Pedram Shojai: Cultivating Your Own Identity and How to Live Presently

If time is relative, how can we dilate it to live presently? How can you improve your focus to bring more time, energy, and money into flow? What does a monk think of money and what financial advice does he give?  In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a conversation with Pedram Shojai, a.k.a. The Urban Monk, about the very fundamentals of meditation, how to be present and mindful, and how you can go as far as you can with the means you have today. Plus, we talk about the concept of identity and how so many of us nowadays find our identity structure through ideology groups. We also discuss the value of rites of passage and the importance of wilderness, which often seems to be a missing component in urban life. Pedram is a master herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, and wellness consultant. He is a dynamic teacher, Taoist minister, and lifelong student of various Alchemical Traditions. Pedram is also a Filmmaker and author, father, and husband.   What we discuss:   03:55: Pedram’s experience of studying with the Dalai Lama 04:47: Explaining educational and philosophical differences between Tibetans and Westerners 06:51: How and why Pedram became a Taoist monk 10:16: How to self-reconcile 12:53: Best practices for optimal focus 14:55: Why do we spend so much time online and how can we stop doing that? 20:08: The value in rites of passage 26:41: Money is trade 29:28: Financial advice from a monk 33:15: Being able to re-write our own story 38:42: Can meditation have different forms? 40:32: How to meditate effectively 44:17: Dissecting the perception of time and how to dilate it :51:44: Dealing with imposter syndrome 53:55: Transitioning to a bigger game in life   To learn more about Pedram Shojai: Website: theurbanmonk.com Instagram: @official_urbanmonk Book: The Urban Monk Podcast: The Urban Monk Podcast