How to Retard Aging! (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

     Thankfully, there are two sides to every story.  In Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra explains the negative factors that accelerate aging but he also lists the positive factors that retard aging.  They are as follows:

1.  Happy marriage
2.  Job satisfaction
3.  Ability to laugh easily
4.  Ability to make and keep close friends
5.  Regular daily routine
6.  Taking at lease one week of vacation per year
7.  Enjoyable leisure time
8.  Ability to express feelings easily
9.  Optimistic about the future
10.  Feeling financially secure, living within means

    I think all of these are positive factors that make me feel light just thinking about them.  My mom was telling me when I'm confused about a decision to imagine both scenarios and ask which one makes you feel light.  That is probably the best decision for you then.  Just like these positive factors.  Do they make you feel light?  If so, why not do more of them?

How to Get Old, Quickly (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

     Deepak Chopra lists the negative factors that accelerate aging in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind.  He wants us to understand the strong psychological affect we have on our own bodies.  The underlying message being that we have control to change the negative factors that accelerate aging into an ageless body.

1.  Depression
2.  Inability to express emotions
3.  Feeling helpless to change oneself and others
4.  Loneliness, absence of close friends
5.  Lack of regular daily routine
6.  Job dissatisfaction
7.  Financial burdens
8.  Excessive worry
9.  Getting angry easily, unable to express anger
10.  Criticism of self and others

     Personally, I have experienced everyone of these negative factors.  I can see how they have weighed me down and even made me feel old.  The good news is that we can change any of these negative factors to positive factors that retard aging, states Chopra.

What do you believe? (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

    "A belief is something you hold on to because you think it is true."  states Chopra in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind.  Whether you believe something or not is completely your choice.  He continues, "But unlike a thought, which actively forms words or images in your brain, a belief is generally silent."  Our bodies will react automatically to our beliefs.  Take a man who is afraid of confined spaces.  His body will react for him; pounding heart; sweaty palms; panting breath.  Regardless of his attempt to thwart his fear with thoughts such as, "There's no reason to be afraid." or "Small rooms aren't dangerous."  His body will override his endeavor, explains Chopra.  This is the same type of belief that we have about aging.  Our bodies will do the aging for us because we believe it.  This isn't to say that we can think aging away but that we have to physically believe that when we get older we will not lose our capacity to do physical activity.  Exercise is still just as important when we are 96 years old.  Why?  Because, physically, we are believing that age cannot stop our bodies from doing all the things we could physically do in our 20's.  Lastly, Chopra states, "...by adopting a healthy lifestyle, you can delay symptoms of aging by as much as thirty years."  It's all about believing it completely, in your mind and body.
     I've always thought that as you age you become more tired and slow down.  When I was younger I would wonder what disease I would die of, since everyone died from something.   I now know that I don't have to believe that.  I can continue to be like I am now, in my 20's, running up stairs, skiing, and hiking.  I don't have to slow down unless I want to.  Can you imagine 100 years of life in good health, lots of energy and a strong mind?!?  I can!

Aging and Awareness (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

     "Awareness has the power to change aging, but..." begins Chopra, it also is a two-edged sword.  It has the power to heal and destroy.  The difference is how you condition your awareness and train your attitudes, assumptions and beliefs explains Chopra.  You can have destructive mental patterns or positive ones.  Non-aging would be to give up "...habits, rituals, rigid beliefs, and outworn behavior."  Chopra points out that as the saying in the Tao Te Ching goes, "Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow, whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die."
    From before we can remember, external ideas, cultures, and beliefs have been suspended upon us.  I remember when my mom would worry about getting sick as she got older.  Just her simple belief is imprinted on me that when I age, sickness is normal.  I'm conditioning my thoughts and beliefs based upon this.  Not to blame my mom since she has also been conditioned by others including our whole culture; medications for when you age, botox to reduce wrinkles, Metamucil for when you get older.  The list goes on and on imprinting on us that age must happen, imprinting on your body to believe this and age itself. What aging beliefs are you holding onto?

You are not alone. Get connected! (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

  We are not separate but connected on a quantum level.  Chopra, in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind illustrates the connection of us and the whole universe.  Imagine two candles on a table about 3 feet apart.  Notice how the light fills the entire room and how the light is connected between the two candles.  Now, take the candle outside, at night, you can see the light from the stars and the candle.  The light energy is connected with your energy.  We are connected.  Chopra says that, "When you begin to own this knowledge, nothing in your environment will feel threatening to you.  As a result, the fear of separation will loosen its hold over you, and the unbroken flow of awareness will counter entropy and aging."
     When I feel connected to others and the universe I feel peace deep inside my spirit.  Just the knowing that I'm not alone gives me comfort.  To know that all of us are on the same life journey together increases my love for all.  When I separate myself I feel the fear of losing a family member, my boyfriend or friends.  If I lose them then I'm truly alone.  But, no, I wouldn't be, because I would still be connected to everyone else including the universe.  I am a part of the quantum field that transcends everyday reality, as Chopra puts it. 

Awareness is the key (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

     "Everything I can possibly experience begins and ends with awareness; every thought or emotion that captures my attention is a tiny fragment of awareness; all the goals and expectations I set for myself are organized in awareness." states Chopra.  Maintaining continuous awareness is the key to health, timelessness and life.  When awareness is broken, "Vast areas of our bodily existence go out of our control, leading to sickness, aging, and death." explains Chopra.  This loss is equivalent to not being aware of every part of our bodies, our cells included and the connection we have with them.  It may seem like your cells are running on auto-pilot but they are actually created through your own thinking and training.  We are connected mind, body, and spirit.
    I know when I've knocked over a glass of water or tripped on my own feet that I was not paying attention to my body.  I was most likely in some other moment of life, past or present.  Today, as I walked down the flight of stairs at work, I said, "I'm walking, left foot, right foot...Now, I'm walking down the hall..."  It's seems silly but I can honestly remember, vividly the whole trip.  That's the thing about being aware and in the moment.  You will consciously do things and you will remember the details.  By being aware you will remember where you set your keys or your cell phone.  Furthermore, you will be happier because you won't be obsessing about the future or past.  Stay present, be aware and practice by just noticing your foot steps.

Meditation (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Chopra)

    We've heard of it, thought about doing it, but then easily forgot it.  Meditation has been around for ages, healing, revealing, and satisfying all that come across it.  Why do we allow this simple, yet vital practice slip away from our everyday life?  Why not begin to embrace this age-old remedy for reducing stress, healing the body, and adding tranquility to our lives?  Chopra, in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, says, "From my experience with studies on people using meditation, it has been established that long-term meditators can have a biological age between 5 and 12 years younger than their chronological age."  Wow!  Meditation is so powerful.
     In recent findings, research has found that this subjective experience of silence, fullness, and eternity creates a definite shift toward a more efficient functioning of the body, states Chopra.  "Hundreds of individual findings show lowered respiration, reduced oxygen consumption, and decreased metabolic rate."  The most significant conculsion is that the hormonal imbalance associated with stress (which speeds up the aging process) is reversed explains Chopra. 
     To experience your own shift in time with meditation look at a clock with a second hand on it, close your eyes and focus on your breath.  Allow your thoughts to move in and out of your mind and continue to focus on your breath.  After several minutes have passed, open your eyes and look at the second hand of the clock.  Chopra suggests that you may see the second hand stand still for 1-3 seconds  or you may see it pause before resuming it's circular motion around the clock.  Either way it is a way to perceive time in a different manner.  One in which, possibly, time doesn't stops, for even a moment.