I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

Deepak Chopra says he's meditated every day for the past 40 years. He began this spiritual

practice while a student in medical school to relieve stress and kick his pack of day

smoking habit. The effects of meditation on Deepak's life were so profound, it became a

cornerstone of his teachings.

Well, you're the only person I know who's as busy and busier than I. You're a hard

guy to get in this chair. My body is busy, I'm not. I love that. I stay home, my body travels.

Really?

When we met in India, one of the things that you say, there's not been a day when you

haven't meditated. In 40 years.

40 years. Wow. Not a day. This is a great opportunity for us to demystify meditation.

We're going to do meditation 101. Let's start with the basics. How do you define meditation?

Meditation is defined in the following way. It's a progressive, quietening of the mind

till it reaches the source of the mind, which in spiritual traditions is called the soul

of the spirit. So it takes you to your source.

Okay. Why should someone do it?

Because there are lots of people who do it right now saying, I thought about it, but I

know. Okay. The first reason they should do it is the most effective way to manage stress.

And when you have stress, you don't sleep well, you're not good in your relationships.

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