When we wake up from sleep,
We are greeted by the morning.
We did not create the morning,
It somehow came to give us the chance to live another day.
We wake up and discover the morning.
The meaning of life is like the morning.
These are the words of Mieko Kamiya.
Welcome to this Ikigai meditation.
Mieko Kamiya was a researcher,
Psychiatrist.
She lived in the midst of the last century and founded the Ikigai psychology.
If you think that Ikigai is a Venn diagram,
I have to disappoint you.
It's actually from a Spanish astrologer called Andres Tzatzanaga.
But the good news is Ikigai is far more.
In this meditation,
We open ourselves to the possibilities that life provides us.
To find meaning and joy in the so-called little moments of daily life.
I invite you to find a posture that feels relaxed and a little bit alert at the same time.
Maybe you want to imagine the Mount Fuji.
It is majestic in its valleys and on the top there is a little bit of mountain snow.
Take a deep breath.
Breathing in and gently and fully breathing out.
Breathing in.
Imagine what's possible if you could find meaning,
Value and joy in every moment of your life.
Maybe you can just think of something from today or the last hours.
Even if you got up,
Maybe there's something you can be grateful for.
Maybe even right now if you look up,
Maybe there's something that can amaze you about being alive.
Taking another deep breath in and letting go.
Let's arrive here more fully.
Become aware that you are alive right now.
How does it feel to be alive?
What makes you feel alive right now?
Can you think of any source where this sense of life is coming from?
Miko Kamiya would refer to this as the source of Ikigai.
Just notice how that feels like.
If you have a word here or a sensation or you can sense your mental state as an Ikigai feeling,
Just notice how that feels.
Thinking of the source that makes you feel alive and just noticing this mental state you're in.
If there are any words coming up you can just take a mental note.
Just gently take notes.
Put it on mental post-its,
Words or anything that describes your mental state right now.
And then let go of them back to your breath.
Just noticing how the breathing of your body,
Entire body,
Maybe inviting yourself.
Stay open to allow yourself to take this quality into the further hours and upcoming time.
What would change if you have this Ikigai awareness for the time coming?
Another deep breath in and fully out.
What would change for you if Ikigai is available everywhere in every moment?
Closing this meditation and as you let go of your breath,
Just notice what is alive for you right now.
I invite you to this last thought that Ikigai can be described as a spectrum.
It has millions,
Millions of colors.
It is as complex,
As wide and deep as life itself.
Your life is unique.
Your Ikigai is unique.
Your life doesn't fit into a Venn diagram.
It is far more.
Your life experiences,
They are wide and deep.
And Ikigai can lead you to the sources of what makes life worth living for you.
Thank you for following me into this Ikigai meditation.
I hope you enjoyed it.
