The gentle piyo piyo of pedestrian crossing signals and the cawing of crows no longer fill the urban soundscape. The faint scent of incoming humidity from the tsuyu plum rains is no more. Daily at 3 PM, an irresistible urge to sleep overtakes you, betraying your body's anchorage in the JST time zone. Vending machines and konbini are conspicuously absent. Your time in Tokyo is behind you. 

As you know, my friends, last week marked my return from a three-week sojourn in Japan. This week has not been tinged with nostalgia, though—I am content to be back in London, not longing for Tokyo. However, an all-encompassing physical and mental exhaustion has engulfed me. The trip was an intense period of creativity, exploration, late nights and early mornings, crossing time zones, and switching languages. Travel's physical demands explain my weariness, while the joy I experienced in Japan might clarify the subsequent low that shaded the past week. Emotional reactions to stimuli often prompt opposite states, and following such a high, a downturn is possible if your well-being is unbalanced.

Amplified by the unceasing demands of daily life back home, I place this emotional state in the burnout category. My usual vigour has been absent. Despite efforts, for instance, to research a newsletter topic or sort and edit my latest photographs—activities that typically rejuvenate me—I've found it impossible. Instead, I've turned to self-care, concentrating on small habits gradually helping me regain my equilibrium. These practices form the topic of this week's newsletter. Writing about them has solidified their benefit to me and led me to consider their potential utility to others seeking solace during a challenging period.

Zazen Rafting

Adrift on a raft at sea, you find yourself amid choppy, unpredictable waves that rock your vessel. Rather than clinging tightly to maintain your position, you choose to let go, meeting each approaching wave with acceptance and non-resistance. Gradually, your raft drifts to a serene patch of ocean. The waves continue their tempestuous dance in the distance from this calm vantage. Now, with separation, you realise they can no longer impact you. You watch their currents rise and fall—cool, detached, and uninvolved.

The waves, of course, symbolise your thoughts. This relaxation technique was taught to me by a monk at Ryōsoku-in—a pagoda situated within Kennin-ji, the oldest Rinzai Zen Buddhism temple in Kyoto. During a brief visit to Kyoto in 2018, I participated in Ryōsoku-in's early morning zazen experience. Having pursued meditation throughout my adult life and learned various styles from different practitioners, this particular teaching from that morning has stayed with me. I turn to this technique when my mind is most unsettled. It is a gateway to meditation, which improves my capacity to address and resolve anxieties, transforming unproductive, repetitive thoughts into a productive cycle of action and rest.

My Kyoto zazen experience took place on a radiant mid-May morning. Our group was seated on the engawa platform outside the pagoda, overlooking pristine gardens maintained with the unique care only monks can provide. The chirping of birds and the distant hum of the Gion district stirring completed an idyllic scene. Whether Rinzai is the definitive school of Buddhism or not, this memorable setting may explain why I can so effortlessly transport myself back to Ryōsoku-in and why the raft and waves visualisation arises for me with such ease.

A cursory search indicates that Ryōsoku-in still offers the zazen experience. Based on my memories and its lasting utility, I can recommend it. The monk leading our session integrated English translations with his Japanese instructions, catering to the balanced mix of Japanese and non-Japanese attendees. While I cannot comment on how Kyoto's current issues with over-tourism might affect this experience, I suspect that dedicating a morning to practising zazen, as opposed to visiting crowded major temples and historical sites, continues to be a relatively fringe pursuit.