Hello, I’m
Roger Gabriel

Follow along with Roger Gabriel, Chopra's Chief Meditation Officer, in this new article series on the Vedic Yugas.

There are now thousands of studies spanning five decades to validate the benefits of meditation. As widespread as this information is, the effect on everyday life has been limited. In my new book, Total Meditation, I wanted to correct the under-use of meditation and the large problem of non-compliance, as a doctor would call it. Too many people start meditating only to quickly give it up or use it only when they are in the mood.

The word holistic has come to refer to everything from organic food and massage therapy to herbal supplements and Eastern healing practices, all of which are undeniably valuable and evidence of a growing consciousness that earlier generations only dreamed of. The Chopra Center defines holistic in its original sense, as related to wholeness. Wholeness is the union of mind, body, and spirit. It means that you are a totality, not the sum of countless moving parts. In wholeness, you aren’t divided against yourself and the choices you make benefit you at every level.

In the past two decades, yoga has moved from relative anonymity in the West to a well-recognized practice offered in thousands of studios, community centers, hospitals, gyms, and health clubs. Although yoga is commonly portrayed as a popular fitness trend, it’s actually the core of the Vedic science that developed in the Indus Valley more than five thousand years ago.