When you hear the name Jay Shetty, what comes next? Motivational guru? Self-help philosopher? Mindful expert? All of these terms perfectly describe the business school graduate turned monk whose motivational approach to life has garnered immense support from millions of people across the world, including high-profile celebrities like Jennifer Aniston.
If you’re looking to adopt a more mindful approach to life, Shetty has plenty of tips that can allow you to become more present. Speaking to Vogue as part of their Well Intentioned series, the Think Like A Monk author shared six tips on how to practice mindfulness and improve your overall wellness.
Jay Shetty’s Mindful Tips For Wellness
1. Enjoy a cup of tea
The 34-year-old shared that one of his earliest childhood memories was enjoying a cup of tea with his mom after school,
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“My parents were very busy, they were both immigrants working extremely long hours, but I started to equate love and presence and energy with tea time with my mom.”
With such a fondness for tea, it’s no wonder that Shetty, launched a line of four adaptogenetic teas, called Sama, with his wife, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty.
So how does a cup of tea factor into mindfulness? According to Shetty, it’s about its metamorphic significance, adding that you can’t rush tea, you have to sip it slowly, and as such, you’re forced to slow down and just breathe.
“Tea is another great way to make mindful moments. I hold it in my hands and feel the warmth, I breathe in the smell, I look at the color, then finally I take a taste and notice every aspect of the flavor as it hits my tongue.”
2. Monotasking- do one thing at a time
“We think that by doing a lot of things at once we are increasing our productivity, effectiveness and efficiency while the likelihood is that our productivity, effectiveness and efficiency are going to drop.”
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I’ll admit it. I multitask as I believe that it makes me more productive, and this is something that Shetty wholeheartedly disagrees with. During his time as a monk, the podcaster revealed that they learned about monotasking.
Shetty shares that monotasking helps you to be more conscious and intentional of where you are, and this then allows you to retain more, as well as build deeper connections and deeper relationships with people. What’s more, monotasking provides a sense of stillness and clarity, which is something that I miss out on when multitasking.
3. Don’t stop playing
Jay Shetty may not be a fan of exercise, but he’s definitely a fan of play,
“When I thought back to how I used to get my exercise as a kid and at university, it was through play—playing football and other games. Now I get most of my exercise by playing tennis in the mornings as often as I can, and I absolutely love and look forward to it.”
Shetty points out that as we get older, life starts to become more serious, and we look to watching TV as a way to decompress and ‘play’. Unfortunately, this will only cause more problems as the best play is the one that makes you laugh and gives your brain and health a boost.
Whether it’s a board game, or an outdoors game with your colleagues, Shetty reminds us that play isn’t just about being healthy and being fit, but it’s also about being more child-like, not childish.
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4. Don’t just watch, learn
Netflix. Hulu. Amazon. HBO. When it comes to finding something to watch, we have unlimited options. However, what exactly are we gaining from all of this viewing? Are we actually learning something or are we, as our parents once warned us, ‘rotting our brains’?
“A lot of us are numbing our creativity and numbing our own rest by activating ourselves with something external that isn’t fueling or feeding us…[After watching a TV show]Ask yourself, What lessons did I learn?
We can turn our entertainment into a healthy growth mindset. It’s not that there isn’t a benefit to entertainment…I just think there is a step further that we haven’t explored.
5. Spread positive energy
What are you reading? Or listening to? Have you shared it with those around you? Every Monday, Shetty sends his friends and family a voice note and picture of a book he is reading or an exercise.
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Doing so creates energy, and he believes that they need something to start their week with energy, and the best part is that they’ll be learning more about how to maximize their health and wellness.
Why not send them this article once you’re done reading it?
6. Share your experiences
Yes, we missed our friends and loved ones during the height of the pandemic, but according to Shetty, what we missed the most was shared experiences. That said, he encourages us to start sharing experiences together where we feel understood, even if that’s virtual.
During the pandemic, the Barnet-born guru started a book club and a meditation club during the pandemic, and it’s been running for over 75 weeks now! Shetty adds that you don’t have to be a meditation teacher or coach to start a meditation group, and you don’t need to be a bookworm to start a book club. Simply pick a book you want to read, or follow one that already exists, like Oprah’s or Reese Witherspoon’s.
“Zoom groups without a central focus don’t last, but when everyone is receiving and everyone is sharing it creates a community that no one wants to stop having.”
Want to know more?
If there’s one celebrity who’s the epitome of wellness, then it definitely has to be Gwyneth Paltrow. You can’t deny that the Shakespeare in Love actress knows what she’s doing when it comes to her health.
