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Now Is the Way: An Unconventional Approach to Modern Mindfulness
From the popular host of
The Astral Hustle
, an accessible guide to hacking your mind--and life--to feel more fully present and alive, even if you're not the "the meditating type."
Through his popular podcast The Astral Hustle and online meditation course Release into Now, Cory Allen has helped thousands of people better cope with the stress of daily life through meditation, mindfulness, and mental clarity. With concise advice and profound simplicity, he manages to cut through the jargon and speak to people where they are, giving them the tools to live in "the wow of now."
In this accessible and supportive guide, Allen walks readers through the basics of mindfulness--not as something you should do, but as a tool to achieve greater peace of mind, dial down anxiety and stress, and truly feel like yourself. Informed by a lifelong personal journey, as well as insights gathered through podcast interviews with leaders in mindfulness, neuroscience, and philosophy, Now Is the Way is a simple user's manual for living the life you want, one present moment at a time.
Through his popular podcast The Astral Hustle and online meditation course Release into Now, Cory Allen has helped thousands of people better cope with the stress of daily life through meditation, mindfulness, and mental clarity. With concise advice and profound simplicity, he manages to cut through the jargon and speak to people where they are, giving them the tools to live in "the wow of now."
In this accessible and supportive guide, Allen walks readers through the basics of mindfulness--not as something you should do, but as a tool to achieve greater peace of mind, dial down anxiety and stress, and truly feel like yourself. Informed by a lifelong personal journey, as well as insights gathered through podcast interviews with leaders in mindfulness, neuroscience, and philosophy, Now Is the Way is a simple user's manual for living the life you want, one present moment at a time.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2019
77 people are currently reading
731 people want to read
About the author
Cory Allen
2 books30 followersCory Allen is an author, podcast host, and influencer from Austin, Texas. Allen writes daily thoughts on mindfulness and mental clarity for his large Instagram following (@heycoryallen), reaching over a million people a week. He has been featured in The New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 10, 2024
“To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, and enlightenment.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Living in the now is a very elusive topic. The more you try to pinpoint it, the more you miss the point. Much has been written about mindfulness and how it can help us cope in life. Unfortunately, some unhelpful simplifications have made their way into the popular conception of what mindfulness is.
Mindfulness is not simply living in the here and now. Teenagers do that when they’re playing video games and they’re hardly shining stars of mindfulness at such times. I could fire a pistol behind a teenager when they’re playing Minecraft and they would still not flinch.
Disappearing into the now is not what we mean by mindfulness. Rather it is attention to the now that is flexible, fluid and voluntary. It allows us to consider the past and the future also but to keep bringing our attention back to the present.
There are several reasons that we miss living in the now. Some are man-made but some are deeply embedded into our DNA by nature and evolution.
One of our main causes of distraction is also one of our greatest strengths. We have the incredible ability to think about what we are thinking. As far as we know humans are the only animal that can do this. By gifting us with a large brain, Mother Nature sets us apart from all other species on earth.
Being able to think about what you’re thinking means that you can endlessly reflect on negative thoughts. All of us do this at one time or another. When we feel down, we let bad thoughts build u. When we’re anxious, we worry about our worries.
Getting trapped in your thoughts is like sitting in a waiting room suffering and because it puts you deep into your head, it reduces your awareness of the physical world around you. Of course, we will all have our moments where thoughts get away from us.
Then we have social media that is continuously pulling us away from the real world. Social media is the new smoking of the modern world. It's our addiction to distraction.
If that doesn't work then we have an endless list of tasks that keeps us busy.
It is worth remembering you’re not your bad feelings, they’re only passing through you. In the heart of winter, it’s tough to believe, you will ever stop feeling cold. But the warmth of spring always comes around again.
The spell with digital culture has cast on all of us might seem bleak and unbreakable but it isn’t. Like all magic, if you know the trick, the illusion vanishes. The best way to disillusion yourself into a state of mindfulness is Meditation and this is why I read the whole book of Cory because he had some beautiful insights regarding meditation. He has shared some of those in the book and I am deeply grateful for them.
Here are some of my favourites.
-Meditation is not hard, you do it every night while you sleep, I am just going to show you how to do it while you’re awake.
-When you try meditating for the first time, you might find that you’re a little fidgety but I assure you that it will get easier to sit restfully after a few rounds.
-Meditation is fluid. It can be long, short, shallow, deep, emotional or intellectual, all at once.
-Pro tip- don’t force uncomfortable postures, in a big picture what’s the point? If a posture is so uncomfortable that it keeps you from meditating then it is removing potential benefits not adding them
-There is no correct amount of time to meditate. Some people say 20 minutes is ideal, some say it’s 1 hour. According to my experience, there is not one.
-We should meditate until the peace comes. It’s hard for people to resist over-complicating simple answers.
Who should read this one?
If you want insights related to meditation then this book is for you. If you already have advanced information about meditation then you should skip this one. I would also recommend the audiobook of this one given that Cory's deep voice is worth listening to.
Living in the now is a very elusive topic. The more you try to pinpoint it, the more you miss the point. Much has been written about mindfulness and how it can help us cope in life. Unfortunately, some unhelpful simplifications have made their way into the popular conception of what mindfulness is.
Mindfulness is not simply living in the here and now. Teenagers do that when they’re playing video games and they’re hardly shining stars of mindfulness at such times. I could fire a pistol behind a teenager when they’re playing Minecraft and they would still not flinch.
Disappearing into the now is not what we mean by mindfulness. Rather it is attention to the now that is flexible, fluid and voluntary. It allows us to consider the past and the future also but to keep bringing our attention back to the present.
There are several reasons that we miss living in the now. Some are man-made but some are deeply embedded into our DNA by nature and evolution.
One of our main causes of distraction is also one of our greatest strengths. We have the incredible ability to think about what we are thinking. As far as we know humans are the only animal that can do this. By gifting us with a large brain, Mother Nature sets us apart from all other species on earth.
Being able to think about what you’re thinking means that you can endlessly reflect on negative thoughts. All of us do this at one time or another. When we feel down, we let bad thoughts build u. When we’re anxious, we worry about our worries.
Getting trapped in your thoughts is like sitting in a waiting room suffering and because it puts you deep into your head, it reduces your awareness of the physical world around you. Of course, we will all have our moments where thoughts get away from us.
Then we have social media that is continuously pulling us away from the real world. Social media is the new smoking of the modern world. It's our addiction to distraction.
If that doesn't work then we have an endless list of tasks that keeps us busy.
It is worth remembering you’re not your bad feelings, they’re only passing through you. In the heart of winter, it’s tough to believe, you will ever stop feeling cold. But the warmth of spring always comes around again.
The spell with digital culture has cast on all of us might seem bleak and unbreakable but it isn’t. Like all magic, if you know the trick, the illusion vanishes. The best way to disillusion yourself into a state of mindfulness is Meditation and this is why I read the whole book of Cory because he had some beautiful insights regarding meditation. He has shared some of those in the book and I am deeply grateful for them.
Here are some of my favourites.
-Meditation is not hard, you do it every night while you sleep, I am just going to show you how to do it while you’re awake.
-When you try meditating for the first time, you might find that you’re a little fidgety but I assure you that it will get easier to sit restfully after a few rounds.
-Meditation is fluid. It can be long, short, shallow, deep, emotional or intellectual, all at once.
-Pro tip- don’t force uncomfortable postures, in a big picture what’s the point? If a posture is so uncomfortable that it keeps you from meditating then it is removing potential benefits not adding them
-There is no correct amount of time to meditate. Some people say 20 minutes is ideal, some say it’s 1 hour. According to my experience, there is not one.
-We should meditate until the peace comes. It’s hard for people to resist over-complicating simple answers.
Who should read this one?
If you want insights related to meditation then this book is for you. If you already have advanced information about meditation then you should skip this one. I would also recommend the audiobook of this one given that Cory's deep voice is worth listening to.
October 28, 2019
A great beginning to learning about mindfulness. I’ve read many books on the subject, and found his approach to be light, yet informative. Lots of helpful tips included. Not a 5-star bc I think it belabored many points, but maybe that’s what a beginner book should be🤷🏼♀️. I love his offer for book-readers of one of his binaural beats...it’s great!
February 23, 2023
Not many books are life changing, but this one was for me.
June 3, 2020
Being a listener of the Astral Hustle podcast, Cory Allen always struck me as an extremely intelligent, sensitive and aware human being. Listening to his voice and all his materials made the release of this book something I was really looking forward to. And boy, did he delivered.
Now is the Way shows an approachable way, without judgement (a la Cory Allen) of mindfulness and mind exploration.
Cory gives techniques, tips and amazing narrative all in one book, that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Now is the Way shows an approachable way, without judgement (a la Cory Allen) of mindfulness and mind exploration.
Cory gives techniques, tips and amazing narrative all in one book, that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
November 23, 2020
This book has left me quite inspired as I am new to meditation. So often we find ourselves searching for a path back to the present, and this book is a poignant reminder to engage in each and every moment. I appreciate the practical exercises and tips Cory Allen includes. Would recommend to anyone who is beginning their mindfulness journey.
October 31, 2023
Dnf. I'm completely open to listening to mindfulness books (and most books) from authors I don't know anything about. At about 1/4 in, this author was still rambling, I still had no idea who he was or why I would keep listening, so I stopped.
December 2, 2019
The layout was very nice but the book didn't leave me with much. I'd much rather listen to the podcast
January 19, 2020
There was nothing here to really put into any meaningful practice, just a lot of conjecture and analogy.
December 2, 2024
One of the most comforting reads for me is a book about mindfulness. I always wanted to know more about it and this book kinda helped me find what I’ve been looking. Like many other people who think that meditation is as hard as it is to make our mind free from thoughts, while in fact having a “clear mind” during meditation means to simply have awareness of your thoughts.
Allen himself didn’t force the reader to master the meditating technique, but he provided practical step by steps like breath-counting and body scanning for the mind and body to connect with the present, even if you only have 5 minutes of your day.
Of course there are lots of annotations & highlights but here I really wanna share what I found in the book specifically about the importance of trying new things that challenge us, as one of the ways to live in the present.
The Importance of Trying New Things That Challenge You
Getting a sense of yourself allows you to let go of a lot of silly and bad behavior. You can stop trying so hard and begin to embrace what makes you happy. While that's great, but after a while, we have a habit of getting a bit too firm in who we are. We keep doing what we know makes us happy and stop exploring. When we no longer feel the need to try new things, our patterns go from being firm to being hard.
Getting too comfortable with the idea of who you are tends to come with a notion of "having it all figured out." In some ways, it makes sense for us to feel that way. We have lived a full life, gone out into the world, explored, and found our island of the self. The start of that is good, but the island part is the problem.
When you get too deep into the pattern of who you are, the outside world starts getting scary. Things that don't exist in your little slice of the world feel foreign and threatening. Insulating yourself with your own preferences will give you a false sense of safety. You become king of your tiny island. And anything that isn't familiar to you will threaten your very idea of who you are.
Shutting down in the face of new experiences makes us numb to the fulles at life has to offer. Closing off is a way to ignore parts of lie.
When you get used to experiencing the same things over and over, you reach a point where you don't have to pay attention. You've been there, done that, know what's what, and can go on autopilot. Doing this makes your senses fade and your instincts dim. When you are dim, there's no radiant light to make your world shimmer.
The electricity from new experiences sends a buzz through your nervous system. You light up. And your world shimmers.
Figuring out who we are is great. Essential. It is what becomes our foundation. But if our patterns get too hardened, we can limit our-selves. Keep a solid base, but always mix up your life and try new things.
Ask yourself new questions. You might surprise yourself and come back with an answer you didn't even know you were looking for.
Allen himself didn’t force the reader to master the meditating technique, but he provided practical step by steps like breath-counting and body scanning for the mind and body to connect with the present, even if you only have 5 minutes of your day.
Of course there are lots of annotations & highlights but here I really wanna share what I found in the book specifically about the importance of trying new things that challenge us, as one of the ways to live in the present.
The Importance of Trying New Things That Challenge You
Getting a sense of yourself allows you to let go of a lot of silly and bad behavior. You can stop trying so hard and begin to embrace what makes you happy. While that's great, but after a while, we have a habit of getting a bit too firm in who we are. We keep doing what we know makes us happy and stop exploring. When we no longer feel the need to try new things, our patterns go from being firm to being hard.
Getting too comfortable with the idea of who you are tends to come with a notion of "having it all figured out." In some ways, it makes sense for us to feel that way. We have lived a full life, gone out into the world, explored, and found our island of the self. The start of that is good, but the island part is the problem.
When you get too deep into the pattern of who you are, the outside world starts getting scary. Things that don't exist in your little slice of the world feel foreign and threatening. Insulating yourself with your own preferences will give you a false sense of safety. You become king of your tiny island. And anything that isn't familiar to you will threaten your very idea of who you are.
Shutting down in the face of new experiences makes us numb to the fulles at life has to offer. Closing off is a way to ignore parts of lie.
When you get used to experiencing the same things over and over, you reach a point where you don't have to pay attention. You've been there, done that, know what's what, and can go on autopilot. Doing this makes your senses fade and your instincts dim. When you are dim, there's no radiant light to make your world shimmer.
The electricity from new experiences sends a buzz through your nervous system. You light up. And your world shimmers.
Figuring out who we are is great. Essential. It is what becomes our foundation. But if our patterns get too hardened, we can limit our-selves. Keep a solid base, but always mix up your life and try new things.
Ask yourself new questions. You might surprise yourself and come back with an answer you didn't even know you were looking for.
October 26, 2022
Sometimes I will just read a book to see from a different viewpoint, and this book may be helpful for some who want to start a meditation practice that leads to mindfulness but could have used less extraneous autobiography that was jarring and unrelatable and more facts or citations of where he got his ideas, because they are not innovative or unconventional.
One example is this very odd, unsubstantiated "research" that is a myth according to the internet:
Recent research has shown that we have about 40,000 thoughts a day. Let’s say you’re one of the fortunate souls who gets a good eight hours of sleep a night. That means you’re awake for sixteen hours a day. So, 40,000 thoughts a day comes out to about 2,500 thoughts an hour. If you break that down, you’ll see that a little over forty thoughts per minute come to your mind. That’s almost a thought each second of every waking moment. Thoughts are like messages that arise in our mind. They appear in the form of words, images, or abstract concepts. Thoughts get a little weird if you think about what’s going on with them. Each time a thought arises, it is our brain attempting to make itself realize something. When you think about that last sentence, you get a real sense of the magic of our minds. Because when you read it, your brain was thinking about itself, thinking about itself.
One example is this very odd, unsubstantiated "research" that is a myth according to the internet:
Recent research has shown that we have about 40,000 thoughts a day. Let’s say you’re one of the fortunate souls who gets a good eight hours of sleep a night. That means you’re awake for sixteen hours a day. So, 40,000 thoughts a day comes out to about 2,500 thoughts an hour. If you break that down, you’ll see that a little over forty thoughts per minute come to your mind. That’s almost a thought each second of every waking moment. Thoughts are like messages that arise in our mind. They appear in the form of words, images, or abstract concepts. Thoughts get a little weird if you think about what’s going on with them. Each time a thought arises, it is our brain attempting to make itself realize something. When you think about that last sentence, you get a real sense of the magic of our minds. Because when you read it, your brain was thinking about itself, thinking about itself.
June 29, 2020
Allen has a deep understanding of the process and benefits of meditation practice. This book distills the seemingly complex for a beginner into an easy to digest, simple way to begin mindfulness practice. I really enjoy reading this in combination with his podcast "The Astral Hustle". While some of it is over my head and experience, I find that the book and podcast are both simple and entertaining ways to be exposed to what is, for me, a new and different philosophy.
November 7, 2020
3.5 stars.
Nothing profoundly new for readers of mindfulness and meditation books. That said, Allen provides a uniquely modern paradigm (including examples of just putting your smartphone away for a bit) that will resonate with everyday life. Audio includes guided meditations for the latter 1/3 of the book.
Nothing profoundly new for readers of mindfulness and meditation books. That said, Allen provides a uniquely modern paradigm (including examples of just putting your smartphone away for a bit) that will resonate with everyday life. Audio includes guided meditations for the latter 1/3 of the book.
March 20, 2020
Amazing book and well written.
Amazing book and well written. Will read it again. Would recommend this to anyone. Helped take some esoteric ideas of meditation and mindfulness and put them into easy to understand ideas
Amazing book and well written. Will read it again. Would recommend this to anyone. Helped take some esoteric ideas of meditation and mindfulness and put them into easy to understand ideas
August 13, 2020
This unfortunately is not a strong book. More a collection of anecdotes than a cohesive guide. For the life of me, I can't think of what would be "unconventional" in here. It is all very well worn information, presented with little authority.
June 5, 2021
A vital connection to Now
Allen takes us on a fascinating and enlightening journey into recognizing and celebrating living in the Now. His insights are revealing and his instructions are easy to follow and comprehend. He is a masterful teacher and a unique spiritual guide.
Allen takes us on a fascinating and enlightening journey into recognizing and celebrating living in the Now. His insights are revealing and his instructions are easy to follow and comprehend. He is a masterful teacher and a unique spiritual guide.
August 21, 2022
Great book. Cory is a very good writer. I also recommend him on Instagram as well. Really a lot of aha moments in here. His Instagram page has great daily reminders and led me to buying and reading this book. Both highly recommended :)
February 9, 2023
An incredible introduction to meditation and mindfulness that focuses on why it is beneficial, gives specific steps on how to get there, and so many great ideas I had my pen and sticky notes handy the whole time. Inspiring and exciting to be more aware, present, and therefore alive!
November 28, 2023
A lot of great tools for mindfulness are included in the book and I was also able to catch the author on a podcast, not his own, The Astral Hustle on which he discussed his perspective on life and the benefits of meditation.
March 11, 2024
Hmmm I don't know. Run of the mill self help book. I liked the meditation pieces of the book but somewhat redundant and could have expanded on certain parts. I liked the length though and is a good intro to the newbie as well as someone who doesn't have a lot of time. Good and bad.
October 8, 2019
This is a interesting and extremely insightful book. I've never had an perspective like his and i was extremely interested. Thanks man ❤️❤️
February 28, 2020
This book is full of ideas that one can go back to again and again on the journey of mindfulness.
May 12, 2020
Really good insightful book.
January 20, 2021
A very simple and average entry into this mindfulness and meditation genre. If you want an intro book that’s is short and broad enough to keep your interest- this may be it.
May 5, 2021
Simple, profound, casual introduction to mindfulness, practice and its benefits. Beautifully done!
March 30, 2023
This really helped me to remember to be present & also thankful & a different way to meditate
September 12, 2023
This book has a time and space. If then, its right.
November 26, 2023
Very good book
May 8, 2020
Great suggestions for meditation options.
December 29, 2022
Listened it on audible - great, easy to absorb information and very applicable advice. Cory has calming voice, and this book prompted me to listen more of his podcast, which I found great as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews