¿Con Qué Frecuencia Deberías Meditar?
Naciste completo, puro y perfecto desde el momento en que respiraste por primera vez. Viniste a este mundo completamente inocente, curioso y lleno de emoción, y con el paso de...
Stress
Naciste completo, puro y perfecto desde el momento en que respiraste por primera vez. Viniste a este mundo completamente inocente, curioso y lleno de emoción, y con el paso de los años, capas y capas de experiencia te llevaron a tu condicionamiento. Desarrollaste valores, personajes y creencias fundamentales que comenzaron a moldearte en la persona que eres hoy, al menos,...
If you're feeling overwhelmed during the holidays, don't worry--you're not alone. Learn how to cope with holiday stresses with guided meditation from Chopra.
This holiday season try these three meditations for gratitude, joy, and kindness to help you get into the spirit of the season.
The workplace can be a source of anxiety, stress, and burnout. While there is no way to totally eliminate stress from the workplace, more businesses are recognizing the importance of holistic, evidence-based practices to improve the health and wellness of employees. This is due in part to research showing the many benefits of lower-stress employees, including improved work performance. Companies...
A good night’s sleep is of utmost importance. Sleep influences your overall health. Sleep, and the unfortunate lack thereof, deeply influences the workings of your brain and the functioning capacity of your body. Ask any new parent, any graduate student, or anyone going through a high-stress period or experiencing insomnia: sleep matters!Sleep Is the Cornerstone of a Healthy LifestyleAccording to...
“Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.”- Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 63Of all the emotional states, none is as disruptive, damaging, and unsettling as anger. Anger, along with its cousin's hostility and rage, can contribute...
How often should you meditate? How long should you meditate? Read how consistent daily meditation practice is sure to wield the best results.
Expand and improve your practice with these four meditation techniques that can help you deepen your meditation.
When you experience stress or anxiety, the affiliated emotions can manifest in the physical body as muscle tension. Have you ever noticed an ache in one of your shoulders or a knot in your lower back before a tough conversation with someone or after you’ve had a stressful day at work?Muscle tension is the body's way of trying to protect...
To build physical strength, you may rely on a gym or a personal trainer. But what if you’re looking to build up inner strength?Cultivating mental and emotional strength may not receive as much attention as physical exercise, but it’s equally vital to your overall health and well-being. Even better, it can be done without setting foot inside a gym! Instead,...
Nearly each and every day offers a unique opportunity—the opportunity to scream, shout, and throw a tantrum about something. Did someone cut you off on the freeway? You could shout. Did someone in front of you at the grocery store pay in pennies and spend seemingly hours counting them out? You feel like screaming. Did your boss just inform you...
Breathing connects you to the natural cycles of ups and downs, giving and receiving, and death and rebirth. These cycles govern everything around you. When you inhale, you receive energy and life; when you exhale, you let it go.In fact, Yoga—together with other ancient disciplines—has always seen the breath as a source of mystical connection between physicality and spirit, and...
There was a time, not so long ago, when the topic of energy was considered to be the “woo-woo” language of the New Age movement that had no real basis in reality. The notion that we had any sort of ability to wield energy for the purposes of healing ourselves and others was a bit too far out there for...
The world is chaotic because human beings are chaotic in their awareness. Here's how you can cultivate an orderly mind as your best asset to meet life's challenges by Deepak Chopra M.D.
Change can be stressful, even when the change is a positive and welcome one. Whether you are navigating through some big life transitions such as getting married or retiring, or moving through a smaller change, you can benefit by practicing relaxation techniques to offset the inevitable stress.For example, when I was a 15, my mom and I were in the...
The dictionary defines suffering as the state of undergoing pain distress or hardship. Suffering is unpleasantness. Suffering can involve physical pain and mental distress. In every life, there will be pain, both physical and emotional, that comes from outside of you—the death of a loved one, contracting an illness, a ski accident, or stubbed toe. Even the Dalai Lama has...
Learn how to start your day with breathing exercises that will help you start each morning right. Learn more from Chopra today.
Are you having trouble sticking to your meditation practice? Perhaps you have every intention of meditating, but you run out of time each day. Or maybe you get flooded with texts and emails before the day officially gets started, so you skip your practice to get a head start. Perhaps you flat out don’t like meditating.There are many reasons you...
One of the major medical advances in recent decades has been the importance of lifestyle choices. Your body's cells eavesdrop on everything you say, do, and think, along with the food you eat, the sleep you get, and the exercise you take. Coursing through the bloodstream is a superhighway of information in chemical form. We are just beginning to understand...
Breath is the source of prana, or life force, and among the most basic of all human functions. Breathing consists of two phases: inhalation and exhalation. When you inhale, the diaphragm—a dome-shaped muscle separating the lungs from the abdominal cavity—contracts. This allows your lungs to expand and fill with air. On the exhale, the diaphragm returns to its normal position,...
Thousands of years ago the Buddha said, “Life contains suffering.” The source of suffering can be profound, such as losing a loved one or discovering you have a serious illness. Most often, however, our suffering comes from the daily hassles of life. You get stuck in a traffic jam or the long line at the grocery. You have an unexpected...
You hear people talking about meditation and how their lives have improved. Perhaps you have even tried meditating a few times on your own. But for some reason, days go by and that meditation pillow you bought remains unused. Does this sound familiar?Before you decide the “art of stillness” is not for you, consider that there are many paths to...
We live in a high-speed world. Work and personal life are often rushed and mashed together in a blur of activity. Information streams into you faster than any time in human history. Thanks largely to advances in technology, the pace of life seems to be getting faster and more frenetic every year. It can feel as if your internal gear...
One of the main pillars of today’s mindfulness-based practices is the art of cultivating gratitude. You may hear it as a theme in yoga class, read about it in self-help books, hear about it in seminars and retreats, or see it every day in your social media feeds. Cultivating gratitude every day can be a powerful catalyst for creating a...
While some people experience more inner peace than others, daily peacefulness is difficult. Most must work at it as it doesn’t tend to come naturally.Distraction Takes HoldIf you attend church or any other religious service on a regular basis, you may know the feeling—your mind gets distracted and you forget. You go to mass or service and you feel inspired,...
The transition from summer to fall can be a bit jarring. You’re used to living on island time, even if you’ve been working. You come home, go the pool, take a long walk, or sit outside with your family. Then fall hits with all of its demands. The kids are back in school. You have to get up earlier. And...
Anxiety affects 40 million adults, and one in eight children in the United States alone. This debilitating condition is often compounded by symptoms of depression and stress. Although medical attention is the primary intervention, medical care may be complimented with holistic exercises. A balance of personal efforts, combined with the guidance of a medical physician, has the potential to heal...
With summer rapidly approaching, you may be gearing up for the fun, excitement, and spontaneity that are just around the corner. Out comes the camping gear, hot dogs, bathing suits, and beach towels as you prepare for family vacations, hot weather, and fun get-togethers.Whether summer equals downtime or a jam-packed list of outdoor activities, you can agree there is a...
Stress management is something that everyone knows is necessary, but when a stressful situation occurs, it can be hard to find a response that actually reduces the stress. Air travel is filled with more anxiety-producing situations than ever before. There are long lines for screening, delays, overbooked flights, and lost luggage to name a few.Let’s say you’re at the airport...
Those who don’t describe themselves as an artist often shy away from the thought of creating their own piece of expression. They think, “I'm not good enough” or “I could never do that.” Truth is, if you push through those initial negative words, you may be surprised with what you can do. And what you can create isn't as important...
We've put together a list of emotional healing essential oils in combination with mudras (hand positions) that will help restore balance to your life. Check them out below.
While your busy life seems to rule every waking moment, it can be difficult to remember that meditation can actually create a more organized, tranquil, and less chaotic life. Yet, one of the biggest complaints you hear about meditation is “I don’t have time.”Think about all the time you waste on inefficiency such as looking for your keys or phone,...
Anxiety can be a daunting emotional state to find yourself in, regardless of whether the driver of the emotion is significant or totally benign.It’s that feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. It’s the fear of what might happen. It can even be marked by physiological signs such as sweating, tension, and an increased pulse.With anxiety, your self-doubt seems to take...
Are you yearning to reap the benefits of a meditation practice, but intimidated by the act of sitting still? Meditation is a simple, effortless process for some—but it can feel like an overwhelming chore for others.The good news is that there are many ways you can cultivate a state of peaceful awareness that don’t involve seated meditation. Try one of...
Let’s face it, obstacles are a part of life and none of us have the playbook on how to overcome them. As ideal as it may sound, dodging obstacles isn’t possible; although you can learn how to work with the energy that creates them and overcome the notion that you are somehow at their mercy. Let’s first identify what obstacles...
You have all the good intentions in the world to sit down to meditate. You find a comfortable spot, turn your phone to silent, let the dog play outside, give your kids a snack, and set your timer for 15 minutes. All you want is silence for that short amount of time. Is it really that hard to get? you...
Humans are designed to be outdoors. Your brain is wired to respond to the smells, sights, and sensations you receive outside. When you spend daily time outside it makes you healthier and happier. Paying attention to your environment in a focused and mindful way while you are spending time on the beach or in the woods feels great. Here are...
In children, stress, anxiety, and ADHD can present a multitude of behavior issues ranging from anger, defiance, lethargy, and acting out. According to child psychiatrist Elizabeth Roberts in her Washington Post article, “Psychiatrists are now misdiagnosing and overmedicating children for ordinary defiance and misbehavior.” In a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control, more than 13 percent of...
Life is stressful. It’s just the way it is … There’s nothing I can do about it … I can’t take a vacation, I’m too busy … I don’t have time to work out … I can’t get sick right now, I have too much to do.The stressors of day-to-day living can be brutally overwhelming. Left unmanaged, stress will slowly...
Learn how to find your center when experiencing the challenges of life with our three easy steps that will teach you how to restore balance to your body and mind.
Some people naturally have trouble concentrating, but Vatas especially tend to have a difficult time. With a predominance of air and space, Vatas usually have more trouble grounding themselves than other doshas. Vatas are known to be creative, communicative, changeable, quick, and spontaneous, none of which are particularly helpful when it comes to centering.Meditation yields so many benefits once you...
It’s no surprise that so many people have a hard time falling asleep—and getting quality rest once they do.In today’s hustle-bustle society, many people rush from their beds out into their lives and get back home just in time to crash, before doing it all over again the next day. There aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish the...
When kids get too rowdy, they’re given time-outs. Regardless of why parents and teachers administer a time-out, it’s ultimately meant to help children slow down, reconnect with the present moment, and begin again. It’s a reset that helps kids re-enter the playground of life a little more slowly and with increased awareness of their actions.Adults too, can benefit from a...
Fear is a negative emotion, unless you’re facing an actual threat and need to fight or flee. And the usefulness of fear is minimal in daily life, particularly in the form of anxiety. Stressful events can produce short-term anxiety in almost everyone, which disappears after the event. But for an estimated 6.8 million Americans with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), anxiety...
Breathlessness, profound pressure in my chest, upset stomach, agoraphobia, and a distorted sense of reality—all while scratching my face constantly in desperation—were the symptoms I had when I entered the emergency care unit of the hospital while I was living in Germany.The doctor gave me a kind smile when he announced my diagnosis: “You have experienced a panic attack. You...
Patients usually understand when I recommend meditation to control stress in their lives, even when I prescribe it for anxiety or depression. But when I suggest that my patients learn to meditate to help them lose weight, change bad habits, or deal with disease, they seem surprised. They always ask how meditation could possibly help them deal with things like...
Yoga is a journey from the externalized, distracted, and often-crazy flood of thoughts in our minds … to the inner peace and wisdom of our deeper consciousness at our heart centers. All the poses, pranayama, meditation, and mantra we practice have a host of benefits for body, mind, and spirit, but they share a single goal: Bringing us to a...
“Ping!” “Bringg!” “Beep!” “Tap, tap, tap!”Our lives are inundated with sounds, we hear them everywhere we go. Our sense of hearing is a beautiful one. We are lucky to hear the birds chirping to announce the break of dawn, the gurgle of a baby observing life innocently, or the voice of a loved one whispering sweet words in our ear....
From time to time we have the opportunity to speak publicly about something that is meaningful in our lives. In these moments, if we can find ways to ground ourselves and connect with our true self, we may be able to say what we really want to say in the way we really want to say it.I recently had an...
Do you love your mind? For many people, the answer is “no” or “not all the time.” They often feel trapped inside their thoughts and emotions, at the mercy of a host of uninvited guests – the fear that roams the mind at will, the dark depression that takes up residence and refuses to leave, the anger that blows through...
If you were to ask me what the most important experience of my life has been, I would say it was learning to meditate. Meditation has been the key to my creativity, wellbeing, and happiness. I have enjoyed it in my own life, and it continues to be one of the most powerful healing tools we offer at Chopra.Meditation takes...
Most of us can remember getting so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away and we were completely identified with the plot and characters. It’s just as easy to get caught up in our own stories and reactions – particularly when we’re feeling threatened in some way. For instance, imagine that...
Most of us can remember getting so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away and we were completely identified with the plot and characters. It’s just as easy to get caught up in our own stories and reactions – particularly when we’re feeling threatened in some way. For instance, imagine that...
Throughout my years of teaching at the Chopra Center, one of the questions that I am most frequently asked by students is, “What do YOU do to stay balanced?” The stress-producing assumption buried in that question is that balance is a static state that we can reach and hold onto. In reality, balance is a dynamic state. In every moment...
Perhaps the greatest gift of meditation is the way in which it cleanses the windows of perception, allowing us to experience our natural state of simple and open awareness. When we’re awake to our essential self, we feel happy, light, and at peace. In contrast, unhappiness is a state of complication and imbalance in our body, mind, and environment. Complications...
Transform a Small Corner of Your Home into a Peaceful RetreatAs we teach participants in the 21-Day Meditation Challenge, creating a daily meditation practice that allows you to spend time each day in peace, silence and restful alertness will give you the greatest benefits. To make meditation part of your daily routine, it helps to create a special space that...
During most of our waking lives, our minds are engaged in a continuous internal dialogue in which the meaning and emotional associations of one thought trigger the next. We hear a snippet of music and suddenly we’re thinking about the first time we heard that song with an old boyfriend or girlfriend and how that relationship ended. If we’re still...
It’s never too late to have a (brain that’s wired as if it had a) happy childhood.Therapists get this question a lot: “Okay, so now that I understand how my history made me a mess when it comes to relationships, what now? It’s not like I can go back in time and change my childhood.”The “what now” is that there’s...
We weave lifes story from thoughts, feelings, emotions We live our life with expectations for the future meditation self discovery is a tool to find your true self.
There are many tools and practices to cultivate resilience, and the healing system of Ayurveda gives us some of the most practical and effective tools.
Stress is an inevitable part of life. The impact of stress on human health, especially in today’s world of overstimulation, is alarming. April has been observed as Stress Awareness Month since 1992 to raise awareness about this condition that lies at the root of most diseases.Stress Awareness Month is a national effort designed to create awareness about the detrimental effects...
Fall is the season of transition. Your finely tuned senses are usually the first to alert you that change is in the air. Nature is tuning in as well and in response knows it’s time to begin preparing for winter, and so must you.Fall is a time to truly nourish yourself and practice self-care by slowing down, reflecting, and renewing...
The comprehensive Ayurvedic approach to anxiety includes meditation, yoga, dietary changes, and more. We also explore the use of herbs to calm nerves.
For millennia, Ayurvedic spa treatments have been a powerful method of releasing tension, calming the mind, and harmonizing the energy field. They do this by simultaneously addressing imbalances in the layers of body, mind, and energy; according to Ayurveda, a disturbance in one layer, creates a disruption in the other two. It is this interconnectedness of body, mind, and energy...
There are a multitude of massage types. Uncover exactly what is involved in Ayurvedic massage, the types and techniques.
And so it begins. You deck the halls, prepare the food, get gussied up, and … whoosh! There is that debilitating wave of anxiety, aggravation, and … dread? Even for those who enjoy celebrating with family meals and company parties, this time of year can be triggering. Who hasn’t had a celebratory meal turn sour due to long-swallowed resentments or...
According to the principles of Ayurveda, spring is the cleansing season. The same way that you spring clean your home, this is a great time of year to cleanse the toxins from your body.While there are many cleanse programs available, some methods can be intimidating and extreme. The good news is that there are more subtle and gentle techniques that...
Discover the guggul herb and its many traditional uses in ayurveda with whole body benefits including joint, sinus, and skin relief.
Sleep is vital to your health and well-being, but for some people, it’s elusive. According to the American Sleep Association, there are an estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults who experience some type of sleep loss or sleep disorder. Sleeping issues can interfere with the quality of your life, your physical health, and negatively affect your emotional balance, cognitive...
Better sleep, better life! When you sleep well, you are not only healthier, but happier, too. And when you are healthier and happier, you are able to create stronger relationships, bring about stronger manifestations in your life, and enjoy increased productivity.But how do you fall asleep fast, rather than lying there with hundreds of thoughts running through your mind? Try...
Burnout is pervasive in the Unites States. You know the feeling. Maybe you’ve had to put out so many fires or had so many emotional experiences that you almost feel numb. It can be hard to focus. You don’t know what to do next.And it’s at that moment that you can always turn to your Ayurvedic practices.Vata PracticesVata is the...
Restful sleep is the foundation for your mental and physical well-being. After a day of stimulating activity, your body needs deep sleep when your mind and body can rest and reset. When you’re well rested, you’re more alert, able to process new information more efficiently, and you make better decisions. On the other hand, when you’re sleep deprived, you’re more...
If you feel that stress is affecting your physical health and emotional well-being, you’re not alone. An estimated 75 to 90 percent of all doctor visits are for stress-related issues and ailments, and this is certainly what I see in my medical practice. But don’t let this information increase your stress levels, for there are simple practices that you can...
Aromatherapy is not just a tool to make your home smell fresh before company arrives. The relationship between your nose and certain fragrances is a powerful bond that can directly impact your overall well-being. This ancient healing exercise can be used as a therapeutic practice with great healing benefits.Ayurveda teaches that everything that enters your body is woven into your...
Kaphas are calm, steady, and reliable when their dosha is balanced, but as soon as they fall off kilter, Kaphas can slow down to the point of inactivity. This means they can be sluggish, have a hard time motivating themselves, and can struggle with weight gain, allergies, and even depression.Aromatherapy is one way Kaphas can reinvigorate their dosha and get...
Pittas are strong and energetic when their dosha is balanced. When the Pitta dosha is off kilter, however, it can result in a short temper, skin rashes, and indigestion. Using scents and Aromatherapy is a powerful way to soothe the Pitta dosha and brings things back into balance. Not a Pitta? Aromatherapy for Vata Aromatherapy for Kapha Take the Dosha...
Vatas are full of energy and creativity when their dosha is in balance. When unbalanced, however, Vatas have a hard time focusing that energy and they can become anxious and restless. That's where aromatherapy comes in. Not a Vata? Aromatherapy for PittaAromatherapy for KaphaTake the Dosha Quiz The energy and information you take in through your senses influence the quality...
In Ayurveda the fall season corresponds to two major doshas or mind-body principles: Pitta and Vata. (Learn more about doshas here.) Autumn is considered Pitta as long as hot weather prevails, and Vata as it becomes cold. Late fall and winter are known as “Vata season” because they are marked by some of the same qualities that characterize Vata: cold,...
If we have been blessed with general good health, we may tend to take our body for granted, not paying attention to what a miracle it is that we can see the colors of the landscape, hold the hand of a loved one, savor a delicious meal, listen to our favorite music, and breathe in the scent of freshly mowed...
Every day we confront challenges to our health. Viruses, bacteria, and toxins are all around us, but our bodies manage to ward off the great majority of them. Why is it, then, that sometimes our defenses can’t keep up? The answer lies in the health and balance of our immune system, the body’s primary defense against infectious disease. The human...
Lack of vital energy is a problem that usually defies conventional allopathic medicine. In most cases, if you go to a doctor complaining of nagging fatigue and flagging enthusiasm for life, you will have a series of blood tests to rule out the diseases that sometimes cause these symptoms. The chances are high that the tests will come back normal...
How to heal and transform your career into something you can love and successfully manage without losing balance.
Have you ever noticed you’re more likely to catch a cold if you’ve recently been stressed, slept poorly, or been emotionally upset? That last one is particularly interesting evidence of the mind-body connection! Most humans are much more likely to succumb to an infection or a flare of an auto-immune condition or fibromyalgia if they have recently experienced emotional distress....
If there was one magical cure for many of the woes of the world, it might be the power of kindness. When the epidemic of stress, anxiety, and depression threatens to overload the medical system and impede progress toward a greater sense of common humanity, and when the world can seem more divided than united, giving and receiving kindness is...
All these global changes due to the coronavirus can be overwhelming, but here are five simple steps you can take to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy during this time.The coronavirus (COVID-19) is sparking anxiety across the globe. The virus has everyone making changes to their daily routines, washing their hands more often, practicing social distancing, and even quarantining themselves...
If You're Panicking About the Coronavirus, Stop Yourself by Trying These 7 Methods
Sonia Brill, LCSW
It’s hard to escape the coronavirus updates, especially when it’s talked about all over the media. As much as it’s important to stay healthy physically, it’s also important to stay healthy mentally—and not go into panic mode.As a social being, you are conditioned by the environment to respond to changes in everyday circumstances. When those changes are registered as atypical...
The Link Between Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome—and What You Can Do to Improve Your Digestio...
Jennifer Weinberg
You have likely experienced stress and digestive issues at some point during your life. These two common conditions are often closely related to each other as is evident in the case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common gastrointestinal disorder that is often influenced by stress.Stress: A Pervasive Lifestyle Factor with Profound Influences on HealthWhen you experience a situation or...
It’s a new year, and you’ve probably already been bombarded with information about how to envision your ideal decade, create goals, stick to resolutions, lose weight, be happier, and <insert self-improvement trend of the day>.It gets overwhelming, right?This overload of information can paralyze you instead of motivating you. Where on earth do you begin?One starting point is taught by inspirational...
Sleep is a foundational component of the human experience. Along with wakefulness and dreaming, sleep is one of the three most familiar states of consciousness you experience on a daily basis. Despite its primary importance, however, in a modern busy life, sleep is often overlooked, undervalued, or taken for granted. In truth though, the importance of quality sleep cannot be...
While you may think that winter weight gain is inevitable with the colder, shorter days; the holiday bustle; and your inherent urge to hibernate more, consider these tips for taking charge of your weight and health.1. Eat Whole FoodsYou may have heard of the whole food movement. This eating style is focused on eating foods that are in their whole...
Life is full of challenges. Some people seem to meet every challenge with confidence, while others struggle to overcome them. Pittas especially get a sense of satisfaction from facing challenges head on—it brings a sense of accomplishment and can be very fulfilling. On some level, you actually seek challenges. Your highest self wants you to learn and grow, and life’s...
Expressing gratitude is much more than the act of saying “thanks”—it’s the cultivation of a feeling that serves an important biological purpose. Gratitude, according to scientists, is a deep feeling of appreciation. Studies have linked practicing gratitude with an assortment of positive health impacts on physical and emotional well-being, including the following.1. Gratitude Can Lead to Greater Physical and Mental...
Stress and anxiety levels seem to be at all-time highs for too many. It’s crucial to know that there are natural antidotes, alternatives to pharmaceuticals, to help powerfully regulate these stressors.
You’re busy. In the race to finish the seemingly never-ending list of tasks, you speed up and multitask while thinking about what’s coming next or dwelling on what just happened. Through it all, you miss out on the present moment.Although you continue to do it, you know it’s not good for you or the people in your life. And so...
We could all benefit from a bit of relaxation, whether it’s enjoying a spa day or taking moments to unwind. Making time for rest and relaxation is an important part of maintaining good health and well-being. For some, relaxing comes easy, while for others, it’s a bit of a challenge to suddenly shift gears, especially for those that are constantly...
One of my favorite spiritual teachers, Swami Satchidananda, once said that there is nothing in this world more valuable than your own peace. The first time I heard that statement the words sank so deeply into my being I was changed forever. I feel grateful when I am mindful enough to remember this simple wisdom in a moment of worry...
Self-care is the best medicine for managing stress. Indeed, it may be the only medicine for managing stress. Stress builds up as you move through the world. Bills to pay, mouths to feed, dreams to follow, bodily functions to manage, relationships to nourish, world news to process, social activism to make the world a kinder place—life is stressful! Even the...
Stress. Just hearing that word can conjure up feelings of anxiety. Life offers many stressors simply during day-to-day events. School, work, health issues, busy schedules, family drama—it seems that there is always something in life that can cause stress. As humans, our own internal response to a need we have that goes unmet causes stress within. While you don’t have...
If you find yourself feeling a little less happy go lucky—or, on the contrary, you have an extra skip in your step—as the seasons change, it’s not your imagination. It’s happening.Length of daylight plays a major role, but temperature and lifestyle also have a say. Not everyone reacts the same way to seasonal shifts. But if you find that your...
Ginger is a powerful ginger anti-inflammatory. You can eat, drink, and take it as a supplement. Ginger tastes good as well! We've included smoothie recipes to enjoy.
Rebooting your brain can help remove patterns, habits & biases that limit you. Learn how to reboot your brain and fix these issues from Chopra.
As the days grow shorter, the leaves turn to shades of burnt orange, yellow, and red and are eventually released to blanket the earth. The air is a bit crisper. The seasonal change from shorts and sandals to jeans and boots is underway. Iced tea shifts to lattes. Fruits such as berries and tomatoes make room for pumpkins and squash...
Relaxation may feel like an indulgence, but it is a necessity for not only your mind and soul, but also your physical body. Learn about relaxation’s health benefits and get started chilling out today!When most of society is over-scheduled, overstimulated, overworked, and overburdened, you need practical ways to counteract the deleterious health effects of a high-pressure lifestyle. Fortunately, there is...
You know that stress is an epidemic of the time and that more folks are coping with high-stress levels than ever before, but do you know about the impact that chronic stress can have on your weight?You may have noticed what happens with your energy, cravings, mood, food, and sleep when you are stressed, but you may not have realized...
Music has been used for hundreds of years to restore harmony between mind and body. In recent decades, researchers have measured health-related advantages of music, particularly as they relate to stress reduction and relaxation induction.Stress can either increase the risk of or exacerbate serious health issues like anxiety, asthma, depression, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, and obesity. On the flip side,...
Would you like to elevate your health, productivity, and mood? It is not as difficult as you might think. In fact, this task could be as simple as incorporating a few specific habits into your nighttime routine. The way in which you spend your evening hours can significantly influence the quality—and quantity—of your night’s sleep, which in turn has the...
Everyone has a stress set point. In other words, your early childhood events imprint your corticotropin-releasing hormone, the peptide hormone involved in the stress response, at a certain level. This set point, or the programming in the emotional brain, determines how you typically react to stressors.Although this programming can feel as though its ingrained for life, it can be changed...
For your ancestors who hunted and gathered their own food and ran from bears, stress was a helpful motivator that ignited their critical fight-or-fight survival mode. In modern-day society, the stressors you experience often feel less motivational and more like persistent pests you just want to go away.Although stress still serves a purpose and can be positive in small doses,...
Do you ever want to press the reset button? Start fresh and get back to you? If a little rejuvenation and renewal sound good right about now, then a wellness vacation might be just what you need. What is a wellness vacation? Isn’t that redundant? Isn’t a vacation, a period of leisure and recreation, already attending to your well-being and...
You were likely taught at a young age how to maintain your physical health. You were told to exercise, eat clean, and steer clear of junk food. Mental health and self-care, however, received less attention.Fortunately, discussing mental health in today’s world is less stigmatized than in years past, with many prioritizing it as highly as they do their physical health....
The holidays are here! This may be your favorite time of the year, celebrating with loved ones and taking a pause form your busy and hectic life. However, the holidays can be stressful as well, giving rise to emotions as varied as loneliness and grief, and to feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Family gatherings can be downright stressful and emotionally draining!Here...
The holidays can be a stressful time for many people. With work parties, family gatherings, Christmas shopping, and baking, it’s easy to get caught up in indulgences. Between the long days and busy weekends, your energy can get depleted a lot more quickly during the holiday season than other times of the year. More sugar consumption, added stress, and less...
‘Tis the season for joyful gatherings with family, remembering your blessings, and celebrations. But it can also be a season full of expectations and stress as you scramble to deck the halls, bake endless batches of cookies, and pick out the perfect presents. Even festive demands create stress on the mind and body; understanding the way that your body copes...
Learn more about the everyday benefits of movement from Chopra with everything from better mood to an improved sex life.
Turbulence. Chaos. Frustration. These words may describe your days. You are over-stimulated, frenzied, stressed, exhausted, fatigued, and desperate as you attempt to cope with the challenges of modern life. If this sounds all too familiar, you’re not alone. You live in a culture of compulsive over activity—a society driven to work harder, faster, and longer to accomplish more in less...
Learn about the vagus nerve and how it plays a role in inflammation. Learn vagus nerve massages and other ways to naturally reduce inflammation.
Hormones are chemical messengers that are released by different glands and travel through the bloodstream to influence organs and processes throughout the body. The endocrine system is made up of glands such as the thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, testes, and pancreas, which work together to control the levels of different hormones and help the body function and maintain balance.Each woman...
Almost two decades ago, the term “gut microbiome” was coined to describe the trillions of microbes that reside in your gut. Scientists once thought that these microbes were just hitching a ride and you’d be better off without them. However, we now know they are critical to your overall health and wellness.Clocking in at 3 to 5 pounds, your gut...
Inflammation is a natural and needed process in the body; it is part of an effective immune system response. The body uses beneficial acute inflammatory reactions to direct blood flow, immune cells, and nutrients to areas in need of healing, such as wounds and infections. But when inflammation gets out of hand or occurs in the wrong place, it can...
Everyone is a patient and healer in some respect. Your body is constantly breaking down and repairing itself whether you realize it or not. If you have ever been to a doctor, whether for yourself or for a loved one, you know there are as many types of doctors as there are patients. Each doctor has a unique personality (rapport),...
Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned instruments when it comes to emotions. If you are an empath, you feel everything, sometimes to an extreme, and are less apt to intellectualize feelings. Intuition is the filter through which you experience the world. Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually attuned, and good listeners. If you want heart, empaths have got it. Through thick...
Are you tired of walking around feeling bloated? You feel bloated in your belly when air or gas is trapped in your gastrointestinal tract. It can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and even embarrassing to experience on a daily basis. Sometimes bloating can be an internal feeling of feeling full in the lower abdomen while other times there is physical distension that...
Mild levels of worry can be helpful as you prep for what’s to come. But if you’re reaching worrywart levels, how does worrying affect the body?
If an epidemic is defined as a disease that affects whole populations without having a medical cure, then the epidemic of modern life is stress.Stress itself is not a disease, but it instead leads to a breakdown in the body's internal balance, or homeostasis, and from that point onward, if the stress isn't relieved, damage occurs from within. Ironically, most...
The following is an excerpt from the new book by Suhas G. Kshirsagar BAMS, MD—Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life.In sleep labs all over the world, researchers study the body’s response to rest. They look at the correlation between sleep and mood, weight management, and cognitive function. Groups of people may share similar sleep characteristics. Shift workers, for example, are...
Getting abundant, restful sleep is one of the best ways to improve your physical health and emotional well-being. As you slumber, your body may seem inert, but in fact, it’s actively engaging in many processes to repair and renew itself, such as: Eliminating accumulated stress and physical toxins, including the amyloid that can build up in the brain and lead...
Smiling Is Powerful Medicine: Research on How Smiling Can Improve Your Health, and Relationships
Karson McGinley
No matter where you find yourself on this planet or what language you speak, you’ll know a smile when you see one. While cross-cultural studies reveal slightly different meanings ascribed to smiling, they appear throughout the lifespan of all human (and some non-human) beings. Scientists have identified three different kinds of authentic smiles as well as identified the traits of...
With the chaos across the globe and in your everyday life, it can be easy to overlook seemingly minor stressors. Sometimes it’s easy to identify the daily habits that induce stress such as consuming large quantities of caffeine, overloading on processed foods, or overscheduling appointments and activities to the point of burnout. But often the daily habits that heighten stress...
Getting through the holidays well is part of being on your own path. What works at this time of year is the same as the rest of the year, except that you need to be more mindful of pitfalls and possible stresses.Stress over-stimulates the body-mind, throwing off its tendency to remain in dynamic balance. "Dynamic" means that your body-mind is...
Yoga has always been a practice of mental development (and for many, in recent years, physical development) with the goal to experience expanded consciousness and enlightenment. As the ancient sage Patanjali describes in the first lines of the Yoga Sutras, the purpose of yoga is to still the turbulence of the mind.As the rising popularity of yoga in the U.S....
Acute stress, which is short term and the most common form of stress, can be motivating and some even find it exciting when experienced in low doses. Chronic stress, however, provides zero positive advantages. On the contrary, it can wreak havoc on your body and mind.Fortunately, you don’t have to fall victim to the effects of chronic stress, regardless of...
According to happiness researcher Gretchen Rubin, what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while. Since you go to sleep every day (well, late-night study sessions, new parenthood, and the occasional all-nighter aside), how you go to bed can make a huge difference in the quality of sleep you get.Getting a good night’s sleep...
Aging is a natural process in life. Every single day you are older than you were the day before. Stereotypes about aging would have you believe that as you get older your health suffers, you become a burden to your families, your sleep patterns change, your mind is less sharp and flexible, and you become grumpier.According to Mark Twain, “Age...
Stress is usually characterized as an unpleasant and unwelcome feeling that expresses itself both physically and mentally. The effects of stress range from irritability and anxiety to raised blood pressure and heart disease. When you think of stress in these terms, it’s no wonder you spend so much time trying to manage or avoid it altogether.But what if, instead of...
Nervousness, panic attacks, road rage, and feelings of sadness plague more Americans than you might think. According to CCHR International, 36 million Americans were taking anti-anxiety drugs and 41 million Americans were taking antidepressants in 2014.Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental illness in the U.S., and many people don’t seek help because they are uncertain of how...
Doing what you can to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and death is an important endeavor in your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. And often, lowering your cholesterol is part of that conversation with your doctor or medical practitioner. However, the first step to take when assessing the importance of lowering your cholesterol is to identify your primary goal. For instance,...
The Power of the Brain-Gut Connection: 5 Ways to Combat Stress’ Impact on Digestion
Jennifer Weinberg
If you have ever “choked under pressure” or felt your “stomach in knots” when faced with a difficult decision, you are familiar with the powerful ways in which stress can influence digestion. Emotions create physiological changes in your body, and stress is no exception. In broad terms, stress refers to any real or perceived threat or demand. Such stressors elicit...
There is power in nature. Generally undisrupted by modern conveniences, nature offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of your daily life. No cubicles, no traffic, no emails—it’s a stark departure from what modern society tends to value.Sacred men and women throughout history have understood the power of nature, using the wilderness (whether forest, beach, or desert) to cultivate...
“Never give from the depths of your well, but from your overflow.”--RumiAt 22 I decided to put my career on hold and return home to take care of my grandfather who was struggling with Parkinson’s disease and dementia. I devoted my life to his daily care, determined he would not end up in a nursing home, surrounded by strangers. He...
Your mood can be affected by a variety of factors, including thought patterns, chemical imbalances, and sleep quality. But what about your gut? While you may not think of your gut as a vital contributor to how you feel, research is increasingly suggesting that perhaps you should.One theory gaining traction in the medical community is that your gut can function...
The holidays are a wonderful time of year with joy, cheer, and gratitude in abundance. Everywhere you look, people seem to be in high spirits: being kind to one another, taking time to pause and reflect, and taking care of those less fortunate.On the flip slide, the holidays can also become a source of overwhelm with work parties, buying gifts,...
It’s no secret that scent can have a powerful effect on your life. Just a hint of a particular aroma can conjure memories—both good and bad. It can even have a physical effect on you, depending on what you associate with that aroma.It’s why cultures for centuries have used the sense of smell as a pathway to encourage health and...
We all experience physical pain at some point in our lives. The pain could be acute from a broken bone, or it could be ongoing from a serious, chronic condition. Often, pain can produce a tremendous amount of suffering, but it can also be a catalyst for growth and wisdom. Here are five practices that can help reduce unnecessary suffering...
You may associate anxiety with the negative symptoms it produces, such as accelerated heart rate, racing thoughts, and feelings of intense fear. But according to the research I’ll discuss in this article, anxiety in small doses—i.e., mild to moderate anxiety—can actually work to your advantage. From coming in handy in dangerous situations to helping you prepare for a big work...
There’s good stress and there’s bad stress. Do you know the difference? And how are you dealing yours? Learn 10 tried-and-true tactics to manage your stress, so you can get on the path to living a healthy and balanced life.infographic-10-ways-to-de-stress-your-mind-and-body.jpgThis infographic was created with Visme
There are few things better than coming home from a stressful day at work to an excited dog or cat that is able to provide you with the comfort and support you so desperately seek. Whether you’re at your best or feeling your absolute worst, pets always remain right by your side. More than just a furry, loyal companion, pets...
Sleep is critical for good health and well-being. However, due to our busy lifestyles, millions of us do not get enough sleep—a problem that can lead to lack of attention, irritability, digestive issues, poor judgement, and drowsiness during the day.Sleep deficiency has also been linked to more serious physical health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, immune deficiencies, increased risk...
Many people, especially men, don't like to admit that they feel anxious. But in reality, everyone's life has nail-biting moments. The demand to meet deadlines and quotas at work can trigger stress, and under stress, the brain triggers the release of stress hormones that induce two reactions: to fight back or to run away. Therefore, we are chemically designed with...
Music can make a daily work commute or a mundane task feel more bearable, and scientific research has shown music’s influence to extend much further. It can literally change your mood and improve your health and overall well-being. Numerous studies have been conducted to show how music impacts the brain, emotions, mood, perception, physical and mental health, well-being, and overall...
The value of pure food, water, and air has become increasingly evident in today’s society. With this newfound attitude, we have become more conscious than ever about toxins. The human body is almost miraculously efficient at removing chemical and bacterial toxins from the bloodstream. The kidneys and the immune system, which do this invaluable work, don't exist in isolation, however....
It’s easy to become obsessed with your diet, temperature, and ovulation schedule when you’re trying to get pregnant.These things can actually exacerbate your infertility. We often rely on outside people and things to tell us what’s going on in our body—and that’s part of the problem.Energy is an overlooked area in fertility. And yet, it’s made all the difference for...
Headaches are frequent cause for concern: Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room for a headache or migraine. The three most common types of headaches—tension headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines—can range from mild aches to a debilitating pains, and are often difficult to treat.While your primary focus may be to relieve the pain you...
Long ago, when your hunter-gatherer ancestors came across a bear in the woods, they experienced what is now called stress: elevated heart rate, quick breathing, and tense muscles. This response quickened their reflexes, spurring them to fight or run—which would not only potentially save their lives, but also process the stress response out of their systems.Unfortunately, these days, you can’t...
Whether you live in sunny California or you're buried under a foot of snow in Michigan, the winter blahs can make you want to hibernate. Winter causes a mild case of the blues in about 25 percent of people in the U.S. About 6 percent suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. People with the winter blues often have less energy and...
The spicy, sweet aromas of the holiday season can spark joyful memories, strong emotions, and big appetites. They can also offer health benefits. Pure essential oils such as cinnamon, clove, pine, orange, peppermint, and frankincense—all classic holiday scents—can help you weather seasonal stress.Essential oils are synergistic blends of chemical compounds that plants produce to defend themselves against pathogens and to...
Do you reach for the pantry after a stressful day? Learn ways to stop stress eating and break the cycle of stress so you can prevent emotional eating from happening again.
We all know how unpleasant and uncomfortable stress can feel, but just how unhealthy is it? While studies have shown short-term stress can help boost the immune system, chronic stress can have significant negative effects that leave us susceptible to illness.Let’s face it: we can’t eliminate stress completely. It’s part of being human. However, we don’t have to be helpless...
“Happy” is a challenging word. To some, it suggests spiritual bliss. To others, it indicates sensual pleasure. To me, it means a fundamental, persistent state of contentment and serenity. From that place, a person can still experience a variety of emotional highs and lows, knowing that these are fleeting by nature and that contentment will return.How can you secure this...
The quality of the food you eat directly affects the quality of your physical health. The same could be said for the thoughts that you have.Hippocrates said it more than two thousand years ago: “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Unfortunately, the Western diet, with its emphasis on sugar, fat, meat, dairy, and processed foods, is...
There’s good stress … and then there’s bad stress. Do you know the difference? And how are you dealing yours? It’s important to be aware of what stresses you out, so you can build a relationship with your biggest stressors and manage the way you react to them.Some stress is healthy … it kicks in to protect you in times...
According to the Center for Disease Control, 80% of visits to the doctor are believed to be stress-related. Yet what is “stress” if not fear, anxiety, and worry dressed up in more socially acceptable clothing? While we tend to view worry, anxiety, and fear as signs of weakness, most of us are perfectly willing to admit that we’re stressed.In fact,...
If you were to eavesdrop on the conversations taking place around you, stress would likely be one of the most common words you would hear. People talk about feeling stressed about their work, the economy, global politics, deadlines, their relationships, and just about everything else. Many suffer from the emotional and physical consequences of chronic stress, which include accelerated aging...
Taking annual vacations is really good for you. Ask your doctor: it appears that going on vacation may not be an icing-on-the-cake type of indulgence—it may actually be necessary for good health.But multi-week, exotic getaways aren’t always an option with the many responsibilities in our lives. Whether you have the time and money to head out on a European tour,...
Our bodies are designed for physical activity—to move and breathe and circulate our vital life energy. More than 5,000 years ago, the master Ayurvedic physician Charaka wrote, “From physical exercise, one gets lightness, a capacity for work, firmness, tolerance of difficulties, elimination of impurities, and stimulation of digestion.”In fact, getting regular exercise is one of the most powerful things you...
Put a pencil between your lips in just the right way, and you’ll feel happier—though you won’t know why. The result is so reliable, I used this trick on students as a foolproof demo when I taught intro to psychology.This effect demonstrates the “facial feedback” theory of emotion—but you can think of it as “fake it til you make it.”...
Stressed out because you have too much to do? You’re not alone. A busy calendar is one of the biggest contributors to stress. When we have a lot on our plates, we end up hurrying through our day and multitasking, which will only exacerbate stress levels.Deepak Chopra has some advice to the busy bees of the world looking to reduce...
Restful sleep is an essential key to staying healthy and vital. When you’re well-rested, you can approach stressful situations more calmly, yet sleep is so often neglected or underemphasized.There is even a tendency for people to boast about how little sleep they can get by on. In reality, a lack of restful sleep disrupts the body’s innate balance, weakens the...
During the dark winter season when there is a limited amount of light, it is especially important to reconnect with friends and loved ones and with our deeper self. Reconnecting gives us emotional nourishment, enlivens our mind, and expands our experience of the inner light of consciousness. While forming the intention to reconnect may feel easy, many of us find...
A mind-body approach is the key to lifelong wellbeing.After promoting this message worldwide for thirty years, Deepak Chopra focuses on the huge problem of weight control in America with exciting new concepts. What Are You Hungry For? is the breakthrough book that can bring weight under effortless control by linking it to personal fulfillment in every area of a reader’s...
New Clinical Study Finds that Endorphinate® Provides Effective, Safe Relief for Chronic Anxiety, Depression, Cravings, and Pain HypersensitivityGroundbreaking research recently published in the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science* (JBBS) shows that the nutraceutical Endorphinate® is a clinically effective and safe treatment for chronic emotional and physical distress, including anxiety, anger, depression, cravings, and pain hypersensitivity.Developed by a team of...
Learn how to choose love and focus your attention on what really matters in life with these tips from the experts from Chopra.
We have all experienced loss, heartache, and sorrow. Nobody wants to go through emotional pain, but it is inevitable. Here is how to let go of past trauma.
“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask yourself if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” −Deepak ChopraRelapse, or the fear of relapse, is one of the most challenging parts of maintaining recovery from an addiction. Whether a person has stopped drug or alcohol abuse, smoking,...
Only a few decades ago, conventional medicine viewed the body as a machine whose parts would inevitably break down until it could no longer be repaired. As a medical student, I learned that random chemical reactions determined everything that happened in the body, the mind and body were separate and independent from each other, and genes largely determined our health...
Taking annual vacations really is good for you.Get Out of TownAsk your doctor: It appears that going on vacation may not be an icing-on-the-cake type of indulgence – it may actually be necessary for good health.In a powerful study published in the journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers Karen Matthews and Brooks Gump studied a group of men who were at...
If we look at how most people manage their day, taking time for peace and quiet is last on their list. They don’t see the difference between a brain that is multi-tasking – which our brains do brilliantly – and a brain that is overloaded. Yet finding some peace and quiet has tremendous benefits for the brain. It allows itself...
Commitment is the ultimate assertion of human freedom. It releases all the energy you possess and enables you to take quantum leaps in creativity. When you set a one-pointed intention and absolutely refuse to allow obstacles to dissipate the focused quality of your attention, you engage the infinite organizing power of the universe.There is no limit to your ability to...
The human mind, inherently impatient, triggers emotional reactions when our ideas about how things should be collide with how things are. We sometimes torment ourselves about choices we’ve made, words we’ve spoken, and the path not taken. Or we dwell on the future, postponing our happiness with thoughts about what is missing or wrong in the present moment.These thoughts and...
Every emotion has a beginning and an end. Like an ocean wave, even the most painful feeling crests and dissipates. In our confusion, however, we sometimes block the natural flow of emotions by holding on to resentment, hurt, hostility, regret, or grievance – at great cost to our emotional and physical wellbeing.To release the toxicity of stored emotions and open...
A basic outline for prevention has existed for more than thirty years, but wellness has had a hard time making real headway. Old habits are hard to break. Our society has a magic bullet fixation, waiting for the next miracle drug to cure us of every ill. Doctors receive no economic benefit from pushing prevention over drugs and surgery. For...
Type 2 diabetes has become an increasing problem in modern America. Because it is chiefly linked to obesity, as more people become overweight, and as the age of gaining weight reaches down into childhood, a largely preventable disease turns into an epidemic. The litany about such lifestyle disorders is now familiar to almost everyone. The changes that prevent Type 2...
Hundreds of studies over the past decade have found that the level of stress or comfort we feel in our lives influences our immune cells. When we are experiencing a lot of emotional turbulence, our immune cells receive confusing messages from our brain. It’s as if our immune cells are constantly eavesdropping on our internal dialogue. When our mind is...
Have you heard of the six flavors? Each flavor is known in Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India) for different qualities and elements. Each of the six flavors has its own unique medicinal properties that can be honed and fine-tuned within your eating. Often known as the taste of satiation, the combination and balance of all six flavors are said...
Stress is a word everyone is familiar with and a feeling that everyone experiences. There are different kinds of stress—mental, physical, emotional—but the body responds in the same way no matter what the stressor is.Your adrenal glands, which are grape-sized glands that sit on top of your kidneys, are responsible for your body’s stress response. The stress response includes hormones...
Ayurveda considers food to be one of the most important pillars of health. You have heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Ayurveda takes this one step further—you are what you eat and how you digest what you eat. Digestion is the cornerstone of health and immunity in Ayurveda. This is where the magic of spices comes in.Spices have...
Most people know eating fiber is important. But what does that even mean? Why fiber? What is it and what role does it play in your health?Fiber comes in two different types: Soluble: It is just as it sounds—soluble—it can be dissolved. It absorbs water and turns into a gel-like consistency that slows down digestion. This is helpful for satiety...
Staying hydrated is key to many functions in the human body, and in summer heat, it can be difficult to maintain your hydration. One of the largest roles that water plays in the body is regulating internal temperature. Other benefits include maintaining oral health and preventing bladder cancer. The body’s ability to stay cool in hot weather is dependent upon...
You can hardly watch the news without being reminded of global warming. Research provided by NASA has found that the atmospheric temperature has risen at an unprecedented rate since 1950; this increase is extremely likely to have been caused by human activities.How? Carbon, the most basic building block of human life, traps heat. Pollution created on Earth through biological emissions,...
In Ayurveda, there are six tastes that you can include in every meal: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Meals with all six tastes are great opportunities to help balance flavors and nutrition for better health for everyone in your family (or whoever you are serving).The following three recipes are built from many small dishes and include all six...
Have you ever stopped to think about what it takes to get the food on your plate?Most people eat three times per day (or more), but rarely take the time to think about where the food comes from. Less than 100 years ago your grandparents used to go to their local market or butcher shop to purchase their ingredients. They...
Local markets have traditionally served as a place to not only buy and sell goods, but also as a hub of community activity. These days, especially in the U.S. where conventional grocery stores rule the land and social capital is on the decline, farmers’ markets have reinvigorated this sense of community.Connection is a great reason to shop at a farmers’...
Stress is abundant and seems to be on the rise. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 75 percent of doctor visits are due to stress.One type of stress to be aware of is oxidative stress, which occurs when free radicals overwhelm your body’s ability to regulate them. For proper physiological function, it’s necessary to have a...
No matter who you are, where you live, or what type of work you do, chances are good that stress is a regular part of your life. Stress takes the form of anything that prevents the fulfillment of a desire, or how you respond when your needs are not being met.Stress can put a strain on your health, emotions, relationships,...
The warrior poses are among the most well recognized postures in the Hatha yoga tradition. Standing poses that are accessible to almost everyone—Virabhadrasana I, II, and III—engage the entire physical body, while providing an opportunity to bring a powerful focus and attitude into the moment you are in. Just putting your body into these shapes brings about a certain attitude—one...
Try these 5 yoga breathing techniques to keep warm when it cools down. From ujjayi breathing to box breathing and wim hof techniques we'll show you how to warm yourself from the inside out.
The holidays are full of excitement with preparations and the anticipation of spending time with loved ones. It’s easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of it all and forget to stop and engage in some type of self-care activity. Next thing you know, stress takes a toll and you aren’t able to function at your best because your...
Don't have the time or money for a weeklong retreat? That doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself the break. Here’s how to create retreats to find yourself.
You know those days when everything feels difficult. Days when your sluggishness can’t be remedied with yerba matè, when the ad for baby diapers makes you well up, when the thought of checking off even the tiniest item on your miles-long to-do list makes your skin crawl and your head ache and your brow furrow … you get the idea....
The never-ending flow of information from news sites and social media feeds can cause even calm people to feel anxious or stressed. It’s no wonder that some 40 million adults in the U.S. suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Many alternative therapies such as yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda can help improve mental health;...
Stress and fatigue are often unwelcome guests during the holiday season. Stress might join you while cooking a holiday meal, decorating your house in preparation for a party, or shopping at a crowded mall. It can manifest as aches and pains, prevent you from sleeping through the night, and dampen your spirits during the holidaysYou can beat back stress, and...
Nadi Shodhana, or “alternate nostril breathing,” is a simple technique that provides many benefits. Follow these steps to find your center with nadi shodhana.
Take a moment and focus on your breath. What do you notice? Are you holding it? Are you taking shallow breaths? Is your breathing heavy and labored? Focusing on your breath allows you to gauge where you are in the present moment. It can help you determine if you’re in balance.We unconsciously hold our breath many times each day. It’s...
For many of us, the act of driving is an aspect of our lives that we take for granted. Getting behind the wheel to go to work, school, the store, or on a road trip seems so routine that most of us rarely give it a second thought.Despite this fact, driving is a highly complex activity made possible by the...
Without question, mindfulness has been experiencing a huge surge of popularity over the last several decades. Hospitals, schools, corporations, law enforcement, athletes, the armed forces, and high performers from all walks of life are enthusiastically embracing the multiple benefits of mindfulness on both the professional and personal levels. More than a buzzword or passing trend, mindfulness has become firmly established...
You are a modern day Superhero of epic proportion. Your talents are far-reaching and your noble duties are not for the faint of heart. You are able to engage in four back-to-back Zoom meetings; fulfill three critical deadlines; write and respond to upwards of a hundred emails; and perhaps mindfully embrace a difficult conversation or two … all before 5pm....
Life can be challenging. With all the demands put upon you by work, family, relationships, external circumstances, and even yourself, it often feels as if you are Atlas, supporting the entire world upon your shoulders. The modern world is moving faster than ever, and it seems as if you will never catch up to all the competing priorities and challenges...
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”—The Dalai LamaThe past few months have been an experience unlike any other in recent human history. Businesses are shut down, schools are closed, and the activity of entire cities has ground to a halt. On top of this, the global healthcare system is strained to its limits, and...
These nine healthy emotional processing tips will help us grow and reconnect with the peace and possibility that resides within the moment. Zen awaits!
“I just don’t want to go.”“Ugh, I’d rather stay home.” “Just thinking about going to that party is giving me so much anxiety.” “Maybe I’ll go for a little while and hide in the corner.” Though often confused and conflated with being shy or an introvert, social anxiety is a distinct disorder that can have a serious negative impact on...
Are you finding yourself constantly thinking about your to-do list this time of year? Maybe you need to plan a menu, shop for the holiday meal, coordinate travel plans, purchase gifts, and get ready for family visiting from out of town.If you dread the start of the holidays and want to escape, you are not alone. In fact, fleeing from...
Have you ever received a thank-you gift from a colleague or client? Been recognized or awarded for your hard work? Received a shout out for your contributions or input? Then you know how meaningful it can be to be appreciated and seen. Even a heartfelt “thanks!” can leave you glowing. No matter where you work, a little thanks and acknowledgment...
Who is the best listener you know? Would anyone in your life answer you?Few people are taught how to listen. Aside from being told to “listen up” or “pay attention” as kids, you may think that just because you can hear something you are listening. There is a crucial difference though. Whereas hearing just happens, effective listening is active and...
“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.” –Lao TzuDoing nothing probably sounds good, but when is the last time you really did it? Turned off your devices? Practiced some deep breathing? Stared off into space? Smelled the roses? The art of doing nothing is sweet!A visit to Italy will soon have you embracing the concept of dolce far...
Personal growth is that shiny object everyone gravitates toward to some extent, even if you don’t really know what it means or how to satisfy the craving. Just the term alone has such a great ring to it and you likely feel drawn to work on yourself—whether it’s reading a great book during your downtime, continuing your education and training,...
There is an epidemic of stress, depression, and anxiety. Despite the fact that people are talking more openly about their mental health, removing stigma does not seem to have affected the actual levels of stress being experienced. Your newsfeed and the news itself are filled with articles telling you to just be positive. The thing about positive thinking is that...
Is your cup half empty or half full? Your answer to this question says a lot about you, your health, and your happiness. At a time when the world could really use it, it pays to be optimistic. Not only are optimistic people more enjoyable to be around, research shows that they are healthier, do better in school, age more...
Experiencing and expressing emotions are integral parts of life. Yet, for many people, emotions remain mysterious, confusing, and difficult to express . No one is given an emotional rule book, yet society, community, culture, and context all have unwritten rules about how and when you are allowed to feel your feelings. For example: Tears don’t belong at the office. Don’t...
You may have noticed times when you want to feel a certain way, but your mind isn’t cooperating. Have you ever wanted to feel confident, but you didn’t? Have you ever been in a funk, and you wanted to get out of it? Have you ever felt anxious about a situation, and you needed to be calm?Perhaps someone has suggested...
Part of being human is experiencing the challenges life throws at you. Sometimes you’re prepared for them and other times you’re completely blindsided. Here’s the good news: while it’s impossible to have complete and utter control over what happens to you, you can control your emotional reaction to whatever external events you face.When you’re dealt a tough hand, your natural...
Have you ever felt like you weren't deserving of your successes in life? Maybe there is a little nagging voice inside you that says you’re not good enough or qualified enough for the job promotions, the high praises, or the awards that you’ve received. And maybe it doesn’t add up because you have the schooling, experience, and talent as evidence...
You may have difficulty finding a balance between your exhaustive role at work and your busy life at home. You may think that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done that you would like. No amount of extensive planning, scheduling, or organizing will make up for lost time or add more hours to our day....
When you step into your power, you cultivate self-esteem and personal worth. A new sense of freedom emerges, doubts fall away, and you quit being a marionette to other people’s expectations or vulnerable to external circumstances. This new confidence allows you to let go of the need to judge, criticize, or compare yourself to others. When you claim your power,...
Podcasts can be funny, entertaining, educational, and inspiring all at once. During your personal development journey, you can use them as a reliable tool to arm yourself with knowledge, encouragement, and direction. The best personal development podcasts are chock full of practical advice, simple habit-forming strategies, productivity tips, and nuggets of wisdom.And, since it’s audio, you can listen to them...
It's summertime—the season of sunshine, fresh air, and getaways. You may be traveling, taking some time off work, or wanting to make the most of the longer days and the long weekends that accompany the season. Sometimes, instead of feeling replenished after a few days, a few weeks, or a full summer, you can feel depleted.“No man needs a vacation...
It’s no small thing that music affects your moods—it’s that feeling of nostalgia when the theme song from your senior prom comes on the radio. Or that burst of energy you feel when that jazzy tune plays as you get ready for work. Even hearing the national anthem taps into something biological within you. Can you imagine hearing it now?...
With books like The More of Less by Josh Becker and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, people are talking about the effects of simplicity. Is simplicity really the solution? That may depend on the question.Simplicity will: Clear the clutter Create order Reduce overconsumption Simplify decision-making But despite what many are saying, simplicity won’t “make you happy.”...
Acts of violence, terrorism, and major natural catastrophes dominate global headlines and, in some cases, they have hit you directly. There is no avoiding the effects these events have; you are likely searching for ways to navigate your emotions and cope with the aftermath.In 2017, there were over 300 mass shootings in the US alone, according to the Mass Shooting...
You have an intention. There’s something you really want to achieve in your life, possibly several things, and no matter how hard you try you’re just not able to make it happen. It’s frustrating beyond measure. Eventually, feeling destitute and deflated, you trade in your ambitions and dreams for the ordinary and mundane.But what if you had a way of...
Stress happens when something comes between you and something you want. It’s a fact of life that things don’t always go your way. We all deal with it—until we don’t—and that’s when manageable stress becomes burnout.This is different than depression. According to Mental Health America symptoms of depression can be much more intense. They last longer than two weeks. causing...
Times of transition give you a great opportunity to reevaluate many areas of your life. The turning of the year is a time when people make resolutions to start a new diet, recommit to the gym membership, or call their mothers more frequently. However, it also gives you the opportunity to look deeper into your spiritual goals and ask yourself...
Feeling unmotivated can be attributed to things such as lack of sleep, worry, or just plain laziness. Regardless of why you feel unmotivated, its interference with your productivity can lead to stress and feeling overwhelmed, not to mention an untouched to-do list.Luckily, you can implement strategies to help elicit motivation, even when all you feel like doing is watching Netflix...
Holidays are a time for coming together with loved ones to celebrate seasonal festivities. And yet, the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of year for many people. Pressure to spend money, time, and energy on things that society deems important can leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and fearful of what may happen if you don’t keep...
A seed must crack wide open and break apart before the flower can grow. A caterpillar must feel like its world is over before it becomes a butterfly. Before times of growth, change, and evolution, there seems to be fear, pain, and angst. Why is it that chaos precedes growth so much of the time? Why must you break before...
Here are five views of imperfection that can help you to soften your expectations of yourself, embrace your incompleteness, and create more room for beauty, compassion, and contentment
There are turning points in people’s lives that occur in a natural progression – transitioning from college to the working world, from being single to being married, from taking care of yourself to being a parent, and even eventually taking care of your parents as they age. You might even be getting back into the workforce as your children become...
Music is a universal language. It has the unique ability to communicate with you and connect you to the Universe in ways you can’t find elsewhere.If you’re open to its healing powers, music often resonates on a level much deeper than cognitive comprehension; it reaches your soul. Whether you listen to classical, grunge, pop, singer/songwriter, alternative, rock, bluegrass, country, or...
Recently, there seems to be a lot more public debates than ever before. From the way our society should be ran or what is morally correct, to how and if politicians are serving our communities, there are more controversial topics than most of us can keep up with.Why do you see and hear more open debates now vs. previous years?...
Have you ever gotten into your car for your morning commute, only to find yourself in your parking spot and having no recollection of driving there? If you’re like me, it happens quite often. You’re so absorbed in your thoughts that you go through life on autopilot.In your mind, you tend to live either in the past or future. You...
You know it all too well: that sinking feeling that you’re not good enough, that you don’t have what it takes to succeed, or that you won’t be able to navigate this next chapter. Even for the most confident people in the world, there are inevitable times when doubt and uncertainty creep in and seem to take over your mind,...
The constant running between your job, family, and friends—not to mention the incessant pings and notifications from your smartphone—can leave you feeling like you’re on a hamster wheel; you’re running, but you’re not getting anywhere.This cycle of busyness can make you feel like time is slipping away. You might speed up to try and do more, but no matter how...
It’s Monday morning and you just can’t seem to find your rhythm. You’re convinced that the universe is working against you and all that’s going through your head is Carly Simon’s song lyrics, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”If you’ve ever had this experience, then you’re familiar with the Monday Blues. Some people may chalk it up to...
Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.- Ronald ReaganEffective communication is without a doubt one of the most important skills you can develop. In every area of life, you rely on communication to effectively translate your thoughts into words and to impart information to others. An inability to easily convey your...
The workplace is a special place in certain ways, because the people we interact with are not of our choosing most of the time, and relating to them isn’t the same as relating to family and friends.On the other hand, it’s not so unique that being good at healthy relationships doesn’t help. Keeping peace in the office is achievable by...
Have you ever thought: If only I had (fill in blank), then I would be happy. Whether it’s a bigger house, nicer car or heftier paycheck, it’s easy to think that something or more of something will make you happier once you obtain it. But can money really buy you happiness?Researchers have been asking this question for decades. Fortunately, their...
If you feel like your job or colleagues sap your energy and tranquility, you’re not alone. Even people who have rewarding careers can get drawn into the chaos and drama at work.You have the power of ancient wisdom and ever-evolving consciousness on your side. It is possible to take back control through practicing self-awareness, being true to your healthy practices,...
Over the past few decades, mind-body wellness has had a noticeable impact on the corporate landscape. More and more businesses, both large and small, have been integrating a holistic, consciousness-based approach to wellness and productivity for their employees and business models. The benefits of yoga, meditation, breath work, and other mind-body modalities have been embraced by some of the most...
Recently, a young woman asked me how I cope with all the bad news in the world these days. She’s not sure how to manage it all. As an intelligent and thoughtful person, she feels an obligation to stay in touch with what's happening ... but then she is dragged into despair by the suffering and sorrows that she sees...
Are your holidays full of relaxation and quality time with family? If not, you’re not alone. In fact, 62 percent of Americans indicated that they feel stress during the holidays and 35 percent experience difficulty with family members. If you’re looking for ways to reduce holiday stress and create warm memories with your family, follow these seven recommendations.1. Focus on...
Stop for a second. Listen. What do you hear? The mechanical hum of the refrigerator? The whir of the clothes dryer? The digital ding of an incoming email? The ubiquitous, persistent, nerve-splitting, never-ending drone of a leaf blower?And, that’s if you live in the suburbs. You city dwellers are most likely hearing a cacophony of wailing sirens and car horns,...
Anger is one of the most destructive emotions. It ruins relationships, intimidates co-workers, and creates bad feelings. So it's surprising that it's often an overlooked issue. In some quarters anger is actually considered positive, a tool for getting what you want.At some point, however, many angry people realize they have to change their tactics. They begin to see how negative...
It’s always a hurried affair, getting the family ready for the day. You have to dress yourself for work, feed the clan, dress the kids, and make sure everyone starts the day with a nutritious breakfast. This can make mornings a particularly stressful time of day.If you’ve ever uttered phrases such as, “Hurry up and have your breakfast,” or “You...
About a year and a half ago I attended my first official meditation retreat. It was with Deepak Chopra and The Chopra Center. Prior to this, I was what would be described as a "crisis meditator" tapping into the practice at the most expected of times (i.e., New Year's resolution) or the most desperate times (i.e., overly stressed, overwhelmed, etc)....
I am going to assume that y’all are already on board with my obsessive belief that we are undergoing a transformation of human consciousness. I could be wrong, but let’s just say I’m not. It seems that this change is imminent, if not already upon us. In Eckhart Tolle’s image, blossoms are opening in individual human beings all over our...
Dear friend,I hope that this email finds you feeling balanced, centered, healthy – and happy. Here at the Chopra Center we are excited about the launch of our Workplace Wellbeing program, founded on the principle of wholeness. As the world’s great wisdom traditions teach, wholeness is our natural state of balance, harmony, and wellbeing. When we’re living in wholeness, we...
Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use to expand our happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve our health.Many scientific studies, including research by renowned psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, have found that people who consciously focus on gratitude experience greater emotional well-being and physical health than those who don’t. In comparison with control groups, those...
In every moment of our existence, we have access to an infinity of choices. As a result of conditioning, however, most of us tend to act in predictable, repetitious ways. The process is like driving a car down the same dirt road many times. Over time, the wheels carve out ruts in the dirt and the car automatically follows the...
Articles
Guided Meditation: Managing Your Mindset Over the Holidays
If you're feeling overwhelmed during the holidays, don't worry--you're not alone. Learn how to cope with holiday stresses with guided meditation from Chopra.
3 Meditations to Get You in the Holiday Spirit
This holiday season try these three meditations for gratitude, joy, and kindness to help you get into the spirit of the season.
5 Easy Meditation Techniques to Practice at Work
The workplace can be a source of anxiety, stress, and burnout. While there is no way to totally eliminate stress from the workplace, more businesses are recognizing the importance of...
7 Types of Relaxation Meditation to Promote Restful Sleep
A good night’s sleep is of utmost importance. Sleep influences your overall health. Sleep, and the unfortunate lack thereof, deeply influences the workings of your brain and the functioning capacity...
How Meditation Can Reduce Anger
“Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is...
How Often Should You Meditate?
How often should you meditate? How long should you meditate? Read how consistent daily meditation practice is sure to wield the best results.
4 Advanced Meditation Techniques and Tools to Deepen Your Practice
Expand and improve your practice with these four meditation techniques that can help you deepen your meditation.
What Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
When you experience stress or anxiety, the affiliated emotions can manifest in the physical body as muscle tension. Have you ever noticed an ache in one of your shoulders or...
How to Cultivate Inner Strength Through Meditation
To build physical strength, you may rely on a gym or a personal trainer. But what if you’re looking to build up inner strength?Cultivating mental and emotional strength may not...
5 Simple Tips for Managing Your Emotions Through Meditation
Nearly each and every day offers a unique opportunity—the opportunity to scream, shout, and throw a tantrum about something. Did someone cut you off on the freeway? You could shout....
4 Soft and Soothing Breathing Techniques
Breathing connects you to the natural cycles of ups and downs, giving and receiving, and death and rebirth. These cycles govern everything around you. When you inhale, you receive energy...
Guided Meditation: Ground Yourself Using the Earth Element
There was a time, not so long ago, when the topic of energy was considered to be the “woo-woo” language of the New Age movement that had no real basis...
How to Find the Good in a Chaotic World
The world is chaotic because human beings are chaotic in their awareness. Here's how you can cultivate an orderly mind as your best asset to meet life's challenges by Deepak...
3 Meditative Practices to Help You Cope with Change
Change can be stressful, even when the change is a positive and welcome one. Whether you are navigating through some big life transitions such as getting married or retiring, or...
How Meditation Helps Transform Your Suffering
The dictionary defines suffering as the state of undergoing pain distress or hardship. Suffering is unpleasantness. Suffering can involve physical pain and mental distress. In every life, there will be...
The Importance of a Morning Breathing Practice
Learn how to start your day with breathing exercises that will help you start each morning right. Learn more from Chopra today.
8 Ways to Make Daily Meditation a Habit
Are you having trouble sticking to your meditation practice? Perhaps you have every intention of meditating, but you run out of time each day. Or maybe you get flooded with...
How to Fit Meditation Into Your Lifestyle
One of the major medical advances in recent decades has been the importance of lifestyle choices. Your body's cells eavesdrop on everything you say, do, and think, along with the...
The Art of Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing
Breath is the source of prana, or life force, and among the most basic of all human functions. Breathing consists of two phases: inhalation and exhalation. When you inhale, the...
7 Ways Meditation Can Help You Reduce and Manage Stress
Thousands of years ago the Buddha said, “Life contains suffering.” The source of suffering can be profound, such as losing a loved one or discovering you have a serious illness....
4 Advantages You'll Gain from a Meditation Practice
You hear people talking about meditation and how their lives have improved. Perhaps you have even tried meditating a few times on your own. But for some reason, days go...
Slowing Down: 7 Ways to Find Balance in a Fast-Paced World
We live in a high-speed world. Work and personal life are often rushed and mashed together in a blur of activity. Information streams into you faster than any time in...
How to Find Gratitude in Your Hardest Moments
One of the main pillars of today’s mindfulness-based practices is the art of cultivating gratitude. You may hear it as a theme in yoga class, read about it in self-help...
5 Rituals to Promote Inner Peace
While some people experience more inner peace than others, daily peacefulness is difficult. Most must work at it as it doesn’t tend to come naturally.Distraction Takes HoldIf you attend church...
3 Fall Meditations to Relax, Release, and Settle into the Season
The transition from summer to fall can be a bit jarring. You’re used to living on island time, even if you’ve been working. You come home, go the pool, take...
5 Holistic Exercises to Help Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety affects 40 million adults, and one in eight children in the United States alone. This debilitating condition is often compounded by symptoms of depression and stress. Although medical attention...
A Guided Meditation to Embrace Summertime
With summer rapidly approaching, you may be gearing up for the fun, excitement, and spontaneity that are just around the corner. Out comes the camping gear, hot dogs, bathing suits,...
Airport Stress: How to Travel with Ease
Stress management is something that everyone knows is necessary, but when a stressful situation occurs, it can be hard to find a response that actually reduces the stress. Air travel...
8 Healing Benefits of Art
Those who don’t describe themselves as an artist often shy away from the thought of creating their own piece of expression. They think, “I'm not good enough” or “I could...
7 Essential Oils and Mudras for Emotional Healing and Balance
We've put together a list of emotional healing essential oils in combination with mudras (hand positions) that will help restore balance to your life. Check them out below.
10-Minute Meditations for Every Day of the Week
While your busy life seems to rule every waking moment, it can be difficult to remember that meditation can actually create a more organized, tranquil, and less chaotic life. Yet,...
Overcoming Anxiety: A Guided Meditation
Anxiety can be a daunting emotional state to find yourself in, regardless of whether the driver of the emotion is significant or totally benign.It’s that feeling of worry, nervousness, or...
8 Activities to Reset Your Mind (That Don’t Involve Meditation)
Are you yearning to reap the benefits of a meditation practice, but intimidated by the act of sitting still? Meditation is a simple, effortless process for some—but it can feel...
Break on Through: A Meditation for Overcoming Obstacles
Let’s face it, obstacles are a part of life and none of us have the playbook on how to overcome them. As ideal as it may sound, dodging obstacles isn’t...
Satnam Meditation: An Easy Meditation to Settle Your Mind
You have all the good intentions in the world to sit down to meditate. You find a comfortable spot, turn your phone to silent, let the dog play outside, give...
7 Reasons to Spend Mindful Time in Nature
Humans are designed to be outdoors. Your brain is wired to respond to the smells, sights, and sensations you receive outside. When you spend daily time outside it makes you...
How to Manage Stress, ADHD, and Anxiety for Children—Without Medication
In children, stress, anxiety, and ADHD can present a multitude of behavior issues ranging from anger, defiance, lethargy, and acting out. According to child psychiatrist Elizabeth Roberts in her Washington...
From Chaos to Calm in an Instant: How to Create a Positive Anchor
Life is stressful. It’s just the way it is … There’s nothing I can do about it … I can’t take a vacation, I’m too busy … I don’t have...
Centering Your Self in 3 Easy Steps
Learn how to find your center when experiencing the challenges of life with our three easy steps that will teach you how to restore balance to your body and mind.
Meditations for Vatas: 5 Healing Techniques for the Wandering Mind
Some people naturally have trouble concentrating, but Vatas especially tend to have a difficult time. With a predominance of air and space, Vatas usually have more trouble grounding themselves than...
3 Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Help You Fall Asleep
It’s no surprise that so many people have a hard time falling asleep—and getting quality rest once they do.In today’s hustle-bustle society, many people rush from their beds out into...
10-Minute Meditation Breaks
When kids get too rowdy, they’re given time-outs. Regardless of why parents and teachers administer a time-out, it’s ultimately meant to help children slow down, reconnect with the present moment,...
How Meditation Can Help Anxiety
Fear is a negative emotion, unless you’re facing an actual threat and need to fight or flee. And the usefulness of fear is minimal in daily life, particularly in the...
How Meditation Helped Me Relieve My Panic Attacks
Breathlessness, profound pressure in my chest, upset stomach, agoraphobia, and a distorted sense of reality—all while scratching my face constantly in desperation—were the symptoms I had when I entered the...
How Meditation Can Help You Manage Disease
Patients usually understand when I recommend meditation to control stress in their lives, even when I prescribe it for anxiety or depression. But when I suggest that my patients learn...
8 Steps Into Health, Healing, and Higher Consciousness
Yoga is a journey from the externalized, distracted, and often-crazy flood of thoughts in our minds … to the inner peace and wisdom of our deeper consciousness at our heart...
Access Inner Peace in a Noisy World
“Ping!” “Bringg!” “Beep!” “Tap, tap, tap!”Our lives are inundated with sounds, we hear them everywhere we go. Our sense of hearing is a beautiful one. We are lucky to hear...
The Art of Grounding
From time to time we have the opportunity to speak publicly about something that is meaningful in our lives. In these moments, if we can find ways to ground ourselves...
Set Your Mind Free
Do you love your mind? For many people, the answer is “no” or “not all the time.” They often feel trapped inside their thoughts and emotions, at the mercy of...
Discover Meditation’s Healing Power
If you were to ask me what the most important experience of my life has been, I would say it was learning to meditate. Meditation has been the key to...
Meditation and Yoga
Most of us can remember getting so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away and we were completely identified with the...
Meditation and Yoga: Timeless Tools to Relieve Modern Stress
Most of us can remember getting so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away and we were completely identified with the...
How Do You Stay Balanced?
Throughout my years of teaching at the Chopra Center, one of the questions that I am most frequently asked by students is, “What do YOU do to stay balanced?” The...
Clear Clutter and Enhance Your Environment
Perhaps the greatest gift of meditation is the way in which it cleanses the windows of perception, allowing us to experience our natural state of simple and open awareness. When...
Turn Any Place into a Meditation Space
Transform a Small Corner of Your Home into a Peaceful RetreatAs we teach participants in the 21-Day Meditation Challenge, creating a daily meditation practice that allows you to spend time...
Why Meditate?
During most of our waking lives, our minds are engaged in a continuous internal dialogue in which the meaning and emotional associations of one thought trigger the next. We hear...
A Meditating Brain Creates Better Relationships
It’s never too late to have a (brain that’s wired as if it had a) happy childhood.Therapists get this question a lot: “Okay, so now that I understand how my...
Find Your True Self Through Meditation
We weave lifes story from thoughts, feelings, emotions We live our life with expectations for the future meditation self discovery is a tool to find your true self.
Ask Dr. Sheila: How Ayurveda Supports Resilience
There are many tools and practices to cultivate resilience, and the healing system of Ayurveda gives us some of the most practical and effective tools.
Three Ayurvedic Tools to Help You Reduce Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life. The impact of stress on human health, especially in today’s world of overstimulation, is alarming. April has been observed as Stress Awareness Month...
4 Ayurvedic Self-Care Tips for Fall
Fall is the season of transition. Your finely tuned senses are usually the first to alert you that change is in the air. Nature is tuning in as well and...
An Ayurvedic Approach to Anxiety
The comprehensive Ayurvedic approach to anxiety includes meditation, yoga, dietary changes, and more. We also explore the use of herbs to calm nerves.
How Did Ayurvedic Spa Treatments Originate?
For millennia, Ayurvedic spa treatments have been a powerful method of releasing tension, calming the mind, and harmonizing the energy field. They do this by simultaneously addressing imbalances in the...
What Is an Ayurvedic Massage?
There are a multitude of massage types. Uncover exactly what is involved in Ayurvedic massage, the types and techniques.
How to Manage Holiday Stress: A Guide for Each Dosha
And so it begins. You deck the halls, prepare the food, get gussied up, and … whoosh! There is that debilitating wave of anxiety, aggravation, and … dread? Even for...
4 Gentle Cleansing Techniques for Spring
According to the principles of Ayurveda, spring is the cleansing season. The same way that you spring clean your home, this is a great time of year to cleanse the...
What Is Guggulu?
Discover the guggul herb and its many traditional uses in ayurveda with whole body benefits including joint, sinus, and skin relief.
Can’t Sleep? How to Treat Sleep Issues Without Medication
Sleep is vital to your health and well-being, but for some people, it’s elusive. According to the American Sleep Association, there are an estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults...
6 Ways to Fall Asleep Fast
Better sleep, better life! When you sleep well, you are not only healthier, but happier, too. And when you are healthier and happier, you are able to create stronger relationships,...
Ayurvedic Tips to Reduce Stress and Rebalance Your Dosha
Burnout is pervasive in the Unites States. You know the feeling. Maybe you’ve had to put out so many fires or had so many emotional experiences that you almost feel...
How to Get Restful Sleep
Restful sleep is the foundation for your mental and physical well-being. After a day of stimulating activity, your body needs deep sleep when your mind and body can rest and...
7 Simple Ways to De-Stress
If you feel that stress is affecting your physical health and emotional well-being, you’re not alone. An estimated 75 to 90 percent of all doctor visits are for stress-related issues...
3 Ways to Use Aromatherapy to Heal
Aromatherapy is not just a tool to make your home smell fresh before company arrives. The relationship between your nose and certain fragrances is a powerful bond that can directly...
Using Aromatherapy to Balance Your Kapha
Kaphas are calm, steady, and reliable when their dosha is balanced, but as soon as they fall off kilter, Kaphas can slow down to the point of inactivity. This means...
Balance Your Pitta With Aromatherapy
Pittas are strong and energetic when their dosha is balanced. When the Pitta dosha is off kilter, however, it can result in a short temper, skin rashes, and indigestion. Using...
How to Balance Your Vata With Aromatherapy
Vatas are full of energy and creativity when their dosha is in balance. When unbalanced, however, Vatas have a hard time focusing that energy and they can become anxious and...
Stay Centered and Energized During Vata Season
In Ayurveda the fall season corresponds to two major doshas or mind-body principles: Pitta and Vata. (Learn more about doshas here.) Autumn is considered Pitta as long as hot weather...
Love Your Body
If we have been blessed with general good health, we may tend to take our body for granted, not paying attention to what a miracle it is that we can...
Ignite Your Immune System
Every day we confront challenges to our health. Viruses, bacteria, and toxins are all around us, but our bodies manage to ward off the great majority of them. Why is...
Living Perfect Health
Lack of vital energy is a problem that usually defies conventional allopathic medicine. In most cases, if you go to a doctor complaining of nagging fatigue and flagging enthusiasm for...
A Holistic Psychiatrist’s Tips for Reducing Burnout and Enhancing Resiliency
How to heal and transform your career into something you can love and successfully manage without losing balance.
Holistic Approaches to Immune Support
Have you ever noticed you’re more likely to catch a cold if you’ve recently been stressed, slept poorly, or been emotionally upset? That last one is particularly interesting evidence of...
How Does Kindness Affect Your Mental Health?
If there was one magical cure for many of the woes of the world, it might be the power of kindness. When the epidemic of stress, anxiety, and depression threatens...
At-Home Wellness Guide to Staying Healthy During COVID-19
All these global changes due to the coronavirus can be overwhelming, but here are five simple steps you can take to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy during this time.The...
If You're Panicking About the Coronavirus, Stop Yourself by Trying These 7 Methods
It’s hard to escape the coronavirus updates, especially when it’s talked about all over the media. As much as it’s important to stay healthy physically, it’s also important to stay...
The Link Between Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome—and What You Can Do to Improve Your Digestion and Mind-Body Health
You have likely experienced stress and digestive issues at some point during your life. These two common conditions are often closely related to each other as is evident in the...
5 Resolutions to Improve Your Mental State
It’s a new year, and you’ve probably already been bombarded with information about how to envision your ideal decade, create goals, stick to resolutions, lose weight, be happier, and <insert...
8 Meditations and Mind-Body Practices to Help You Sleep
Sleep is a foundational component of the human experience. Along with wakefulness and dreaming, sleep is one of the three most familiar states of consciousness you experience on a daily...
14 Tips for Preventing Winter Weight Gain
While you may think that winter weight gain is inevitable with the colder, shorter days; the holiday bustle; and your inherent urge to hibernate more, consider these tips for taking...
How To Face & Overcome Challenges In Life With Confidence
Life is full of challenges. Some people seem to meet every challenge with confidence, while others struggle to overcome them. Pittas especially get a sense of satisfaction from facing challenges...
5 Health Benefits of Gratitude
Expressing gratitude is much more than the act of saying “thanks”—it’s the cultivation of a feeling that serves an important biological purpose. Gratitude, according to scientists, is a deep feeling...
9 Natural Remedies for Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety levels seem to be at all-time highs for too many. It’s crucial to know that there are natural antidotes, alternatives to pharmaceuticals, to help powerfully regulate these...
7 Health Benefits of Mindfulness
You’re busy. In the race to finish the seemingly never-ending list of tasks, you speed up and multitask while thinking about what’s coming next or dwelling on what just happened....
Aromatherapy: The Secret to Relaxation
We could all benefit from a bit of relaxation, whether it’s enjoying a spa day or taking moments to unwind. Making time for rest and relaxation is an important part...
A Guide to Practicing Mindfulness for Anxiety
One of my favorite spiritual teachers, Swami Satchidananda, once said that there is nothing in this world more valuable than your own peace. The first time I heard that statement...
Why Self-Care Is the Best Medicine for Managing Stress
Self-care is the best medicine for managing stress. Indeed, it may be the only medicine for managing stress. Stress builds up as you move through the world. Bills to pay,...
5 Stress-Reducing Herbal Teas
Stress. Just hearing that word can conjure up feelings of anxiety. Life offers many stressors simply during day-to-day events. School, work, health issues, busy schedules, family drama—it seems that there...
4 Ways Seasonal Changes Can Affect Your Mood
If you find yourself feeling a little less happy go lucky—or, on the contrary, you have an extra skip in your step—as the seasons change, it’s not your imagination. It’s...
How Ginger Helps Fight Inflammation
Ginger is a powerful ginger anti-inflammatory. You can eat, drink, and take it as a supplement. Ginger tastes good as well! We've included smoothie recipes to enjoy.
7 Ways to Reboot Your Brain
Rebooting your brain can help remove patterns, habits & biases that limit you. Learn how to reboot your brain and fix these issues from Chopra.
6 Ways to Boost Your Mood This Fall
As the days grow shorter, the leaves turn to shades of burnt orange, yellow, and red and are eventually released to blanket the earth. The air is a bit crisper....
10 Incredible Things That Happen to Your Body When You Relax
Relaxation may feel like an indulgence, but it is a necessity for not only your mind and soul, but also your physical body. Learn about relaxation’s health benefits and get...
Is Stress Making You Gain Weight?
You know that stress is an epidemic of the time and that more folks are coping with high-stress levels than ever before, but do you know about the impact that...
How Music Relieves Stress and Helps You Relax
Music has been used for hundreds of years to restore harmony between mind and body. In recent decades, researchers have measured health-related advantages of music, particularly as they relate to...
6 Nighttime Routines for Total Relaxation
Would you like to elevate your health, productivity, and mood? It is not as difficult as you might think. In fact, this task could be as simple as incorporating a...
The Harmful Effects of Chronic Stress
Everyone has a stress set point. In other words, your early childhood events imprint your corticotropin-releasing hormone, the peptide hormone involved in the stress response, at a certain level. This...
8 Unique Strategies for Stress Reduction That You Haven’t Thought of
For your ancestors who hunted and gathered their own food and ran from bears, stress was a helpful motivator that ignited their critical fight-or-fight survival mode. In modern-day society, the...
Do You Need a Wellness Vacation?
Do you ever want to press the reset button? Start fresh and get back to you? If a little rejuvenation and renewal sound good right about now, then a wellness...
10 Easy Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Mental Health
You were likely taught at a young age how to maintain your physical health. You were told to exercise, eat clean, and steer clear of junk food. Mental health and...
3 Strategies to Remain Centered During the Holidays
The holidays are here! This may be your favorite time of the year, celebrating with loved ones and taking a pause form your busy and hectic life. However, the holidays...
5 Ways to Stay Energized This Holiday Season
The holidays can be a stressful time for many people. With work parties, family gatherings, Christmas shopping, and baking, it’s easy to get caught up in indulgences. Between the long...
The Impact of Holiday Stress on the Mind and Body
‘Tis the season for joyful gatherings with family, remembering your blessings, and celebrations. But it can also be a season full of expectations and stress as you scramble to deck...
5 Benefits of Moving Your Body Every Day
Learn more about the everyday benefits of movement from Chopra with everything from better mood to an improved sex life.
How Practicing Self-Care Can Improve Every Aspect of Your Life
Turbulence. Chaos. Frustration. These words may describe your days. You are over-stimulated, frenzied, stressed, exhausted, fatigued, and desperate as you attempt to cope with the challenges of modern life. If...
Reducing Inflammation Starts with the Vagus Nerve
Learn about the vagus nerve and how it plays a role in inflammation. Learn vagus nerve massages and other ways to naturally reduce inflammation.
Managing Menopause: Lifestyle and Nutrition Changes to Ease Symptoms
Hormones are chemical messengers that are released by different glands and travel through the bloodstream to influence organs and processes throughout the body. The endocrine system is made up of...
13 Health Conditions Linked to the Gut Microbiome
Almost two decades ago, the term “gut microbiome” was coined to describe the trillions of microbes that reside in your gut. Scientists once thought that these microbes were just hitching...
3 Lifestyle Hacks to Dampen Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural and needed process in the body; it is part of an effective immune system response. The body uses beneficial acute inflammatory reactions to direct blood flow,...
What to Look for in a Good Doctor
Everyone is a patient and healer in some respect. Your body is constantly breaking down and repairing itself whether you realize it or not. If you have ever been to...
Quiz: Are You an Empath?
Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned instruments when it comes to emotions. If you are an empath, you feel everything, sometimes to an extreme, and are less apt to intellectualize...
8 Ways to Overcome Belly Bloating
Are you tired of walking around feeling bloated? You feel bloated in your belly when air or gas is trapped in your gastrointestinal tract. It can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and...
The Side Effects of Worrying—and What to Do Instead
Mild levels of worry can be helpful as you prep for what’s to come. But if you’re reaching worrywart levels, how does worrying affect the body?
A Better Answer to Chronic Stress
If an epidemic is defined as a disease that affects whole populations without having a medical cure, then the epidemic of modern life is stress.Stress itself is not a disease,...
Sleep, the Miracle Drug that Resets Your Body and Mind
The following is an excerpt from the new book by Suhas G. Kshirsagar BAMS, MD—Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life.In sleep labs all over the world, researchers study the body’s...
Sleep: The Most Overlooked Key to Vibrant Health
Getting abundant, restful sleep is one of the best ways to improve your physical health and emotional well-being. As you slumber, your body may seem inert, but in fact, it’s...
Smiling Is Powerful Medicine: Research on How Smiling Can Improve Your Health, and Relationships
No matter where you find yourself on this planet or what language you speak, you’ll know a smile when you see one. While cross-cultural studies reveal slightly different meanings ascribed...
8 Routine Habits That May Be Stressing You Out
With the chaos across the globe and in your everyday life, it can be easy to overlook seemingly minor stressors. Sometimes it’s easy to identify the daily habits that induce...
How to Remain Calm and Cool During the Holidays
Getting through the holidays well is part of being on your own path. What works at this time of year is the same as the rest of the year, except...
How Yoga Can Support Mental Health
Yoga has always been a practice of mental development (and for many, in recent years, physical development) with the goal to experience expanded consciousness and enlightenment. As the ancient sage...
How to Reverse the Effects of Chronic Stress
Acute stress, which is short term and the most common form of stress, can be motivating and some even find it exciting when experienced in low doses. Chronic stress, however,...
A Before-Bed Routine for Restful Sleep
According to happiness researcher Gretchen Rubin, what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while. Since you go to sleep every day (well, late-night...
6 Myths About Aging: How to View Maturing in a Positive Light
Aging is a natural process in life. Every single day you are older than you were the day before. Stereotypes about aging would have you believe that as you get...
How to Use Stress to Your Advantage
Stress is usually characterized as an unpleasant and unwelcome feeling that expresses itself both physically and mentally. The effects of stress range from irritability and anxiety to raised blood pressure...
Quit These 5 Habits to Help Reduce Anxiety
Nervousness, panic attacks, road rage, and feelings of sadness plague more Americans than you might think. According to CCHR International, 36 million Americans were taking anti-anxiety drugs and 41 million...
Can Lifestyle Changes Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack?
Doing what you can to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and death is an important endeavor in your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. And often, lowering your cholesterol is part of...
The Power of the Brain-Gut Connection: 5 Ways to Combat Stress’ Impact on Digestion
If you have ever “choked under pressure” or felt your “stomach in knots” when faced with a difficult decision, you are familiar with the powerful ways in which stress can...
The Secret to Your Spiritual Well-being
There is power in nature. Generally undisrupted by modern conveniences, nature offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of your daily life. No cubicles, no traffic, no emails—it’s a...
The Caregiver’s Guide to Self-Care: Part I
“Never give from the depths of your well, but from your overflow.”--RumiAt 22 I decided to put my career on hold and return home to take care of my grandfather...
How to Improve Your Mood with a Healthy Gut
Your mood can be affected by a variety of factors, including thought patterns, chemical imbalances, and sleep quality. But what about your gut? While you may not think of your...
7 Strategies for a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season
The holidays are a wonderful time of year with joy, cheer, and gratitude in abundance. Everywhere you look, people seem to be in high spirits: being kind to one another,...
How to Use Aromatherapy for Optimized Health and Well-Being
It’s no secret that scent can have a powerful effect on your life. Just a hint of a particular aroma can conjure memories—both good and bad. It can even have...
Physical Pain as a Teacher: 5 Life Practices
We all experience physical pain at some point in our lives. The pain could be acute from a broken bone, or it could be ongoing from a serious, chronic condition....
3 Ways to Use Anxiety to Your Advantage
You may associate anxiety with the negative symptoms it produces, such as accelerated heart rate, racing thoughts, and feelings of intense fear. But according to the research I’ll discuss in...
Infographic: 10 Ways to De-Stress Your Mind and Body
There’s good stress and there’s bad stress. Do you know the difference? And how are you dealing yours? Learn 10 tried-and-true tactics to manage your stress, so you can get...
7 Health Benefits of Owning a Pet
There are few things better than coming home from a stressful day at work to an excited dog or cat that is able to provide you with the comfort and...
8 Ways to Improve Your Sleep Habits
Sleep is critical for good health and well-being. However, due to our busy lifestyles, millions of us do not get enough sleep—a problem that can lead to lack of attention,...
How to Get Over Your Anxiety
Many people, especially men, don't like to admit that they feel anxious. But in reality, everyone's life has nail-biting moments. The demand to meet deadlines and quotas at work can...
5 Ways Music Enhances Your Mood and Health
Music can make a daily work commute or a mundane task feel more bearable, and scientific research has shown music’s influence to extend much further. It can literally change your...
How to Make Cleansing and Detoxing Part of Your Life
The value of pure food, water, and air has become increasingly evident in today’s society. With this newfound attitude, we have become more conscious than ever about toxins. The human...
The Role of Energy and Stress in Fertility
It’s easy to become obsessed with your diet, temperature, and ovulation schedule when you’re trying to get pregnant.These things can actually exacerbate your infertility. We often rely on outside people...
8 Acupressure Points to Relieve Headaches
Headaches are frequent cause for concern: Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room for a headache or migraine. The three most common types of...
8 Acupressure Points to Reduce Stress
Long ago, when your hunter-gatherer ancestors came across a bear in the woods, they experienced what is now called stress: elevated heart rate, quick breathing, and tense muscles. This response...
7 Ways to Avoid the Winter Blahs
Whether you live in sunny California or you're buried under a foot of snow in Michigan, the winter blahs can make you want to hibernate. Winter causes a mild case...
5 Aromatherapy Recipes to End Holiday Stress
The spicy, sweet aromas of the holiday season can spark joyful memories, strong emotions, and big appetites. They can also offer health benefits. Pure essential oils such as cinnamon, clove,...
Stress Eating: What It Is and How to Prevent It
Do you reach for the pantry after a stressful day? Learn ways to stop stress eating and break the cycle of stress so you can prevent emotional eating from happening...
3 Healthy Habits to Help You Banish Stress
We all know how unpleasant and uncomfortable stress can feel, but just how unhealthy is it? While studies have shown short-term stress can help boost the immune system, chronic stress...
5 Ways to Be Happier
“Happy” is a challenging word. To some, it suggests spiritual bliss. To others, it indicates sensual pleasure. To me, it means a fundamental, persistent state of contentment and serenity. From...
Food for Thought: 6 Steps to Emotional Wellness
The quality of the food you eat directly affects the quality of your physical health. The same could be said for the thoughts that you have.Hippocrates said it more than...
10 Ways to De-stress Your Mind and Body
There’s good stress … and then there’s bad stress. Do you know the difference? And how are you dealing yours? It’s important to be aware of what stresses you out,...
Stress: A Badge of Honor or a Code Word for Fear?
According to the Center for Disease Control, 80% of visits to the doctor are believed to be stress-related. Yet what is “stress” if not fear, anxiety, and worry dressed up...
7 Mind-Body Practices to Transform Your Relationship with Stress
If you were to eavesdrop on the conversations taking place around you, stress would likely be one of the most common words you would hear. People talk about feeling stressed...
Plan a Getaway to Reduce Stress
Taking annual vacations is really good for you. Ask your doctor: it appears that going on vacation may not be an icing-on-the-cake type of indulgence—it may actually be necessary for...
How to Create an Exercise Routine for Your Dosha
Our bodies are designed for physical activity—to move and breathe and circulate our vital life energy. More than 5,000 years ago, the master Ayurvedic physician Charaka wrote, “From physical exercise,...
Smile Your Way Out of Stress
Put a pencil between your lips in just the right way, and you’ll feel happier—though you won’t know why. The result is so reliable, I used this trick on students...
Manage Your Time to Manage Your Stress
Stressed out because you have too much to do? You’re not alone. A busy calendar is one of the biggest contributors to stress. When we have a lot on our...
Sleep to Combat Stress
Restful sleep is an essential key to staying healthy and vital. When you’re well-rested, you can approach stressful situations more calmly, yet sleep is so often neglected or underemphasized.There is...
Winter, Stress, and Vedic Astrology
During the dark winter season when there is a limited amount of light, it is especially important to reconnect with friends and loved ones and with our deeper self. Reconnecting...
New Book from Deepak! What Are You Hungry For?
A mind-body approach is the key to lifelong wellbeing.After promoting this message worldwide for thirty years, Deepak Chopra focuses on the huge problem of weight control in America with exciting...
New Clinical Study: Endorphinate
New Clinical Study Finds that Endorphinate® Provides Effective, Safe Relief for Chronic Anxiety, Depression, Cravings, and Pain HypersensitivityGroundbreaking research recently published in the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science* (JBBS)...
Choose Love
Learn how to choose love and focus your attention on what really matters in life with these tips from the experts from Chopra.
How to Release the Past and Return to Love
We have all experienced loss, heartache, and sorrow. Nobody wants to go through emotional pain, but it is inevitable. Here is how to let go of past trauma.
Addiction Recovery
“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask yourself if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.”...
7 Secrets to Grow Younger, Live Longer
Only a few decades ago, conventional medicine viewed the body as a machine whose parts would inevitably break down until it could no longer be repaired. As a medical student,...
Hit the Road
Taking annual vacations really is good for you.Get Out of TownAsk your doctor: It appears that going on vacation may not be an icing-on-the-cake type of indulgence – it may...
Reset Your Brain for Peace and Wellbeing
If we look at how most people manage their day, taking time for peace and quiet is last on their list. They don’t see the difference between a brain that...
To Have More, Give All
Commitment is the ultimate assertion of human freedom. It releases all the energy you possess and enables you to take quantum leaps in creativity. When you set a one-pointed intention...
Healing the Source of Emotional Pain
The human mind, inherently impatient, triggers emotional reactions when our ideas about how things should be collide with how things are. We sometimes torment ourselves about choices we’ve made, words...
Healing Wisdom
Every emotion has a beginning and an end. Like an ocean wave, even the most painful feeling crests and dissipates. In our confusion, however, we sometimes block the natural flow...
Take Charge of Your Own Wellness
A basic outline for prevention has existed for more than thirty years, but wellness has had a hard time making real headway. Old habits are hard to break. Our society...
Type 2 Diabetes and the Circle of Life
Type 2 diabetes has become an increasing problem in modern America. Because it is chiefly linked to obesity, as more people become overweight, and as the age of gaining weight...
7 Ways to Nurture Your Immune System This Holiday Season
Hundreds of studies over the past decade have found that the level of stress or comfort we feel in our lives influences our immune cells. When we are experiencing a...
5 Fall Foods Full of Flavor
Have you heard of the six flavors? Each flavor is known in Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India) for different qualities and elements. Each of the six flavors has its...
10 Foods That Help Fight Stress
Stress is a word everyone is familiar with and a feeling that everyone experiences. There are different kinds of stress—mental, physical, emotional—but the body responds in the same way no...
6 Superstar Spices of Ayurveda, Plus 3 Recipes
Ayurveda considers food to be one of the most important pillars of health. You have heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Ayurveda takes this one step further—you are...
5 High-Fiber Recipes to Cleanse Your Digestive Tract
Most people know eating fiber is important. But what does that even mean? Why fiber? What is it and what role does it play in your health?Fiber comes in two...
Electrolytes: The Hidden Key to Summer Hydration
Staying hydrated is key to many functions in the human body, and in summer heat, it can be difficult to maintain your hydration. One of the largest roles that water...
Eating for the Environment: The 3 R’s
You can hardly watch the news without being reminded of global warming. Research provided by NASA has found that the atmospheric temperature has risen at an unprecedented rate since 1950;...
The Vedic Chef: 3 Ayurvedic Recipes that Balance All 6 Tastes
In Ayurveda, there are six tastes that you can include in every meal: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Meals with all six tastes are great opportunities to help...
Bringing Gratitude to Our Food System
Have you ever stopped to think about what it takes to get the food on your plate?Most people eat three times per day (or more), but rarely take the time...
5 Savvy Tips for the Farmers’ Market
Local markets have traditionally served as a place to not only buy and sell goods, but also as a hub of community activity. These days, especially in the U.S. where...
How to Fight Oxidative Stress with Plant Foods
Stress is abundant and seems to be on the rise. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 75 percent of doctor visits are due to stress.One type...
8 Yoga Poses to Help You Manage Stress
No matter who you are, where you live, or what type of work you do, chances are good that stress is a regular part of your life. Stress takes the...
Find Your Inner Warrior: Build Courage with These 3 Warrior Poses
The warrior poses are among the most well recognized postures in the Hatha yoga tradition. Standing poses that are accessible to almost everyone—Virabhadrasana I, II, and III—engage the entire physical...
5 Breath Practices to Warm You Up from the Inside Out
Try these 5 yoga breathing techniques to keep warm when it cools down. From ujjayi breathing to box breathing and wim hof techniques we'll show you how to warm yourself...
5 Yoga Poses to Promote Calmness During the Holidays
The holidays are full of excitement with preparations and the anticipation of spending time with loved ones. It’s easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of it all and...
Create Your Own Mini-Retreat
Don't have the time or money for a weeklong retreat? That doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself the break. Here’s how to create retreats to find yourself.
A 20-Minute Yoga Sequence to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
You know those days when everything feels difficult. Days when your sluggishness can’t be remedied with yerba matè, when the ad for baby diapers makes you well up, when the...
6 Yoga Poses That Help Reduce Anxiety
The never-ending flow of information from news sites and social media feeds can cause even calm people to feel anxious or stressed. It’s no wonder that some 40 million adults...
10 Yoga Poses That Fend Off Stress During the Holidays
Stress and fatigue are often unwelcome guests during the holiday season. Stress might join you while cooking a holiday meal, decorating your house in preparation for a party, or shopping...
Nadi Shodhana: How to Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi Shodhana, or “alternate nostril breathing,” is a simple technique that provides many benefits. Follow these steps to find your center with nadi shodhana.
3 Poses and 3 Breaths to Manage Your Stress
Take a moment and focus on your breath. What do you notice? Are you holding it? Are you taking shallow breaths? Is your breathing heavy and labored? Focusing on your...
Yoga Off the Mat … and On the Commute
For many of us, the act of driving is an aspect of our lives that we take for granted. Getting behind the wheel to go to work, school, the store,...
Overcoming the 8 Obstacles to Mindfulness
Without question, mindfulness has been experiencing a huge surge of popularity over the last several decades. Hospitals, schools, corporations, law enforcement, athletes, the armed forces, and high performers from all...
5 Ways to Cultivate Peace at Your Desk
You are a modern day Superhero of epic proportion. Your talents are far-reaching and your noble duties are not for the faint of heart. You are able to engage in...
10 Things to Do When You’re Overwhelmed
Life can be challenging. With all the demands put upon you by work, family, relationships, external circumstances, and even yourself, it often feels as if you are Atlas, supporting the...
6 Tools for Cultivating Self-Compassion During the COVID-19 Pandemic
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”—The Dalai LamaThe past few months have been an experience unlike any other in recent human history. Businesses are...
How to Find Your Zen When You’re at Your Breaking Point
These nine healthy emotional processing tips will help us grow and reconnect with the peace and possibility that resides within the moment. Zen awaits!
6 Healthy Ways to Manage Social Anxiety
“I just don’t want to go.”“Ugh, I’d rather stay home.” “Just thinking about going to that party is giving me so much anxiety.” “Maybe I’ll go for a little while...
5 Practices to Help You Be More Present This Thanksgiving
Are you finding yourself constantly thinking about your to-do list this time of year? Maybe you need to plan a menu, shop for the holiday meal, coordinate travel plans, purchase...
5 Ways to Show Gratitude in Your Workplace
Have you ever received a thank-you gift from a colleague or client? Been recognized or awarded for your hard work? Received a shout out for your contributions or input? Then...
Why and How to Become a Better Listener
Who is the best listener you know? Would anyone in your life answer you?Few people are taught how to listen. Aside from being told to “listen up” or “pay attention”...
The Importance of Doing Nothing: Art of Relaxation
“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.” –Lao TzuDoing nothing probably sounds good, but when is the last time you really did it? Turned off your devices? Practiced...
5 Tips for Achieving Personal Growth During Challenging Times
Personal growth is that shiny object everyone gravitates toward to some extent, even if you don’t really know what it means or how to satisfy the craving. Just the term...
How to Reduce Stress Through Positive Thinking: 5 Methods
There is an epidemic of stress, depression, and anxiety. Despite the fact that people are talking more openly about their mental health, removing stigma does not seem to have affected...
8 Ways to Choose Optimism Over Pessimism
Is your cup half empty or half full? Your answer to this question says a lot about you, your health, and your happiness. At a time when the world could...
Emotional Framework: How to Experience Emotions in a Healthy Way
Experiencing and expressing emotions are integral parts of life. Yet, for many people, emotions remain mysterious, confusing, and difficult to express . No one is given an emotional rule book,...
4 Techniques to Outsmart Your Mind to a Better State
You may have noticed times when you want to feel a certain way, but your mind isn’t cooperating. Have you ever wanted to feel confident, but you didn’t? Have you...
6 Ways to Find Happiness in Tough Times
Part of being human is experiencing the challenges life throws at you. Sometimes you’re prepared for them and other times you’re completely blindsided. Here’s the good news: while it’s impossible...
The Rx for Imposter Syndrome
Have you ever felt like you weren't deserving of your successes in life? Maybe there is a little nagging voice inside you that says you’re not good enough or qualified...
8 Work-Life Balance Tips for Wellness
You may have difficulty finding a balance between your exhaustive role at work and your busy life at home. You may think that there is not enough time in the...
5 Tips to Cultivate Personal Power and Self-Confidence
When you step into your power, you cultivate self-esteem and personal worth. A new sense of freedom emerges, doubts fall away, and you quit being a marionette to other people’s...
6 Podcasts for Personal Growth
Podcasts can be funny, entertaining, educational, and inspiring all at once. During your personal development journey, you can use them as a reliable tool to arm yourself with knowledge, encouragement,...
Need a Vacation from Your Vacation? 3 Tips to Help You Recharge While on Holiday
It's summertime—the season of sunshine, fresh air, and getaways. You may be traveling, taking some time off work, or wanting to make the most of the longer days and the...
8 Ways to Integrate Music into Your Life
It’s no small thing that music affects your moods—it’s that feeling of nostalgia when the theme song from your senior prom comes on the radio. Or that burst of energy...
8 Simple Tips to Help You Simplify Your Life
With books like The More of Less by Josh Becker and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, people are talking about the effects of simplicity. Is simplicity...
3 Empowering Ways to Lead the Charge for Change
Acts of violence, terrorism, and major natural catastrophes dominate global headlines and, in some cases, they have hit you directly. There is no avoiding the effects these events have; you...
10 Excuses Why You're Not Reaching Your Goals—and How to Push Past Them
You have an intention. There’s something you really want to achieve in your life, possibly several things, and no matter how hard you try you’re just not able to make...
Burnout: 5 Steps to Take When You Are Running on Empty
Stress happens when something comes between you and something you want. It’s a fact of life that things don’t always go your way. We all deal with it—until we don’t—and...
New Year’s Possibilities: Say Goodbye to the Old and Call in the New
Times of transition give you a great opportunity to reevaluate many areas of your life. The turning of the year is a time when people make resolutions to start a...
9 Strategies to Get Motivated When You Feel Depleted
Feeling unmotivated can be attributed to things such as lack of sleep, worry, or just plain laziness. Regardless of why you feel unmotivated, its interference with your productivity can lead...
3 Common Holiday Stressors—and How to Cope
Holidays are a time for coming together with loved ones to celebrate seasonal festivities. And yet, the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of year for many...
9 Opportunities for Growth Following Tragedy
A seed must crack wide open and break apart before the flower can grow. A caterpillar must feel like its world is over before it becomes a butterfly. Before times...
5 Ways to Embrace Imperfection
Here are five views of imperfection that can help you to soften your expectations of yourself, embrace your incompleteness, and create more room for beauty, compassion, and contentment
9 First Steps for Times of Transition
There are turning points in people’s lives that occur in a natural progression – transitioning from college to the working world, from being single to being married, from taking care...
5 Healing Benefits of Listening to Music
Music is a universal language. It has the unique ability to communicate with you and connect you to the Universe in ways you can’t find elsewhere.If you’re open to its...
4 Tips to Have a Healthy Debate
Recently, there seems to be a lot more public debates than ever before. From the way our society should be ran or what is morally correct, to how and if...
5 Ways to Instantly Live in the Present
Have you ever gotten into your car for your morning commute, only to find yourself in your parking spot and having no recollection of driving there? If you’re like me,...
6 Ways to Combat Doubt and Uncertainty
You know it all too well: that sinking feeling that you’re not good enough, that you don’t have what it takes to succeed, or that you won’t be able to...
3 Keys to Finding Yourself in Your Busy Life
The constant running between your job, family, and friends—not to mention the incessant pings and notifications from your smartphone—can leave you feeling like you’re on a hamster wheel; you’re running,...
10 Ways to Combat the Monday Blues
It’s Monday morning and you just can’t seem to find your rhythm. You’re convinced that the universe is working against you and all that’s going through your head is Carly...
Compromise, Negotiate, Mediate: 3 Factors for Conflict Resolution
Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.- Ronald ReaganEffective communication is without a doubt one of the most important skills you...
7 Ways to Make Peace at the Office
The workplace is a special place in certain ways, because the people we interact with are not of our choosing most of the time, and relating to them isn’t the...
Can Money Buy You Happiness?
Have you ever thought: If only I had (fill in blank), then I would be happy. Whether it’s a bigger house, nicer car or heftier paycheck, it’s easy to think...
How to Stay Centered in Workplace Chaos
If you feel like your job or colleagues sap your energy and tranquility, you’re not alone. Even people who have rewarding careers can get drawn into the chaos and drama...
Corporate Calm: 7 Steps to Sharing Mind-Body Wellness in the Workplace
Over the past few decades, mind-body wellness has had a noticeable impact on the corporate landscape. More and more businesses, both large and small, have been integrating a holistic, consciousness-based...
Healthy Ways to Take in Mass Media News
Recently, a young woman asked me how I cope with all the bad news in the world these days. She’s not sure how to manage it all. As an intelligent...
7 Ways to Reduce Family Stress During the Holidays
Are your holidays full of relaxation and quality time with family? If not, you’re not alone. In fact, 62 percent of Americans indicated that they feel stress during the holidays...
Quiet Down! How to Find Silence in the Modern World
Stop for a second. Listen. What do you hear? The mechanical hum of the refrigerator? The whir of the clothes dryer? The digital ding of an incoming email? The ubiquitous,...
How to Manage Your Anger
Anger is one of the most destructive emotions. It ruins relationships, intimidates co-workers, and creates bad feelings. So it's surprising that it's often an overlooked issue. In some quarters anger...
Are We Teaching Our Children to Stress?
It’s always a hurried affair, getting the family ready for the day. You have to dress yourself for work, feed the clan, dress the kids, and make sure everyone starts...
Do Be Do Be Do
About a year and a half ago I attended my first official meditation retreat. It was with Deepak Chopra and The Chopra Center. Prior to this, I was what would...
Concepts to Calm and Comfort
I am going to assume that y’all are already on board with my obsessive belief that we are undergoing a transformation of human consciousness. I could be wrong, but let’s...
Workwell
Dear friend,I hope that this email finds you feeling balanced, centered, healthy – and happy. Here at the Chopra Center we are excited about the launch of our Workplace Wellbeing...
Cultivate the Healing Power of Gratitude
Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use to expand our happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve our health.Many scientific studies, including research by renowned psychologists Robert...
3 Steps to Break Out of a Rut
In every moment of our existence, we have access to an infinity of choices. As a result of conditioning, however, most of us tend to act in predictable, repetitious ways....