Book review
Audio Book version listened via Storytel
Average running time around 4-5 hours
Book rating-5/5 depending on your state of mind to 3/5!
Accompanying ebook is helpful to understand the exercises given in the end
Book genre is Self help book on long life
There is this island in Japan where the average life span is highest in the world! So the authors got together to investigate this and other similar places to understand why and how they live so long!
So what does Ikigai mean? It is apparently a Japanese concept which roughly translates into the happiness of being busy!
It essentially means that once you find your Ikigai then you will always live and live long! So the aim of everyone in life is to find his or her Ikigai and follow it!
The first thing what the author tells you is that you must never retire! You must not stop doing things you love! The authors give lots of examples of people who love what they do and keep doing it for as long as they can and in true sense of work, never retire!
Now Okinawa holds the first place in the Blue zone or place where the lifespan of people is the longest! The other places are Okinawa as described most in the book, Sardinia in Italy, Loma Linda in California, The Nicosia Peninsula of Costa Rica and Ikaria in Greece!
Subsequently the authors examine all the above places and in special concentration to Okinawa to try to unearth the secret of living long!
They further go on to give examples of people like the famous Japanese director who used to write and direct movies in the old style even when he retired! They also mention about the author Murakami how he has close ties only with few people and other times he is fully immersed with his work! That may bring up so much of issues but then that is their opinion!
The major part of the novel is of course the experiences of visiting the long life village!
The very plain village is presented in such a way that you can imagine people getting up and just being busy! Like how an old grandpa more than 100 years old gets up in the morning and goes to his kitchen garden and after one hour of gardening takes his own vegetable and makes breakfast and basically keeps himself busy! Playing game or doing karaoke or dancing and celebrating 100 years birthday like a teenage kid!
After telling about regular things like diet which must include fresh vegetables and fruits and natural ones, they of course tell you to work out in one way or other!
One important thing they mentioned is how to eat till you are 80 percent full and stop! That essentially means you avoid desserts! It also means that you must take small portions in small plates which is the traditional Japanese way of serving food!
Then the author gives some steps on the famous styles of ancient exercise starting with Radio taiso including giving the essential steps which is in the accompanying ebook, then they tell you about Yoga and give steps of Surya Namaskaram, then tai chi and different styles of tai chi enumerating the basic steps and principles, then they tell about qigong or chi Kung which has some special benefits which are again enumerated including improved cardiac function and lower BP! Finally they describe Shiatsu. All these requires the ebook for better understanding but it is one of the best summarisation of these practices I have ever seen!
They also talk about resilience and meditation!
It is understood that the novel is not a one time read but a reference book which you may have to grab when you feel low or heavy so to speak!
The final end points are to stop snacking between meals, eat sweets only once a week, gradually pay of all debts, avoid spending time with toxic people!, do things you enjoy!
In essence the authors are telling you keep yourself surrounded with good friends and thoughts! Eat good food, work or work out, have no stress and try to live as close to nature as possible!
Happy long life!…I mean read!
The slow narration though put me to sleep many times! Not intended to listen while driving after a meal!
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