In the IT age of information overload, our minds and brains are more tired than we think. Many people suffer from unexplained health problems, lack motivation, or tend to feel depressed.

Under the supervision of Dr. Taishu Kawano, a Zen monk and psychiatrist who has practiced mindfulness* for many companies, we have developed "Zen-Shinko".

Zen-Shin-Ko" is a product that allows people living in a stressful society to experience meditation (mindfulness* practice) while enjoying the "Japanese aroma".

Mindfulness is an attitude of concentrating on what is in front of you, without thinking about everything else.

①　Washi paper label

Japanese paper labels are used to match the Japanese aroma of Yuzu and Hinoki

②　Logo signed by Taishu Kawano

The Japanese paper label uses the handwritten logo signature of Mr. Taishu Kawano, who supervises ZENSHINKOU, to create a healing atmosphere.

③　〇 design

It is inspired by the shape of yuzu and Hinoki cypress and the enso* window.

*Enso is one of the calligraphic styles in Zen, in which a circle of figures a circle is drawn with a single stroke. It is a circle drawn by Zen monks and others to show complete enlightenment and the true nature of the mind. It is also called ichien sō or enso zu.

④ Zipper type colorless transparent plastic bag

The paper box is thrown away when it is used, but the plastic bag can be used as a storage bag or a bag for carrying around without throwing it away.

The plastic bag can be used as a storage bag for essential oils or cosmetics after the Zen mind incense has been used.

The zipper-type colorless, transparent plastic bag can be carried on board an airplane as is.

⑤　Collection of Zen words

Zen words supervised by Taishu Kawano are listed on the mount.

There are 10 Zen words.

Instructions.

Dropper bottles (glass bottles with drop stoppers) are used for storing and using essential oils.

It is very convenient because you can take out the essential oil from the bottle without using a dropper.

However, there is a little trick. Tilt the bottle as shown in the illustration and drop the essential oil into the bottle. Some of them are a little viscous (a little thick).

Hiba (hiba) and Sugi (nigari) oils in the "Zen-Shinko Domestic Essential Oils" series are highly viscous, so after about 5 to 10 seconds of tilting the bottle, the essential oil will slowly start to drip out.

Watch the end of the bottle and enjoy watching it come out.

①　Japanese paper label

Japanese paper labels are used to match the Japanese aroma of yuzu and hinoki.

②　Logo signature handwritten by Taishu Kawano

The logo signature handwritten by Taishu Kawano, who supervises ZENSHINKOU, is used on the Japanese paper label to create a healing atmosphere.

②　Zipper type colorless transparent plastic bag

The paper box is thrown away when used, but the plastic bag can be used as a storage bag or a carrying bag without throwing it away.

The zipper is a clear plastic bag that can be used as a storage bag for essential oils or cosmetics after the Zen mind incense has been used.

The zipper-type colorless, transparent plastic bag can be carried on board an airplane as is.

③　Collection of Zen Words

Zen words supervised Taishu Kawano are listed on the mount.

There are 10 Zen words.

This product uses an incense container, which is used to hold incense when burning incense, and is filled with Hinoki essential oil or Yuzu essential oil blended with domestic essential oil to enjoy the fragrance.

Each incense container is made by Odawara lacquerware craftsmen with the utmost care and attention.

The original meditation was supervised by Taishu Kawano as a powerful support method for meditation to nurture the core of the mind, which is necessary for leaders, including executives, to make correct decisions. The original meditation can be heard by scanning the QR code on the booklet included only with the set and the incense container (single item). Please try the original meditation with the audio.

Meditation is a method of attaining mindfulness.

Meditation is the act of resting the mind and brain from worrying about this and that by concentrating the mind on "the present moment. It has a variety of effects, such as improving mental and physical conditioning, concentration, and the ability to make decisions.

In meditation, we pay attention to and observe our physical senses. By focusing on the senses of touch and smell, we can better enjoy the feeling of petting a cat or dog, or the aroma of coffee. When we regain a sense of our bodies, we can see and accept ourselves as we are. This helps to improve headaches and stiff shoulders caused by psychological anxiety and tension.

In other words, meditation allows us to recognize and improve our own ailments. When one's mind and body are regulated, one can treat others with an open mind, and one can expect to improve one's relationships with others. In this way, it will lead to a life with a high sense of happiness.

Meditation may sound difficult, but there is a meditation that can be done easily in everyday life. This meditation method is called "gap meditation. Sukima meditation helps to refresh your mind by directing your attention and focus on one thing at a time.

Click here to learn more about the Sukima Meditation method.

The Sukima Meditation Technique involves the use of scents. The "Scent Refreshment Method" to reset the mind and relieve fatigue and stress. The Scent Meditation Method, which is based on breathing meditation. The "Scented Suspension Meditation Method," which can be done while riding a crowded train, for those who have a painful commute or are addicted to their smartphones.

A Scents is made up of a number of components. It is easy to concentrate on a fragrance by exploring the elements of its components, but this is difficult to do unless you are an expert in scent. Even if you are not an expert, it is good to feel the characteristics of a scent.

Scents change over time. For example, you can perceive or visualize the characteristics of yuzu as "the scent of the peel," "the scent of the fruit," "the scent of the juice," and "the scent of the thin peel," to name a few.

Since yuzu is a citrus fruit, you may imagine the shifting aroma as "mandarin orange," "lemon," "grapefruit," etc. It is also interesting to compare it to a food or drink that contains yuzu.

It is easier to concentrate if you can feel the changing aroma as it is, along with the image you have of it, as it changes over time.

Also, the way you perceive scents can change subtly with your physical condition from day to day. It is also a pleasure to smell with this in mind.

Due in part to the Japanese food boom, Yuzu production is increasing. The amount of peel discarded after the fruit has been picked is also increasing.

In Tosa Mountain, Kochi Prefecture, the discarded rind is reused in a microwave distillation system, a distillation method that does not require the addition of water.

The ZENSHINKOU Yuzu Mist uses the distilled water of yuzu extract, which is why it has a genuine Yuzu aroma.

In teleworking, it is difficult to switch between the two modes of mind, work and private life, and in fact, an increasing number of teleworkers have problems with sleep quality and mental fatigue. We would like to recommend the use of ZENSHINKOU for such a time when you need to switch the mode of your life and the mode of your mind.

It is easy to use, just spray it in the air and enjoy the scent for a moment, or spray it on a mask or handkerchief and enjoy the scent as it slowly fades away. Woods are ideal for meditation and relaxation, while citrus scents are refreshing for the mind and brain.

Therefore, we recommend using Yuzu ZENSHINKOU in the morning or early afternoon when you are about to work, and Hinoki ZENSHINKOU in the evening or night when you need to relax.

However, the scent and its effects may vary from person to person, and some people may find the opposite or other methods more suitable. Please try it yourself at different times of the day.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the UN Summit in September 2015, is an international goal to achieve a sustainable and better world by 2030, consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets. The SDGs are a set of international goals that aim to achieve a sustainable and better world by the year 2030. The SDGs are universal, not only for developing countries, but also for developed countries themselves, and Japan is actively involved in the SDGs.

Kanagawa SDGs Partners are companies, organizations, etc. (263 partners) that are developing businesses that contribute to the promotion of the SDGs, and Kanagawa Prefecture and the companies, organizations, etc. work together to promote the SDGs.

The registered companies and the prefecture work together to promote the SDGs through various opportunities such as seminars and other media.

Due to the changes in lifestyle and environment caused by the new coronavirus, there are concerns about the occurrence of child abuse and domestic violence caused by stress and anxiety. In response to this concern, Kanagawa Prefecture has been working on the "Corona Disaster" to provide counseling services on child abuse and domestic violence, as well as educational materials on prevention of child abuse and domestic violence in more familiar places, with an eye to new lifestyles such as teleworking and online shopping.

As a "Kanagawa SDGs Partner," we are also cooperating in a small way.

Anchor

Mental Health Measures

Although the state of emergency declaration has been lifted, new lifestyles such as teleworking still discourage people from going out and spending more time at home. Being at home all the time does not allow one to vent, and stress inevitably builds up. What mental measures can we take to deal with this? One past event that can be used as a reference when thinking about this is the accident that occurred in Thailand in 2018.

It was in June, during the rainy season in Thailand. Twelve boys and a coach from the same soccer team were going to the deepest part of a cave for a little event that was popular among the boys at the time. Suddenly, however, heavy rain fell, flooding the entrance area and trapping them in the cave.

The boys had only one flashlight, but the batteries ran out and they had to wait in the pitch blackness of the cave for rescue.

While waiting to be rescued, they endured hunger by drinking only clean water that flowed down the walls, and they tried to stay calm by meditating under the guidance of their coach so as not to exhaust their strength and not to panic.

　20代の若いコーチは、幼いころ家庭の事情により少年修道僧として寺院で生活していたことがあり、ヴィパッサナー瞑想を日々実践していたそうです。

*ヴィパッサナー瞑想・・・タイなど東南アジアの仏教国で実践されているマインドフルネス瞑想の一つ。「ものごとをありのままに見る」インドの最も古い仏教瞑想のひとつ。

　また、少年たちがコーチの家に時々泊まっていたそうですが、就寝前には少年たちと祈りと瞑想を行っていました。祈りと瞑想は良い眠りを与えてくれますし、他のことを考えることを止めてくれます。

　コーチは、ただ単に瞑想を実践するだけででなく、仏道修行によって形成された人徳と少年たちとの強い信頼関係があったからこそ、彼らの命をつなぐことができたのではないかと考えられます。

　救出時には、少年たちが誰一人としてパニック状態に陥らず、落ち着いた表情で時には笑顔を見せながら、ダイバーたちと会話している様子が放送され、その状況に世界中が驚かされたのは、後日談として語られています。

What is self-affirmation?

Self-affirmation. Self-affirmation is a sense of affirmation and acceptance of oneself. Depending on whether one has a high or low sense of self-affirmation, there is a difference between being able to overcome problems and being held back by them.

There is a parable that says, "If a glass of water is half full, do you think it is still half full or only half empty? This is related to how we perceive all events in our lives, and self-affirmation is a major key to determining how we react to them.

For example, if a job does not go as expected, even if the results are the same, the two "take it" in completely different ways.

A person with a high sense of self-esteem accepts it in this way: "It's not at the level of great satisfaction, but I'm happy.

I am not at the level of great satisfaction, but I did the best I could do. I can do better next time.

On the other hand, those who do not have high self-esteem

I am not very satisfied with the result. Why couldn't I do better? Why couldn't I do better? Why couldn't I do better?

They blame themselves and worry. They blame themselves and are distressed. And, in terms of their work, they tend to picture themselves as "failures.

If you work with such an image, it will be difficult to get a good result. This only deepens their problems.

In relationships as well, people with high self-esteem are able to accept people who don't work well with them in this way: "We don't get along, but I'm not the one to do it.

They may not be on the same page, but I am treating them with sincerity, and that's fine. That's all right.

However, if a person lacks self-esteem, it is difficult for him or her to accept the situation in this way.

If you lack self-esteem, however, it is difficult for people to accept you in this way. I don't know how to make the other person accept me. I don't know what to do.

You still blame yourself. This means that you are at the mercy of your relationship problems.

This is a one-size-fits-all situation, and because of this contrasting way of perceiving every event, whether it is in the family or in love, the difference in the long span of "life" can be significant.

People with high self-esteem weave through life with a sense of fulfillment, whereas those who do not tend to dwell and worry all the time, are always anxious, and in some cases, may even become mentally ill.

Work, relationships, childcare, love, and academics・・・・ are important things that come before effort, environment, and talent. The most important thing that comes before hard work, environment, and talents is self-confidence.

[Self-Compassion].

Compassion is toward others, but at the root, there must be compassion and caring for oneself. It is believed that people today have a high tendency to have a low spirit of compassion toward themselves and think that they are worthless people. In fact, it has been found that when such a person reaches out to someone in need, he or she will ask for something in return without even being aware of it. If they are not appreciated, they do not see the value in what they have done, and they fall into self-loathing. This is said to be very common among people today.

In order to give true help to others without asking for anything in return, it is important that we first accept our own existence and relate to ourselves with compassion. In other words, compassion for myself. In recent years, this compassion for oneself has been called self-compassion and has been studied in depth by Western psychological researchers.

In recent years, Western psychologists have deeply studied this concept of self-compassion, and data have shown that people who have this compassion for themselves are healthier in mind and body.

[Take good care of yourself.

Have you ever comforted someone recently?

Have you ever encouraged someone who made a mistake?

Have you spoken words of sympathy?

If you could see that someone you are involved with has a clouded or depressed expression on their face, you would want to do something to help them.

People with self-esteem challenges often choose to do things for others at the expense of themselves. They are people who have the warmth of heart to care for others when they are in difficult situations.

So when you think back, there are probably a number of times when you have counseled or helped someone who was struggling.

Let's dare to say such words that we have thrown at others to ourselves. If you can't say them out loud, you can say them from your heart. Words of compassion, encouragement, and sympathy for others can also be words of compassion, encouragement, and sympathy for yourself.

'No matter what happens, I am on my own side.'

"If things don't go well, that's okay.

"Come on, let's have a drink and freshen up."

To be fair to oneself and others in the same way is to have a broad heart, and is nothing less than true gentleness.

Let's be considerate of ourselves as we are considerate of others.