Ageless Body Timeless Mind is a landmark book on the subject of mind/body medicine combining theoretical insights, practical exercises, scientific observations and esoteric teachings, the book became a bestseller of its genre.
Ageless Body Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra
Ageless Body Timeless Mind is a mix of esoteric and scientific advice on longevity.
First published in 1993, the book is typical of the medical/esoteric genre combining insights from Ayurvedic traditions with contemporary medicine and quantum physics to showcase different ways of thinking about longevity, aging and healthcare.
While the book fails to establish a number of its claims with scientific rigour, it’s a good place to start looking for alternative medical advice which puts the body and the mind at the heart of health and human happiness.
Below are some of the key insights I took from this book:
Key Insights
- Materialism is an illusion with the human body composed of trillions of regenerating cells that are in constant flux and subject to our conscious control.
- Our thought processes consciously and unconsciously shape our body suggesting that our intentions hold the key to good health and a long life.
- As the body regenerates itself, our mind/body connection shapes the form of our regenerated self for the better or for worse.
- Our social perceptions of aging are based on a flawed assumption that people die of old age when actually there is no evidence for this.
- Instead, we should view age is as a product of our chronological age, psychological age and biological age where only the first of these is absolute in form.
- While biochemistry is important, modern medicine is reductionist in assuming that all our health issues are biological in origin.
- Instead, we should build a new paradigm where our consciousness is at the centre of our health with practical exercises designed to expand our conscious perceptions.
- Society teaches us that we are atomised but actually our existence is interwoven with the fabric of the universe.
- Quantum physics increasingly confirms the wisdom of the ancients, that our world is subject to perception and that most of our reality is composed of empty space and energy.
- Negative factors that age us include career dissatisfaction, loneliness, depression, anger, the need for control and high expectations whereas stable relationships, faith, routine, positive mental regard and other notions help us age very well.
- Moderation, regularity, rest and activity should be at the core of our quest for longevity with each area positively correlated with reaching 100.
- Diametrically opposing youth with age creates negative intentions that causes us to adopt the wrong approach to aging and retirement.
- Regular sleep, routine, gratefulness, a clean diet and a sense of purpose are fundamental to human health and should be practiced by all.
- Activities like meditation and yoga can be used to demonstrably improve healthcare by regulating our brainwaves, reducing stress, encouraging biofeedback and conscious control of our bodily functions.
- More generally, the practice of emotional mastery helps keep the body in balance and reduce the risk that we will experience health problems later on in life.
- Even something as simple as prana breathing techniques can help us to gain conscious control of our body with incredible health benefits for all involved.
- By setting positive intentions about our health and age we can take control of our destiny and expect to live a healthier, more fulfilling and better life into our later years.