Yuki Shiina

Learn more about Zen Kokyū's founder

Yuki Shiina is an expert of breathing techniques, author, and the founder of Zen Kokyū.

Breathing expert and founder of the Zen Kokyū and the Zen Breathing Method, author of numerous books, and representative of Tainai-Taiwa, Inc. She is also a Zen Kokyū/Zen Breathing Method leader, breathing advisor, MC, natural rice farmer, and graduate of Waseda University, Faculty of Letters I, Department of Philosophy (’98). Born in 1975, she has a remarkable journey of overcoming physical and mental challenges

After suffering from a 15-year-long illness, especially persistent headaches since high school, she discovered breathing techniques from Edo-period texts. By integrating her personal experiences with the methods of Zen master Hakuin Ekaku, the originator of the term “health,” she developed the ZEN breathing method.

Her dedication to the Hakuin breathing method helped her recover from various physical ailments that conventional treatments—such as hospital visits, medication, acupuncture, chiropractic care, bodywork, and massage—could not alleviate. Remarkably, her health continued to improve as she aged.

With restored health, she expanded her focus beyond the ZEN Kokyu/Breathing Method to promote a healthy lifestyle and overall well-being. She is also involved in natural rice farming in Nagano, Japan. She purchased an old house in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, where she grows rice without fertilizers or pesticides with her students at Jinen Juku school.

She emphasizes that many people today overexert themselves trying to maintain their physical condition, often harming their health in the process. Through the ZEN Kokyu/Breathing Method, she teaches the importance of relaxing the body, maintaining a natural state, and reclaiming health. Her approach has garnered a global following, leading to invitations to teach in Greece, Germany, Austria, France, England, and many other cities.

In 2023-2024, she held workshops at the Tokyo National Museum for seven months, introducing Japanese culture to over 1,000 foreign visitors. These twice-weekly ZEN Kokyu workshops were highly praised.

Through her work, she aims to help people reclaim their physical and mental health, fostering a more positive and joyful world.