Tokyo Mindfulness Newsletter #26
Hayama mindfulness hike, masculine vulnerability, and normalizing eye contact
Hey there it’s Misha from Tokyo Mindfulness. 👋
It’s been an eventful last few weeks — with a retreat in Okinawa, a waterfall hike and a few workshops I’ve been guiding. There have been a lot of learnings and integrating moments along the way, some not always easy.
When I feel stuck (or overly charged), I keep coming back to the same principles: noticing what’s here, letting be, and loving what is. I turn inwards and ask…
Can I name the truth that is here right now?
Can I let things be, just as they are, even for a few seconds?
Gently putting a hand on the heart or belly, can I be with my experience with kindness?
Naming my truth usually moves me from a “frozen” place to a place of flow — from ice to water.
…And speaking of water, it’s a beautiful time to get outside and enjoy the rivers, lakes and sea. We’ve got a handful of events coming up you can check out below.
As always feel free to reach out or drop a message if you have any questions or curiosities!
📅 Upcoming Events
Saturday, June 14 Shake it Off! TRE Session June 14th with Akiko
Sunday, June 15 Awake in the Wild: Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Hayama Mindfulness Hike
Thursday, June 19th Mindfulness Meditation Group Sit in Daikanyama for Beginners
Sunday, July 6th, 11am-1pm Eye Gazing in Yoyogi Park
July 12th-14th Yamanashi Meditation Retreat + Waterfall Meditation: this is limited to a small group so please reach out to me directly if you are interested
📣 Latest Insta Post
👀 Articles I Liked
Nowadays we often pinpoint trauma as the source of many of our problems. Trauma is very real, no doubt, and I continue to work through my own. However, is the term overused? What are the downsides of holding on to this view, and are we limiting ourselves in some way? Check out the article below:
▶️ Videos I Enjoyed
🧘 Meditation Practices I’m Loving
Something I wanted to share and felt recently is the power of spiritual practices in pairs with guidance spoken out-loud. Most of the time we see meditation as a solo or group act. However, there are many ways to meditate and inquire into what’s present. The presence of another compassionate witness can accelerate growth in a mutual way.
A simple practice you can try:
Two people sit in front of each other with eyes closed. One partner asks:
What do you notice right now? And is it okay to be with that? (sensation, feeling, thought)?
If it’s a thought or image: what feeling is underneath that image?
What if you just took a few breaths with this?
Simply repeat this and see where it unfolds. When done with presence and curiosity, you can easily get unstuck and drop into deep meditative states relatively quickly.
🎧 Audio Books I’m Listening To
To Be a Man: A Guide to True Masculine Power
This is the best book I’ve encountered thus far which speaks directly to men on their healing and spiritual journeys. “To Be a Man” upends stereotypes of male strength, showing that true power lies not in dominance but in emotional honesty, self-awareness, and integrity. It’s a profound shift from the story we’ve been told by society and media, and provides a clear path to integrating a new way of being.
🧠😴 What I’ve Been Up To
I sat for a 30-minute EEG meditation session (thanks, Paula, for the invite!) with the Swiss company All Here, which is collecting data from meditators around the world to develop immersive tech for altered states of consciousness. I don’t have my data yet, but curious to observe how my brainwaves responded when my leg was in pain and I was feeling sleepy.
📜 Quotes I enjoyed
“In the heat of such dark ire, we feel far away from our shame, even though we are in fact being driven by it and our aversion to it. It’s easier to fight than to be vulnerable, easier to attack the other than to openly state that we’re sorry for what we’ve done to them, easier to do battle than to connect, easier to hold a grudge than to grieve together, easier to engage in warfare than in peacemaking. It’s easier to armor ourselves than to step out of our armor.”
― Robert Agustus Masters