk

wisdom that ordinary families have

followed for hundreds of years. What

makes these habits different from modern

self-care trends is that they are

simple, sustainable, and free. You do

not need expensive products or special

equipment, and you do not need to go

anywhere or buy anything. You only need

to understand the principles and bring

them into your everyday routine. Today,

I want to share with you 17 Japanese

self-care habits that have helped people

find balance and peace for centuries.

Number one, cookie no,

the air exchange. The first thing many

Japanese people do each morning is open

the windows and let fresh air flow

through the home. This practice is

called cookie no, which simply means

exchanging the air. During the night,

the air inside your home becomes stale

and fills with the carbon dioxide from

your breathing while collecting dust and

moisture. Starting your day by breathing

this old air keeps you connected to the

stailness of yesterday. When you open

the windows and let fresh air rush in,

you're not just ventilating your room,

but creating a clear break between the

night that has passed and the new day

that is beginning. The cool morning air

wakes up your senses and tells your body

that it is time to be alert and alive.

This practice [music] takes only a few

minutes, but it changes how your morning

feels. Even in winter when the air is

cold, opening the windows for just a

short time [music] refreshes both your

home and your mind. Stand by the open

window and take several deep breaths of

the fresh air. [music] And notice how

different it feels from the air that was

trapped inside all night. Number two,

the water ritual. Water has always held

deep meaning in Japanese culture because

we believe that water has the power to

purify not just the body but also the

mind and spirit. The practice of misogi

refers to ritual purification using

water. In its traditional form, this

might mean standing under a cold

waterfall while chanting prayers. But in

everyday life, misogi can be as simple

as washing your hands and face with

complete attention and intention. When

you wash in the morning, do not rush

through it as just another task to

complete. Instead, feel the water

touching your skin and imagine that it

is washing away not just dirt but also

any negative energy, worry or heaviness

from the previous day. Let the water

carry these things away and leave

[music] you feeling clean and renewed.

You can practice misogi anytime you wash

your hands throughout the day. Instead

of doing it mindlessly, take a moment to

feel the water and let it refresh your

mind along with your skin. Number three,

Tentu sama, the sun's watch. Tentu sama

refers to the sun as a divine presence

that watches over all our actions. When

Japanese parents teach [music] their

children about Tentu sama, they are

helping them develop an inner witness

that encourages good behavior even when

no one else is around. But Tendu sama is

also about self-care in a deeper sense.

When you live as though your actions are

always seen, you naturally begin to

treat yourself with more respect. You

stop doing things in private that you

would be ashamed for others to see. And

you stop neglecting yourself because you

realize that you are always in the

presence of something that cares about

how you live. This awareness also

connects you to the actual sun in the

sky. Many Japanese people make a point

to spend time in sunlight each day,

especially in the morning, because the

sun regulates your sleep cycles, lifts

your mood, and gives your body the light

it needs to function well. Number four,

the monk sweep. In Zen temples, young

monks spend a significant part of each

day cleaning. They sweep floors, wipe

surfaces, and tend gardens with the same

attention they bring to meditation. This

is because cleaning is not seen as a

chore separate from spiritual practice,

but rather cleaning is spiritual

practice itself. When your environment

is cluttered and dirty, your mind tends

to feel cluttered and foggy as well.

When your space is clean and ordered,

your mind naturally becomes clearer and

calmer [music]

because the external and internal worlds

mirror each other. The act of [music]

cleaning itself is also therapeutic.

When you sweep the floor with complete

attention, your mind becomes focused on

the simple movement of the broom and

worries and mental chatter fade into the

background. You enter a state of [music]

active meditation without having to sit

still. Try approaching your next

cleaning task as a monk would approach

it by giving the task your complete

[music] presence. Notice the movements

of your body and the gradual

transformation of your space from messy

to clean and let the outer cleaning

become an inner cleaning as well. Number

five, enkatsu the internal warmth.

Japanese culture places great importance

on keeping the body warm especially the

core and the stomach area. This practice

is called enkatsu which means warming

activities.

In traditional Japanese thinking, a cold

body is more vulnerable to illness and

emotional imbalance. When the internal

organs are warm, digestion [music] works

better, circulation improves, and the

body can heal and restore itself more

effectively. There are many ways to

practice on katsu in daily life.

Drinking warm beverages throughout the

day instead of cold ones, keeps the

stomach warm from the inside. And

wearing a haramaki, which is a band of

fabric worn around the belly, keeps the

core warm even when other parts of the

body are exposed to cool air. Taking

warm baths in the evening raises the

body temperature and prepares you for

restful sleep. And eating warm foods

more often than cold foods, especially

in the morning and evening, helps

maintain this internal warmth. If you

often feel tired, have digestive

problems, or get sick easily, try

focusing on keeping your body warmer

because small changes like switching

from iced drinks to warm tea can make a

noticeable difference over time. Number

six, softening the armor. Throughout the

day, most people accumulate tension in

their bodies without realizing it. Their

shoulders creep up toward the ears,

their jaws clench tightly, and their

backs tighten until by the end of the

day, the body feels like it is wearing a

suit of invisible armor that weighs it

down and restricts movement. The

practice of junan means softening and

making flexible. And it refers to

deliberately releasing this accumulated

tension and returning the body to a

state of relaxed openness.

Samurai warriors understood the

importance of junan because a tense body

cannot move quickly or respond to

unexpected situations. A soft and

flexible body can flow and adapt to

anything. [music] So they practice

stretching and relaxation not just for

health but for effectiveness in action.

You can practice junan at any moment

during your day by simply pausing and

noticing where you are holding tension.

Then consciously soften those areas by

letting your shoulders drop, unclenching

your jaw, relaxing your hands if they

are gripping tightly, and taking a slow

breath while feeling your body becoming

softer and more open. In the evening,

even 5 minutes of slow and mindful

stretching can release whatever tension

has built up during the day. Number

seven, the art of motion. The way you

move through the world says something

about the state of your mind. Rushed and

careless movements reflect a rushed and

careless mind, while graceful and

intentional movements reflect a calm and

centered mind. Shosa refers to the

careful attention given to physical

movements in Japanese traditional arts

like tea ceremony, flower arranging and

martial arts. Every gesture is performed

with awareness and beauty, never

carelessly or sloppily. But sha is not

just for formal ceremonies because it

can be practiced in every ordinary

action of daily life. The way you open a

door, the way you set down a cup, and

the way you fold a piece of paper are

all opportunities to practice presence

and grace. When you begin paying

attention to how you move, your mind

becomes calmer because it is focused on

the present action rather than racing

ahead to the next thing. Your body also

begins to move more efficiently because

you are not wasting energy on

unnecessary tension or clumsy motions.

Number eight, the practice of letting

go. [music] Danser is a philosophy of

decluttering that goes far deeper than

simply organizing your closet. The word

combines three concepts. Refusing

unnecessary things, discarding what no

longer serves you, and separating from

attachment [music] to possessions. Every

item you own requires a small amount of

your attention and energy, even if

you're not consciously aware of it. When

you're surrounded by things you do not

need or use, you are carrying a burden

that weighs on your mind. Danter teaches

us to regularly examine our possessions

and release what is no longer necessary.

This is not about living with nothing or

forcing yourself to get rid of things

you love, but rather about honestly

asking whether each item adds value to

your life or simply takes up space. The

practice extends beyond physical objects

to other areas of life as well because

you can apply dans to commitments that

drain your energy, relationships that no

longer serve you, and mental habits that

keep you stuck. When you let go of what

you do not need, you create space for

what truly matters.

Number nine, ichigo.

The single moment. This teaching comes

from the Japanese tea ceremony and

captures one of the most important

principles of Japanese self-care. Ichigo

ichi means one time, one meeting. And it

reminds us that every moment is unique

and unre repeatable. The tea masters

understood that each gathering for tea

would never happen exactly the [music]

same way again because the people, the

season, the quality of light, [music]

and countless other factors would always

be different. Because of this

understanding, every ceremony was

treated as precious and worthy of

complete attention. Most people live as

if moments are unlimited and repeatable.

So they half pay attention to what is

happening now because they assume there

will be more chances later. But life

does not work this way because each

moment passes and is gone forever. When

you practice ichi, you give your full

presence to whatever is happening right

now. You taste your food completely

because this exact meal will never exist

again. [music] And you listen fully to

the person speaking to you because this

exact conversation is a once in

a-lifetime event.

Number 10, Shindron Yoku, forest

bathing. In the 1980s, the Japanese

government introduced a practice called

Shindrin yoku, [music] which translates

as forest bathing. This is not exercise

or hiking with a destination, but simply

being in the presence of trees and

allowing the forest atmosphere to wash

over you. Spending time among trees

lowers stress hormones, reduces blood

pressure, and improves immune function.

The trees release compounds called

phytonides that our bodies respond to

positively. And the [music] sounds,

smells, and sights of the forest have a

calming effect on the nervous system

that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Human beings evolved in nature

surrounded by trees and plants and

flowing water. So our bodies and minds

are designed to be in natural

environments. When we spend all our time

in buildings and cities, we are

depriving ourselves of something

essential. Forest bathing does not

require a remote wilderness because even

a small park with trees can provide

benefits. The key is to go slowly,

engage your senses, and let the natural

environment work on you without trying

to accomplish anything else. Leave your

phone in your pocket. Do not try to get

exercise or reach a destination. And

simply walk slowly among the trees while

noticing what you see, hear, smell, and

feel. Number 11, the necessary empty

space. Ma is a Japanese concept that

refers to empty space or pause,

including the silence between notes in

music, the blank space in a painting,

and the pause between words in a

conversation. In western thinking,

emptiness is often seen as something to

be filled because an empty room needs

furniture, an empty schedule needs

activities, and an empty moment needs

entertainment. But Japanese aesthetics

understand that emptiness is not nothing

and it is actually a vital presence that

gives meaning and form to everything

around it. Without the silence between

notes, music becomes noise and without

space between objects, a room becomes

cluttered and oppressive. The same is

true for your life and your schedule. If

every moment is filled with activity and

stimulation, there is no room to

breathe, no space for reflection, and no

opportunity for unexpected things to

emerge. Practicing ma means deliberately

creating empty spaces in your day. It

might mean sitting quietly for a few

minutes without reaching for your phone,

leaving gaps in your calendar that are

not scheduled for anything, or resisting

the urge to fill every silence with

words. These empty spaces are not wasted

time but necessary pauses that allow you

to digest experiences, [music]

restore your energy and reconnect with

yourself.

Number 12, listening to incense.

The traditional Japanese art of

appreciating incense [music] is called

codo and the phrase used is not smelling

incense but listening to incense. This

unusual wording reveals something

important about how to approach the

practice. Listening suggests receptivity

and attention. So when you listen to

something, you are not grasping or

analyzing but simply open and present

while allowing the experience to come to

you. This is the proper attitude for

appreciating incense.

You do not need to study formal codo to

benefit from incense in your self-care

practice. Simply choose a natural

incense that appeals to you and burn it

during times when you want to create a

sense of calm or ritual. The scent

becomes an anchor that helps your mind

transition into a more peaceful state.

Many Japanese people burn incense during

meditation, before sleep, or when they

want to mark a moment as special because

the fragrance transforms ordinary time

and space into something slightly

sacred.

Number 13, the spirit of words. In

Japanese tradition, words are believed

to carry spiritual power. This belief is

called cottodama, which means the soul

or spirit that lives within words. What

you say does not merely describe

reality, but actually helps create

reality. This understanding changes how

you relate to your own speech. If words

have power, then speaking negatively

about yourself is not just unhelpful but

actually harmful because you're using

spiritual force against yourself. The

practice of kodurama in self-care means

paying attention to how you speak,

especially how you speak about yourself

and your life. When you constantly say

things like, "I'm so stupid or nothing

ever works out for me," you are casting

a kind of spell that makes these things

more true. Instead, practice speaking

words that support the life you want to

create. This does not mean lying or

pretending things are perfect when

they're not, but rather choosing words

that acknowledge reality while also

holding space for possibility and

growth. Number 14, the salt shield. If

you visit Japan, [music] you may notice

small piles of salt placed near the

entrances of homes, shops, and

restaurants. This practice is called

moricio and it has been part of Japanese

culture for many centuries.

Salt is believed to have purifying

properties that ward off negative energy

and invite good fortune. Placing salt at

the entrance creates a barrier that

negative influences cannot easily cross

and it is a way of protecting the space

and everyone inside it. Whether or not

you believe in the spiritual aspects of

this practice, [music] there is value in

creating rituals that define your space

as safe and protected. The act of

placing the salt is an intention because

you are declaring that this space

[music] is cared for and that you are

taking responsibility for its energy.

You can practice murishio by placing

small dishes of natural salt near your

entrance and replacing them regularly.

At the very least, this practice reminds

you to pay attention to the energy of

your home and to take active steps to

make it feel peaceful and welcoming.

Number 15, the seat of power. In

Japanese culture, the har which refers

to the belly or lower abdomen is

considered the center of the body and

the seat of personal power. This is very

different from western culture which

tends to locate the self in the head or

brain. When Japanese people speak of

someone having a strong har, they mean

that person has courage, stability, and

the ability to remain calm under

pressure. When they speak of someone

with a weak har, they mean that person

is easily [music] upset, lacks

conviction, and cannot be relied upon.

Caring for your har is an essential part

of Japanese self-care. [music]

And this includes keeping the belly

warm, breathing deeply into the lower

abdomen, and maintaining good posture

that allows energy to flow properly

through the center of the body. You can

develop har awareness by placing your

hand on your lower belly several times a

day and [music] taking a few deep

breaths that expand this area. Over

time, you will begin to feel more

grounded and centered, and you will be

less easily thrown off balance by

whatever happens around you. Number 16,

Toji, the healing soak. Japan is a

country blessed with thousands of

natural hot springs. [music] And the

practice of bathing in these waters for

health is called toi. For centuries,

Japanese people have traveled to hot

spring towns to soak in mineralrich

waters and recover from illness or

exhaustion. But you do not need a

natural hotring to benefit from the

healing power of warm water because the

Japanese practice of taking [music] a

deep and hot bath at home each evening

provides many of the same benefits.

Unlike a quick shower which simply

cleans the body, a proper Japanese bath

is meant to relax and restore. This

evening soak raises your body

temperature, which then drops after you

get out of the bath. This drop in

temperature signals to your body that it

is time to sleep, making it easier to

fall asleep and improving the quality of

your rest. The bath is also a time of

transition between the active day and

the restful night. So as you soak in the

warm water, you let go of the tensions

and concerns you have been carrying and

emerge cleansed not just physically but

mentally as well. Number 17, omoari,

invisible compassion. The final practice

on this list might seem different from

the others because it is not something

you do for yourself. Omoari means

compassion and consideration for others,

especially the kind that is offered

quietly without seeking recognition. But

omoyari belongs on a list of self-care

practices because caring for others is

one of the most [music] powerful ways to

care for yourself. When you are focused

only on your own needs and problems,

your world becomes very small and your

troubles feel very large. But when you

expand your attention to include the

well-being of others, something shifts.

Your own difficulties become smaller in

comparison and you feel a sense of

meaning and connection that self-focused

activity cannot provide. Omoari is not

about grand gestures or public charity,

but rather about the small and everyday

acts of consideration that make life

easier for the people around you. These

small acts of kindness create ripples

that extend far beyond the immediate

moment because they improve your

relationships, strengthen your

community, and give you a sense of

purpose that is essential to well-being.

The most complete form of self-care is

not withdrawing from others to focus on

yourself, but learning to care for

yourself and others at the same time

while understanding that [music] these

two activities support and strengthen

each other. Integrating these 17 rights

into your modern life requires more than

memory. It [music] requires tracking. To

help you build these habits, I've

created the inner kaizen journal. A

physical space to reflect, plan, and

sharpen your spirit every single day. If

you are serious about your self

transformation, you can check it out. I

have provided it in the description box.

These 17 practices are not meant to be

adopted all at once because that would

be overwhelming and unsustainable.

Instead, notice which ones call to you

most strongly [music] and begin with one

or two, letting them become natural

parts of your life before adding more.

True self-care is not a program or a

project with a finish line, but a way of

living that honors your body, your mind,

and your connection to the world around

you. These Japanese practices have

endured for centuries because they work

with human nature rather than against

it. I hope you find in them the same

peace and balance that generations of

Japanese people have found. Thank you

for taking this time with me today. Take

good care of yourself.