Everyday Mindfulness

Plum Blossoms・Maruyama Koen・Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

To practice everyday mindfulness, we don't need to upend our lives. We just need to make a small but meaningful shift: instead of doing things out of obligation, do them out of gratitude.

Everything is shugyō—everything is practice. Mindfulness isn’t something only possible in the idyllic setting of silent retreats or seated meditation. We can return to it at any moment, especially in the midst of the mundane. We simply need to slow down, breathe, and bring our full attention to the task at hand.

This is easier said than done. It proves most difficult when the task feels like a "sub-task," such as gathering ingredients, cutting vegetables, etc. while preparing a meal. In our results-driven culture, we have been conditioned to only value outcomes. When dinner is ready, only then do we feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Another item checked off of today's to-do list.

But if we go through life this way, we miss the moments where true practice flourishes. The sacredness of the process is lost in the chase.

Take, for example, washing rice. It is a necessary step in Japanese cuisine. It eliminates residual impurtities from the polishing process, and ensures the proper flavor and texture of the cooked grains. It is also an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness.

The next time you are performing this task, remind yourself: this too is practice. You aren't just cleaning rice. You are expressing thanks for the gift of life. Each gentle swirl of your hand becomes a breath in, a breath out. Each grain reminds us of impermanence, and of the interconnectedness we share with the earth and one another.

That is the essence of shōjin ryōri. Food that sustains those walking the path. It isn't about elaborate preparations or exotic ingredients. It's about bringing ourselves fully into the present. It's about releasing the desire for anything but what we have right here, right now, returning again and again with humility, awareness, and care.

This small shift transforms everything. It turns every task into spiritual practice, reminding us that meditation doesn’t require incense, robes, or the silence of our "sacred space." It only requires presence.

And this presence, if cultivated consistently, has the power to transform your meal, your day, and your life.