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IKIGAAI stems from the Japanese concept that directly translates into "reason for being" or "the reason for which you wake in the morning". During these strange uncertain times, we were reflecting on our own ikigaai and have been uncovering some truths about ourselves and thinking about how far we've come and how far we've yet to go. Listen on Apple: http://bit.ly/LTP_Raju-Gurung_apple Listen on Anchor: http://bit.ly/LTP_Raja-Gurung_Anchor In hopes that I can inspire some of you to think deeper about what makes you you and what ticks you, I thought it is worth sharing this podcast from a while back. I sat down with Alex Felman and James Digby at Startup42 Media, where I shared my story of my journey from the mountainous village in the Himalayas of Nepal, through to Europe in Germany and Denmark. I gave some insights on how several opportunities and experiences along my life journey made me find my personal ikigaai. I hope they enable some reflections on how to start your path towards your own personal ikigaai. Take care, and enjoy. Kind regards, Raju

Introducing the IKIGAAI Hygge Baby Blankets Options? : 2 knit patterns in 3 natural colors each. Material composition? : 100% Himalaya goat wool. When? : Ready for dispatch during autumn/winter. How to be updated? : If you haven't subscribed to our newsletters, sign up below. Follow social media: Facebook and/or Instagram Other products are also in the making, and we'll soon give you more updates. If you have any suggestions or ideas on new products to launch, drop us a message via e-mail to info@ikigaai.com or use the contact form

As many of you know, last month we launched our monthly IKIGAAI Mindfulness Letters designed to inspire ways to bring more awareness to lead purposeful lives. As we are all human, we at some points in our lives experienced some degree of stress, chaos, anxiety, burnout (list goes on). This is further intensified by the digital overwhelm we are surrounded with, making us constantly feel "busy" or "overworked". All of these challenges we feel have their origins in our minds where thoughts and emotions play villain, and will take us down dark rabbit holes if left unchecked. So how can we stop being controlled by our minds, but learn to tame the mind? The first step is for us to understand how our minds work. So this month, we're exactly focusing on that through mindfully curated contents from around the world. Did you know that we are evolutionarily wired for negative thoughts? In this first video, listen to psychology Professor from UC Davis- Alison Ledgerwood describe her experiments. There’s a reason that why insults stick with us longer than compliments — and it may serve an evolutionary purpose. Use mindfulness to help you focus on what expands you, not what contracts you. In this second video, we share a story from Native American tradition which really boils down to the core of what mindfulness does to us. With mindfulness, we can strengthen and bring into action, and we can choose what we will gently let go of. In essence, it frees us from old ways of thinking that often hold us back. THE CHALLENGE: This month we challenge you to sit down without any expectation 5mins a day just observing how your thoughts and emotions come and go. Take care, and see you in the next edition of IKIGAAI Mindfulness letters. In the next edition, we will share you lessons from incredible master monks. So stay tuned here and on our social channels. If you missed our Jan/Feb edition, you can access it in web format HERE If you have not subscribed yet to our mindfulness emails, subscribe using the form at the bottom of this website.

As part of our commitment to build a more mindful world and to use Covid situation as an opportunity to tap into our inner self, this year we're launching our initiative- The IKIGAAI Mindfulness Center. This will come in the form of a monthly clutter-free mail designed to bring you high quality curated contents from around the world to inspire you how to bring more awareness, and how to lead purposeful lives- one that is filled with impact and happiness-enriching moments. This month, we start off with KINTSUGI- an ancient art of fixing broken pottery, and introduce an artist who loves coffee, and creates amazing artworks out of coffee waste. A. Using KINTSUGI to bring more meaning into your life It is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with lacquer and gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the "scars" as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we fix ourselves, and actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient.⁠ B. Turning coffee waste into art Artist Ghidaq al-Nizar, from Indonesia is an artist who believes in using every part of the coffee. He intentionally stains his work with coffee grounds left from his morning brew -- etching intricate scenes from coffee, leaves, his own fingerprints, and more unusual mediums. Take care, and see you in the next edition in February. If you have not subscribed yet to our mindfulness emails, subscribe using the form at the bottom of this website.

We at IKIGAAI are extremely happy to have come across “ikigai” philosophy, which has given us a simple, structured way to look into our life purpose in an honest manner. It has led to our apparel brand through which we dedicate to help build a more inclusive and connected world by helping empower local artisans from developing countries like Nepal and to help enrich the lives of all our customers and fans we interact with so that everyone can feel excited about getting up every day. Ikigai (pronounced as E key guy) is a life philosophy that originates from Okinawa, Japan. Literally “iki” means life, and “gai” means purpose. Ikigai essentially represents our reason for living; it’s the reason we feel excited about getting up in the morning. But how do we find out our ikigai? To make it simple, we need to ask ourselves the following 4 questions in the following sequence. The intersection point is our ikigai. What you love? (Passion) What you good at? (Profession) What the world’s need? (Mission) What you can be rewarded or paid for? (Vocation) You might know what you love and what you are good at but are they contributing to making our world a better place? Are they being rewarded? As an example, there may love 100 different things, but good at 10 things. 5 of those things may make the world a better place, and 2 or 3 may also pay you. So, that's a reflective exercise you can do to reflect on your "ikigai". One thing to realise is that your ikigai is a reflection of your current situation and at different point in time, these 4 elements may weigh differently. Ultimately the goal is to find delicate balance between the 4 elements so you feel more at ease. Next thing to realise is that your ikigai evolves as you move through life. Sometimes if you feel like you don’t know where next to take your life or you’ve been going down in one direction and now you’d like to pivot- we hope this concept serves as the treasure map for you to lead a meaningful life this year and beyond. #impact #ikigai #ourikigaai #purpose

We're on the mission to blend three unique worlds- cosy aesthetics and hygge philosophy from Scandinavia, exquisite ethical craftsmanship from Nepal and mindful philosophy of ikigaai from Japan. Empowering talented artisans and their craftsmanship from the developing world is a very important pillar on which we build ourselves. This has been the guiding star for our co-founders Raju and Irma who embedded sustainability considerations right from the start to build a more responsible and equitable world. In this piece, we would like to highlight some of the artisans whom we've helped empower through your support with any mindful purchases from IKIGAAI. Thank you all so much; this inspires us to do even greater things to make impact that truly matters to the world and we'll engage you in the process. Ambika wishes that more people see her craftsmanship and effort. Ambika moved to Kathmandu valley in search of a job. Through this job, she feels empowered and can run the house efficiently and does not depend on her husband for money. She is enthusiastic and highly detailed in her work and does a lot of finishing touches to knitwear scarves and ponchos. She wishes that she can continually grow through this job, and wishes that more and more people appreciate the value of mindful consumption. Savitra dreams of aspiring future for her children A mother of 2 children, Savitra and her husband work very hard to support the whole family including their parents. She weaves the manually controlled knitting process. She goes back to visit her parents in the village once a year during the annual festival celebrations. She is working hard to support her children's education, and hopes that her children could become an important person such as a doctor who can make a positive impact in the local community. Anita shows that resilience and effort can create impact in our lives Anita is a young woman who lives with her parents and supports her parents due to her independent and hard working attitude. She is involved in stitching different parts of the knitted parts of the accessories together. Due to her curiosity she picked up some english words and practiced them with me. During her spare time, she like to make momo ( a local dumpling dish) with friends and family. During the April 2015 earthquake, she and her family lived in a temporary shelter, but everything changed after she got the job in the post-earthquake recovery phase. In the future she hopes she can afford to build a small house for her family. With your help, we can help empower more artisans like Ambika, Savitra and Anita to help build a more socially responsible world. We will try to share the stories of many more artisans and their stories through our monthly newsletter, Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned and do subscribe us below to know more about the full transparency of the supply chain of the products you put in your closet.

In a world filled with fast fashion, we are getting increasingly disconnected from the sources and the impact of clothing we wear. We need to rethink about what messages and values do we want to carry around our body. At IKIGAAI, one of our core efforts has always been to foster mindful consumption by blending beautiful style, luxurious fibres and unique craftsmanship by our local artisans in Nepal. Together we can build a socially responsible world that looks great on you and has a positive impact on the humans involved in the production and the planet. Wear the change you wish to see in this world. Here are the snapshots of some of our proud artisans who you've helped empower with your mindful decision EXQUISITE CRAFTSMANSHIP from artisans continuing their proud heritage of craftsmanship. NATURAL MATERIALS from nomadic herders living in close relation with nature in the Himalayas. They come from the mountain goats, yaks and sheep raised around the mountains of Nepal and plateaus of Inner Mongolia. These animals are very important to the animal herders who live in harmony with these animals generating mutual benefit for one another.