The Tim Ferriss Show
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PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Publisher/creatorTim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
Published
Shortcast updated
About this episode
This episode is part of a series called Meditation Monday . The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher. In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation, which will help you for the rest of the week. Over this four-episode series, you’ll develop a Zen toolkit to help you find greater calm, peace, and effectiveness in your daily life. Henry’s app, The Way , has changed my life since I first started using it. Unlike other meditation apps, where you’re overwhelmed with a thousand choices, The Way is a clear step-by-step training program guided entirely by Henry. Through a logical progression, you’ll develop real skills that stick with you. I’ve been using it daily, often twice a day, and it’s lowered my anxiety more than I thought possible. As a listener of my podcast, you can get 30 free sessions by visiting https://thewayapp.com/tim and downloading the app. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
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Episode summary
Hey folks—ladies and germs—this is Tim Ferris. Welcome to a new experiment I’m calling Meditation Monday. Alongside the long-form interviews, you’ll get a short ten-minute practice each week. Across four episodes you’ll build a Zen toolkit to bring more calm, clarity, and effectiveness into daily life. Your guide is Henry Shuttman, one of a small number of masters authorized to teach Sambo Zen and a two-time guest on the show. He’s leading today’s session, so settle in and enjoy.
Welcome to this practice on working with stress. Stress touches all of us, and modern pressures dial it up. I grew up with a difficult chronic illness, and when I started meditating around twenty-five, it changed how I related to stress. The shift is counterintuitive: we reduce stress not by fighting it, but by allowing and including it. Find a comfortable seat. Close your eyes or lower your gaze. Make small adjustments until the posture feels easy. Take a deep inhale and a slow exhale. Do that twice more, then let the breath return to its natural rhythm. Feel your feet meet the ground. Sense your seat and the head resting. Let shoulders, arms, and hands go slack, like old ropes. Let the legs be loose. Soften the chest, belly, and back, and hold a gentle sense of the whole body sitting and settling. Now check your current stress level. Many people notice it in the chest. If you sense tightness, heat, weight, or activation, acknowledge it. Then widen attention to the surface of the ribcage. Imagine the sheath around it growing warm and soft, like wax. Let that soft warmth hold whatever energy is within the chest. We’re not trying to get rid of anything. We’re rediscovering a built-in capacity for patience and self-kindness that can include discomfort. Allowing what’s here eases us and naturally invites compassion toward our own experience. Rest with that warmth and acceptance for a moment, and notice the well-being available. Let’s come out gently. Add a little movement, sway side to side, roll the shoulders. Lift the eyes, look around, and stretch. Thanks for practicing with me. Return to this and the other meditations anytime you want a quick dose of quiet, calm, and reset. Make them your own.
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