Deepak Chopra On: Consciousness, Quantum Physics, Handling Criticism, And The Benefit Of Contemplating Your Own Death

As we try to lead healthier lives, one thing we rarely consider is being mindful of how we breathe. Science journalist James Nestor argues that while the power of the breath is central to many Eastern traditions, it’s been largely ignored in the Western world. Modern medicine treats chronic congestion, sinus infections, and lung disease but puts little emphasis on teaching people how to breathe correctly. However, Nestor asserts that by learning how to breathe well, we’ll improve our well-being, balance our emotions, and find more energy to live the lives we want.

This guide will explain what Nestor says about how we’re breathing wrong, how we can do it better, and what amazing impact the power of breath can have over the body. We’ll also explore the underlying science of breath, hear what medical research says about Nestor’s claims, and delve into specific breathing techniques that the author recommends.

Do you struggle with overcoming negative patterns of thought and emotion? In Becoming Supernatural, Joe Dispenza explains how you can break free from these destructive thought-feeling patterns by using meditation and visualization to create a new reality and manifest your dreams. He calls this “becoming supernatural” because using the power of your thoughts alone to transform your physical reality will appear to the average person as beyond human.

Joe Dispenza is a chiropractor, author, and self-help speaker with research interests in epigenetics, quantum physics, and neuroscience. Dispenza draws on this eclectic knowledge base to outline a powerful plan for personal transformation.

In this guide, we’ll explain Dispenza’s premise that our experiences are determined by deeply-embedded patterns of thought and emotion that can trap us in vicious cycles of negativity. As we explain Dispenza’s methods for overcoming these patterns, we’ll discuss related scientific research and explore the relationship between his ideas and certain Hindu and Buddhist concepts.

Is your mind strong enough to weather all storms you face in life? Are you struggling to achieve what you want most? In Unbeatable Mind, Mark Divine offers a guide to training your mind to be stronger so that you have control over your whole self and can maximize your success. Divine is a retired Navy SEAL Commander and best-selling author who shares his whole-person training with the goal of creating millions of powerful leaders over the next two decades.

In our guide, we’ll explore Divine’s system, which features five levels of personal development along with tips for how to traverse these levels, plus important tools for training your mind and developing mental toughness through meditative techniques. We’ll also examine the science behind these ideas and techniques, as well as how other experts in the field recommend achieving the goals he sets out for the reader.

Someday, you’re going to die. This is an obvious, unavoidable fact of life—yet almost everyone in modern society has implicitly agreed to ignore it. According to spiritual teacher Sadhguru, this reluctance to acknowledge death leads to enormous and unnecessary suffering. He argues that if you form a peaceful relationship to your own death, you’ll be empowered to live a more balanced, joyful life. More than that, it’ll help you prepare for your death—and what comes afterward.

In this guide, we’ll explain Sadhguru’s vision of the universe, including the nature of the human spirit and the afterlife. We’ll also detail some of the spiritual practices he suggests to soften and overcome death-related fears. In our commentary, we’ll compare Sadhguru’s spiritual ideas to those of major Eastern religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, to build a bigger picture of what people believe about death. Additionally, we’ll draw on psychological research that offers a more secular perspective on Sadhguru’s ideas.

Many Westerners internalize the idea that each of us is an individual—separate from others and our surroundings. However, in The Book, British philosopher Alan Watts argues that the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion: the ego illusion. According to Watts and the Vedanta spiritual philosophy, each of us is a manifestation of one Cosmic Being that encompasses everything in the universe. He argues that if Westerners can release their ego, they can end some of the biggest problems plaguing their society: conflict with people and nature, chronic dissatisfaction with the present, and fear of death.

In the guide, we’ll define the ego illusion and what Watts believes is our true identity. Then, we’ll explain how Western society perpetuates the ego illusion, its dangerous consequences for humankind, and how Westerners can release their ego. Throughout the guide, we’ll also include practical advice for embodying the philosophy.

Many people measure success in terms of how much they achieve or accumulate. According to best-selling author and world-renowned well-being practitioner Deepak Chopra, this definition of success limits you and keeps you trapped in a cycle of achievement and accumulation that creates more anxiety than success.

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Chopra redefines success, arguing that your entire reality springs from an invisible, spiritual world of consciousness pulsing with energy that connects everything in the universe. He explains that true success comes from aligning with the flow of this spiritual energy.

In this guide, we’ll explain how your connection to this spiritual energy impacts your experiences. We’ll also provide methods to help you align with the flow of this energy, appreciate your significance in the world, and experience true success. Additionally, we’ll expand upon each of Chopra’s key points with research, advice, and actionable ideas from other self-improvement practitioners.

Autobiography of a Yogi is the memoir of Paramahansa Yogananda, one of the world’s most famous yoga practitioners and teachers. It provides practical lessons about yoga, spirituality, and how to live a good life, interspersed with highlights and anecdotes from the author’s life. Yogananda is best known for bringing kriya yoga to the US, thereby creating a spiritual connection between the West and his homeland of India. He also founded the Self-Realization Fellowship, a spiritual organization that now has over 500 locations globally. Between the schools he founded and the books he wrote, Yogananda ensured that his teachings reached millions of people all over the world.

This guide will begin with foundational information about Hinduism and yoga. Then, we’ll tell Yogananda’s life story. Our commentary will go into greater detail about yoga’s central beliefs and practices. We’ll also compare some of Yogananda’s teachings to those found in other belief systems. Finally, we’ll examine some of Yogananda’s teachings about yoga’s benefits through a scientific lens.

Do people who turn their backs on religion leave something crucial behind? Atheist philosopher and scientist Sam Harris thinks they do. He argues that those who reject the contemplative aspects of faith traditions are missing out on the contentment that comes from seeking transcendental states of mind, which has historically been the domain of religion.

Harris is known for encouraging skeptics to confront religion. In 2017’s Waking Up, he lays out a reason-based approach to spirituality that’s rooted in what science and meditation teach about the workings of the human mind.

In this guide, we’ll explore Harris’s definition of spirituality, what neuroscience says about the nature of consciousness, and Harris’s argument that while consciousness is real, your sense of self is an illusion. We’ll examine what spiritual enlightenment looks like from a secular worldview, its implications for self-improvement, and what science and theology have to say about consciousness, the soul, and the mind.