This Is How Deepak Chopra, MD, Stays Present, Energized & Clear

Deepak Chopra, M.D., is nothing short of a legend in alternative medicine. His 80-plus bestselling books and revolutionary spiritual teachings have made him one of the most renowned voices in wellness (and a well-deserved recipient of mindbodygreen's annual Lifetime Achievement Award). His latest book, Metahuman (available October 1, 2019), explains how we can expand our lives beyond daily living and access higher consciousness—ideas that, if you ask him what he does each day, it's apparent he exemplifies. 

If I go to bed by 10 p.m., which I try to, then I wake up at 6 a.m. I'm very mindful of the fact that sleep is the best and most efficient way to keep your energy maxed out. I like to ask people: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much energy do you have in a day to do all the things you want to do? Ten would be as much as I want, and 1 would be it sucks. If you say 8, 9, and 10, you're thriving. If you say 5, 6, 7, then you're struggling in some area of your life. It could be any area of life: social, personal relationships, career, finances, physical, emotional, spiritual, but there's something going on. And if you score at 1, 2, 3, 4, you're suffering, and you are either sick already or you're going to be. I can confidently say that I'm a 10 out of 10. 

Whatever time I go to bed, I make sure I get eight hours of sleep, and I make sure that at least 90 minutes is in deep sleep, and another 90 minutes is in a dream state. (You can monitor that with all these gizmos and gadgets. I love to get feedback and relate it to how I feel subjectively.) So yes, I aim for 10 out of 10, all the time. 

The rest of the day, I just don't do anything. Basically, if I feel like writing, I write. If I feel like reading, I'll read. If I’m in New York or in a big city, I'll walk 10,000 steps. I do some breathing techniques. 

In terms of my diet—I eat light. I have one meal that is a major meal, and that's usually at 6 or 7 p.m. Things change, but I usually don't eat after 6 p.m. I'm a vegetarian, and I eat mostly plant-based foods. I eat a bowl of fruit and yogurt in the morning and then have a routine lunch—if I'm at home, it's usually a little bit of lentils, rice, and vegetables. In the evenings, I keep it really light with soup and salad, and I usually eat before sunset. Basically, that's my diet.

I keep weekends totally off, unless there are reasons not to, like a conference or something like that. I don't usually see my family during the week, so we try to get together on weekends, and they also spend the summers with me in New York. We take one vacation every year, and my wife spends time between my children. When I'm in California, she's there. When I'm in New York, she comes with me.

When I'm working, which is when I'm on the road, the routine is the same, except it changes. Usually, if I'm on the road, I'm speaking at night, especially at public lectures. And these are at theaters on the road, so they usually start at 7 p.m., and they go on to 10 p.m., and then I usually do a book signing after that or a reception, so when I'm actually working on the road, my evenings start at approximately 6 p.m. and don't end until midnight. Still, I do my routine. 

I do my evening meditation every night. Obviously, if I go to sleep at midnight, then I'll wake up later, like 8 a.m., and I'll keep the same routine. And when I travel, it's the same routine. It doesn't matter.