The Art of Stopping Time by Pedram Shojai

The Art of Stopping Time by Pedram Shojai

We're all struggling to find time in our lives, but somehow there's never enough to go around. We're too tired to think, too wired to focus, less efficient than we want to be, and guilty about not getting enough time with our loved ones.

We all know that we feel starved for time, but what are we actually doing about it? Precious little. In The Art of Stopping Time, New York Times best-selling author Pedram Shojai guides us toward success with what he calls time prosperity - having the time to accomplish what you want in life without feeling compressed, stressed, overburdened, or hurried.

So how do we achieve this time prosperity? We learn to stop time. To do that, Shojai walks us though a 100-day gong, which is based on the Chinese practice of designating an amount of time each day to perform a specific task. The ritual helps you become mindful, train your mind, instill new habits, and fundamentally transform your relationship with time. We can find moments of mental awareness while in the shower, eating a snack, listening to podcasts, and even binge-watching our favorite TV shows.

He shares how to use gongs to reprogram your habits, reduce stress, increase energy, exercise the ancient practice of mindfulness, and become a master of your time. Whether you do one per day, a bunch at a time, or listen to the whole book in one sitting, practicing the gongs is a dedicated act of self-love that snaps us out of our daily trance and brings the light of awareness to our consciousness. The more we practice, the more we wake up, and the better off we are.

Pedram Shojai, OMD, is the author of The Urban Monk and The Art of Stopping Time, both New York Times bestsellers. He is the founder of Well.Org, as well as the producer of the films Vitality, Origins, and Prosperity, and the host of the podcast The Urban Monk. Shojai is a renowned qi gong master, master herbalist, and Doctor of Oriental Medicine who was ordained by the Yellow Dragon Monastery in China. His straightforward approach explains obscure concepts to Western audiences in a straightforward manner. Shojai's DVD series, The Alchemy of Qi Gong, was nominated for a COVR award, and he is currently working in a number of humanitarian endeavors centered on public health, fair trade, and education. Visit theurbanmonk.com for more information.