Early bird pricing now available
Presents
The Heart of Zen
Bringing Zen Wisdom into Daily Life
A 6 week online journey
May 20th – June 30th 2026
6 Live Workshops
Fully Downloadable
4 Expert Teachers
What if you could meet life with fresh eyes?
Even when things feel overwhelming or stuck.
Much of our lives are lived in our heads — thinking, processing, reacting — caught in patterns that no longer bring a sense of aliveness.
Yet underneath it, there is a longing:
to feel more connected and fully present in your life.
Zen offers a way to make that shift.
Not by stepping away from life, but by learning how to meet it differently — with clarity and a steadier, more direct experience.
Through simple, embodied practices — from sitting in stillness to engaging fully in everyday activities — this shift becomes something you can return to, again and again, in the midst of daily life.
This program was created to support you in making that shift.
What this program offers
Guided by a Zen priest, a contemporary Zen guide, and two tea teachers, this program offers practical ways to bring the clarity and insight of Zen into the midst of everyday life.
Over six sessions, you will be supported to:
See more clearly, learning to recognize and question the patterns that shape how you think and perceive.
Develop a steadier quality of attention, through practices such as zazen and simple, repeatable exercises.
Reconnect with your senses and direct experience, discovering how awareness can be cultivated through everyday activities like eating and preparing tea.
Respond more freely to life, deepening your capacity to pause, question, and meet each moment without immediately falling back on habit.
Rediscover a sense of wonder, creativity, and sufficiency, seeing how even ordinary moments can reveal depth and beauty.
Integrate practice into daily life, so these shifts begin to inform how you engage with the world around you.
Together, these practices offer a grounded and experiential way of working with Zen — one that can be returned to again and again in the flow of daily life.
Why Zen — and why now?
We live in a time of constant input.
Messages, news, and demands on our attention follow us throughout the day — pulling us into our heads while leaving us feeling emotionally stretched and, at times, overwhelmed.
We are exposed to more than we can fully process — from the pace of daily life to wider challenges unfolding in the world. In the midst of it, it can become harder to stay grounded, see clearly, or meet what is in front of us without being carried away by habit, reaction, or noise.
Zen offers a different way of relating to this — not by changing our circumstances, but by changing how we meet them.
In doing so, something opens: a sense of presence that is not dependent on conditions, a capacity to be with what is —
a way of meeting life with freedom, and wonder.
Who this program is for
This program is for you if you:
Sense your way of seeing has become fixed, and want to meet life with fresh eyes
Want to rediscover a sense of wonder and inner resilience, through slowing down and paying attention
Feel curious how Zen can be lived in everyday life, helping you cut through noise and question assumptions
Are open to simple, embodied practices, from meditation (zazen) to everyday activities like eating, as gateways into a more direct experience of life
Recognize moments of moving through life on autopilot, and want to respond with greater clarity and freedom
Value depth and learning through experience, and are willing to engage with practices that reveal rather than explain
No prior experience with Zen is needed.
You do not need to adopt any beliefs or follow a particular path to take part.
What matters is curiosity and a willingness to question how you see — and to discover what becomes possible when you begin to meet each moment with fresh eyes.
RegisterMeet the Faculty
Toryo Ito
Zen priest & Vice Abbott of Ryosokuin – Kyoto
Toryo Ito is recognized in Japan and globally as a true Zen innovator, seamlessly bridging the realms of contemporary and traditional, with a particular emphasis on creativity and inner well-being. He is the Vice Abbott of Ryosokuin, a sub-temple of Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan’s oldest Zen temple.
On the program, he will share Zen wisdom and practices that help you cut through the noise of daily life and rediscover a sense of clarity, connection, and freedom.
Momoe Saito
Creator & author of Zen Eating – Tokyo
Momoe Saito is the creator of Zen Eating, an approach rooted in her study and practice of Zen that brings its depth and wisdom into daily life through the everyday act of eating. Drawing from her background in well-being, her work explores how reconnecting with our senses opens a more direct relationship with ourselves and the web of life that sustains us.
On the program, she will guide you through simple practices that help you return to the body, awaken your senses, and cultivate a more joyful way of being.
Fukutaro Nakayama
Tea master at Ryosokuin & co-founder of Oboro Tea – Kyoto
Fukutaro Nakayama is the tea master at Ryosokuin in Kyoto and co-founder of Oboro Tea, where he approaches the Way of Tea as a living, embodied practice. Rather than preserving tea as a fixed tradition, he continues its original spirit by responding to what is present—using tea as a way to refine the senses and deepen awareness. In his practice, tea becomes a mirror, revealing how we meet each moment, and opening a more direct and authentic relationship with life.
On the program, he will offer a tea demonstration and share how tea can be experienced as Zen in motion—inviting a quiet, attentive presence that can extend into all aspects of daily life.
Dairik Amae
Tea teacher & architect, Kyoto
Dairik Amae is a contemporary tea teacher and architect based in Kyoto, known for presenting the Way of Tea as a living, embodied practice for modern life. Having grown up internationally as the child of a diplomat, Dairik naturally bridges cultures and contexts. Influenced by Zen and Shinto, his teaching blends form, ritual, and open inquiry – inviting people to experience tea not as tradition alone, but as a way of cultivating presence in everyday life.
On the program, he will join Fukutaro for the closing dialogue and demonstration, exploring the deep connection between Zen and the Way of Tea.
What You Will Learn
The program unfolds over six live sessions — two dialogues and four workshops.
The dialogues open space to explore the core questions of the program — what Zen is, how it relates to your life, and how it can be lived in everyday experience.
The workshops focus on direct experience, introducing simple, embodied practices you can explore for yourself.
Together, they create a rhythm of understanding and practice, supporting a way of being you can carry into daily life.
SESSION 1
The Heart of Zen: Feeling at Home in the World
Wed. 20 May: 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time
with Toryo Ito & Momoe Saito
- Join Toryo Ito and Momoe Saito for an opening dialogue exploring the core questions of the program.
- Explore what Zen is — beyond ideas or preconceptions — and how it points to a different way of being in the world.
- Reflect on the challenges of modern life and how Zen offers a way to meet them with greater clarity, steadiness, and ease.
- Begin to sense what it means to feel more at home in your life — just as it is.
SESSION 2
Seeing with Fresh Eyes
Wed. 27 May: 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time
with Toryo Ito
- Cut through the noise of habitual thinking and rediscover beginner’s mind — meeting each moment without fixed ideas.
- Question the assumptions behind your thinking through Daigi (deep inquiry), loosening the patterns that shape your perception.
- Experiment with different ways of seeing — opening space for greater clarity, creativity, and freedom.
SESSION 3
Softening the Boundaries of the Self
Wed. 3 June: 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time
with Toryo Ito
- Notice how boundaries are created — between inside and outside, self and world — through direct sensory awareness.
- Explore subtle bodily and environmental perception to experience how these boundaries shift and soften in real time.
- Experience zazen as a way of adjusting your relationship to the world, without trying to control or define it.
- Recognize where boundaries have become fixed — and how a slight loosening can open space, connection, and freedom.
SESSION 4
Reconnecting with Life Through the Senses
Wed. 17 June: 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time
with Momoe Saito
- Explore Zen Eating as a gateway into everyday Zen — beginning by preparing the space and shifting into a different mode of awareness.
- Reconnect with your body and senses through guided practices — rediscovering the richness of direct experience.
- Deepen awareness through the Five Contemplations — moving beyond gratitude as a concept into a direct recognition of interdependence.
- Sense your connection to the web of life — how you are supported and “kept alive” (ikasareteiru) through what you receive.
SESSION 5
The Joy of Living
Wed. 24 June: 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time
with Momoe Saito
- Experience that your life itself is the practice — as even simple acts like eating and sensing become direct expressions of embodying Zen.
- Sense what it means to be supported and carried by life — receiving each moment, even in a single bite, rather than trying to control or direct it.
- Let go of the need to arrive somewhere else — loosening patterns of expectation and the habit of always wanting more.
- Awaken a sense of joy — as life is no longer something to chase, but something to meet and experience.
SESSION 6
Zen in Motion: Tea as a Practice of Presence
Tues. 30 June: 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time
with Fukutaro Nakayama & Dairik Amae
- Join Fukutaro Nakayama and Dairik Amae for a live tea demonstration and closing dialogue — an opportunity to experience the Way of Tea as a living practice.
- Explore the relationship between Zen and the Way of Tea — discovering why tea is often described as “Zen in motion,” where truth is met through action rather than explanation.
- Witness how simple gestures reveal how we meet each moment — through attention, movement, and relationship.
- Encounter beginner’s mind in practice — seeing how “emptying your cup” allows each moment to be met anew.
How the program works
6 live online sessions
Held over six weeks, combining teachings, guided practices, demonstrations, and space for reflection.
Join live or in your own time
All sessions are recorded and fully downloadable.
3 carefully prepared workbooks
For each phase of the program, supporting reflection and integration.
Full access to recordings, transcripts, and handouts included
So you can return to the material in your own rhythm.
Designed to be spacious, supportive, and compatible with daily life
Inviting depth without pressure.
Each session combines clear introductions to key concepts with lived exploration — including demonstrations, guided practices, reflection, and dialogue.
RegisterVoices from past participants
“More than a program, it felt like a quiet pause in the middle of daily life.
It was not about learning more, but about seeing differently.”
António Nunes, Portugal
Japanese Design Brand Strategist
“It was incredibly enriching on a personal and spiritual level. I would recommend it to anyone!”
Yvan Marco Ladurner, Germany
Yoga teacher & Coach
“I loved every minute of it! The insights gathered will be cherished and keep me grounded.”
Bruno Graça, Lisbon / Amsterdam
Curator & Designer
“I really valued learning new rituals for everyday life. It feels like the beginning of something new in my life.”
Christina Lurell, Sweden
Business owner
“I’ve taken many online courses, but this was by far the most valuable. Each session supported learning, connection, and real change in everyday life.”
Valentina Tikhonova, UK
Author & mentor
“I feel truly at home in the Musubi Academy. What the teachers, hosts, and participants create together feels like a global family grounded in wisdom, care, and shared presence.”
Deborah Herzig, Switzerland
Consultant & project lead
The Heart of Zen
Bringing Zen Wisdom into Daily Life
May 20th – June 30th
Step into a space where you’ll be invited to see more clearly, meet life with greater freedom, and reconnect with a sense of aliveness.
Guided by a Zen priest, a contemporary Zen guide, and two tea teachers, this program offers simple, direct practices you can return to — helping you navigate the demands of daily life with clarity and resilience.
Join us and begin to meet your life with more clarity and freedom.
6 Live Online Sessions
Fully Downloadable
4 Expert Teachers
Workbooks & Transcripts
Insights & Practices
Join Live or Go at Your Own Pace
Registration is now closed
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The 6 sessions that form the core of the program are live and take place via ZOOM video conference. Recordings of those sessions become available a day later so you can also move at your own pace if you prefer, or revisit the sessions.
Yes, English is the main language for all sessions. For the sessions with Toryo Ito and Fukutaro Nakayama a skilled interpreter will be there in case they need support in expressing a more complicated or nuanced idea in English.
You’ll have guaranteed access for twelve months following the completion of the program. To retain them longer than this we advise that you download them onto your own computer.
We offer a 12-day money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the program for any reason, simply contact us at info@musubi.academy within 12 days of the start of the program and we’ll offer a full refund.
Sessions take place from 9:00-10:30 am Central European / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time.
Yes, you can receive a certificate of completion for the course. If it’s for business usage it’s good to check if your company approves the program as continued learning. We can offer a certificate for the 10.5 hours that make up the total duration of the sessions on the program. Just send us an email if you would like to receive a certificate once the program is completed.
If you have any questions about the program, you can email us at info@musubi.academy.
