Mindfulness, meditation and slowing down

Former monk promotes self-care as a spiritual practice

Think Like A Monk: Train your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day, by Jay Shetty. (Simon and Schuster, 2020 $27.00 US)

By Fred Redekop

There is a picture of Jay Shetty on the cover of his book. He does not look like a monk. He is handsome, with perfect dark hair, a wonderful smile, and he has a small tattoo on the left side of his neck. He is wearing an olive-green T-shirt.

Shetty is no longer a monk. He grew up in London, England in a wealthy East Asian family. He went to a lecture by a monk, Gauranda Das, in high school.

He continued to be intrigued by the ideas of this monk from India. During university, he decided to study hard during the school term, but went to an ashram in India during the summers. He then decided to be a full-time monk. The hardest thing for him was not becoming a monk but telling his parents of his new direction. “I had three career options: a doctor, a lawyer or failure. There’s no better way to tell your parents that everything they did for you was a waste than to become a monk…,” he wrote.

His parents did not approve and had hoped for a successful career for their son.

The book describes the many learnings from Shetty’s time as a monk. I believe he wants the reader to gather the insights for our own lives and use them to strengthen our spiritual journeys. There is no defined route to being a monk. Shetty spent four years in the ashram in India. He still uses the skills he learned in his life there in his life in America.

The book has three parts to it: Let Go, Grow and Give. He does not really say anything new in the book, and he tells the reader this many times.

We can find it in all religious spirituality. He quotes from a variety of people, including Christians. With the recent focus on mindfulness, meditation and slowing down, this book tries to convince us to do it. Shetty makes a convincing argument of why this approach to life can be beneficial.

The strength of the book, I believe, is in the four practices that Shetty gives to the reader. The first practice is Breathe. The second one is Visualize. The third one is Chant. The fourth one is a composite of the other three.

These practices are nothing new to the meditative world, but they are great practices to explore. Many of us find it difficult to be disciplined in things other than work.

Exercise, good eating, and prayer are hard. The four practices named by Shetty are difficult to maintain as a spiritual practice.

Just try breathing. It is some- thing we have to do to stay alive.

“Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth.

When you inhale, feel your stomach expand (as opposed to your chest).

When you exhale, feel your stomach contract.

Continue this at your own pace, at your own time.

When you inhale, feel that you are taking in positive uplifting energy [or God].

When you exhale, feel that you are releasing any negative, toxic energy.”

It is interesting that this former monk has become an internet sensation. So, you do not have to go to India to slow down, take care of yourself and breathe. Try it. You will like it. .

Fred Redekop is a pastor at Poole Mennonite Church and a Woolwich Township councilor.