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
What is thyroid disease, exactly? What causes it? Can we even reverse thyroid disease? If so, how can we do that?
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a conversation with Alan Christianson, where we discuss how the foods we choose to fuel our body can actually help reverse thyroid disease and how a healthy thyroid contributes to our immune system, our mental health, and our physical health. We then break down what is iodine, what are the optimal levels for human consumption, and what are the best resources we can refer to in order to ensure we are intaking the proper and recommended amount.
We also pick Alan’s brain about emotions and how they can impact our overall wellbeing, his own personal practices of meditation and journaling, and we even touch upon epistemology!
Alan Christianson is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD) who specializes in natural
endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders. He is the author of The Metabolism Reset Diet
and the New York Times bestselling book The Adrenal Reset Diet. He has been named a Top Doctor in Phoenix Magazine and has appeared on national TV shows and in numerous print media.
Website: https://www.drchristianson.com
Instagram: @dralanchristianson
Book: https://www.drchristianson.com/thyroidresetdiet/#Bonus
What we discuss:
[00:02:46] Christianson's new book on thyroid disease research
[00:04:26] The value in making our own food
[00:06:54] What is Iodine?
[00:09:47] The repercussions of iodine deficiency and excess
[00:11:52] What are the optimal levels of iodine?
[00:13:12] What causes thyroid disease?
[00:15:59] Can thoughts and feelings affect the functioning of the thyroid?
[00:18:45] What is the thyroid and how does it work?
[00:20:10] How emotional states contribute to your physical health issues
[00:22:50] Do we have free will?
[00:26:01] Alan’s biggest challenges
[00:32:09] How do we know we know?
[00:36:30] A guide to mediation and journaling practices
[00:38:37] Alan’s thoughts on God
[00:40:19] What are signs of an underlying thyroid issue?
[00:41:26] Can all diseases be reversed and what be the root cause for it?
[00:43:10] How does toxic fat develop?
What's the planet's most nutritious food? SPROUTS! And in this episode of the Align Podcast, the author of the Sprout Book, Doug Evans, tells us why.
Among the mind-blowing nutritional qualities of sprouts:
― they have 20-30 times the nutrients of other vegetables and 100 times those of meat
― they pack cancer-fighting properties and help to protect us from cardiovascular disease and environmental pollutants
― they aid in digestion
― they are a simple way to grow your own vegetables and compatible with all diets
Ready to learn more? Tune into the full episode!
Over 70% of our body is composed of water, which means that staying hydrated is extremely important. But is simply drinking water enough to keep us hydrated?
In this episode of the Align Podcast, our guest Tracy Duhs covers the hidden capabilities and benefits of hydrating adequately. We discuss the incredible amount of information that water is capable of holding onto and how that is crucial for processing our emotions.
We also discuss the different water filtering processes and filtering systems and how we can upgrade the quality of the water we drink, catered to various budgets.
Tracy Duhs is the director and founder of The Sanctuary Wellness Experience, a luxury retreat that provides complete nurturing for the mind, body, and soul. She is a herbalist, alchemist, and specialist in integrative medicine.
What we discuss:
03:54: What is water?
08:13: What are the potential contaminants in water?
11:08: How does water hold information?
13:52: Masaru Emoto's experiments with water
16:22: What is structured water?
19:57: How do our bodies create structured water?
20:46: What is vortexing water?
22:58: Possible methods to upgrade the water we drink
26:33: What is Ocean Plasma?
31:14: Why and how Tracy started to experiment with different types of water
37:40: How to mineralize our water
44:16: How movement and hydration relate to each other
48:12: How sunlight exposure impacts hydration
51:16: The 9 Pillars of Health
To learn more about Tracy:
Instagram: @tracyduhs
Website: tracyduhs.com
Book: Hydrate with Tracy Duhs
Podcast: Hydrate