Secrets To Zen

Q: Any natural ways to manage stress and anxiety I haven’t heard a million times? — Sam B., New York

- Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

A: Author of the bestselling books The Urban A: Monk and The Art of Stopping Time, Pedram Shojai addresses the real-life issues that people deal with every day: Money. Time. Energy. Sleep. Family. The Urban Monk philosophy is about applying the lofty lessons he learned in years of practice as a Taoist monk to the down-and-dirty nitty-gritty of real-life problems. Far from being an esoteric spiritual practice, “urban monkism” is all about finding practical solutions to everyday challenges that will free you up to be everything you’re capable of being, everything you’re capable of dreaming. “Your family needs you to be more aware, present, and loving when you are with them,” he writes. “Your business needs you to step in and bring more abundance to the world. And most importantly,” he adds, “you need you back.”

The book is based on an ancient Chinese practice called a 100-Day Gong, but applied to modern life. A gong is a designated amount of time that you allot to perform a specific task every day. So for example, meditation is a gong.

Here are just a few of the 100 “gongs” from The Art of Stopping Time.

GRATITUDE

Practicing gratitude is healthy. It helps paint a worldview of optimism and hope. “Gratitude is good medicine,” says Shojai. “Multiple studies have shown that people who practice it are consistently happier.”

NATURE

“Step outside today and learn from the ultimate teacher,” suggests Shojai. “Nature is our guiding light when it comes to cycles and rhythms. Nature has all the wisdom you need, packed into plain sight. We’ve simply forgotten to look.”

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