Masahiro Ouchi stands before a group of 30 assorted individuals in Be Yoga, a studio in Tokyo's Hiro-o (including five dishy-enough French men to make one English guy joke that among so many women he has never felt so disadvantaged) and introduces us to the essence of the spiritual and therapeutic practice he has formulated: TaoZen.

Three hours later, we put together all the elements Masahiro has taught us for what he calls a 15-minute daily rejuvenation practice. A mix of Zen and Taoist practices to increase health and physical and emotional balance, relax and clear the mind and develop happiness and joy, it leaves participants so glowing and unwound that plans are laid to meet on a regular basis.

I meet Masahiro twice more after this, catching him between more workshops and any number of meetings. The day before we first met, Masahiro had taught in English in a temple in Hiro-o. The day after, he was in Osaka, teaching in Japanese in a hotel chapel. Since then he has been busy with more three-hour seminars and daylong or weekend workshops. Next week, he returns to the U.S., where he is senior instructor, founder and director of the Healing Tao Center of New York and founder of the TaoZen Association.