About 2,500 years ago a young prince by the name Siddhartha went on to become first Gautama the monk and finally Buddha the Compassionate One – the embodiment of enlightenment. Today, Buddhism ranks as a secular philosophy and its practical implications, in my mind, hold the key to solving many of our problems both personal and collective. A number of people are familiar with the essentials of Buddha’s teachings. More>>
Featured Program
Featuring Deepak, David, Vasant Lad, Jeremy Geffen and other special guests.
What We Are Watching
A new movie based on Deepak's best selling book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success DVD
Featuring Olivia Newton-John
Teacher Feature
Students in our Dharma Room
We are proud to bring to the world our new graduating classes of
Primordial Sound Meditation Instuctors
and
Perfect Health Instructors!
Congratulations!
Meet Mother - Daughter
Certified Instructors
Janné John and Donna Gingg
San Luis Obispo, CA
Is becoming a Chopra Center Teacher on your path?
More>>
Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor Training
Perfect Health Instructor Training
Find a local Chopra Center Certified Instructor now>>
On the Air
Tune in to Sirius Stars Channel 102 every Saturday at 10am EST for your weekly dose of Chopra balance and wellbeing.
Not a subscriber yet?
Learn more>>
Have you read ChopraBlog Today? more>>
Happenings at the Chopra Center & Spa @ Dream, NY
Primordial Sound Meditation
June 9-10
Saturday 1:00 – 5:00
Sunday 12:00 – 2:00
Perfect Health
August 16-18
Sundays for Peace
Sundays: 2:00 – 3:15 pm
Come nourish and inspire peace in our community. Join us to meditate, listen to excerpts from Deepak Chopra's book Peace Is The Way, and reflect in the presence of each other. Complimentary.
To attend a program in New York City call 212.246.7600 or
Email us here
www.chopracenterny.com
Neti Pot
As mentioned by Dr. Oz on Oprah. The practice of nasal cleansing - known as Neti - has been used by practitioners of Ayurveda and Yoga in India for thousands of years. Neti is used to relieve sinus and nasal congestion, infections, post nasal drip and headaches. Learn more about Neti pots here
Present Moment Awareness
As you read these words, you are breathing - yet probably unaware of whether you are inhaling or exhaling. Maybe you have other thoughts on your mind – thinking about a person in your life; wondering about the state of the world; drifting your mind to an appointment you have or a conversation you had. Most of our time is spent immersed in words and deeds that occurred in the past or in our projections and mental journeys into the future - hoping, calculating, planning, wondering. It’s rare that our whole being drifts to the present moment…the here and now, so delicately sandwiched between our past experiences and future dreams. We’ve all heard the expression “Stop and smell the roses.” But what does it really mean to embrace our current slice of existence without attachment to the past or future? To breathe the aroma of life deep into ourselves, and innocently surrender to the present moment where we are both individual and infinite?
Close your eyes and breathe in and out. As your mind drifts to past events or meanders to thoughts about the future, gently drift back to your breath. With each inhalation and each exhalation you can bring yourself back to center – back to the present. Stop reading these words and try it now for a few moments. Utilizing mindfulness tools like breath awareness, meditation, yoga, and the intention to be present in each moment, you can further explore the possibilities: What would it feel like to be completely connected to spirit in each moment? Not reliving the past or projecting into the future -simply allowing yourself to be: breath by breath. Sweetly present to whatever it is the universe has planned.
This edition of Namaste celebrates present moment awareness – the ability to transcend space and time – to embrace our individuality and our universality simultaneously or as many sages have phrased it “To just be.” David Simon explains this state of unbounded awareness as “moving through life with full engagement while remaining detached from the outcome.” It is our attachment to past outcomes and our fear of future outcomes that often prevent us from being “in the moment.” At some point in our lives, we’ve witnessed an athlete performing brilliantly or an actor purely channeling his or her character. We’ve referred to them as being “in the zone.” But they are simply being present.
So read on and join us on a journey into that magical ability of sentient beings to tap into the realm of the senses, drink life purely, and enter a state of witnessing awareness. Dr. Simon’s article helps reconnect us to our timeless spirit while Deepak shares present moment insights from his newest book, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment. Our teacher feature celebrates our spring graduating classes of more than 50 new Certified Perfect Health and Primordial Sound Meditation instructors who each day bring present moment awareness to thousands of students around the world. Nestled throughout this Namaste are quotations from both ancient rishis and modern sages on the meaning of present moment awareness. As May moves into June, we offer an Ayurvedic recipe to help you stay present as the seasons change. And our yoga and meditation Q&A should help you strengthen your practices of meditation and body-centered restful awareness. So breathe deep, follow the flow and celebrate the moment – this moment and allow yourself to just “be.”
Peace. The Chopra Center Staff
P.S. As always, send your comments, suggestions and feedback here
Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
New York Times Best Seller!
Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
by Deepak Chopra
Dear Friends,
When I first came across the Buddha's teachings, I asked myself, “How could a human being born in royalty surrounded by pleasure see through to the truth so clearly?” I began to study Buddha’s life as a sacred journey. Buddha saw himself as someone who is awake. The word Buddha literally means the awakened one.
As I embarked on the sacred journey I tried to imagine what his internal struggle might have been. Everything he knew, he knew from arduous and sometimes bitter experience. He went through extreme suffering – almost to the death – and emerged something incredibly precious. Buddha literally became the truth. “Whoever sees me sees the teaching," he says, "and whoever sees the teaching, sees me.” He was as mortal as you and I, yet he attained enlightenment and raised to the rank of mortal. The miracle is that he got there following a heart as human as yours and mine, and just as vulnerable. This sacred journey appears as the novel, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
Love,
Deepak
Meditation Q&A
Q: I keep having thoughts during my meditation. I’m trying really hard to concentrate but I keep drifting to thoughts. Does this mean I’m a failure at meditation?
A: No. It means you are alive! Having thoughts is normal. We have between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts per day. Closing your eyes and meditating doesn’t stop the thoughts. It simply helps you disconnect from them. As for concentrating, that could be a reason you are struggling. There is no need to concentrate or focus. Simply repeat your mantra gently or follow your breath and flow with it. When you notice your awareness has drifted away to thoughts in your mind, sounds in the environment, or sensations in your body just drift back to the mantra or back to following your breath. Learning a meditation practice is something that is best done with guidance and routine. The Chopra Center has trained more than a thousand certified instructors throughout the world to teach Primordial Sound Meditation
Send us your meditation question here
To learn this easily accessible practice, find an instructor in your area or visit us at the Chopra Center and let us teach you how to bring present moment awareness into each day.
Lengthen the muscles in your spine and hips, and really sink in to this pose. More>>
Looking for a way to take your Yoga practice to the next level? Teach Yoga>>
"Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of a problem."
– J. Krishnamurti
"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present."
– Tagore
"I beg you to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves."
– Rainer Maria Rilke
"All the Buddhas of all the ages have been telling you a very simple fact: Be – don't try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained. Being is enlightenment, becoming is ignorance."
– Osho
Namaste is our connection to the global community of likeminded individuals. Please share the articles and features in this newsletter freely with your friends, love ones, and colleagues. One person at at a time we wil build the global network of peace, healing, and transformation. To enroll in a Chopra Center experience or find out more information call 888.736.6895 or email us here
Arriving home after being out of town for a few days, our adopted Golden Retriever, Bodhi greets me as if he hasn’t seen me in months. A few minutes later, I walk to the mailbox, and upon returning home, Bodhi again greets me with a level of exuberance that pays little heed to the fact that we had a nearly identical reunion just moments earlier. In a way, Bodhi is a master of present moment awareness. More>>
Each week at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, we are joined by those seeking Perfect Health – a program designed by Deepak and David that fuses modern western medicine with the ancient healing arts of the East. Attendees cite stress, detoxification, divorce, chronic pain, cancer, immune deficiencies, and anxiety as some of the key reasons for spending the week with us. Read more about Perfect Health>>
Where's Deepak
May 15
May 16
May 18
May 19
May 22
May 27
May 28
May 29
May 30 -Jun 1
Jun 3
Jun
6-10
Jun
15-17
Jun 20-23
Book early and save!
An Ayurvedic Immersion
Journey Into Healing
Nov 28 - Dec 1, Westminster Colorado
(6 month special pricing expires May 28th)
Meditate with Deepak
Seduction of Spirit
July 30 - Aug 4, Whistler, Canada
(60-day special pricing expires May 30th)
Let go of emotional pain
Healing the Heart
August 17-19, Lake San Marcos, CA
(60-day special pricing expires June 10th)
The Signature Chopra Center Wellness Program
Perfect Health
June 25-29
(30-day special pricing expires May 25th)
July 23-27
(60-day special pricing expires May 23rd)
Request more information
Call 888.736.6895 or email us here
Q: I was at Yoga class the other day and the instructor told me to breathe in and out through my nose, but I thought I was supposed to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. Which is correct for Yoga?
A: There are many different Yogic breathing techniques, known as Pranayama, that influence the mind and body. In the book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, Deepak and David discuss several methods of breathing. Keep Reading>>
100 Questions From My Child
by Mallika Chopra
Present Moment Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Awakening the Buddha Within : Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
by Lama Surya Das
The 10-Minute Rejuvenation Plan: T5T: The Revolutionary Exercise Program That Restores Your Body and Mind
by Carolinda Witt
