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by Samantha Gordon (Author)
How to Be Zen in a Crisis is the quintessential guide for making it through life's most challenging times.
This is accessible zen for all walks of life, in every type of crisis. This is life coaching for when your life is on fire. This is self-help when your world is upside down - and it's not because you're doing a handstand in yoga class.
Whether your crisis is a global pandemic (*ahem*), sexual harassment, a bad boss, rape, a court case, breakup, divorce, kidnap, death, injury, sickness, sociopath reeking havoc in your life, a combination of many or any sort of other impending doom... real crisis comes in many forms. It doesn't matter which particular flavor of crisis you are experiencing, they all have a similar vein of terror and panic that runs through them and this is the crisis to zen guide to come out of them.
You are in a crisis.
Everything is wack to the exponent of 1000.
You didn't know the crisis was coming. How should you know shit was hitting the fan until it was swirling around the room, putridly pungent in the air and hitting you in the face? It really doesn't matter, the point is - you need to get zen, fast.
We aren't getting zen because it's in vogue - we need to get zen because it's essential to our livelihood.
Being zen, has a fundamental role in shaping our brain, whereby it can better assist us through a crisis. Numerous studies have shown that relaxation techniques, being mindful and being zen can allow us to not only be more relaxed, but to have better awareness of what is happening around us and improve our decision-making capabilities.
How do we get zen, in this context? Well firstly, let's address the myths.
To be zen, you don't have to take an oath of silence.
To be zen, you don't have to renounce your possessions and move to Nepal.
To be zen, you don't have to join a monastery and shave your head.
To be zen, you don't have to be serene as a nun and walk on a cloud.
To be zen, you don't have to chant, say om or wear wooden jewelry.
To be zen, you don't have to pray to Buddha, Vishnu or sacrifice a goat.
You can be lively, enthusiastic, playful and profoundly powerful... all while embodying a core sense of peace. From that point of calmness, you can then make the best decisions and those decisions can save you in your time of need.
You can not only survive, but thrive from the crisis - and you can laugh your way there.
This is not how to be zen on a clear day sitting under a tree, with a gentle breeze coming from the east, blowing through your freshly shaved head. No, this is how you assess the reality of the crisis and clear the way to reach a point of resilience.
You can be calm and analytical. You can be relaxed and strategic. You can feel all of your emotions and be mentally stable. You can survive the crisis and be a better person for it.
With clear and insightful tools, we'll map out each step forward in the zen pathway. We'll address what needs to be addressed, step-by-step. We'll shine light on the blind spots you've been missing.
There is no sitting in a lotus position while ignoring the disaster around you - no, these tools will improve your life in a practical and easy-to-follow way. This is mindfulness for resilience. This is for everyone who needs to get pragmatic during a crisis, no matter their background.
With introspection, analysis, inner work and a lot of self-care, we take the necessary tools and connect to what is really needed during this unprecedented time. We do what needs to be done and we learn to breathe through the process. There are meditative exercises throughout to practice each level in the zen process. You will embody a new sense of self by centering yourself.
Insightful, entertaining and modernly zen, How to be Zen in a Crisis is the book you need right now.
