By Deepak Chopra7 STEPS TO
RADICAL WELLBEING© 2015 The Chopra Center. All rights reserved. Published by Chopra Center Press, a division of Chopra Center Enterprises, LLC  
2013 Costa Del Mar Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009 | chopra.com  
Copy by Deepak ChopraALSO BY THE CHOPRA CENTER PRESS:
Books
Free to Love, Free to Heal: Heal Your Body  
by Healing Your Emotions, by David Simon, M.D. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Guidebook
21 Days of Inspiration
Wisdom for Living: Deepak Chopra’s Book of QuotesOnly 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 and lifespan. Today scientific research is arriving at a radically different understanding: while 
the body appears to be material, it is really a field of energy and intelligence that is 
inextricably connected to the mind. We now know that what used to be considered 
the “normal” experience of aging—a progressive descent into physical and mental 
incapacity—is in large part a conditioned response. The mind influences every cell in 
the body and therefore human aging is fluid and changeable. It can speed up, slow 
down, and even reverse itself. There are many studies demonstrating the profound influence of the mind and 
beliefs on aging. For example, a landmark study by Harvard psychologist Ellen 
Langer, Ph.D., showed that the so-called irreversible signs of aging, including 
deterioration in hearing, vision, manual dexterity, muscle strength, and memory, 
could be reversed through psychological shifts in awareness and increases in 
physical and mental activity. Even though we all have genetic predispositions, our health and aging aren’t 
predetermined. By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus 
our attention, we can transform our experience of our body to decrease our 
biological age. These seven steps are practical ways to tap into your inner reservoir of unlimited 
energy, creativity, vitality, and love. Love,GROW YOUNGER AND LIVE LONGER
7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING:  Grow Younger and Live Longer
www.chopra.comEvery day in every way, I am increasing my mental and physical 
capacity. I am reversing my biological age by changing my 
perception of my body, its aging, and time. 7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 1Perception is a selective act of attention and interpretation. What you experience 
as “reality,” including your physical body and aging, is shaped by your habits 
of perception. While most people are conditioned to see the body as a static, 
biological machine, you can begin to view it as a field of energy, transformation, 
and intelligence that is constantly renewing itself. Begin to notice both your internal dialogue and how you speak about your body 
and aging. If you find yourself saying things like, “I’m hitting the age where I’ll need 
reading glasses,” “I’m too old to try yoga (or some other activity),” “I inherited my 
dad’s bad back,” or other such statements, make a conscious choice to shift your 
perspective and change what you tell yourself about your body and age. Keep in mind that your cells are eavesdropping on what you say, so unless you 
want to have your father’s bad back or anything else that “runs in the family,” don’t 
nurture that seed of intention in your awareness.CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTIONS OF YOUR BODY  
AND AGING7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 1
www.chopra.comSTEP 1
“You can free yourself from aging by reinterpreting your body  
and by grasping the link between belief and biology.”  
~ Deepak ChopraI prioritize self-care by meditating regularly, allowing 
myself to rest in the sacred space of silent connection  
so I may be calm and centered. 7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 2STEP 2
Meditation is a simple yet powerful tool that takes us to a state of profound 
relaxation that dissolves fatigue and the accumulated stress that accelerates the 
aging process. During meditation, our breathing slows, our blood pressure and 
heart rate decrease, and stress hormone levels fall. By its very nature, meditation 
calms the mind, and when the mind is in a state of restful awareness, the body 
relaxes too. Research shows that people who meditate regularly develop less hypertension, 
heart disease, anxiety, and other stress-related illnesses that speed up aging. Furthermore, new studies are finding that meditation literally restores the brain. A 
groundbreaking study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital found that 
as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people feel calmer but also 
produced changes in various areas of the brain, including growth in the areas 
associated with memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress regulation. This study adds to the expanding body of research about the brain’s amazing 
plasticity and capacity to grow and change at any stage of life. We can nurture our 
brain’s power and maintain a youthful mind by developing a regular meditation 
practice. Getting Started with Meditation  
I usually recommend that people learn a traditional meditation practice from 
a qualified instructor. That way, you know exactly what to do at any point in 
meditation and with any experience that comes along. Often when people try 
to learn on their own or from a book, they learn incorrectly and soon give up in 
frustration because they aren’t experiencing the expected benefits. For those who 
are interested, the Chopra Center offers instruction in Primordial Sound Meditation, 
a natural, easy practice that dates back thousands of years to India’s Vedic traditionMANAGE YOUR STRESS WITH MEDITATION7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 2
www.chopra.comI honor my body’s need for rest by prioritizing deep, 
revitalizing, undisturbed sleep. 7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 3Getting regular restful sleep is an essential key to staying healthy and vital, yet it 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 our immune system, and speeds up the aging 
process. Human beings generally need between six and eight hours of restful sleep each 
night. Restful sleep means that you’re not using pharmaceuticals or alcohol to get 
to sleep but that you’re drifting off easily once you turn off the light and are sleep -
ing soundly through the night. If you feel energetic and vibrant when you wake up, 
you’ve had a night of restful sleep. If you feel tired and unenthusiastic, you haven’t 
had restful sleep. You can get the highest quality sleep by keeping your sleep cycles in tune with the 
rhythms of the universe, known as circadian rhythms. This means going to bed by 
about 10 p.m. and waking at 6 a.m. Ideally, eat only a light meal in the evening, before 7:30 if possible, so that your 
sleep isn’t hampered by the digestive processes. You can go for a leisurely walk after 
dinner and then be in bed by 10 p.m.  
It’s also very helpful to download your thoughts from the day in a journal before 
going to bed so that your mind doesn’t keep you awake.GET ABUNDANT RESTFUL SLEEP7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 3
www.chopra.comSTEP 3I lovingly nurture my body by listening to its needs and 
responding proportionately with healthy, alive, vibrant 
foods and lots of water. 7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 4There are “dead” foods that accelerate aging and entropy and others that renew and 
revitalize the body. Foods to eliminate or minimize include items that are canned, 
frozen, microwaved, or highly processed. Focus on eating a variety of fresh and 
freshly prepared food. A simple way to make sure that you are getting a balanced diet is to include the six 
tastes (sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent) in each meal. The typical 
American diet tends to be dominated by the sweet, sour, and salty tastes (the main 
flavors of a hamburger). We do need these tastes, but they can lower metabolism, 
especially if eaten in excess. The pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes, on the other hand, are anti-inflammatory 
and increase metabolism. These tastes are found in foods such as radishes, ginger, 
mustard, peppers, spinach, mushrooms, tea, lentils, lettuce, and so on. Along with the six tastes, filling your plate with the colors of the rainbow promotes 
a long and healthy life. We can literally ingest the information of the universe into 
our biology. Foods that are deep blue, purple, red, green, or orange are leaders in 
antioxidants and contain many nutrients that boost immunity and enhance health. Examples of foods of the rainbow:  
• Red: Red tomatoes (particularly cooked), red peppers, red/pink grapefruit, 
watermelon, red grapes, beets, red cabbage, apples, strawberries, cherries, 
raspberries, cranberries  
• Orange/yellow: Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkin, cantaloupe, 
mangoes, papaya, nectarines  
• Green: Broccoli, kale, spinach, cabbage, peas, avocado, collard greens  
• Deep blue/purple: Plums, blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries, purple 
grapes, eggplant (with skin)NURTURE YOUR BODY WITH HEALTHY FOOD7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 4
www.chopra.comSTEP 4I rejoice in the miracle of my body by moving, stretching,  
and strengthening it every day. 7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 5One of the most important ways to grow younger and live longer is regular 
exercise. Drs. William Evans and Irwin Rosenberg from Tufts University have 
documented the powerful effect of exercise on many of the biomarkers of aging, 
including muscle mass, strength, aerobic capacity, bone density, and cholesterol. Not only does exercise keep the body young, but it also keeps the mind vital and 
promotes emotional well-being. In his book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science 
of Exercise and the Brain, Harvard University professor John Ratey, M.D. describes 
how physical activity sparks biological changes that increases the brain’s ability to 
learn, adapt, and perform other cognitive tasks. A complete fitness program includes exercises to develop flexibility, cardiovascular 
conditioning, and strength training. Find an aerobic activity that you can do 
regularly—three to four sessions each week for twenty to thirty minutes is usually 
enough to give you substantial benefits. After your body is warmed up, spend five 
to ten minutes stretching. You will also want to include strength training in your 
program to systematically exercise the major muscle groups of your body. The important thing is to start off slowly, find physical activities you enjoy, and do 
them regularly. If the most you can do right now is walk around the block, do that, 
and you will be surprised how quickly you increase your endurance and enthusiasm 
for moving and breathing.MOVE YOUR BODY EVERY DAY7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 5
www.chopra.comSTEP 5I openly give and receive love to those around me.7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 6Isolation and loneliness create the conditions for rapid aging. Heart attack and 
death rates are known to increase among the recently widowed and among men 
who have been suddenly terminated from their jobs without warning and against 
their will. The emotional value of social bonding is immense, yet in some countries, 
including the U.S., we have moved in the opposite direction for decades. With 
increasingly long hours spent working, more time in front of the television, and a 
population constantly on the move, social bonding keeps declining. The trend will 
be exacerbated as the fastest-growing population, those eighty and older, move 
into retirement homes. It’s becoming increasingly rare for older people to be cared 
for at home, and there is still a stigma about seniors being a burden to the young 
and a drag on society. The key here is to stay connected and open to new relationships throughout 
your life. Resist the impulse to go quietly into semi-isolation because you assume 
that society expects that of you. Losing friends and spouses is an inevitable part 
of aging, and many people can’t find replacements or lack the motivation to. By 
“replacement,” I don’t mean a new spouse and family (though that is certainly a 
possibility), but emotional bonds that mean something to you and offer continued 
meaning to your existence. No amount of reading and television substitutes for 
human contact that nourishes on the level of love and caring. One of the most 
effective steps is for older people to become involved with mentoring programs, 
education, and youth programs.CULTIVATE LOVING RELATIONSHIPS7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 6
www.chopra.comSTEP 6I make time to play and explore each day, approaching 
new experiences with the curiosity and openness  
of a child. 7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 7An ancient Vedic aphorism says, “Infinite flexibility is the secret to immortality.” 
When we cultivate flexibility in or consciousness, we renew ourselves in every 
moment and reverse the aging process. Children offer the finest expressions of 
openness and flexibility. They play and laugh freely, and find wonder in the smallest 
things. They are infinitely creative because they haven’t yet built up the layers of 
conditioning that create limitations and restrictions. To maintain a youthful mind, write down two or three things you can do that are 
totally childlike. Think of something that evokes childhood for you—eating an ice 
cream cone, going to a playground to swing, coloring a picture, jumping rope, or 
building a sand castle. Find something that brings back the sense of fun you had as 
a child, even if you think you’ve outgrown it, and choose one of these activities to 
do today. As you carry out your childlike activity, let yourself embody the archetypal carefree 
and innocent child. The feeling you’re aiming for isn’t a return to childhood, but 
something more profound, as expressed by the brilliant therapist A.H. Almaas: 
“When we look at a child, we see that the sense of fullness, of intrinsic aliveness, of 
joy in being, is not the result of something else. There is value in just being oneself; 
it is not because of something one does or doesn’t do. It is there in the beginning, 
when we were children but slowly it gets lost.” By re-experiencing our childlike 
nature, we not only cultivate a youthful mind, but we also connect to the part of us 
that is never born and never dies—our eternal spiritual essence.MAINTAIN A YOUTHFUL MIND7 STEPS TO RADICAL WELLBEING: Step 7
www.chopra.comSTEP 7
7_Steps_to_Radical_Wellbeing_by_Deepak_Chopra.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        By Deepak Chopra7 STEPS TO
RADICAL WELLBEING© 2015 The Chopra Center. All rights reserved. Published by Chopra Center Press, a division of Chopra Center Enterprises, LLC  
2013 Costa Del Mar Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009 | chopra. com  
Copy by Deepak ChopraALSO BY THE CHOPRA CENTER PRESS:
Books
Free to Love, Free to Heal: Heal Your Body  
by Healing Your Emotions, by David Simon, M. D. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Guidebook
21 Days of Inspiration
Wisdom for Living: Deepak Chopra’s Book of QuotesOnly 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 and lifespan. Today scientific research is arriving at a radically different understanding: while 
the body appears to be material, it is really a field of energy and intelligence that is 
inextricably connected to the mind. We now know that what used to be considered 
the “normal” experience of aging—a progressive descent into physical and mental 
incapacity—is in large part a conditioned response. The mind influences every cell in 
the body and therefore human aging is fluid and changeable. It can speed up, slow 
down, and even reverse itself. There are many studies demonstrating the profound influence of the mind and 
beliefs on aging. For example, a landmark study by Harvard psychologist Ellen 
Langer, Ph.
The conventional medical view is that the body is a machine whose parts will inevitably break down and cannot be repaired.
What is the conventional medical view of the body?
The body is a field of energy and intelligence that is inextricably connected to the mind.
What is the new scientific understanding of the body, according to the text?
The recommended amount of sleep is between six and eight hours per night.
What is the recommended amount of sleep each night, according to the text?
The text states that isolation and loneliness can accelerate the aging process.
What is a key factor in the aging process, according to the text?
The text recommends learning a traditional meditation practice from a qualified instructor to ensure correct technique and avoid frustration.
What is the recommended way to start a meditation practice, according to the text?