タグ: Self-Reflection

BAR

When Smiles Hide Silent Struggles

Yesterday, I created a place where people can gather and talk while enjoying good food and drinks. I call it NG BAR.

“NG” has two meanings for me. The first is Not Given — living not to meet someone else’s expectations, but for myself. The second is Next Growth — releasing my true voice and moving on to the next stage.

I’ve already opened NG BAR four times, but actually people just came to enjoy chatting, not exactly as I had intended. Still, that’s 100% OK with me. So, I just focused on being there as a hostess.

While I was chatting with two ladies I hadn’t met before, both of them said the same thing: “I don’t have any motivation to do anything.” When I heard that, I felt a little surprised because they looked cheerful and were enjoying talking there.

At the same time, I understood their feelings, since I sometimes lose my own motivation too.
I realized that many people are carrying similar struggles, even if they don’t show them at all.

So, I told each of them that I had felt the same way before, but that they didn’t need to blame themselves or lose their self-confidence.

Then, I gently touched their bodies with Reiki. In that moment, I felt grateful that NG BAR could be a place where people not only talk, but also find comfort and gentle healing.

🌿　　🌿　　🌿　　🌿

 

healing

From Blame to Inner Peace

 

A Reiki healer’s reflection on finding peace within

Something bad, something that makes me feel terrible, seems to happen almost every day.

I used to blame the people who caused the problems and treated myself as a victim.

But one day I realized that if I kept thinking like that, I would never be happy,
because I cannot control others.

So now, when something bad happens, I practice Reiki and meditation.

Self-Reiki helps me calm down and focus on my feelings.

 

Then I gently ask myself:

What are you really feeling?

Why do you feel that way?

What is the reason behind those thoughts?

・

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While I ask myself these questions, I feel as if I am sinking deeper into my true self and gently touching it.

 

🌿　　🌿　　🌿　　🌿

🌿Through Reiki and meditation, I have learned that every challenge is also an invitation to return to myself. Even when life feels difficult, there is always a quiet place inside where I can connect with peace and strength. 🌿

 

window light

Why Meditation Deepens My Reiki Practice

I teach Reiki as my profession, and I’m very interested in meditation and breathing,

because they help keep the mind calm and make Reiki easier to practice.

When Mikao Usui, who founded Reiki about a hundred years ago,

meditated for three weeks, he wasn’t trying to discover some kind of superpower.

Yet in the midst of that deep meditation, he did. His experience inspires me to keep meditating every day.

 

Does it work?

For me, the answer is yes.

Whenever I meditate, my mind becomes quieter,

my body feels clearer, and I sense the flow of energy — reminding me that I am part of the flow of universal energy.

That is why I recommend meditation to everyone: it opens the door to strength, clarity, and the quiet power within.

Each breath is a reminder that I’m alive, connected, and still learning. Perhaps that is the real gift of meditation.

🌿　🌿　🌿　🌿

Have you ever tried meditation, and if so, what did you notice?

Sofa

When Meditation Softens My Self-Criticism

Whenever I lack the will to do anything, I turn to meditation.

As soon as I begin, my mind gradually softens and a calm settles in.

I used to berate myself for feeling unmotivated — telling myself, “what a useless woman”

— and it left me feeling low.

Yet when I meditate, those self-critical thoughts sometimes soften

— not completely, but enough to let me feel a small sense of safety.

 

🌿　🌿　🌿　🌿

Still, I know this pattern repeats. Maybe tomorrow I’ll fall into the same cycle again.

But even so, each time I sit down to breathe,

I remind myself that noticing these ups and downs is already part of the journey toward my true self.

 

💬 Do you also have patterns that repeat, even when you wish they wouldn’t?

sky, mug, woman

When My Head Says “Work” but My Heart Stays Quiet

This afternoon, I found myself sitting in my living room chair for nearly half an hour,
simply wondering what I should do next.

In my head, I know I should be promoting my business, yet my heart sometimes falls silent, refusing to move.

Writing in English helps me notice this gap between my head and my heart.

Logic tells me to “work harder?,” but “my feelings sometimes stay quiet. “

Maybe this is a part of being human, not just being Japanese.

 

a chair

 

🌿　🌿　🌿

I decided to begin this English Diary so I can share my honest thoughts in English. My hope is to show what an ordinary Japanese woman is thinking and feeling in daily life, and to connect with readers around the world.

💬 Do you ever feel this gap between your head and your heart?