Shin Shin Kaizen

What if making change gets to be really easy… Would that make it more desirable to you?

I first came across the concept and practice of Kaizen in my Compliance Executive days, (many moons ago). I spent some time working in a company that had many arms to its business, one being manufacturing high end frames and casings for artwork and many other interesting things.

The Kaizen (改善) approach was introduced to manufacturing processes to help them become more efficient. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means small and continuous (good) improvement.  It was made well known in manufacturing as part of ‘lean manufacturing’, an approach developed by Toyota to reduce waste and defects whilst promoting productivity. The approach carries guiding principles based on inclusivity, curiosity, contribution and empowerment (beyond the scope of this share, but check it out if you are curious) which in essence, boil down to being actively present and aware of every part of the business whilst holding the belief that everything can be improved…..

Kaizen resurfaced as part of my Reiki studies. If you haven’t yet come across Reiki, it is a hands on healing system based on the teachings of Mikau Usui a Japanese teacher who rediscovered this ancient hands on healing potential through his study of scriptures and dedication to inner understanding. Reiki was brought to the west by Hawayo Takata and her teachings helped to support the exposure of the healing method outside of Japan.

The Reiki system consists of an integrated approach to changing one’s life which I learned as I moved beyond receiving Reiki sessions from a Reiki practitioner into studying. Level 1 Reiki is anchored in self healing (and sharing Reiki with those closest to us) which means daily self healing sessions, meditation and contemplation of the Reiki Precepts. It is from the Precepts (Codes of Practice) that the sentence shin shin kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho is taken.  The translation loosely invites in the idea of small and continual improvement of our minds (spiritual, mental and emotional) and bodies using the Reiki system as a way to attain true happiness and connection with our true nature.

A daily life long commitment to be with ourselves, to be aware of our habits, our automatic reactions, the places we hold ourselves captive and play small all the while knowing that through this level of awareness we have a choice, we have another way to approach ourselves and our lives.  We have the option to be curious, we have the option to be tender, compassionate and kind, we have the inner resources to contribute meaningfully to who we want to be and how we want to be that way.  This is a beautiful concept and approach to the inevitable human desires - finding happiness, purpose, meaning, fulfilment, following dreams and living a life that feels good to us, for us.

Because life offers so much distraction, minutes, hours, days, months and years can pass us by without us realising the incremental shifts we acquire until what we notice in our habits, or physical experience, or persistent thoughts, emotions and beliefs becomes overbearing and we want to ‘sort’ ourselves out right away… but that is not always possible. So many components intertwine to create who we are everyday that despite the idea of immediate resolution being enticingly attractive, it is not only not sustainable, it short changes us on the magic of getting to know and understand ourselves more deeply.

Presence and the awareness presence makes available is so simple and yet so life affecting and altering. Being with ourselves, noticing the little things in the misplaced moments where we shift into safety mode and pick the thing, thought, action, reaction, feeling that has always been there (even if we don’t like it, and we don’t really want it) changes everything. The little things add up to big things over time that add up to a lifetime of unwanted things if we lose connection with ourselves. So knowing that the same can be not only true, but powerfully true and effective in the reverse is the stuff of dreams.

Taking responsibility of who we are and choosing to say yes to simple, small changes every single day knowing that they may not rock our world overnight, but with dedication, devotion and commitment they amount to a tidal wave of effective and maintainable change on all levels of our being is delicious and it gets to contribute to a lifetime of intentional, deliberate living that shapes who you are…. Are you in?