Zen Breathing Meets Shojin Cuisine: A Seven-Part Collaboration Series Across New York
RESOBOX produced the New York run of a seven-part collaboration series pairing zen breathing and shojin (Buddhist vegetarian) cuisine, led by breathing method specialist Yuki Shiina and Kazuhide Sugimoto of Sugimoto Shoten, the renowned dried-shiitake producer from Takachiho, Miyazaki.
From the Department of Education to a Zen Temple
The series opened with a session for executives of the New York City Department of Education and traveled across the city and beyond: the Rinzai zen temple New York Zendo Shobo-ji in Manhattan, an outdoor session by the water at K PASA in Sag Harbor, the Japanese educational community Aozora Gakuen in Brooklyn, and NYU's Mindful Education Lab, which promotes mindfulness in education.
A Finale at the Culinary Institute of America
The final session was held at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the United States — a venue envisioned from the project's earliest planning stages. Students filled the lecture theater to experience the practice of zen breathing and the umami-rich world of shojin cuisine built around Sugimoto's shiitake.
The series showed how deeply Japanese approaches to breath, food, and mindfulness resonate with New York's educational and culinary communities.
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