“Workspace for Wellbeing as a Business Strategy” Talk
Yoko Kawai of Mirai Work Space discussed the importance of workspace for well-being as a business strategy at the webinar hosted by the Japanese MBA Group in NY (New York MBA-no-kai). We thank you all who attended the event! Yoko conveyed four messages to the eager audience; 1) Investing on the employee well-being is a […]
“Mindfulness and Space” Paper Presented at ACSF
It was my honor to present my paper “Missing Links in Designing Space for Mindfulness in Secular & Communal Settings” at the Architecture, Culture, Spirituality Forum (ACSF) Symposium this month. My paper cries for the urgent and deeper involvement of architecture in supporting mindfulness. It identifies missing links on the path between mindfulness and space […]
Mindfulness and the Workspace
In this article, we are discussing why and how workplace design can and should contribute to people’s mindfulness beyond the walls of a meditation studio. Merits of Mindfulness The benefits of mindfulness have been abundantly discussed and many, if not all, have been scientifically proven. Being mindful is to be aware at the present moment. […]
Hearing – Part 1: Five Senses and the Work Environment
We continue with our discussion on human body systems and work environment with a focus on hearing. In addition to the level of sound/noise we hear, how we hear the sound also affects the stress and comfort of hearing. Let us start again with a snapshot of my (Yoko’s) sound environment at my home office. […]
Mindful Ways to Work from Home Webinar
Yoko Kawai will talk at the webinar “Mindful Ways to Work from Home: A Blueprint for Your Space and Soul for Focus Amidst COVID-19” hosted by Japan America Society of Southern California and Women’s Leadership Counts. It is on Wednesday, June 24, at 10-11AM (PT) / 1-2PM (ET). This event will open their “Activating Your […]
Creative & Healthy Ways to Use Your Home to Work at Home
Do you work at home and feel stressed and enprisoned? Your home should help you. I’d like to share some tips on how you could use it in creative ways to stay well while working at home. I learned these tips over the years from two resources. One is my research on teleworkers and their […]
Noguchi’s Body-Space Devices & Our Environment in this Crisis
If you are forced to stay at home in this COVID-19 crisis, the architecture of your home might seem like the enclosure that stops you from moving. The “Body-Space Devices” exhibition at the Noguchi Museum is a good reminder that it should not be.
Michiyuki and the Katsura Imperial Villa
Michiyuki: Traveling and Beyond Being under water blurs the self/space boundary because you are always in motion. Michiyuki, the Japanese spatial concept for “moving self,” means traveling from once place to another. It specifically refers to the space you covered and the time you spent while traveling. But by translating Michiyuki to “traveling,” something is […]
Mindfulness through Ma
More than a gate Another Japanese spatial concept that contributes to designing a mindful space is the boundary in motion. One of the Japanese words for this is Ma, which generally means “gap.” The Chinese character for Ma (間) represents a gate made out of two doors with the moonlight coming through. But Ma is much more […]
Utsuroi in Japanese Architecture and Landscape
Utsuroi: changing space Utsuroi, another Japanese spatial concept that causes the self/space boundary to blur, is present throughout Japanese architecture and gardens. Utsuroi means gradual and inevitable change from one state to another. It can also refer to reflection or projection of one thing onto another. Both meanings suggest that nothing is reliable, and everything is […]