The Aesthete

Spirited Away

New Age guru and author Dr. Deepak Chopra, talks about personal trainers, tech gadgets and his close connection with Michael Jackson

by George Wayne

My life at home is all about...Curiosity,acceptance, love, and openess. The name Deepak means 'goes with the flow' and that’s what I do. I am up at precisely 4 a.m., and I meditate for two hours in a tiny, bare room with only a chair. Then I do yoga, or work out with my trainer at the Equinox gym in the Time/Warner building. I do whatever he tells me. After the gym, I check my schedule and go with the flow. At about 4 p.m., after being up for almost twelve hours, I spend 15 minutes in silence, and then if I can, I go for a long, long walk through Central Park, or all the way down Broadway. I often find a new restaurant, and stop to eat. I am usually invited to go somewhere that night, but I spend a lot of time by myself. I am usually in bed by 10 p.m. after sifting through the news. I read local and international newspapers online and watch BBC or CNN.

My best advice is...Have a lot of love and compassion. They are qualities that take you out of your ego-self and make you feel spontaneously joyful. You find equanimity and peace of mind, and that can only afford inner growth for any of us.

The most eccentric thing about me is...The fact I am such a technophile. I love gadgets and social media. For instance I'm sporting this new gadget, called a Nike Fitbit, around my upper arm that gives me all sort of different information about my well-being. Right now as we speak, it is calculating my calories burned, and measuring my brain waves to determine how much sleep I got. I am on Twitter and Facebook with more than a million followers between the both of them. I am on LinkedIn and I communicate with the world every day.

Happiness is an option because...It is a choice, and every choice you make helps create your future. What you must do is always ask yourself 'Is this choice really right for me and the others in my life who will be affected by it?' If the answer is yes, go for it.

When in doubt...Doubt the doubt.

Michael Jackson was...The sweetest, gentlest, most loving person I have ever known. I was very, very close to him – closer than most people know. Michael shared all his tortured life with me and in great detail; very personal details about his childhood and his life. The only times Michael would not keep in touch was when he did not want me to know that he was indulging. We had a loving but estranged relationship. I used to scream at him, and I would tell him that I was going to report the doctors. Whenever I would tell him that, he would disappear for months, and then he would feel guilty about it and call me. Michael was indeed a victim of the crazy guys in the medical profession who perpetuate addictions. He was totally fine until the Pepsi accident. After that, people started giving him stuff and it started being his escape.

What strikes me most about New York City in the millennium is...That it is indeed the microcosm of the world. I can walk through a hundred different countries just by taking walks through New York. I love it and it is my favorite city in the world. I think the phrase 'global citizen' was created here, and I hope that New York City will always be a beacon to the rest of the world.