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First Look: How Deepak Chopra Handles His Critics

Posted: Thu 04/26/2012 08:00 AM


When his career first began, spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra had his fair share of critics—and he says he didn't always handle them well. Then, he says, a quote from Nelson Mandela changed his approach forever. Watch as he shares the insight he took to heart. Oprah's "Super Soul Sunday" interview with Deepak Chopra airs Sunday, April 29, at 11/10c.

First Look: Deepak Chopra on Going with the Flow of Life

Posted: Wed 04/25/2012 08:00 AM



When Oprah and her crew arrived in India, spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra gave them one piece of advice: Go with the flow. Hear why Deepak says learning to move with the flow of life wherever you are is key to appreciating every moment. Watch this preview, then tune into Oprah's "Super Soul Sunday" interview with Deepak Chopra on Sunday, April 29, at 11/10c.

Deepak Chopra: 5 Ways to Identify Your True Self

Posted: Wed 04/25/2012 08:00 AM
Deepak Chopra, the co-founder of the Chopra Foundation and author of Spiritual Solutions: Answers to Life's Greatest Challenges, shows us how to be our best, most aware selves. Get his advice below, then tune in Sunday at 11/10c for his interview with Oprah in India.

It's important to be yourself. We're all told that, and it's true—we know the damage done by being false to ourselves and to others. But I'd like to suggest that to "be yourself" goes much deeper. Most people don't know how much wisdom and power resides in the self, which is not the everyday self that gets mixed up with all the business of life, but a deeper self, which I call, for simplicity's sake, the true self.

The true self isn't a familiar term to most people, although it is close to what religion calls your soul, the purest part of yourself. But religion depends upon faith, and that's not the issue here. You can actually test if you have such a true self. How? You know that sugar is sweet because you can taste it. Likewise, the true self has certain qualities that belong to it the way sweetness belongs to sugar. If you can experience these qualities, repeat them, learn to cultivate them and finally make them a natural part of yourself, the true self has come to life.

The trick is distinguishing what is your true self and what is not. If we had a switch that could turn off the everyday self and turn on the true self, matters would be much simpler. But human nature is divided. There are moments when you feel secure, accepted, peaceful and certain. At those moments, you are experiencing the true self. At other moments, you experience the opposite, and then you are in the grip of the everyday self, or the ego-self. The trouble is that both sides are convincing. When you feel overwhelmed by stress, crisis, doubts and insecurity, the true self might as well not exist. You are experiencing a different reality colored by the state of your mind.

At those dark, tough moments, try to get some outside perspective about what is happening. The qualities of the everyday self and the true self are actually very different:

1. The true self is certain and clear about things. The everyday self gets influenced by countless outside influences, leading to confusion.

2. The true self is stable. The everyday self shifts constantly.

3. The true self is driven by a deep sense of truth. The everyday self is driven by the ego, the unending demands of "I, me, mine."

4. The true self is at peace. The everyday self is easily agitated and disturbed.

5. The true self is love. The everyday self, lacking love, seeks it from outside sources.

How to let your true self guide you

Deepak Chopra: 7 Questions to Form Your Soul Profile

Posted: Tue 04/24/2012 08:00 AM
When asked to describe yourself, how often do you share what you do for a living? However, Deepak Chopra says you as an individual are not defined by what you do. Instead, he says you are defined by your soul. There are seven questions that can help you develop a "soul profile"—a true understanding of who you are. Get them below, then mark your calendars for Oprah's interview with Deepak in India on "Super Soul Sunday" this Sunday, April 29 at 11/10.


1. Who am I?

2. What do I want?

3. What's my purpose in this life?


Get the final four questions you need to complete your soul profile
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