Organic Zafu and the heart of Apple
Health. Joy. Love
Minimalism, focus, peace of mind, decluttered space. Zen. Foundational principles of Apple and its founder Steve Jobs.
Japan.
Being obsessed, in love with reaching the essence of things and emotions. Clarity of thoughts. Meditation. Beauty. Living an amazing life.
Zafu and Zabuton
All these words may sound like a future one may never reach, but in reality, it is closer than we think. In Japan, a country known for its simplicity and minimalism, longevity, the process starts with decluttering the space. Removing rather than adding new things. Leaving empty spaces, so the mind remains in the state of wonder. Using only the essential and truly beautiful things.
Imposible to reach? Believe me, that it is possible, as I have reached it and others as well. If you knew where I started, the emotional states I was in, you would clearly see that the beautiful mind is ours to have. It is within us, on the bottom of things.
….
DISCOVER: Apple (when Steve Jobs was alive and running the company) was one of the best brands in the world. Having only a few products, it managed to create an obsessive fascination with its creations and message. Its influence originated in a clean design and intuitive functionality of the products the company was focused on. No matter which product you took, whether it was the iPhone, iPad, or iMac, you received a thing that was beautiful from A to Z. From its tiniest screws, to the fnal proportions. It showed huge respect that the creators had for you, focus of a dedicated mind, sense of purpose that fuelled Apple. Steve was showing how essential it is to reach the absolute minimum of elements and to place them in a way that cteated the emotions of awe in the user.
The less the better. It is what fuells Japanese design as well. It is what created the zafu meditation pillows, which are acompanied by zabuton meditation mats. Simple, beautiful, healthy for the spine of the person sitting on them. Easy to carry, easy to use.
“The idea of simplicity appears in many cultures, especially the Japanese traditional culture of Zen Philosophy. Japanese manipulate the Zen culture into aesthetic and design elements for their buildings. This idea of architecture has influenced Western Society, especially in America since the mid 18th century. Moreover, it inspired the minimalist architecture in the 19th century.
Zen concepts of simplicity transmit the ideas of freedom and essence of living. Simplicity is not only aesthetic value, it has a moral perception that looks into the nature of truth and reveals the inner qualities and essence of materials and objects. For example, the sand garden in Ryoanji temple demonstrates the concepts of simplicity and the essentiality from the considered setting of a few stones and a huge empty space.
The Japanese aesthetic principle of Ma refers to empty or open space. It removes all the unnecessary internal walls and opens up the space. The emptiness of spatial arrangement reduces everything down to the most essential quality.
The Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-sabi values the quality of simple and plain objects. It appreciates the absence of unnecessary features, treasures a life in quietness and aims to reveal the innate character of materials.” (Wikipedia)
Organic Zafus are simple. Created with attention to details, handmade and hand filled. Its name they take from Japan, where “Zafu” means “za” – “seat”, and “fu” means “reedmace”, as the first zafus, used for zazen zen meditation were stuffed with eedmace. Nowadays, we can use reedmace, buckwheat hulls, or the mixtures of buskwheat and spelt hulls. This is what we do, this is what yu find in the organic zafu pillow. The most beautiful oganic filling : organic buckwheat hulls and organic spelt hulls, hand prepared.
Simplicity of your surrounding will have a profund influence on your life. Steve Jobs had a hard time finding the right type of furniture for his appartment, and finally he decided to have none. Empty space lets your mind wonder and focus.
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” (Steve Jobs)
The beautiful photographs were taken by Joshua Davis from Wood Tender, an American high end furniture producer.
Find more about the organic zafus here Organic Zafu
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