Shobukai Shift

Listeners Share How They Use Ancient Practices in a 2025 World

• Mary Schaub • Season 1 • Episode 15

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In this episode of Shobukai Shift, host Mary Schaub reads listener's experiences dealing with a 2025 world by limiting social media, trying Qi Gong, and using psychedelics. 

 

Key Takeaways

💡 Navigating change can lead to greater meaning and purpose.

💡Ancient practices like Taoism and Buddhism can help cope with modern challenges.

💡'The White Lotus' showcases deep themes of identity and authenticity.

💡Personal experiences with mindfulness can lead to significant growth.

💡Setting boundaries with technology is a crucial step towards mindfulness.

💡Physical practices like Qi Gong can enhance mental and emotional well-being.

💡Mindfulness practices can be efficient alternatives to traditional meditation.

💡Exploring spirituality can take many forms, including psychedelics.

💡Community and shared experiences can foster personal growth.

💡The journey towards authenticity is ongoing and requires patience.

 

Keywords

✅ change, ✅purpose, ✅ancient practices, ✅mindfulness, ✅spirituality, ✅The White Lotus, ✅Taoism, ✅Buddhism, ✅personal growth, ✅self-improvement

Disclaimer:

***The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.***

Credits: Written, produced and hosted by: Mary Schaub. Theme song written by: Mary Schaub. Mixing Engineer: Dylan Yauch

Contact: Tell us how your transformation is going. Email us at Shobukai_Shift@mschaubadvisory.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(631) 371-3240‬ and we may play it on a future episode.

Website: M. Schaub Advisory (MSA)

** Shobukai Shift is a MSA Production **

Mary Schaub (00:10)

Welcome to Shobakai Shift, a podcast about transformations that matter. Here, we talk about how to navigate complex change so that we can find greater meaning and purpose in life. I'm your host, Mary Schaub, and after three decades orchestrating change for Fortune 500 companies, I'm now finding purpose in guiding fellow warriors like you on your path to authenticity.

Today you guys are sharing your experiences in using ancient thinking in a bat-shit crazy 2025 world. On our last show, I shared some concepts from Taoism and Buddhism that can help cope with our crazy modern world. I then asked you guys if you were using ancient practices in your life. Before I read your responses, I just wanna call out how awesome the White Lotus finale was. I know it's been a little while I'm recording this.

after the fact and I know that this isn't a podcast about reviews but man there were a lot of really cool Buddhist themes running through the show this season. So I'm using it as an excuse to talk about it a bit. I won't spoil anything specifically here but if you don't want to hear my thoughts on White Lotus jump to the next chapter. Okay so the Ratliff family?

played by the brilliant Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Navola. Super fascinating. Was it me or did it feel like maybe you've seen this family on vacation before? From the first to the last scenes, I was captivated. The parents and the eldest son, the one played by Schwarzenegger, they're so attached to their external identities. They're like caricatures in a lot of ways and...

 

And yet, like I said, they seem realistic. I feel like I've met them somewhere. I think that the writer and producer, Mike White, did such a brilliant job making these characters seem over the top while, I don't know, dare I say relatable? The mother, Victoria Ratliff, played by Parker Posey, is so identified with her societal mask that she explicitly says she'd rather die than live without it.

 

And then there's the security guard, Gaitok, very deeply spiritual Buddhist practitioner. mean, his issue is that he doesn't have a persona. He's walking around living authentically and in complete alignment to his beliefs. Unfortunately, being a security guard is not really in alignment to Buddhist principles. If you remember from our last episode, we spoke about the Eightfold Path and we spoke about

 

right livelihood, it shouldn't be a surprise to you that a job where you might need to beat people up or even kill them is kind of a no-no for Buddhist practitioners. So we have the Ratliff family that are completely dissociated from both their inner and outer realities, super attached to their own ignorance, completely unmindful, inconsiderate. I mean, like, let's call it what it is, right? They're assholes, all of them.

 

I mean, even the daughter who you're kind of hopeful, like she's testing the idea of like going to a Buddhist monastery for a year and she and her younger brother seem to be on the cusp of breaking out of this miserable family.

 

or fantasizing about staying in the monastery, it's her trying to break out of it. Or maybe it's, we want to believe that, right? We want to believe she's redeemable. And then what happens? The mother senses it, right? Like doesn't like it one bit, super threatened. And not just like as a mom losing your daughter or being worried about her kid living in a foreign country.

 

The mother is threatened because the daughter's curiosity with living a moral and authentic life threatens everything that this family's about.

 

kind like what they say in recovery, when one person changes, it challenges the status quo of the social group. And then you have guy talk. He's toying with the idea of also changing, but in the opposite direction, moving away from his inner ideals and moral compass. He wants the girl and the girl, She wants a big tough guy who's successful, who will move up the ladder at work.

 

because of her own identity, she wants to be associated with a man who has power and status. Anyway, really great show, so many deep themes and character arcs to talk about, but I'm digressing. Let's get back to you. Three of you wrote in, so let's get started with Lena from Asheville, North Carolina. She writes,

 

I realized I've been pushing myself to show up on social media even though part of me was bored and frustrated by it. I wanted to yoga and meditate, but I'm not there yet. Honestly, I am still finding it hard not to look at my phone all day. I'm starting little by little, putting time blocks on social media apps. I still can't resist picking up the phone. So I'm starting with one hour a day where I go out and do something without my phone. This doesn't sound like much, but it's a huge deal for me. Thank you, Lena. And congratulations.

 

You start by saying, I realized, and that alone is a big deal. mean, literally starting with self-awareness is huge. Great to put some time restrictions on apps. I use autofocus. and I do, like, I've taken all the social media apps off my phone and I'll either look at them on my laptop or my iPad. I put some time restrictions on them.

 

Listen, they're just all addictive. know, I mean, you know this, right? You know yourself, they're super addictive. And we do live in a world where you need the smartphone to be productive, like, you know, to call an Uber, pay for things, even boarding passes and tickets are on your phone. So like going for a walk or sitting for like one hour without your phone is huge. I have a sense from what you've said that you are looking at this like a meditation practice.

 

Okay, you might not be sitting on a mat, you know, in in a lotus position, but you are introducing mental discipline to your life. This is a big step and like anything, it's going to take time, but don't quit because it's hard and it takes time. The practicing is actually the point of it. Okay. Next up we have Darren from Nutley, New Jersey. Shout out to Nutley. I have a very good friend, Tina, who lives there. Hey Tina, fellow Jersey girl.

 

Okay, Darren writes, so I am in finance and chasing the big money. Wow, right out of the gate, Darren. Okay. He writes, I sometimes work 60 hours a week easy at my firm. wear burnout as a badge of honor. I was getting up at four to run and lift weights and I ended up hurting myself. I was so angry that I couldn't work out and I was getting in my head about losing all my gains. My PT recommended I practice Qi Gong while I was healing.

 

He sent me to a place that, well, let's just say it was an Equinox, but I gave it a shot. I thought it looked really easy and I was pretty negative about it, but I tried it and it was a lot better than I expected. I kept with it and I started sleeping better and being less annoyed with people. I'm still working long hours and I will go back to training harder when I'm better, but I may try to keep up with this practice. Thanks Darren. I have never practiced Qi gong.

 

before, but a friend of mine does and has had really good physical and emotional results from it. I did do a drop-in at an Aikido class once and it surprised me too. I mean, I was terrible at it. People were very patient and nice. But listen, my jam is yoga. I've been practicing for some years and I know when I'm doing yoga regularly, my mind and body are just different. Just like stronger, more flexible.

 

the forced mindfulness of these practices, like you're getting like a twofer. It's a double benefit, right? You're exercising body and mind at the same time. Very efficient to do. Sounds like you'd appreciate efficiency by the way you're speaking. Moving meditations are great, especially when you're first getting started with disciplining your mind. You know, for some people sitting on a mat for 20 minutes, it's just too hard when you're starting out. So,

 

doing yoga or Tai Chi or Kigong, all these combine movement, breath and mindfulness and you're working them all at the same time. It's great alternative to just sitting on a mat. You know, I hope Darren that you keep up with it even after you're back at Equinox doing all your sweaty finance bro stuff. Okay, next up, Roxy L from Brooklyn, New York. She writes,

 

I'm always overbooking myself with workshops, side gigs, and self-improvement podcasts. I hope I'm one of them. so I've decided to let Saturday be a me day. I don't schedule anything at all and play it by ear and just do what feels right. Recently, I've started doing psychedelics, meditating and listening to trippy music. I've had some really powerful experiences and feel like I've opened up a new layer of myself.

 

I'm not religious, but what I'm doing feels deeply spiritual and even though it's drug induced, it's having a positive impact on me during the week. Awesome. I know actually a lot of people who are doing this and you're right, Roxy, plant medicines have been a part of spiritual practices for indigenous cultures since like forever. Now, technically in terms of Buddhism and Taoism, there's very little

 

evidence of systematic psychedelic use as part of their core practices. These traditions really focus on meditation, ritual, discipline, and philosophical inquiry to reach altered states versus a substance.

 

in certain Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist contexts. There is some evidence of ritual use of cannabis, though this wasn't central to mainstream Buddhist practice. And in Taoism, there was significant interest in elixirs and plant medicines, but these were generally aimed at longevity, health, and immortality rather than visionary experiences. Maybe some Taoist

 

Maybe some Daoist alchemical preparations had psychoactive properties, but it wasn't typically the central focus. So for Eastern spiritual paths specifically, they're going to use meditation, breathing, fasting, and physical disciplines like yoga or Tai Chi. But you know what, Roxy? I still love what you're doing. And so I wanted to include it anyway. I think we have an upcoming show on psychedelics specifically, so stay tuned.

 

Alright, that's it for today. Thanks to Lena, Darren, and Roxy for sharing what they're up to. If you have a question, comment, or just want to say hello, drop me a note, or better yet, leave a voicemail and we may play it on a future episode.