What do you value most? Most people would include health and happiness at the top of their list. The healing system of Ayurveda offers timeless guidance to help us nurture both of these qualities in our life. According to the ancient texts, a person seeking true health and wellbeing must:
- Maintain a good balance between change and stability
- Be able to digest life experiences, extracting the parts that are nourishing and releasing those aspects that are not
- Make choices that nurture your body, heart, mind, and soul

The power of choice can’t be overemphasized. Exciting new research in genetics, neurobiology, and other medical fields is showing that our daily lifestyle choices – including our choices about diet, sleep, exercise, stress management, and relationships – are the most important factor in our health and wellbeing.
Contrary to popular belief, our genes are not our destiny. With very few exceptions, our lifestyle choices determine the expression of our genes and whether we will enjoy good health. To cite just one example, a landmark study led by Dr. Dean Ornish found that 99% of the patients in the study were able to stop or reverse heart disease, without drugs or surgery, simply by making comprehensive lifestyle changes, including a healthy whole-foods diet, moderate exercise such as walking, meditation, yoga-based stretching, breathing, and the cultivation of loving relationships.
By The Chopra Center