Deepak Chopra is a well-known physician offering alternatives to the conventional wisdom of medicine. He bases his theories on the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, according to which, optimum health is about achieving balance physically, emotionally and psychologically, and demonstrates that, contrary to our traditional beliefs about aging, we can use out innate capacity for balance to direct the way our bodies metabolize time and achieve our unbounded potential.
MindBody Health
The following are some practical guidelines for living well excerpted from Agelesss Body, Timeless Mind, Dr. Chopra’s primer on the vital interconnections between mind, body, and spirit that lead to transformation.
1. Listen to your body’s wisdom.
Listen to your body’s wisdom, which expresses itself through signals of comfort and discomfort. When choosing a certain behavior, ask your body, “How do you feel about this?” If your body sends a signal of physical or emotional distress, watch out. If your body sends a signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed.
2. Live in the present.
Live in the present, for it is the only moment you have. Keep your attention on what is here and now; look for the fullness in every moment. Accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it should be. It reflects infinite laws of nature that have brought you this exact moment, this exact physical response. This moment is as it is because the universe is as it is. Don’t struggle against the infinite scheme of things; instead be at one with it.
3. Take time for solitude.
Take time to be silent, to meditate, to quiet the internal dialogue. In moments of silence, realize that you are recontacting your source of pure awareness. Pay attention to your inner life so that you can be guided by intuition rather than externally imposed interpretations of what is or isn’t good for you.
4. Give up your need for external approval
Relinquish your need for external approval. You alone are the judge of your worth, and your goal is to discover infinite worth in yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. There is great freedom in this realization.
5. Know that the world “out there” reflects our reality “in here.”
The people you react to most strongly, whether you love or hate, are projections of your inner world. What you most hate is what you most deny in yourself. What you most love is what you most wish for in yourself. Use the mirror of relationships to guide your evolution. The goal is total self-knowledge. When you achieve that, what you most want will automatically be there, and what you most dislike will disappear.
6. Stop judging yourself and others
Shed the burden of judgement – you will feel much lighter. Judgement imposes right or wrong on situations that just are. Everything can be understood and forgiven, but when you judge, you cut off understanding and shut down the process of learning to love. In judging others, you reflect your lack of self-acceptance. Remember that every person you forgive adds to your self-love.
7. Take care of your body
Don’t contaminate your body with toxins, either through food, drink or toxic emotions. Your body is more than a life-support system. It is the vehicle that will carry you on the journey of your evolution. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state of well-being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the field of awareness that is you.
8. Replace fear-motivated behavior with love-motivated behavior.
Fear is the product of memory, which dwells in the past. Remembering what hurt us before, we direct our energies toward making certain that an old hurt will not repeat itself. But trying to impose the past on the present will never wipe out the threat of being hurt. That happens only when you find the security of your own being, which is love. Motivated by truth inside you, you can face any threat because your inner strength is invulnerable to fear.
There is nothing inevitable about aging
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra goes beyond current anti-aging research to show you that with the passage of time, you can retain your physical vitality, creativity, memory and self-esteem.
For all those interested in a life lived well, this inspiring book is a valuable resource.
Warm Regards,
Gina McKee
Gina McKee is a yoga enthusiast, movie buff, and a firm believer in the MindBody connection. Her app, Chai Pro-Insight to go, is available from Amazon, ITunes and Google Play. She also has a private practice in O’Fallon, Il. specializing in counseling women and children of all ages.
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