Workers in high-pressure careers may count down the hours until they can escape the office and get a moment of relief—but a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk says a reset doesn’t have to wait. Toryo Ito, the vice abbot of the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, is bringing a mediation-based practice to the corporate world and helping workers cope with their stressful careers.
“I want to shift their awareness of the definition of ‘strong.’ People who are very good at business tend to focus on the power [and] force,” he tells Fortune. “My definition of [strength] is how you get back to the core of your idea, how to come back to your body and heart in daily life.”
Ito says helping people navigate their high-stress jobs is one of the most frequent requests he gets from white-collar pupils. The 46-year-old leader at Ryosokuin Temple was born into a lineage of Zen monks, and started sharing his practice with companies and their staffers back in 2012.
Serving as director of mindfulness at Japanese skincare company Tatcha since 2021 and leading meditation workshops at Fortune 500 businesses like Meta and Sony, the monk is bringing his ancient practice to people all around the world with a modern approach. He travels to Tokyo to teach mindfulness once a month, conducting overseas sessions up to 10 times a year.
When it comes to handling stress while on the job, Ito says it’s a dilemma he’s mitigated with his meditation attendees “thoughtfully and proactively.” And luckily, workers don’t have to wait to clock out to reset their nervous systems. Ito shares a 30-second method to reconnect with themselves and achieve a sense of calm.
“When you get so much information, [you become] obsessed with a lot of decisions,” Ito explains. It’s okay to recognize that you’ve dwelled on the feeling, and he shares a “way to notice that earlier, and then develop the way—our technique—to get back to your origin, to your body, quickly.”
The Zen way anyone can achieve a calmer mindset in 30 seconds
Millions of workers have become hardwired to bustle into their offices, overwhelmed by packed commutes and chaotic starts to the day. But even while toiling away at their laptops, professionals can take one short step to return to their center. Opening up a new document or answering emails can turn into a meditative moment.
“I often teach them what you can do in your daily routine, such as drinking coffee, for example, or opening a laptop. Before opening your laptop, just take 30 seconds to breathe in, breathe out carefully,” Ito explains.
By taking a beat to sit in silence with closed eyes, people are giving themselves a moment to notice the world, rather than shut it out. Ito says it’s important to be observant during those 30 seconds: pay attention to the noise in the room, what it smells like in that moment. If you pick up a cup of coffee to drink, focus on the taste.
Engaging the senses centers mindfulness even in the most hectic work environments, lowering stress and opening up the headspace for thinking.
“When you send an important message to your colleague, just take 30 seconds to listen to the sound surrounding you, smell the surroundings,” he continues. “Your habit, your work, can become meditative time.”
Ito offers another Zen strategy for one of the most nerve-wracking moments at work: going into a stressful meeting. Focusing on your steps and entering the room intentionally helps build up “your personal ritual,” the monk says.
“When you enter the conference room, just open the door,” he says. “Put your feet together, then walk from the left foot first, then right foot. Always do that, then you can find the slight changes of that everytime…You have a strong routine that gives you that awareness.”
Professionals might lose their rhythm, or recognize a difference in their breathing, but it all goes back into Zen’s practice of noticing—and having those small meditative habits to reconnect to the body.
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