Dr. Pedram Shojai is the author of newly released book, The Urban Monk: Eastern Widsom and Modern Hacks to Stop Time and Find Success, Happiness and Peace.
I recently had the opportunity to interview him and would love to share that wonderful interview with you (see the audio link below).
Dr. Shojai is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and a Qi Gong master who has studied Kung Fu and Tai Chi for decades. He climbs big mountains and skies down them, he has two adorable kids, a delightful wife and is happy to be a family man. He’s the founder of Well.Org and the producer of the must-see movies “Vitality” and “Origins”.
Pedram was a Taoist monk for four years and decided his place was back here in the real world where he feels he can make a bigger impact:
Pedram has discovered a way for us to harness the calm of a Zen master in the midst of our hectic lives, showing how we can bring the centeredness of the monastery into our highly stimulating and demanding careers, families, and environments in a grounded way!
Here are some of the topics we discussed during our interview:
- To merely survive is not enough. We want to thrive.
- Stress impacts us physically and cuts off blood flow to the prefrontal cortex of our brains impacting digestion, reasoning, weight
- A great “shake it out” de-stressing exercise
- Sleep: “Our ancestors got a lot more of it and we’re suffering without it.” He shares a great tip for helping you get to sleep and here is his clip from the Dr. Oz show
- How we are disconnected from nature and how our relationship with nature helps charge our batteries and soothe our souls … “the energy of nature is so simple and pure”
- Why we want to kick off our shoes and put our feet on the grass
Here is an example of the simple and yet profound wisdom he shares in the book … on why we want to go barefoot:
Cutting off the flow of vital qi to your body is a bad idea. This happens as we cut off our contact with the natural world. We all get stuck doing it at times, and too much of it makes us weak and sick. Taking some time to reconnect with the planet and its free flow of limitless electrons is key. Take off your shoes and touch the earth. Doing so on raw earth is best. Grass, gravel, sand, and seawater are powerful ways to connect back into the “life soup” and let your body heal through the vital exchange of energy it needs (and direly misses) with the earth. The more the merrier on this. Some people take it to the extreme and go barefoot everywhere; I don’t advise this simply because walking around in urban environments subjects us to a barrage of petrochemicals and nasty agents that are not natural and have negative health impacts on us. We absorb things through our skin. We drag things into our homes with our feet. That’s why in traditional Asian cultures, shoes are left at the door and the house is to remain pure and clean. I’d say use shoes (with leather soles if you can) while walking the streets and go barefoot in nature, your yard, and your own house all the time.
Here is the whole interview. (Click the link to listen)
Get a copy of the book if it sounds like you need help with some great ways for becoming an Urban Monk so you can reduce stress and anxiety and be a happier, healthier and more peaceful you!
Or sign up here for additional resources and Pedram’s upcoming Urban Monk 7-Day Reboot program if you feel you could do with wisdom and guidance from the Urban Monk himself, plus all the visuals of the videos.
I’ve also got 2 copies of the book for a giveaway so check out the table of contents (with the look inside Amazon feature) and share in the comments why you’d like to be one of the winners. Be sure to share at least one topic from the book that you think sounds really interesting. I’ll announce the winners in the ezine on Friday.
2/5/16 UPDATE: Thanks for participating and commenting – the winners are Michele and JoAnn. We’ll contact you to get a mailing address and get a copy of the book to each of you!
If you missed out I encourage you to still check out the table of contents (with the look inside Amazon feature) and get the book if it feels like a fit for you. Check out the comments below to be inspired further.
Enjoy and lets us know what you think?
I’d also love to hear if you enjoy going barefoot in nature?
I would like to have (win) a copy of this book because I have one of the most stressful jobs that I know of (I work with child victims of sexual abuse) and cannot successfully figure out how to manage my health. I have told several people this week that I am going to pre-order my tombstone to say, “I told you I was dying.” I could also use the information in this book to help my clients. Chapter 4 (sleep) would be helpful for the raging insomnia I developed after a physician overdosed me in 2014, and Chapter 9 (money) would be helpful to manage my stress over the medical debt that I accumulated after the overdose, trying to get well.
Michele
How wonderful for you to be able use this book for YOU and your clients (what important work you are doing – thank you!) Let’s get you feeling great and sleeping beautifully so tombstone thoughts are no more.
I’m curious if you go barefoot on the grass? or have time to step into nature and greenery each day? Even 5-10 minutes a day can have a profound impact – for you and the children you work with.
We used to have a facility with a playground and I went outside in grass every day. We now have relocated to an industrial park and have been instructed not to take the children outside. So, that’s a bummer. Also, after relocating I now spend two hours in the car commuting daily. I work long hours and then take care of my elderly mother, so the only time I get outside is on the weekends.
Michele
Make the most of those weekends! and As far as getting some “nature”, how about house plants or a herb garden or sprouted broccoli seeds – they’re all green!
Michele
I’m pleased to let you know you are one of the winners. My assistant will contact you to get your address and we’ll be sending you a copy of The Urban Monk. Congrats!
Thank you very much! 🙂
Wow! The Book smoothly weaves together so many different level/aspects of the topics discussed that it looks amazing. The clarity of the writing is striking, it is simple and easy to understand. I would like to read more about ‘cortisol’ than I could in the Amazon sample. I particularly want to see what is written about time.
yes I would love to win a copy. It was hard to stop when the peek inside ended.
Carol
Thanks for commenting. Cortisol is such a big player with anxiety, digestion, inflammation, ideal weight, pain and overall hormone balance and it’s covered so well in this book.
And yes…time! you’ll love this chapter! Pedram says this: “Time can either be seen as our greatest gift or our biggest challenge” and he offers some lovely meditation practices and some very practical tips on how to handle emails and your calendar!
My church with the help of our community is establishing a Magdalene House. This a home for women who have survived drugs alcohol, sexual abuse, sex trafficking. They can live at Magdalene Fayetteville for two years and receive free medical, free therapy, and become involved in a business.. I will teach a movement class once per week for the women. There is so much in this book that could help them in their healing journey. I am especially curious about the chapter on self esteem and the “shake off stress” exercise.
Sally
What wonderful work you are doing with your church and community. The self-esteem tools, shake-it-off and other simple exercises will be wonderful, as will your movement classes. Pedram has some great exercises you could incorporate into that too – one example is standing on a Bosu ball (a half ball) and balancing while closing the eyes with your arms in various positions (side, front, above you etc).
I’ve heard for years the benefits of meditation and the importance of living a purposeful life. The sooner I can implement Pedram’s practical advice, the better for me AND those around me!
Lola
You’ll love this book because Pedram includes so many simple ways to make this an effortless part of you life! One really simple one is to take a walk while you talk on the phone!
I love the idea of going barefoot in the grass. It reminds me of my childhood, as we had tons of grass to run around in. I often go barefoot in my apartment, even though my feet get cold in the winter, but sometimes I must put socks on. My backyard has no grass, the apartment owner comes and puts chemicals on the yard so nothing grows, and it is deep mud. There are no parks around our apartment. I feel cut off from nature. No wonder I am not so well. I don’t know if it is safe to walk in the grass barefoot around here even if you could find some. Wow, how to connect with nature?
Heather
Oh dear, where to you live? If you don’t have access to grass, sand would work too. Are there any kids parks nearby?
As far as getting some “nature”, how about house plants or a herb garden or sprouted broccoli seeds – they’re all green!
I live in an urban area outside of Tokyo. There are no children’s parks around here, it is an industrial type area. The beach is quite far, not practical, and I wonder about the safety of it also. I haven’t tried to grow a plant for over 30 years, and when I lived at my mother-in-laws house in Canada, I was supposed to look after her beautiful old aloe plant but I killed it! I grew flowers in the garden, they were nice. I guess I should try some kind of plant, not much space here- really! I’ll think about it, thanks!
Heather
Here is a great blog post by WellnessMama on growing indoor plants http://wellnessmama.com/12209/improve-indoor-air-quality/ This could be a start for you.
I forgot to mention something about being barefoot. My sister was born with meningitis I think, she is older than me, anyway, the doctor told my mother to let her run around barefoot! So perhaps my parents knew there were benefits to letting us run around barefoot.
Interesting! our parents and grandparents are/were very smart!
Oh this book sounds like a light at the end of my dark tunnel! I would love to win this book so that I can care better for myself so that I can care better for my family. My husband is double heterozygous MTHFR and both of my teenaged sons are experiencing different mental health issues- depression & mood disorders. Even my dog has anxiety. I am not sure if the old fashioned term Nervous Breakdown is still relevant, but this week that is how I felt.
The chapter Stress, How to Dodge the Bullets… The subtitles that jumped out at me:
The Urban Monk doesn’t worry about status; therefore, she is free.
Cortisol is like a credit card.
And I am a Health Coach… I’m supposed to be about to help others!
PS I Love going barefoot and grew up in the country running around barefoot all summer 🙂
Thanks for sharing JoAnn – we do need to care for ourselves especially when we’re caring for others. I think you’ll find much of what Pedram shares to be helpful for your husband and sons too. On page 172 he talks about gardening together, riding bikes together, cooking together and so on.
About your dog’s anxiety – a few things to consider: a gluten-free diet, a product you can get from your vet Anxitane (it’s a chewable theanine) and a Thundershirt https://www.thundershirt.com/. Someone also recently shared that she feels her dog has social anxiety and that the pyroluria protocol helped.
Thank you for all the suggestions! And I’m extremely grateful & thrilled to be named a winner!
JoAnn
I’m pleased to let you know you are one of the winners. My assistant will contact you to get your address and we’ll be sending you a copy of The Urban Monk. Congrats!
just learning about earthing and am interested in his perspective on connecting with nature/the ground.
Excellent! It’s so interesting
Hey there! The Urban Monk is definitely on my need to get list! Finding the way to tap into these strategies in a “doable chewable” way is fascinating! I would love to win a copy of this exciting, essential book 🙂 Thanks !
I like that…a “doable chewable” way
The Urban Monk seems like an incredible resource to help not just myself but also my followers on my facebook page How To Stay Healthy in Difficult Times. After a messy divorce I struggled for years with health and money problems raising my 2 children and have worked hard to overcome addictions and depression.I live in an upstairs apartment in a city and don’t have a car so getting into nature isn’t easy. I started my health page to help others who were struggling through life’s challenges and the book would help me help them. All of the chapters have so many valuable tips and resources, but I would particularly like to read the chapters on Energy:Why am I always so tired? and Money:Never enough, as these are often our biggest challenges. Thank you for offering this opportunity to your readers!
Kerry
Great selections from the book and love what you’re doing to help others. Did you see my comments for Heather about indoor plants or sprouting? It’s got me wondering if you could plant a very small patch of grass and use that for grounding?