Clown Your Zen

“Bernie Glassman turned me on to Mr. YooWho, and I’m so glad he did. I dig YooWho’s encouragement to activate your funny! I figure we’re all clowns, we just forget it a lot of time. YooWho’s book is a great reminder to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously!”—Jeff Bridges

 

“I’ve never found grimness to be a recipe for awakening. In contrast, laughter can be an on-ramp to freedom. Clown Your Zen reminds us of the light within lightness, and it offers delightful practices for cultivating what Moshe Cohen calls ‘sacred mischief’—loosening our grip, opening our hearts, and meeting this life with more freedom, playfulness, and joy.”
—Tara Brach, author Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

 

A SACRED MISCHIEF TRAINING MANUAL

Lighten up! The world needs your joy!

Moshe YooWho Cohen offers practices rooted in the art of clown and the wisdom of Zen that will help you tap into your gift for sacred mischief—humor that uplifts. You’ll learn to enter the humor zone with centering practices like walking meditation and to awaken your funny with fifteen humor practices. When life gets topsy-turvy, you’ll have the skills to humorize challenging situations to release stress and restore emotional balance. Clown Your Zen introduces you to a subtle art, daily practice, and way of being that can spark a smile in your community, your country, your world—or at the very least, on your own face.

 

MOSHE YOOWHO COHEN has toured his Mr. YooWho show internationally for more than forty years. He has taught the sacred-mischief approach around the world, from Zen centers to clown and theater schools and even the corporate “bored-room.” He lives in San Francisco, California, where he works with the Medical Clown Project.

 

“Moshe is a living treasure of joy and courage. This book will bring you home to your natural laughter and wisdom. Read it and be free.”
—Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center

“Clown Your Zen is a great ride on the bumper car of joy and laughter. It truly tickles your inner and outer funny!”
—Wavy Gravy

“Clown master Moshe Cohen, aka Mr. YooWho, is an intrepid guide into the realms of sacred mischief. In an often cruel and cynical world, he is a rare artist of wonder and delight. In this book, Moshe presents simple physical practices that cut through life’s heaviness and call forth moments of light and laughter in our everyday activities. Moshe generously shares the practices and strategies he has honed throughout years of training, teaching, and performing. You could not be in better hands. May our laughter ripple throughout the universe and awaken us together!”
—Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao, Abbot Emerita, Zen Center of Los Angeles