Are you trying to have healthier habits? Try the Hanasaki system, forget about extreme diets or impossible routines! Marcos Cartagena, a writer, lived in Japan and he was amazed by the Japanese people’s ways of life, mostly in Okinawa, and he created the Hanasaki system. You will only need to incorporate 9 foundations into your life: kaizen, minimalism, inner peace, nature, health, human relationships, values, ikigai and attitude.
Nowadays, we live in a very hectic society and everybody is doing something all the time, so this Hanasaki system will be very useful for all of us. Let’s see what this system is about!
Japanese ways of life
Do you know that Japan is one of the countries where people live longer? Japanese can reach 90 and even 100 years old! This is overwhelming information, but what if I told you they not only live longer, but also better? Japanese people are considered to be active, calm, healthy and happy, so many people wanted to be like them. That’s why a study was done to know the reason behind this.
Okinawa
Okinawa is a well known island in Japan because many elderly people keep doing things they used to do when they were younger like exercising, cooking, laughing and, basically, enjoying life. Let’s be honest, most of us can’t even do all these things in one day, imagine if we were 100 years old like them!
A Spanish writer, Marcos Cartagena, who used to live in Japan experienced this Japanese way of life and he couldn’t believe what he saw. Coming from a different culture, this must have been a shock because we tend to see elderly people sedentary and with no hobbies. How important it is to be open-minded and learn from other cultures…
Marcos Cartagena’s curiosity for Japanese life was the origin of the popular Hanasaki system. Let’s see how you can incorporate it into your daily routine.
Hanasaki system
Just from its name we get a glimpse of the thought behind this system, ‘Hanasaki’ means something like ‘the flower that blossoms’. It is a great metaphor to explain that if you are consistent and follow these 9 foundations, you could also blossom like a flower. Basically, with the Hanasaki system you will be able to be good with yourself, find inner peace and enjoy each day of your life. Who wouldn’t want that? I’m in!
Let’s not take more time, and start with the 9 foundations of the Hanasaki system.
1. Kaizen
This is a Japanese word meaning you can always improve. The idea of perfection is wrong because we make mistakes everydays, but that’s not what we should focus on. The most important thing is that you get up the next day and change what you did yesterday to avoid the same mistake.
2. Minimalism
Don’t be materialistic, the less things we have, the happier we will be. It’s important to discard what we don’t need since this is the way to be more focused on being our best version.
3. Inner peace
This is probably the most difficult aspect to achieve, but not impossible. Everyday stress and sadness can affect our inner peace, but learning to breathe and think before acting are essential for a balanced life.
4. Nature
Feeling a connection with nature can make you see some situations differently. Going for a walk, taking care of a plant, any activity related to nature will make you feel calmer and it will improve your health.
5. Health
In Japan, they prevent getting sick by following a routine including healthy eating, doing exercise and having a nice sleep. This way your body will be thankful and will let you keep doing more things full of energy.
6. Human relationships
Being surrounded by good people is key. Japanese people are raised in a sharing community where you feel part of a group. This feeling is much better than being alone or with negative people all the time.
7. Values
You need to follow your values to make people trust you and create a connection with others. Some of the Japanese values are: respect, gratitude and honesty.
8. Ikigai
This is the motivation. If you have something that motivates you, you have your ikigai. There’s always something each person loves doing, for example, if you finish your duties on time you can go to the cinema if you are into movies.
9. Attitude
The way you react to the different situations in your life depends only on you. You can either complain all the time or face everyday with a smile and a positive attitude. The latter will make you see the positive things in life and enjoy them.
As you can see, there’s no money needed for the Hanasaki system, so you can start now! Try it and stick with it, you will see life in a much different way.