Man with a Mission

Acupuncturist and former Taoist monk Pedram Shojai makes it his mission to save the world.

Photo By John Blom Photography

t’s easy to get caught up in life’s daily challenges: rush-hour traffic, flaky babysitters, visiting in-laws, stressful days at work, and so on. Many of us can lose sight of the bigger picture. But not Pedram Shojai. For this 36-year-old Irvine acupuncturist and former Taoist monk, his life challenge involves nothing short of saving the world. “The world is in pretty bad shape and we all need to do our part to make a dent,” says Shojai, who is attempting to make something more like a crater by juggling several projects aimed to improve people and the earth’s general health.

He has released instructional videos on qi gong, a kind of Chinese energy yoga, and more recently a book on the subject called Rise and Shine. His current projects include two documentaries (Vitality and Origins) about finding true health and the consequences of humanity's disconnection from the earth, and developing an interactive website (well.org) focused on connecting the worlds of sustainability with alternative health and wellness.

Though the site's initial emphasis will be on health-related media and other such content, under development is a health management tool that will allow members to keep track of diet, exercise and lifestyle habits; set goals; and grant access of this information to their own health care practitioners to increase dialogue and accountability.

“Every person is responsible for his or her own health and well-being and needs to act accordingly,” Shojai says.

It should be of no surprise that Shojai’s years as a monk laid the groundwork for his future world-saving endeavors. He discovered Taoism while practicing kung fu and tai chi at UCLA. After some years of studying this Asian spiritual philosophy, he was invited to become a monk through the Taoist Studies Program at the Taoist Institute in Los Angeles, including four years of intense study in philosophy, meditation, comparative religion, psychology, natural medicine, and martial arts. As part of his training, he traveled to places like the Amazon and the highlands of South America, practicing qi gong, meditating and studying local practices like shamanism. In 2001, he received his degree in acupuncture from the Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine and became a Taoist minister.

After a six-month sabbatical in the Himalayas where he studied with several teachers and masters, including the Dalai Lama, Shojai returned to Los Angeles, beginning his work in holistic medicine. He created a holistic health care model where doctors, acupuncturists, nutritionists, chiropractors, psychologists, hypnotherapists, physical therapists, massage therapists, and even astrologers worked side by side.

Eventually he decided Orange County needed his help and founded Well.org, a resource helping connect health care practitioners, wellness companies and green living initiatives, while also offering programs like wellness classes, retreats and holistic health services like acupuncture, nutrition and exercise physiology, available to individuals and corporations. Well.org has a working clinical model in Fashion Island showcasing its programs and services with the hope they’ll be reproduced by other health care practitioners.

“We help people find the information they need and get them to the right people,” Shojai says. “Our interest lies in getting people who are in the world of wellness to work together and help each other.”