“Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life,” written by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles is one of the most popular books about longevity. Ikigai is a beautiful concept, rooted in Japanese culture and can be translated as “the happiness of always being busy”
The secret of long life is doing things you love. And that according to the author is your “Ikigai “
This book is about the people living in Okinawa who have found a way to live a happy and long life. People of Okinawa have found their Ikigai which makes them love whatever they do. They have an active lifestyle. All these factors make them live long.
The author introduces us to one of the concepts of Japanese culture and value of “the happiness of always being busy”. He narrates the art of staying young while growing old, scientific facts about food and active mind calling them the secrets that transforms us into a youthful body.
The book explains well, about stress and it’s causes. Later it also shares the ways to handle it. It also tells us how stress works and the impacts of cortisol on the body. It is thus necessary to be mindful about stress, work towards reducing it constantly. The author says that the secret to long life is to keep our body moving.
Keeping this in mind the author allocates various sections in the book telling us to keep our body in action. At the same time, other techniques and benefits of tai chi, yoga, radio taiso, qigong and breathing techniques are also discussed.
As we go towards the end of book, the author gives us insight about resilience.
The chapter tells us how everyone has to discover their ikigai and follow their passion no matter what. It also explains, how to build our ability to persevere and live life instead of just doing urgent things, in case things go wrong.
Overall this self helping book opens the doors of mind for those who have not discovered their ikigai. And for those, who are already living life with ikigai, it brings them even more closer.
Thus, it is a must read for all who want to discover the purpose of their life or aspire to achieve some great heights in their career. For anyone looking for longevity, this book is a quick help to bring immediate changes in their life.
©️✍️Sheetal Pradhan Deshpande
