Eckhart Tolle talks about two types of time:

1. clock time — the practical and useful measurement of time we need to organize our schedules

2. psychological time — the mental construct of past/future that often traps us in regret and anxiety

The first one is useful, whereas psychological time can create a lot of suffering.

Time pressure has increased a lot in the last century because the pace of our lives has accelerated and with the sheer possibility of so many options in front of us. This makes it hard to really rest our bodies and minds, let alone fully enjoy what’s in front of us.

There’s an old Zhuangzi parable about a man who was terrified of his own shadow and footprints. So he tried to outrun them. But the faster he ran, the more tired he got, until he collapsed from exhaustion. He didn’t realize that he could have simply paused and rested in the shade.

By tuning into the nervous system, our bodies, and our beliefs about this moment, we can allow ourselves to finally rest. To put down the habitual fight/flight energy we get caught up in and relax into this moment.

This is a training we have to return to, again and again, yet it’s possible to see right now. This opens us up to a greater sense of timelessness, abundance and freedom that isn’t restricted by the mind’s interpretations of time.

Join tonight’s 7pm session

If you can’t join the meditation tonight, here is a useful and simple 2 minute practice you can try right now:

Take a couple of deep breaths. Pause for a moment to tune into your body right now. Notice sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Let them be just as they are.

Apart from your ideas of the past/future, is there a problem right now in this moment?

And when you’re not trying to solve a problem, what does your mind feel like? Really feel into that.

Just let yourself rest in that space for a bit. Notice what effect this has on your body and mind.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more updates and check out other events and ways to connect below.

• Follow us on Instagram

• Join our 2027 Okinawa retreat

• See all upcoming events and retreats

• Check out my new book

• Get the 14-day guided audio course

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This time, the theme is Beyond Calm: five nights / six days on Ishigaki Island to work with your emotions, find deeper presence, and let go of some of what you’ve been carrying.

We’ll spend the week combining mindfulness meditation, somatic practice, attachment and parts work, yoga, authentic connection, sound, and inquiry — with plenty of space to rest, swim, explore the island, and enjoy being together.

Our home for the week is Le Lotus Bleu in Shiraho, Ishigaki — a peaceful retreat space just five minutes from the beach, with easy access to nature and the laid-back rhythm of island life.

There will be periods of silence but this is not a ‘silent retreat’. It’s an intimate, experiential week for people who want to go a little deeper than simply calming the mind.

Details

• 📅 Dates: April 26 – May 1, 2027

• 📍 Location: Le Lotus Bleu, Ishigaki, Okinawa

• 🌊 Length: 5 nights / 6 days

• 👥 Group: Maximum 12 people

• 🏡 Rooms: Shared tatami rooms

• 🍽️ Included: 3 meals/day, retreat sessions, morning yoga, sound bath, snorkeling tour, jungle trek, island activities, local transport + airport pickup/drop-off

Apply for the retreat

🏝️ What We’ll Do

• Snorkeling in the clear waters around Ishigaki

• Swimming and beach time

• Jungle trekking and exploring a waterfall

• Morning yoga and mindful movement with a certified yoga teacher

• Sound bath meditation / deep relaxation

• Exploring the island together

• Shared meals and unstructured time to rest, read, journal, or connect

• Plenty of time simply enjoying the ocean, nature, and slower rhythm of island life

🧘 Meditations and Practices

Over the six days, we’ll explore a mixture of traditional meditation and more relational, psychological, and embodied practices, including:

• Mindfulness of mind, body and heart

• Somatic awareness and nervous system regulation

• Parts work and working compassionately with difficult emotions

• Attachment patterns and relationships

• Loving-kindness and compassion practices

• Breathwork and embodied meditation

• Authentic relating and partner practices

• Eye contact, mirroring, and mindful communication

• Journaling and reflection

• Practices around letting go, gratitude, connection, and presence

🗣️ A Conversation With a Past Participant

Santi shares about the emotional release and reconnection with his feelings he experienced during our Okinawa retreat.

🏡 The Retreat Center

Le Lotus Bleu retreat center is owned by a French-Japanese couple who rent it out just for retreats. It is just 10 minutes from Ishigaki airport and 2 minutes from the beach. More photos here and take a virtual 3D tour of the center here. :)

💴 Pricing:

We offer a lower rate for Japan residents to keep the retreat more accessible to our local community. International pricing reflects the standard retreat rate, while the local rate is subsidized for people living and earning in Japan.

Japan residents

• Pay in full: ¥176,000 before Dec 1st

• Early Bird: ¥186,000 until Dec 1

• Regular: ¥238,000 after Dec 1

International guests

• Pay in full: $2,100 before Dec 1st

• Early Bird: $2,250 until Dec 1

• Regular: $2,600 after Dec 1

The retreat is by application so I can speak with everyone beforehand and make sure the group and timing feel like a good fit.

👉 Apply here: https://tally.so/r/jaYBjQ

Applying takes about five minutes and doesn’t commit you to anything.

📩 Questions?

Message me or email at misha@tokyomindfulness.com

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We’ve been to this temple a few times before but this will be the first time where we do a waterfall meditation + hike Mt. Shichimen. We stay at the top of the mountain to see Mt. Fuji and the sunrise.

I typically don’t include longer hikes in retreats, but it’s a great season for hiking, and with my second baby on the way this October I’m also being drawn to challenge myself a bit :)

There are 2 spots left if anyone is free and interested. You can learn more and register here. Please confirm by this Sunday as I will need to buy bus tickets for everyone.

Some people also have asked me about it so I’m sharing some frequently asked questions below.

Q&A

What kind of meditations and practices will we do?

The first day we will spend mostly inside and around the temple hall for what I call a “crash course” in mindfulness. That includes 3 sessions of 20-30 minute guided meditations of heart, body and mind followed by circle sharing and conversation. You can get a taste of my style here.

There are also some pair practices, so its not just solo. Then we have dinner, onsen and candle meditation in the evening. I take influence from a range of traditions including Buddhism as well as Western psychology.

Are phones allowed?

Nope, and that’s the wonderful part about this retreat. This is a digital detox so I will take your phone and keep it in a safe place until Sunday afternoon before our departure to Tokyo.

Who will be guiding this?

I will be guiding the meditations and hike. The waterfall meditation will be guided be a local Buddhist monk who lives at the waterfall!

How hard is the hike?

It’s about 4 hours straight up at a decent pace, which we hike right after our morning waterfall meditation on the second day. We will take it easy and stop along the way for a little bit of mindfulness practice. Part of the hike will be in silence so that we can attune more deeply to ourselves and nature.

How early do I have to wake up for meditations?

Day 1 you have to be at the bus station by 730am so fairly early. For day 2 on Saturday, we get up around 7am for practices and breakfast. Optional to wake up earlier to hear the monks chanting the nearby temple a few minutes up the hill. Day 3 we will wake up early around 430 or 5am to see sunrise (optional, you can sleep in if you really want) and hike back down mountain.

Who will be there?

There will be a maximum of 11 people on this retreat from various nationalities. Most of them live in Tokyo and are interested in personal growth, self-development and spirituality. There are varying levels of experience from people totally new to meditation and others who have been practicing for years. There is no meditation experience requirement — you just need to be willing to show up, have the courage to be a little vulnerable and try something new.

What transformation can I expect?

It’s best to come in with no expectations and let yourself be surprised. However, when you put away the phone and pay attention to what’s here, right now, there is a lot of truth and beauty to be discovered. That inner and outer landscape creates the conditions for deeper self-awareness and a stronger sense of connection with yourself and others. And, since we’re together as a group, many people end up making good friends that they continue to connect with after the retreat ends.

Other questions? Drop me a message by responding to this email.

This will be our last weekend retreat for this year and we will pick up early next year!

See you!

1. Keeping Tokyo Mindfulness accessible to people who want and need it.

2. Making the work financially sustainable so I can keep doing it.

There are different ways I am balancing this, like doing corporate workshops, charging more for certain types of retreats so I can keep others more affordable, etc. Honestly it continues to be a challenge but I am navigating it to the best of my ability.

And at the same time, I know that everyone is coming from a different financial situation. We all might be tight on cash during certain seasons of life, like being in between jobs or when some big expenses pop up.

Given that everyone has a unique situation, I want you to know that I never want money to be the main reason you can’t come.

If you genuinely want to come but can’t quite afford it, and you’re feeling a calling to an event/retreat/workshop, please let me know. We will try and work something out.

I stand on the shoulders of many people who have supported me over the years. I remember in my first job in Tokyo as a recruiter back in 2013, my company paid for my first months rent. My friends and family have supported me, and continue to support me, so much throughout my life.

So I know the value of being given opportunities because without them it would just be a lot harder and a lot more lonely. One of the first teachings of the Buddha wasn’t just meditation — it was generosity. And so I try my best to take that to heart.

Thanks for reading and namaste :)

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Two of the insights on retreat he had which I find worth sharing:

1. there are many types of meditation available, from candles, to sound, to walking. (you will like some more than others, and thats okay, so do what resonates most for you)

2. meditation is possible regardless of how busy your mind is -- you can stay centered despite having a lot going on internally

I think this second insight is really spot on. You can be in a busy cafe with lots of noise and be totally present and connected, in a meditative state. Your presence can be solid independent of external conditions.

The reason I think thats useful is, well, because it means you can get centered anywhere, at anytime!

Thanks Santi for sharing your journey! 🙏

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Stay connected with upcoming events

• Join a biweekly mindfulness session

• Check out our next pilgrimage retreat this August in Yamanashi

• Join The Art of Connection in September for a monthlong transformational experience

• Our next Okinawa retreat is planned for April 2027

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The practice is simple:

• without talking, look at the person in front of you for 1-2 minutes. don’t forget to blink, and don’t forget to breathe :)

• notice what is happening inside of you and welcome whatever thoughts, emotions and sensations are present

• see if you can notice any resistance, and welcome that too

• afterward, share your experience with your partner and notice what truths emerge

• repeat with 3-4 people

It’s a social evening where you have a chance to step outside your comfort zone, try something new, and create the conditions for deeper connection with yourself and others. Come and give it a try :)

Join Here

A little back story

Years ago before the Tokyo Mindfulness community came to life, I lived in the Netherlands and went to a weekly mindfulness meetup (which was part of the inspiration for doing what I do now!).

The teacher, who is now a good friend, Merijn, always started each meditation session with a few seconds of eye contact with everyone. This was uncomfortable and awkward for me, but also exhilarating and fresh. I immediately felt present and seen.

Later, I experienced an eye contact event at a festival in Bali, which I tried with my wife, and we found it a powerful gateway to deeper honesty and conversation. I began to practice more frequently with my wife (5-10 minutes per day in the mornings!) and several close friends.

I learned about the documentary The Artist is Present where the artist Marina Abramovich sets up an exhibit in MOMA for several weeks and makes eye contact. This seemed like another level and inspired me to bring this to more people in Japan.

So I started the meetup group a few years ago and it quickly gathered anywhere from 30-50 people or more. I was pretty surprised because I thought it was a fringe thing that only a few people would be curious about.

But it was clear that people were really craving connection. And it makes sense. Especially in Japan where eye contact is rare, having a space where you can just see and be seen is really special.

This is a time lapse of our first event below where we had a big turnout.

And we’ve since done it over 20 times in various places mostly around Yoyogi, sometimes in the park.

This is also a type of meditation — but with your eyes open. We live in a society where we are rushing, or there is always an agenda or goal to go from point A to B…which can make it hard to be present with what is.

I see eye contact as a way to slow down, to reconnect, to put down the “doing” and to move into a radical presence where the intention is simple: Just Be. Because there is no goal, it brings us right into the present moment, where there is so much truth, beauty and goodness waiting for us.

One of our attendees Bjorn (who has since left Japan) was inspired to create a song after having a meaningful and deep experience at the event and a retreat he joined.

Thanks for reading this far.

If you can’t make it out to the event this Sunday, no worries. We can make a little eye contact right now! :)

Thanks for being here.

Sending you love and gratitude!

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Book it here

Tonight’s theme will be Not Knowing.

We live in a world where we have AI which can produce an infinite number of answers to our challenges.

It can make us more productive, but that somehow doesn’t seem totally satisfying. We still find ourselves stuck, unsure which way to move forward. And perhaps even at times more anxious given the increased possibility of options.

There is a Zen saying, “not knowing is most intimate.” It invites us to sit with the uncertainty and doubt and anxiety of not knowing what to do, of not having the solution, and seeing what unfolds from there.

When we do this, there’s a level of contact and connection with the present moment that becomes possible. We allow ourselves to welcome it. We realize it’s possible to feel these things and still be okay.

As a result we step into the flow of life rather than going against it. We might even discover something unexpected, something fresh, something new — even exhilarating and fun about not knowing.

If you want to explore this more, I’ll be guiding a meditation, giving a short talk, and of course we’ll have tea and conversation. See you there!

Join the sit

Here’s a video version of that practice for you to check it out.

It’s surprisingly effective.

All it requires you to do is notice what physical sensations you are experiencing in your body. And, rather than just noticing them silently, you actually speak them out loud. That is the key.

I do this all the time and it is one of the fastest ways I know to re-center.

If you want to find deeper connection with yourself and others, check out out upcoming course in September, The Art of Connection.

Join our next mindfulness and connection circle this Thursday.

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I’ve spent the past five years creating mindfulness events, workshops, and retreats in Tokyo. Again and again, I’ve seen what can happen when people slow down and allow themselves to be a little more honest than usual. It’s been a beautiful thing to watch.

But I’ve also noticed the limitation of one-off events.

You can have a beautiful experience over a weekend or an evening, and then return to your normal life, your job, and fall back into the same patterns.

So, I wanted to create something that gives us more time and continuity.

That’s part of why I created The Art of Connection. This is a five-session experiential course taking place throughout September, and I’m really excited to share it with you!

We’ll begin together in person, continue with three live online sessions, and return to the room for a final evening together. They say it takes 28 days to build a habit, so this feels like a good amount of time for something to start sticking.

This won’t be a lecture-heavy course with lots of learning materials, but there will be some videos and content to watch in between sessions. Mostly, this is focused on getting firsthand practice and experience connecting together. That’s where the transformation is.

What We’ll Explore

Some of the practices will draw from mindfulness, self-compassion, emotional inquiry, Authentic Relating, and honest communication.

We will look at:

• How to be with someone without immediately advising or fixing; learning how to mirror, reflect and meet your/their psychological needs

• How to relate to the parts of you (thoughts, behaviors) that bother you and doing so in a more compassionate and kind way

• Questioning the stories you’ve created about yourself and other people and the freedom that is behind that

• Saying what you genuinely feel, need, want, or don’t want

• Learning to find more enjoyment, pleasure, and wonder in this moment, right now

Learn more

The Listening Buddy

You’ll also be paired with one consistent “listening partner” for the month. Each week, you’ll have a short, listening call together.

You don’t need to coach one another and you don’t need to become best friends (although, that could happen!).

The point is simply to have somewhere to practice showing up, listening, and being seen consistently. This is partly inspired by a course I did years ago with a therapist, and I remember the buddy call being really important.

Details

• September 1–29, 2026

• Two in person sessions in Yoyogi-Hachiman, Tokyo

• Three live sessions online

• Limited to 15 people

• Course fee: ¥46,000

• Facilitated in English

You don’t need previous experience with any of this. You also don’t need to arrive fearless or outgoing. You just have to arrive and be willing to be a little bit vulnerable. :)

Learn more and save your spot here

Apply for the course

The course is limited to 15 people and registration is by application. The short form is simply a way for me to make sure the course is a good fit for you and that you’re comfortable with the participatory nature of the work. Just respond to this email if you have any questions!

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This won’t be a formal lecture or typical book event. It’ll be part launch party, part connection workshop, and part community celebration.

We’ll have a relaxed fireside chat, a short reading, gentle connection practices, community time, a book signing, and a raffle for a free retreat spot in Yamanashi.

You don’t need to have read the book or have any meditation experience. Just come as you are.

• 📅 Sunday, July 26

• ⏰ 4:00–7:00 PM

• 📍 Yoyogi-Hachiman Community Center

• 🎟 ¥2,000

I’d love to celebrate with you!

Join the event

I find a lot of my discomfort — maybe 50%, or more — comes from my reaction to it. In reality, a sticky shirt and sweat dripping down your face are pretty neutral, until you have an opinion about it.

Here’s a very mindful way to work with the heat:

• Stay in direct contact with the sensations of heat in your body. Just notice.

• When your mind starts to form a story around “ugh this sucks,” gently shift you attention back to the sensations of heat.

• Do this over and over, and your resistance towards the hot temperature will soften.

Give it a try!

📅 Upcoming Events

We’ve got a few events coming up. Thanks for being part of the community and I hope to see you soon!

• Mindfulness Sit and Connection Circle: July 30th, August 6th, and August 10th at California Bliss Studio, Minami Asagaya

• Book Launch Party + Community Gathering: Sunday July 26th, 4pm-7pm

• Eye Contact Experiment at YCC: August 9th, 6-8pm

• Five Elements Pilgrimage: Yamanashi 2-day Retreat, August 28th-30th (3 spots left)

• The Art of Connection Course: A highly experiential five-session course starting September 1st

See all events

📣 Latest Insta Post

View it here

🧠 The Art of Connection — A Course in Emotional Fluidity

The Art of Connection is a highly experiential five-session course designed to help you stay connected to yourself while emotion moves through you—and remain more honest, grounded, and connected with others when things get difficult.

I’m really excited to share this with you. I’ve brought together some of the most powerful healing, emotional-awareness, and connection practices I’ve learned over the years and shaped them into one focused course. It’ll be part in-person and part online.

Learn more

📚 What I’ve been reading

Of Boys and Men

This one was a real eye-opener. Reeves looks at some of the ways boys and men are struggling today, especially around education, work, family life, and mental health. That doesn’t take away from the very real challenges women still face, but it adds another part of the picture that often gets less attention. The book is very data-driven, and it has genuinely changed how I think about masculinity and the kind of support boys and men need. One stat that stuck with me: in the U.S., women now enroll in and complete college at higher rates than men. Men also account for around 80% of suicide deaths. Pretty sobering stuff.

👀 What I’ve been watching

I’m a big fan of Joe Hudson—he feels a bit like a papa-bear mentor to me. If you’re interested in getting to the root of your emotions and limiting beliefs, he has a ton of incredibly useful free content online.

🎧 What I’m listening to

Oh, just some good ol’ handpan :)

🤖 Down the AI Rabbit hole

I’ve been using Claude a lot lately to design a new website and help me create materials for promoting my book. Fable, the most powerful model, is free for a few days. It is incredibly fast and useful. Well-worth taking advantage of. I appreciate and his Substack for the latest on how to use these tools.

Because of its sheer speed, I find it’s very important to stay grounded—both physically and by taking a step back to question my own assumptions (otherwise it’s tempting to spend hours on it, rather than focus on the 1 thing that’s most important)

✍️ What I wrote recently

Why Years of Meditation Didn’t Touch My Patterns

Beyond Calm

Why Years of Meditation Didn't Touch My Patterns

This is the second piece in a series leading up to the launch of my upcoming book, Beyond Calm. In this series I explore what meditation can do, what it can’t do, and what deeper healing asks of us. Read the first post here…

Read more

2 months ago · 13 likes · 3 comments · Misha Yurchenko

📜 Quotes that hit home

“All of the fear of being seen is a belief that there’s something inherently wrong with you.” — Joe Hudson

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Thanks for reading! See you at an event or retreat soon :) ❤️

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Rather, people talked about being anxious handing over their phones, but being so glad that they did. They talked about feeling awkward before arriving, and then making great friends. They talked about sitting with emotions they’d spent years avoiding, and leaving with more trust in themselves.

I thought I’d share some of the words of past participants in the community — check them out below.

Why People Come

“There were a lot of hesitation as it always happens to me when I think of going to an event where there will be many people that I don’t know. But on the other hand there was this desire to reach for it, because I sensed something beautiful that if I go there will happen.”

— Igor

Many people don’t come to retreat because life is going brilliantly. They come because something feels misaligned. The way they’ve been living isn’t working anymore, even if they can’t yet explain what needs to change. Whatever the reason is, there’s always uncertainty, and also a deeper calling — a heart/gut feeling — that drives them there.

When the Phone Is Gone

Your phone isn’t just a device. It’s an escape hatch. Every awkward moment, every uncomfortable feeling, every quiet patch in the day—it’s there waiting to distract you. Take it away, and you’re left with something much more interesting: yourself.

“We gave up our phones, which was one of the points of hesitation for me personally. But once I gave my phone up, I forgot about it. :)”

— Anonymous

That can feel surprisingly uncomfortable at first. Then you start noticing what you’ve been reaching for your phone to avoid.

What Catches Up With You

Without the usual distractions, and with some introspection, a retreat offers an opportunity for self-exploration. Underneath, there’s usually a treasure trove of information — thoughts, emotions, beliefs— that are waiting to be met with curiosity.

“Some meditations gently challenged me to sit with emotions or thoughts I tend to avoid.”

— JP, Ishigaki

“I’ve been to several retreats but it’s still hard for me to concentrate and thoughts keep coming all the time. In Misha’s retreat I felt things I’ve never felt before…”

— Guillermo

These experiences can be hard to put into words. But I don’t think it’s because the meditation itself is somehow magical.

They’re the result of creating a space that allows us to feel whatever we’re feeling.

The reality is that there is a ton of joy, pleasure, and goodness in this moment once we remove the barriers and allow ourselves to take it in.

More Than One Way to Meditate

The truth is, there are many ways to connect with yourself and others — and silent meditation is just one method. In retreats people always discover new ways to connect that include movement, conversation, and a range of practices that I love sharing.

Less at War With Yourself

And the point of this is not to fix anything or say there’s something wrong. There’s not.

The key is we are not here to fix anything, but rather to meet it with kindness, curiosity and openness.

“Each session helped me reconnect with self-compassion and discover new parts of myself that gently opened a wider perspective on life, without trying to change or fix anything.”— A

Connecting with ourselves in this way, we create more emotional fluidity. When felt, emotions get unblocked. They move through us. And underneath, there’s a deeper presence.

“That ‘I am’ is truly all that I need to feel comfortable in my own skin. The rest of the emotions come and go, like waves washing over me.”— Anonymous, Ishigaki

The biggest changes in my own life haven’t come from trying harder to improve myself. They’ve come from noticing where I was fighting, managing, or abandoning parts of myself—and learning to stay connected and get curious.

What Lasts - Joy, Warmth, and a Change in Relationship to Yourself & Others

“Hey, Misha! Yeah, I’m definitely settling in slowly! I feel much calmer and more relaxed, hope this state will last a bit longer 😌” - Anonymous

— Cody

“After the retreat I feel more centered, more connected, and more confident that I have a bunch of new tools to help me with overthinking in my daily life.”

— Levi

I think almost everyone has the same thought after a retreat: I hope this feeling lasts.

The truth is, the feeling probably won’t. Calm is a state, and all states come and go. Life gets noisy again and work piles up. The mind starts doing what minds do.

But what lasts isn’t the temporary state. What lasts is the relationship you build with yourself. The memory that you’ve been here before. The evidence that you can pause, feel what’s happening, and respond without immediately escaping, fixing, or shutting down.

Retreats don’t create clarity. They remove enough noise for clarity to become obvious.

That’s what I hope people take home. It’s not a perfect weekend frozen in time, but a different way of meeting yourself in each moment.

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🏔️ If you’d like to join us for the next retreat, our Five Elements Pilgrimage in Yamanashi is coming up this August. Early bird ends July 14th, and we have 3 spots left. You can find all the details here.

🧘 If you’re not ready for a retreat, or the timing doesn’t work out, come and join one of our other events or biweekly sits!

🎧 If you want to get a taste of the practice, download the free meditation here.

For the next 72 hours, the Kindle edition is completely free.

• Get it here.

• Paperback here.

• Audiobook coming soon.

This book grew out of one burning question:

Why can meditation help us see our patterns so clearly, but not always change them?

From there, the deeper questions opened up:

• What can meditation actually do?

• Where does it fall short?

• And what kind of healing reaches the patterns underneath?

Beyond Calm offers a bridge between meditation and the emotional healing work that helps old patterns actually change.

It weaves together meditation, emotional healing, parts work, the nervous system, and my own story of burnout, retreats, and realizing that meditation had helped me feel really good for a while — but hadn’t automatically healed everything.

A lot of this book was shaped by the work we’ve done together in retreats, workshops, conversations, and sits in Japan. So I really mean it when I say: thank you. This community has been part of the book.

Thank you for being part of this path with me.

And lastly, if you’re around on the 26th of July, I’m having a gathering in Tokyo to celebrate. Check it out here.

Misha

Get the book here

**If you prefer a PDF copy, just hit reply and let me know.

**Download it now, even if you read it later. It helps the launch, and hopefully helps the book reach the people who need it. :)

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The Problem

Many people are using meditation apps, watching videos on healing, going to therapy, and trying all kinds of healing tools. This is great. At the same time, the results can be mixed.

You might’ve noticed that you can meditate in the morning and feel a bit calmer, but by the afternoon, the same patterns are coming online again — avoidance, frustration, people-pleasing, perfectionism, shame, or whatever is gripping you that day.

Or maybe you’ve tried therapy, but it still doesn’t quite touch the behaviors and thought patterns that keep showing up in your daily life. And none of this necessarily touches that deeper desire for connection with others.

This is especially true in Japan.

Japan is beautiful in so many ways. But it can also be isolating, especially if you’re a foreign resident, a long-term expat, or just someone looking for deeper friendship, honest conversation, spiritual practice, or community around healing and inner work.

It’s not always easy to find people who want to talk about this stuff. It’s not always easy to find spaces where you can slow down, be real, and connect beyond the usual “what do you do?” conversation. So a lot of us end up doing the work alone.

There are three unique challenges here:

1. Healing is a community job. Most of us are doing the work by ourselves in silos — meditating in our rooms — which is not how these things were practiced historically. Therapy is helpful, but it’s expensive, usually infrequent, and it’s not a replacement for deeper relationships and connection that are recurring and available.

2. There’s a difference between understanding something and really feeling it. Watching videos and listening to podcasts is great, but unless there’s a felt experience in your body and mind, it often remains information. It doesn’t necessarily become embodied wisdom.

3. We are overstimulated. Our society is structured in a way that doesn’t usually allow for deep rest and honest communication. Rushing and avoiding become the norm. But this doesn’t give us much space to feel our emotions or question our deeper patterns, and is therefore pretty unsatisfying.

The Ideal Solution — And Why It’s Unrealistic

In an ideal world, we could sit around for three hours a day and get blissed out on meditation. Then we’d walk downstairs to our shared co-living space, where we’d interact with like-minded souls every day, play music, and talk about deep topics — never missing a moment of spiritual or relational connection.

All of this would happen by some beautiful lake or beach, where we work remotely and don’t have to worry about packed trains, too much noise, or the general overstimulation of modern life.

To be fair, there are people slowly building this sort of future through various experiments in living — solarpunk villages, intentional communities and so on — so I won’t say it’s out of reach.

But unfortunately, that’s not the reality for most of us.

Most of us don’t have time to meditate for more than a few minutes a day. We have jobs, families, responsibilities, and things to do. We don’t live in communal spaces, and we have to actively seek friendships, activities, and community. Work, hobbies, and social connection are still largely centered around cities, not forests or beaches.

The good news is that all hope is not lost.

I’ve seen and felt the possibility of deep connection and community, of healing our patterns, and of reconnecting with nature — even here in Japan, where life can be beautiful, intense, and isolating all at once.

Connecting Through Retreat

I started Tokyo Mindfulness with some simple intentions: to share powerful practices, connect with others, and have fun.

As a long-term resident of Japan, I was personally looking for this in my own life: a place to practice, connect, have honest conversations, and meet people who cared about the inner life. But it was hard to find. So I took action. Over the last four years, I’ve offered many different meetups and retreats with the community here in Japan. More than 2,000 people have joined our in-person events so far.

I think retreats, in particular, are one of the most powerful structures for getting to know yourself better and forging connections with others that would be difficult otherwise.

In many ways, retreats are my way of directly addressing the challenges I mentioned earlier. There’s a lot to say, but here are five ways I’ve seen retreats create the ground for transformation:

1. Accelerated self-development

When we make a two- or three-day commitment to go on retreat, the stillness immediately brings things to the surface — things we’ve been avoiding, forgot about, or have been scared to look at. There’s a sort of acceleration of all the unconscious stuff — the emotions and patterns we’ve suppressed. This provides a chance for real personal growth to unfold in a short time.

2. Community opens the heart

Listening to a guided meditation at home is very different from sitting in a 500-year-old temple with a group of people and being guided through different practices. There is a vibe, or shared field, and it’s palpable. (In fact, there’s even research showing that the heart’s electromagnetic activity can be measured outside the body — but honestly, you don’t need a study to feel what happens when a group of people slows down together.)

The practices I share on retreats are also largely done in groups or pairs, which is different than your vipassana or zen retreat. There is solo time for reflection and journaling, of course. But I’ve found that so much insight comes from conversations with others.

3. Friendships that last

What’s been really cool to see after retreats is people forming their own LINE and WhatsApp groups and staying in touch. And not just that, but actually hanging out frequently and forming real friendships. This is so beautiful to see. It also makes sense. The depth of conversation and connection on retreat creates a strong foundation.

4. Being more human

I take away phones on all of our retreats — and most events, too. For many people, this is worth the price of admission. It’s healing in its own right. It also means we have to find other ways to connect: actually talking to each other, enjoying the nature around us, sitting quietly, walking, listening, noticing. The human things we used to do. And it makes self-inquiry and observation much more accessible.

5. Rediscovering wonder

Most people come off retreat with a renewed sense of joy and wonder for their lives and the world. “Ah yeah, this is what makes life beautiful.” I’ve seen people make real changes for themselves and others after retreats — quitting a job they hated, forgiving someone, or finally speaking the truth in a tough situation. Sometimes we just need a little bit of space and acceptance to allow these things to emerge.

There’s a lot more to say. I’ll continue sharing more about some of my experiences and experiments over the years, and what I’ve seen work for others, in the hopes of providing some inspiration for you.

For now, if you feel called to connect, come out and say hello.

We have a biweekly Mindfulness & Connection Circle on Thursdays. Our next retreat is in August in Yamanashi, which you can join here. More events will be announced soon.

And if you have questions about any of it, drop me a message any time! 🙏❤️

With thanks,
Misha

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Come join us every other Thursday for mindful connection and honest conversation, in a new location in Minami-Asagaya. :)

Our first session is this upcoming Thursday.

👉 Book Your Spot Here

A quick note on what’s changed:

The previous location we were using in Daikanyama recently shut down. Also, a while back, I moved further away from the center of the city, so it’s been difficult for me to continue the sessions. The new space is in Asagaya station, which is a bit more local, but I suspect a bit closer/more easily accessible for some people (including myself!) Let’s see how it goes. :)

The session structure for our community sit remains largely the same. We have check-ins, do some stretching/qiqong, a guided meditation, finished by a sharing circle and yummy ginger tea at the end. Everyone is welcome, regardless of your experience in meditation, religion, race, sex, etc. Guidance is in English and I can offer simple guidance in Japanese when required.

My views on meditation, healing and connection continue to evolve. I don’t see this as purely a ‘meditation’ circle anymore, and more like a connection circle. There are many ways to deepen connection, and I will occasionally experiment with other practices (for example, in pairs), all with the intention of bringing us closer to ourselves and each other. Given everything thats going on in the world, I think we need this now more than never.

I’m really looking forward to seeing you again and hope you can make it out sometime!

With gratitude,

Misha

Over three days, we’ll stay at the beautiful temple lodging of Kakurinbo, practice meditation together, visit a mountain waterfall for cleansing and contemplation, and hike up sacred Mount Shichimen, 1,989 meters, to spend the night at a temple high in the mountains.

Book it here

Details and pictures are below—feel free to reach out with any questions. :)

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🔍 Details:

• Location: Kakurinbo Temple, Yamanashi

• Date: Friday August 28th - Sunday August 30th (leave station at 740am Friday morning and arrive back Sunday evening)

• Price: 64,000 yen early bird (round trip bus transportation included)

• To RSVP, please hit RSVP on Meetup and fill out the screening form. For new retreat attendees, I ask for a short 15-minute call beforehand to make sure this is the right retreat for you. Message me directly to set this up.

⛰️The setting:

The first night we’ll be staying at Kakurinbo, a 500-year old Nichiren Buddhist temple with a small onsen, a beautiful garden, and spacious rooms.

The temple serves incredible vegetarian tofu dishes, including yuba (tofu skin), for breakfast and dinner. For lunch, we’ll visit a nearby café with both vegetarian and meat options.

Spacious tatami rooms will be shared with 1-2 people of the same sex.

The second day, we’ll do a Buddhist waterfall meditation and purification ritual before hiking up 1,989 meters, to spend the night at a temple on top of Mt. Schichimen.

We’ll eat dinner and stay the night at Keishin-in (it’s pretty simple, but cozy!) at the top of the mountain and enjoy a beautiful sunrise and view of Mt. Fuji in the morning + breakfast.

🧘‍♂️The experience:

We’ll use the Five Elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space, as a loose framework for exploring presence in the body, heart, mind, and natural world. Expect a full crash course in mindfulness, guided meditations, partner practices, silence, journaling, time in nature, and plenty of space to let go.

The hike up Mount Shichimen is challenging, around 4–5 hours uphill, so this retreat is best for people with a decent level of fitness and some comfort with hiking.

✅ What’s included

• Guided meditations and mindfulness instruction

• Full mindfulness crash course

• Waterfall meditation

• Sacred Mount Shichimen pilgrimage hike

• 2 nights of temple lodging, Kakurinbo and the mountain temple

• Shared rooms, usually with 1–2 people of the same sex

• 4 vegetarian meals, including Saturday lunch bento

• Round-trip bus transportation from Shinjuku

• Onsen

• Meditation cushions

• Digital detox, we’ll collect phones on the first day

• Periods of silence during meditation practice

❌ What’s not included

• Friday lunch and Sunday lunch

• Extra food/drinks

• Travel insurance

  ---

📵 Digital Detox

Phones will be handed in on Friday and returned on Sunday afternoon. I’ll keep phones accessible if there’s a genuine emergency. The point is to give your nervous system a break from constant input and let your attention come back to something simple: breath, body, nature, and conversation.

💴 Price and RSVP / payment

The price for the retreat is 72,000 yen.

• To RSVP Fill out this form

• Make your payment directly by bank transfer at this link here or by credit card here.

Rooms are spacious and shared with 1-2 attendees of the same sex.
***For new retreat attendees, I ask for a short 15-minute call beforehand to make sure this is the right retreat for you. Message me directly to set this up.

🚌 Getting there

Meet at the Shinjuku Expressway Bus terminal at 7:20 am on Friday August 28th. Directions are here. Arrive on time – or early, to be safe!

We will take the Shinjuku expressway bus Shinjuku to Minobu-san at 745am on August 28th, arriving at 11:30am. It’s about a 3 hour 20 minute bus ride (there is a bathroom on board and we make one stop on the way).

We leave from Minobu san back to Shinjuku at 330pm on Sunday August 30th, arriving at Shinjuku around 730pm. I will get your roundtrip ticket once you confirm your RSVP and pay.

🎒 What to bring:

Bring warm layers (heat-tech/thermals, sweater/fleece), a warm jacket, and thick socks. Gloves and a hat are a good idea too. For the hike, bring comfortable walking shoes (trail shoes or sneakers with good grip) and a small daypack if you have one. Also bring comfortable clothes for meditation and mindful movement, plus a water bottle.

Hope to see you there and message me with any questions!

👉 Book your spot here

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Words can never really capture the depth of these retreats. But I think depth is a good way to describe it. Most of the time we’re in a sort of horizontal relationship to life, living in the stories of the past and future, holding onto images of how things should or shouldn’t be.

A retreat, and most inner work, offers a way to pause and go vertically — into the depths of what is here now, rather than ideas of past/future. That kind of depth is hard to explain, but you can feel it when it happens. A few minutes of honest presence can bring more meaning than weeks of rushing around trying to fix your life from the surface.

So here’s a small invitation for today: what would it mean, even for a few minutes, to pause, breathe, and drop one layer deeper into what’s actually here?

I’ll be traveling to the US in June to see family, so our next weekend retreat will likely be in July or August in Yamanashi. Stay tuned for announcements.

For now, check out our upcoming events and updates below :)

📅 Upcoming Events

• Mindfulness Hike + Waterfall: May 17th

• Eye Contact Experiment: May 24th @ Yoyogi Park

• Mindfulness Hike and Chill by River: May 31st at Hanno Station

Note: I changed our one-day metta retreat to a hike instead because of the season; we will reschedule the retreat for July/Aug when the weather is more muggy.

📣 Latest Insta Post

📚 What I’m reading

The Unbearable Lightness of Being. One of the most human experiences is the tension between freedom and responsibility. One part of us yearns to be free of restraints, to express ourselves, and to live untethered. Another part of us craves commitment, the stability that comes from staying with one thing, one place, or one person. Life often moves between these two desires. Understanding how to navigate that tension can bring us into a more skillful relationship with our lives. This book offers a rich exploration of that territory — and man, let me tell you, they really don’t write books like this anymore! Well worth the read.

👀 What I’m watching

My favorite show on AppleTV right now is Shrinking. It’s a comedy-drama that follows the lives of a group of therapists and their families and how they navigate the messiness of life. What I love is that it captures this (rather personally relatable) idea of a ‘wounded healer’ — that even those who are in helping/healing professions are all dealing with their own shit. And, the show is super funny most of the time.

✍️ What I wrote recently

I’ll be releasing my new book, Beyond Calm, in the next few weeks. I wrote a little reflection on the painful lessons I learned in writing this time around and what has changed for me as a writer.

Misha Yurchenko's Newsletter

The Book That Wasn’t It

A year ago I published a book that I honestly wasn’t very proud of. There were good ideas in there, but it was mostly a hodgepodge of insights about meditation and healing, without a clear thread. I published it quickly, without much feedback or editing…

Read more

4 months ago · Misha Yurchenko

📜Quotes I enjoyed

“The goals we pursue are always veiled. A girl who longs for marriage longs for something she knows nothing about. The boy who hankers after fame has no idea what fame is. The thing that gives our every move its meaning is always totally unknown to us.”
― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Thanks for reading! See you at an event or retreat soon :)

• Follow us on instagram

• Connect with me on linkedin

• DM me with questions about retreats or 1-1 coaching

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Otherwise, I’ve been heads-down in the final stretch of editing my upcoming book, Beyond Calm, which is about finding healing amidst the messiness of our lives. I’m excited to be sharing it with you all in the coming weeks. Stay tuned :)

For now, check out our upcoming events and workshops below!

📅 Upcoming Events

• Golden Week Retreat: May 1st-4th — 3 spots left

• Eye Contact Experiment: May 24th @ Yoyogi Park

• Mindfulness Hike + Waterfall: May 17th — 2 spots left

• A One-Day Metta Retreat: May 30th at Koyama Garden

📣 Latest Insta Post

🌳 Golden Week Retreat

Meditation can and should be fun. In our upcoming retreat, we’ll be focusing on metta practice, which is all about cultivating a friendly attitude towards ourselves/our experience…and it simply feels good. We’ll also be spending plenty of time outdoors, in the sunshine, with space to reset, reconnect, and practice in good company. If you’ve been feeling stuck in your meditation and are looking for a clean reset, plus a community of like-minded people, come join us. More details here, or message me if you have any questions.

🗣️ Nonviolent Communication (shoutout post)

If you’ve been interested in NVC and want to explore it more deeply, come join this beautiful 4-day training near Tokyo in May hosted by some friends. The retreat will explore empathy, authenticity, belonging, and how to stay connected to your values while navigating real-life relationships, tension, and community. This is a really rich opportunity to learn and practice in a more embodied and grounded way. More details here.

📚 What I read

What are the jhanas?

A great read by Jhourney, a retreat business that has helped hundreds of people reliably access deep meditative states known as jhana. Jhana has been a big part of my practice over the last few years, and I believe it can be life-changing for inner work, especially when paired with emotional processing. They also offer a free 7-day online course, which I highly recommend.

✍️ What I wrote recently

What’s the goal of eye gazing? …There is none.

📜Quotes I enjoyed

“A person is a fluid process, not a fixed and static entity; a flowing river of change, not a block of solid material; a continually changing constellation of potentialities, not a fixed quantity of traits.” — Carl Rogers

Thanks for reading! See you at an event or retreat soon :)

• Follow us on instagram

• Connect with me on linkedin

• DM me with questions about retreats or 1-1 coaching

I braced for the familiar sting of self-judgment and tension…

I waited a few seconds.

Nothing.

Huh, that’s weird…Aren’t I supposed to be berating myself by now?

Just silence.

Then a gentler voice bubbled up: “It’s okay. Sometimes you forget. I love you.”

Wow. That sure feels nice!

There was no spiraling or shame. Just a sense of presence and kindness in the place of frustration. I biked home to get my wallet with a smile on my face, and that was that.

What a relief!

That small moment revealed something subtle but profound. Our inner voices can shift. Our inner experience can transform.

After practicing heart and compassion practices daily, my mind had become a much more friendly and pleasant place to live. This has made life a lot more enjoyable.

And it translated to other areas of life — including my relationships and my work. That’s when I really started to understand the power of what’s called the ‘heart practices.’

The Art of Forgiveness and Loving-Kindness

As our upcoming mindfulness retreat in Nagano gets closer, I’ve felt drawn to make the theme more explicit to share these powerful heart-practices.

This retreat will center around The Art of Forgiveness and Loving-Kindness — two heart practices that have deeply shaped my own path, influenced by my training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, as well as the teachings of Bhante Vimalaramsi.

A lot of us come to meditation looking for calm, clarity, or relief. That’s important. But over time I’ve found that what many people are really longing for is not just less stress, but a different relationship to themselves.

That could look like a kinder inner voice, more softness, less reactivity and more space in the heart. That softness isn’t weak, but actually requires a fierce courage to face reality as it is — and to stay true amidst uncertainty.

That’s what this retreat is about.

We’ll explore two core heart practices:

1. Forgiveness — not as pretending the past didn’t happen, but as a gradual willingness to stop carrying so much of it in the body and mind.

2. Loving-kindness (metta) — the practice of befriending ourselves and others, and cultivating a more gentle, friendly way of being.

We’ll explore these through guided meditations, pair practices, group practices, time in nature, and plenty of unstructured space to rest and integrate.

This retreat is for people who want a kinder, more heart-centered way of practicing mindfulness.

Whether it’s your first retreat or your 100th retreat, meditators of all levels are welcome. Come join us, and feel free to reach out with any questions!

👉 Fill out this form to RSVP

You can see the full description of the retreat here. 8 spots remaining and early bird price ends on April 5th.

Free Self-Compassion Meditation

Here’s a short healing meditation I recorded that you can do for 10 minutes to bring a sense of kindness and nurturing to yourself right now. This can very quickly calm the mind and soften the heart to whatever is present right now.

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Are we living from a place of love or fear? What are we avoiding? What do we really want?

It’s perfectly okay to have a fun, pleasant, eye-opening experience at a retreat, and then just go back and live your life as you were before.

But usually that’s hard. Because you realize something on the retreat, a new way to be, a new way to connect, a deeper truth, and you wonder, how can I bring more of THAT into my life?

Sometimes the changes are subtle. You come back a little softer, a little less reactive, and more honest. More able to sit with discomfort without immediately reaching for your phone, your work, or your usual distractions.

And sometimes the changes are not subtle at all.

I’ve heard many stories of people coming away from retreat with the clarity to finally admit: fuck, I’m not happy.

One of the meditations we do asks people to reflect on death and their final moments. That one has a way of cutting through the noise and bringing into focus what we’ve been avoiding. One person I spoke to quit her job shortly after that meditation and is now on a path that feels much more aligned.

Other shifts look quieter from the outside, but still matter. I spoke recently with someone who said that just a few experiences of sustained eye contact helped her discover a deeper sense of presence in her life. People around her started commenting on it too. They could feel she was more present.

That’s one of the things I find beautiful about retreats. Most people don’t come away needing to blow up their life and move to the mountains. Sometimes what changes is the way you listen. Sometimes it’s the inner voice that becomes a little bit more kind. Sometimes it’s the way you look at a tree on the way home.

Retreat may open something beautiful, but eventually you come home. As Jack Kornfield put it, “After the ecstasy, the laundry.”

And without totally overhauling your life, there are often small changes that can be implemented relatively quickly.

It will look different for everyone, but here are some I’ve seen in others, and experienced myself:

1. Do nothing

Counterintuitively, you don’t need to do anything after the retreat. Trying to do something immediately can create pressure to recreate the experience and hold onto a fleeting feeling.

What if instead, you just enjoyed the afterglow and let it naturally pass? Then paid attention to the subtle cues, changes, and ripple effects that still live on from the retreat?

Sometimes something has already shifted. You are a little less rushed. A little less defended. A little more open. You don’t need to force that into a plan.

Sometimes the wisest thing is not to turn the retreat integration into another self-improvement project.

2. Start a small practice

Often people come back from retreat wanting to keep one thread alive.

It could be ten minutes of meditation in the morning. A weekly yoga class. A short gratitude practice before bed. Follow your curiosity!

One of my favorites: candle gazing in the bathtub for ten minutes at night. Buy a candle, turn the lights down, and just look. Simple, but ten minutes a day adds up. Over time it can deepen concentration and restore a sense of connection to something sacred in ordinary life.

Some people also use the memory of the retreat itself as a kind of inner anchor. Oh yeah, that’s what openness felt like. Then they remember it, visualize it, and let that memory help reopen the heart and calm the mind in the middle of daily life.

3. Have a difficult conversation

Retreats often bring clarity. You realize where you’ve been holding back, staying silent, or tolerating something that doesn’t feel right.

Sometimes what wants to happen next is not more journaling. It’s an honest conversation.

A boundary. An apology. A truth you’ve been scared to say. A request for help. A confession that you are no longer okay with how things have been.

During my startup days, after coming off one 10-day retreat, I remember calling my main investor and letting him know I was shutting down my startup. I was glad I did, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today!

These conversations are not always easy, but they can be deeply freeing. Sometimes the insight of retreat needs to be spoken out loud in order to become real.

4. Let the questions live on

One thing retreat has taught me is that the answers are often less important than the questions.

You can ask What’s true? a hundred times and get different answers. Or maybe the same answer keeps returning, asking more of you each time.

For me, retreat has also made me question some of our social norms, including how we live with each other. I’ve honestly been considering some form of co-living in the future with a group of friends. I don’t have some perfect vision of communal life, but I can feel how unnatural and isolating modern life can be (shoutout to ). Retreat sometimes gives you a glimpse of another way of living, slower, more connected, more shared, and then the question stays with you.

5. Spend more time in nature

A lot of people leave retreat realizing that being outside was not just “nice.” It was medicine. Modern life makes it easy to forget this. We live in boxes, look at screens, and wonder why our nervous system feels fried.

You may not be able to move to the forest. But maybe you can go to the park more. Leave your phone at home for a walk. Sit under a tree. Watch the sky for ten minutes instead of refreshing the news. Let your body remember a different pace.

6. Change your environment a little

Sometimes the shift is not internal first. It’s external and practical.

You clean up your apartment. You put your phone in another room at night. You light a candle or some nice incense. Buy some plants for your place.

A while back I bought a little water feature from Amazon for my desk and always have the sound of trickling water as I work.

A retreat is a different environment, and that is part of why it works. When you come home, even small changes to your environment can help support a different way of being.

7. Trust that your presence matters

One of the deepest things people bring back from retreat is not a technique, but a different quality of presence.

Often we carry the idea that we need to achieve something big, fix everything, or change the world in some dramatic way. But sometimes your presence is enough.

The presence you cultivate on retreat, the openness, steadiness, patience, and heart, affects the people around you more than you realize.

It only takes one person staying calm in the middle of a storm to change the whole feeling of the boat. Even if everyone else is panicking, one grounded person matters.

That may sound small, but it isn’t small at all.

Thanks for reading! 🙏😊

I’d be curious to hear from you: what have you brought back from a retreat, even if it was small?

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