The Urban Monk offers secret remedies to cope with our hectic urban lifestyle.
There may be days when we long to escape to a monastery, cave, or meditation hut but we have families to care for, bills to pay, obligations to fulfill; negotiating the challenges of modern life can be stressful. As Dr Sojai says in his bestselling new book The Urban Monk, our “modern stressors are basically death by a thousand cuts.” To prevent this, Dr Sojai shares practices for householders, telling us how we can modify a monk’s secret remedies for the urban life and how we can combine them with lifestyle hacks for peak performance.
The book’s 10 chapters begin with a discussion of stress and its relationship with our vitality. It segues into nine facets of our health that we can positively impact by becoming an ‘urban monk.’ These are: Time, Energy, Sleep, Stagnant Lifestyle, Weight Gain and Negative Self-Image, Connection to Nature, Loneliness, Money, and Living a Life of Purpose. The range of categories demonstrates an understanding of the holistic nature of well-being. Dr Sojai opens each with a case study. In his conversational, yet expert tone, he offers solutions that include Eastern practices (Tai Chi or breathwork), foods and tonic herbs, and modern hacks or practical advice such as budgeting, farmers’ markets, walking to work, or maintaining a cool, dark bedroom.
The combination of techniques and perspectives and the ease of their implementation will inspire you to upgrade your life, making this book a worthy addition to any reading list.
Purchase The Urban Monk here. (Rodale Wellness)
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.