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?