Strengthen the Vessel: Daoist Energy Practices for Psychedelic Work
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Episode 304
Dr. Pedram Shojai
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Dr. Pedram Shojai, known as The Urban Monk, a former Taoist monk and doctor of Oriental medicine. Pedram shares his journey from intensive martial arts training under one of the last living descendants of a Daoist monastery to bringing ancient wisdom into modern life. He discusses the challenges of integrating monastic practices into householder living, the relationship between physical vitality and spiritual growth, and offers a balanced perspective on psychedelics. Dr. Shojai explores the importance of strengthening one’s vessel before seeking peak experiences, the risks of “shortcut spirituality,” and how ancient contemplative practices can help us live with greater presence in today’s fast-paced world.
Dr. Pedram Shojai is the founder and director of The Urban Monk Academy and the New York Times bestselling author of Rise and Shine, The Urban Monk, The Art of Stopping Time, Inner Alchemy, Exhausted, Trauma, Focus, and Conscious Parenting.
He’s the producer of the movies Vitality, Origins, Prosperity, and The Great Heist, as well as the docuseries Interconnected, Gateway to Health, Exhausted, Trauma, Conscious Parenting, Hormones Health & Harmony, and Gut Check.
He hosts “The Urban Monk” podcast and is a key influencer in the health and personal development space. As a prominent physician in the functional medicine space, he’s known for his ability to bring people together around ideas that matter.
In his spare time, he’s a kung fu–practicing world traveler, a fierce global green warrior, an avid backpacker, a devout alchemist, and an old-school Jedi biohacker working to preserve our natural world and wake us up to our full potential.
Podcast Highlights
- From Kung Fu to contemplative practice
- The path of the "fire monk"
- Strengthening the vessel before spiritual work
- The life garden: mindful householder practice
- Vitality as prerequisite for spiritual growth
- Integrating ancient wisdom into modern life
- Jing, Qi, and Shen: energy management principles
- Nervous system preparation for psychedelics
- Awareness as background process, not app
- Atlantis origins of contemplative practices
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