Allen - Now is the way: an unconventional approach to modern mindfulness

This might be the most important book you ever read.

AUBREY MARCUS, NEWYORK TIMESBESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OWN THEDAY, OWN YOUR LIFE, FROM THE FOREWORD

This perfectly timed book is the antidote to our overwhelmed, distracted, and anxiety-ridden modern world. Cory directs us to the present moment with clarity and ease. Read this book and enjoy finding your bliss in the only place it resides... right now.

EMILY FLETCHER, AUTHOR OF STRESS LESS, ACCOMPLISH MORE AND FOUNDER OF ZIVA MEDITATION

This honest, hilarious, kind, wise, and extremely readable guide to presence, to NOW, is priceless and may well be the most important book you own. It has been a daily companion, guiding me back to reality, to whats actually happening, reeling me back to my breath, reminding me to relax, and making me laugh along the way.

DEVENDRA BANHART, AUTHOR OF WEEPING GANGBLISS VOID YAB-YUM AND GRAMMYNOMINATED MUSICIAN

Sometimes the modern world can feel overwhelming. Stress and depression run rampant even in the most affluent countries on earth. The good news is that Cory Allen is your new best friend for those times when anxiety has you by the throat. His superhero power is mindfulness. And his ability to break it down in an easily applicable way is second to none.

DANIELE BOLELLI, AUTHOR OF NOTAFRAID AND HOST OF THE HISTORY ON FIRE PODCAST

Cory will help you think, rethink your thinking, and then transcend your thinking.

JP SEARS, AUTHOR OF HOW TO BE ULTRA SPIRITUAL AND YOUTUBE STAR

We live in a world driven by ego, distraction, and endless anxiety. Learning to untangle ourselves from it is the work of a lifetime, but Cory Allen gives us a surprisingly simple way to begin that process.

DAMIEN ECHOLS, NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LIFE AFTER DEATH

The journey to Absolute Now is a lifelong calling demanding great courage and persistence. So, understandably, one might need some inspiration. Hopefully Now Is the Way will motivate you to stay the course.

SHINZEN YOUNG, AUTHOR OF THE SCIENCE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

T ARCHER P ERIGEE

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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Copyright 2019 by Cory Allen

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Name: Allen, Cory, author.

Title: Now is the way: an unconventional approach to modern mindfulness / Cory Allen.

Description: New York: TarcherPerigee, [2019]

Identifiers: LCCN 2019010666| ISBN 9780525538042 (hardback) | ISBN 9780525538059 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Mindfulness (Psychology) | Distraction (Psychology) | BISAC: SELF-HELP / Meditations. | SELF-HELP / Anxieties & Phobias. | SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / Happiness.

Classification: LCC BF637.M56 A45 2019 | DDC 158.1/3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019010666

Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the authors alone.

Version_1

TO MEREDITH

CONTENTS

Foreword

Ive met a lot of amazing authors. Some have an idea, then scour other books and journals until they can write a book on the topic. Some of those books are great. But my favorite books are from authors whose words cascade onto pages like the exhalations of their breath. Because they are the living, breathing embodiment of their body of knowledge. Thats Cory Allen.

Ive been friends with Cory for the better part of a decade. Hes human. There are times he gets anxious, sad, and agitated like all of us. But overwhelmingly, the characteristic I would use to describe him is present. Hes here, right nowwherever we are. Ive never looked into his eyes and thought, Where did Cory go? What past regret or future promise has he projected his awareness into?

I know from my own experience, that characteristic doesnt come genetically. Nobody is just born with a LeBron James talent level for being present. Its something that is taught, honed, and learned. In all things, it is the practice that makes the master. And what better skill is there to be a master of than this? Sure, you can build a company, or score a goal, or have more sex. But if you arent present during all of those things... Guess what? You missed the point.

Life is here to be lived, not simply prolonged. Did you taste the food? Really taste it? Did you feel the coffee? Did you kiss the lips? Did you smile until it spread through your chest and laugh until it filled your belly? That is what matters, and none of that happens outside of the present moment.

So how do you get to the present? It starts with the knowledge that this is a way of expression that exists, followed by the introspection to realize if you are being present or not. Then, once you know the way, once you can track your mind, once you know who the YOU actually is... Well, youre going to start spending a lot more time in the present.

The world tends to celebrate all the wrong things, so its easy to get confused. Youll get so many accolades for what you do, regardless of whether you were really in the moment while you did them. When Im presentreally present, for anythingits the best time of my life. Its the most important thing I can do. Its where I get touched by the muse, its when I can feel Love in every cell of my body, its no longer fearing death because the moment stretches to infinity. Sometimes, though, it is simply peaceacceptance of pain, without the resistance that creates suffering. I could describe it as pure awareness.

Maybe living in the present seems like a promise that is too good to be true. Sure, its not easy. But its real. You can taste it at first, and eventually, you can make it the staple of your diet. Because the present moment is not a mythological place, only reserved for the few. It is our birthright that is waiting for us all. And if the discussions, stories, and tactics you find here can get you just a little bit closer, this might be the most important book you ever read.

AUBREY MARCUS