027 Henry Shukman | This Is How Meditation Heals Your Emotional Grief & Physical Pain

No doctors, therapists or herbalists could heal him. Henry Shukman overcame depression, anxiety & chronic eczema through journeying within. This is the lesson of his life.   Henry’s journey is from that of a child with depression, anxiety & chronic eczema, to a young man finding a sense of incredible joy, bliss & perfect skin while travelling for a few months. But then with many experiences of anxiety & depression, and skin which simply wouldn’t stay healthy, he found himself in the role of a zen buddhist teacher in a city far from home, guiding individuals from all walks of life.    And it’s clear that his journey was filled with ups & down, mentors, guides, challenges & unexpected gifts.   -----------------------------------   “Success was a source of great unhappiness because it was external”   -----------------------------------   Henry has an MA from Cambridge and an MLitt from St Andrews, has written several award-winning books of poetry and fiction, he’s taught mindfulness to some of the largest companies in the world, he leads Mountain Cloud Zen Centre in Santa Fe, he’s a coordinator of Rio Grande Mindfulness Institute & an associate master in the Sanbo Zen lineage.   Most importantly, he’s a loving father & husband. There’s even a moment in the podcast episode which proves it.   -----------------------------------   “We can try to ignore that [we’re all eventually going to lose everything] but facing and accepting it can be the single most valuable thing we do when spending our time.”   -----------------------------------   I’m truly humbled to be able to share Henry’s message with our listeners.   For this episode, put your notepad away and as long as you’re not driving, settle into a comfortable position, sit upright if possible, connect with your body, press play and, gently, close your eyes.   Ps. If you know someone who needs to learn meditation, share this episode with them (and nudge them to episode 3 with Jai Kith as well)   Pps. If you want to apply the learnings from this episode in your life, check out https://meditatewithpurpose.com.au/   Ppps. You can find out more about Henry's work at https://originallove.org