7 Tips for Living in Balance: From Deepak Chopra at the "Living In Balance Retreat"

Reprinted from my story in Longevity 

Check out Deepak's new book  The Healing Self

Knowledge is useless until it is activated. On the last day of the Living in Balance retreat with Deepak Chopra and guests we were given a “Balance Tip of the Day.” This is a simple prescription for applying the teachings from the weekend into our daily lives at home.

1. Make time to quiet the mind and meditate
2. Eat a healthy balanced diet with lots of organic, pure, colorful, fruits and vegetables. Pay attention to including the six tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, astringent, salty, pungent) into each meal. Drink lots of pure, filtered water (without ice) and herbal elixirs and teas.
3. Move your body, take breaks from desk work by getting up every half in hour if possible. Take in deep breaths, get outside in nature, walk barefoot and get grounded on the grass or sand.
4. Cultivate loving relationships. Connect with your heart center and find ways to share your positive feelings with others. Get and give hugs. Healing touch is vital to health, so go and hug a loved one or a friend every chance you get. Don’t miss the opportunity to pet a dog or any pet and even a tree.
5. Enjoy a good belly laugh at least once a day, uncontrollable laughter is the best medicine.
6. Release emotional toxins. Take a moment to let go of worries, stress, and negative feelings.
7. Make a ritual of good habits that lead to restful sleep. It is essential, and especially remove all technology from the bedroom or at least shut down and put your phone, laptop and iPad to bed.

Ayuvedic Foods Seasonings for Balance-six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, bitter.

Another Way To Balance Is With This Sleep Prep Tip

Unplug two to three hours before bed. Take a soothing bath with aromatherapy (with lavender and Epsom salts).  Keep a journal and make a gratitude list. Ask soul questions and reflect back on the day, so you can release the experience of it all and prepare for sweet dreams.

Humans Live For Meaning

If you are seeking more in-depth information, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Rudolph Tanzi have published a new book, The Healing Self,  which is a revolutionary new plan to supercharge your immunity and stay well for life. Deepak Chopra, The Healing Self: Supercharge your immune system and stay well for life

With all the different choices and new scientific discoveries on how to live your best life, the first step is finding a deeper understanding and balance in your whole-body system and to understand how everything in your consciousness has an effect on your health.
Since my experience at the Living in Balance seminar, I have committed to making some significant changes in my life.  I appreciate more fully that the key is to be mindful of what is life-affirming and empowering and to learn how to listen to my own inner guidance.

As Deepak Chopra shares: “Humans are not biological robots. We live for meaning, for the personal value of every experience. The body metabolizes our experiences and sends the message to every cell, while the mind, in its own domain, processes experience in terms of sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings. Nothing fuses the whole-system effects of love and non-love like the human heart, which needs to be understood as more than a physical organ.”

This is the final instalment in our series covering the Living in Balance retreat. You can read part one here, and part two (which looks at a new form of anxiety) here.