It is well-known that the man behind Kendo Nagasaki’s mask, Yogensha, was born in the United Kingdom, so he is no stranger to Christmas, although from his teenage years, he was profoundly and extensively influenced by his Japanese judo teacher and spiritual sensei, Kenshiro Abbe.

Sensei Abbe taught young Yogensha about the simple elegance of Zen, and the powerful perspective of Kyu Shin Do, as well as how to be mindful, filtering-out everything superfluous to a single activity, so that it may be practised with absolute focus and all of one’s ability.

The experience of performing a task mindfully is remarkable – one becomes aware of subtleties which are unseen if the mind is preoccupied elsewhere, and there is a sense of the task “giving-back” to you, rewarding you for performing it so diligently. In this way, practising mindfulness can be as rewarding as meditation, and the fruits of all such actions cannot help but be excellent.

In this vein, Kendo would urge everyone to have a mindful Christmas. Kendo’s primary aim is to empower people so that they can live the best possible lives, and be of the greatest possible service to their families and communities. Christmas is a time of giving and good-will, and the underlying intent is for everyone in the society around us to feel included in our benevolence, and appreciated.

There are a great many ceremonies and celebrations in Japan throughout the year, which all seek to strengthen community bonds and engender good fortune for all, and, just like entire Japanese towns which throw themselves into such celebrations, we should do no less with Christmas. But, this year, Kendo suggests that we do so mindfully.

Kendo tells us that the mindful approach to Christmas goes far beyond its materialism – if you meditate and practice mindfulness, you know how centred and empowered they make you feel, and sharing your confidence, peace, and strength with everyone in the society around you may be the most empowering gift you could give, not only to an individual person, but consequently, to the whole of your society.